Lithuania proper
5413530
215913553
2008-05-30T07:06:38Z
Rjwilmsi
203434
[[WP:AWB/T|Typo]]/[[Template:Citation|date]] fixes, typos fixed: terrritories → territories using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]]
[[Image:LithuaniaHistory.png|right|thumb|250px|Map showing changes in the territory of Lithuania from the 13th century to the present day]]
'''Lithuania proper''' ({{lang-la|Lithuania propria}}; {{lang-lt|Lietuva siaurąją prasme}}, ''tikroji Lietuva'', literally: "Lithuania in a narrow sense", "Genuine [[Name of Lithuania|Lithuania]]"; {{lang-yi|ליטע}}, ''Lite'') refers to a region which existed within [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. The primary meaning is identical to the [[Duchy of Lithuania]], a land around which [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] evolved. The territory can be traced by [[Christian]] parishes established in [[Lithuanian mythology|pagan]] [[balts]] lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania subsequent to the [[Christianization of Lithuania]] in 1387. They were quite distinguishable, as the [[Ruthenia]]n parts of the Duchy were already [[baptism|baptised]] in orthodox manner<ref>Гаучас П. К вопросу о восточных и южных границах литовской этнической территории в средневековье // Балто-славянские исследования. 1986. М., 1988. С. 195, 196.</ref><ref>Safarewicz J. Studia językoznawcze. Warszawa, 1967. S. 257-259</ref>. The term in Latin was widely used during the Middle Ages and can be found in numerous historical [http://data.lnb.lv/nba05/kartes/PDF/114.pdf] maps until [[World War I]].
==Evolution of a term==
===Before the Grand Duchy of Lithuania===
Historians designate Lithuania Proper (or [[Duchy of Lithuania|Land of Lithuania]] in a narrow sense) as a Lithuanian land that existed prior to [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]], near other lands: Land of [[Nalšia]], Land of [[Deltuva]], Land of [[Upytė]]. According [[Henryk Łowmiański]] Lithuania Proper was in nucleus of future [[Trakai Voivodeship]] between rivers: [[Nemunas]], [[Neris]] and [[Merkys]]. [[Tomas Baranauskas]] suggests<ref>{{cite journal |last=Baranauskas |first=Tomas |year=2002 |url=http://images.katalogas.lt/maleidykla/lit22/L-003.pdf |title=Kur buvo Lietuvos žemė? |journal=Lituanistica |volume=2 |pages=3–18}}</ref> that Lithuania Proper was around [[Ashmyany]] area, then ethnic [[Lithuanians|Lithuanian]] lands now in [[Belarus]]. According to [[Mikola Yermalovich]] (his reliability is utterly discussed by academic scholars<ref>{{cite journal |last=Gudavičius |first=Edvardas| authorlink=Edvardas Gudavičius|year=1996 |url=http://viduramziu.lietuvos.net/etno/gudavicius-en.htm |title=Following the Tracks of a Myth |journal=Lithuanian Historical Studies |volume=1 |pages=38–58}}</ref><ref>Насевіч В.Л. Працэс утварэння Вялікага княства Літоўскага (13-14 стст.) // Актуальныя пытанні гісторыі Беларусі ад старажытных часоў да нашых дзён. Мн., 1992. С. 54-63.</ref>) Lithuania ({{lang-be|Летапiсная Лiтва}}) (literary: Lithuania of chronicles) was in upper [[Neman]] region<ref>{{ cite web |url=http://veras.litvin.org/Images/008.jpg |title=Карта летапiснай Лiтвы |author=Виктор Верас |accessdate=2007-05-30}}{{be icon}}</ref><ref>{{ cite web |url=http://veras.litvin.org/Content/010.htm |title=У истоков исторической правды / Летописи о местонахождении Литвы |author=Виктор Верас |accessdate=2007-05-30}}{{ru icon}}</ref>, now in modern Belarus, formed in fifth decade of 20th century.
===In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania===
[[Image:Rzeczpospolita265.png|200px|right|thumb|Outline of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on present-day national borders.]]
