The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė , Belorusse: Ukrainian (ВКЛ) Вялі́каеКня́стваЛіто́ўскае : ВеликеКнязівствоЛитовське (ВКЛ) , Polish: Wielkie Księstwo Litewskie ) was a State of Eastern Europe which existed 12th century at the 17th century.

History

Founded by the pagan Lithuanian in second half of the 12th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania increases beyond the initial borders, acquiring most of old the Rus' of Kiev. It then covers the territory of the current Lithuania, of the Bielorussia, the Ukraine, the Transnistrie, and the areas of Poland and Russia during its apogee territorial at the 15th century. Accepting the Union of Krewo in 1386, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania concludes a union with the kingdom from Poland. In 1569, the Union of Lublin integrates the Grand Duchy in the République of the Two Nations. In the federation, the Grand Duchy has a separated government, with a legislation, an army, and its own treasure. In 1795, the federation is dissolved at the time of one of the Partitions of Poland to the profit of the imperial Russia, the Prussia and the Austria. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a Baltic State which extended in the vacuum left by the fall from the Mongolian Empire. Then it had become a multinational State container various ethnos groups and religions. The pagan ones of the Baltic which will become catholic called Lituaniens, acquired the orthodoxe Ruthénie , which at the 18th century separated the Ukrainian and Belorusse nations. Later, because of the policy of the Grand Duchy, a new Church was born in Ruthénie: the Church Greek-catholic ruthene. It practically disappeared today because of policy from imperial Russia fin18e century-début19e century. In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania lived also much of Polish, of Juif S, Armenian S, of German S… These people contributed to the cultural diversity and policy of the Grand Duchy. The character multinational of this State and the cosmopolitic philosophy of its elites after the end of the 14th century made burst a debate in connection with the national legacy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at XIXe and the 20th century. This debate implied more particularly the historians Polish, Russian, Lithuanian and Belorusse and was introduced into the national policies. This debate culminated during the wars of independence of 1917 with 1920 and contributed to many local arguments like that the Ligne Curzon or the policies in central Lithuania.

The expansion of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania towards the White Russia (Ruthénie white) ended up generating a common culture. The Lithuanian and Belorusse people named Lituaniens in their language (respectively lietuviai in Belorusse Lituanien and litviny in ). At that time, the word “litunanien” had two directions. The first designated an inhabitant of the Grand Duchy, the other a Lithuanian speaker. The latter lived in the area of current the Lithuania but also in Eastern Prussia and in most of current the Bielorussia. In Eastern Prussia, Lithuanian meant speaker of this language whereas in the Slavic grounds that took more the first direction. In Bielorussia, the Belorusses (especially catholics) regard themselves as Lithuanians whereas other populations like the Ukrainians are considered only Ruthènes or by others Ethnonyme S. Cependant, the number of people who are considered as Lithuanians dropped with the adoption of the culture and the Polish language which seemed more sophisticated. Thereafter the majority of noble of the Grand Duchy were considered as a Pole. Lithuanian nationalism knew a revival at the 19th century. Since, the term is associated in the majority of the speaking case with people Lithuanian. The Belorusses who knew a national revival at the same period then started to see themselves like a different nation.

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