^{This unit was developed by Mindaugas Šapoka   Bibliography   Didactic Comments}

Information Text   Source Sheet   Worksheet

 

JAGIELLONIAN VILNIUS

The election of Casimir, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1444-1492) to the throne of Poland meant that the personal union of Lithuania and Poland was renewed. This relationship between the two states remained with few interruptions until the male line of Jogaila’s (Grand Duke of Lithuania 1382-1432, King of Poland 1385-1432) dynasty finally died out in 1572. During this period Lithuania continued to elect one of Jogaila’s descendents to the office of the Grand Duke. Casimir was followed by the Grand Duke Aleksandras (1492-1506) and by Sigismund the Old (1506-1548). The Poles, afraid to sever ties with Lithuania, usually elected the same person to the royal throne of Poland. By the start of the 16^th century, the Jagiellonian dynasty had taken control of a large part of Eastern and Central Europe. Even though the Grand Duke of Lithuania could not reside in Vilnius all the time, the capital of Lithuania was the heart of the Jagiellonian Europe. In Lithuania the Grand Duke, as a rule, had to be elected from the Jagiellonian dynasty. In other countries they could easily be competed with by the other dynasties, as the local gentry could elect anybody they wanted. Lithuania was a patrimony of the Jagiellonian dynasty and Vilnius – the capital of Lithuania – could be regarded as the political capital of Jagiellonian Europe.

A CITY BETWEEN EAST AND WEST

In the middle of the 13^th century, Lithuania started its expansion into the lands of Kievan Rus, which had been devastated earlier by the Tatar-Mongol invasions. These lands became an integral part of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. There were serious differences between native Lithuanian lands however, and the newly annexed Ruthenian territories. A local duke, who had been sent from Vilnius, ruled each newly acquired territory. In the 15^th and 16^th centuries these dukes were removed and officials from the gentry ruled instead of them. Vilnius ruled each territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania independently in order to prevent revolts in distant domains. In other words the whole country was divided into two large parts: the native Lithuanian lands and Ruthenian Orthodox lands. As native Lithuanians accepted Christianity in 1387 it was incorporated into the world of Western Latin Culture, and the Ruthenian Lands remained under the Byzantine influence.

Many people of different religions and nationalities lived in Vilnius, the capital of the country. The central street of Vilnius – Castle Street – divided the city into two large parts, similar to the sections that divided the whole Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Ruthenians lived on the left side of the city, beginning at the Vilnius Castle, and Catholics, Jews and Tatars lived on the right side. This division was very prevalent in the late 15^th and early 16^th centuries. Unfortunately, Russians destroyed the old city structure in 1655. Despite this fact, there are still lots of signs of the old city sections. A large number of Orthodox Churches in Vilnius lie on the left side of Castle Street and visitors can still find the German and Tatar streets in Vilnius.

It can’t be said that this division resulted from discrimination or ethnic hatred. It was a unique structure, reflecting the history of Vilnius and the entire country. Although there were several prohibitions imposed by Catholics on Orthodox believers at the start of the 16th century (e.g. on the building of new Orthodox Churches) they were canceled several decades later. As the centuries went on, the Lithuanians and Poles were very influential on the new nations of Byelorussia and the Ukraine, which formed on the formerly Ruthenian lands (which had been taken from Russia by Lithuania and Poland in the 14th century). As a result of this Vilnius still plays a large role in the historical consciousness of not only the Poles and Lithuanians, but also the Ukrainians and Byelorussians.