Scholars often use term ''Lithuania proper'' to refer to lands inhabited by ethnic Lithuanians<ref>{{cite web | first=Tomas | last=Venclova | url=http://www.pogranicze.sejny.pl/archiwum/krasnogruda/pismo/8/forum/vencl.htm |title= Native Realm Revisited: Mickiewicz's Lithuania and Mickiewicz in Lithuania|accessdate=2007-04-24 |authorlink=Tomas Venclova}}</ref> as opposed to lands controlled by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania inhabited by Ruthenians (ancestors of modern Belarusians and Ukrainians), Russians, Poles, [[Lithuanian Jews]] or many other nationalities{{Fact|date=December 2007}}. Already during the Grand Duchy times, Lithuania Proper was a term designated to land where [[Lithuanians]] live<ref>{{cite book |last= Ochmański |first= Jerzy |authorlink= Jerzy Ochmański |title= Litewska granica etniczna na wschodzie od epoki plemiennej do XVI wieku |url= http://books.google.com/books?vid=0OEuvg3GZ0Ye2wzbEa&id=SWYdAAAAMAAJ&dq=lithuania+propria&q=lithuania%20propria&pgis=1 |accessdate=2006-04-26 |year= 1981 |publisher= Wydawn. Nauk. Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza |language= Polish |pages= 69-73 }}</ref>. Administratively it consisted of [[Vilnius Voivodeship]] and [[Trakai Voivodeship]].<ref>{{lt icon}} Viduramžių Lietuva [http://viduramziu.lietuvos.net/socium/provincijos.htm Viduramžių Lietuvos provincijos]. Retrieved on 2007.04.11</ref> Such division existed even after [[Partitions of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was partitioned]]. [[Samogitian Eldership]] was not a part of Lithuania Proper.<ref>Authentic maps showing ''Lithuania Propria'':<br /> {{cite web |url=http://data.lnb.lv/nba05/kartes/PDF/116.pdf |title=Poloniae Regnum ut et Magni Ducatus Lithuaniae Accuratiss |accessdate=2007-04-22}}<br /> {{cite web |url=http://data.lnb.lv/nba05/kartes/PDF/114.pdf
|title=Poloniae Regnum ut et Magni Ducatus Lithuaniae Accuratiss |accessdate=2007-04-22}}</ref> Thus Grand Duchy of Lithuania was divided into such historical regions: [[Samogitia]], Lithuania Proper and [[White Ruthenia]].<ref> Authentic map showing Lithuania Proper and adjustant White ( or Lithuanian) Ruthenia:<br /> {{cite web |url=http://www.nlib.ee/html/digi/maps/kaart00280s.jpg |title=Carte des Estats de Suede , de Dannemarq, et de Pologne ; sur la Mer Baltique |year=1700 |accessdate=2007-08-17}}</ref>.
===Eastern part of Lithuania Propria===
For centuries, eastern and southern lands of this territory, that had direct contacts with Ruthenia and Poland, initially inhabited by ethnic [[Lithuanian people|Lithuanians]] were slowly Ruthenised, [[Polonisation|Polonised]] and [[Russification|Russified]], and Lithuanian speaking territory shrunk. Eastern parts of Lithuania Propria suffered heavy population losses during the [[Deluge (history)|Deluge]], and further on during the [[Great Northern War]] and following [[Black Death|plague epidemic]] in 1710-1711. Subsequent immigration of Ruthenians and Poles into these territories accelerated the process. A significant push to the de-Lithuanisation ensued when Lithuania became a part of the [[Russian Empire]], and especially, after Lithuanian language books [[Lithuanian press ban|were forbidden to print]] in [[Latin letters]] in 1864. The process continued at the time of [[Second Polish Republic|Polish]] rule, as Lithuanian language schools and libraries were closed, and later under [[Soviet]] rule, as no Lithuanian schools were in these territories at all. Nowadays significant "islands" of Lithuanian-speaking people remain in what is now [[Hrodna Voblast|Western Belarus]] (see [[Gerviečiai|Gerviaty]] and [[Suwałki Voivodeship|Northern Poland]] - see [[Punsk]]. Although many} people in these territories now speaking Belarussian do refer to themselwes as Lithuanians<ref name='Sav'> {{cite journal|title= Etnokonfesiniai Santykiai Pietryčių Lietuvoje Istorinės Antropologijos Aspektu|journal=Kultūrologija|date=2003|first=Viriginijus|last=Savukynas|coauthors=|volume=10|issue=|pages=80–98|id= |url=|format=|accessdate=2007-12-11 }}</ref>.
===Modern developments===
At the end of [[World War I]], the [[Council of Lithuania]] declared that an [[Act of Independence of Lithuania|independent Lithuanian state is re-established]] in the ethnic Lithuanian lands.
After negotiations with [[Bolshevik Russia]] a large part of Lithuania Proper was acknowledged by [[Soviet Russia|Soviets]] as part of Lithuanian Republic by signing the [[Soviet-Lithuanian Treaty of 1920]]. Some of these territories were also claimed by [[Second Republic of Poland]]. This led to series of military conflicts and eventually to [[Polish-Lithuanian War|war]].
In 1943, [[Antanas Smetona]] in exile began working on a study "Lithuania Propria"<ref>{{cite journal |last = Smetona
|first = Antanas |authorlink = Antanas Smetona |title = Lithuania Propria |journal = Darbai ir dienos
|volume = 2(11) |pages = 191–234 |language = Lithuanian }}</ref>. The book was dedicated to the history of Lithuanian lands before [[Polonisation]], [[Russification]], and [[Germanisation]] hoping that it would help to substantiate a claim to not returned territories in a [[peace conference]] after [[World war II]]. His work was left unfinished, and for a long time was available only as a manuscript and was virtually unknown.<ref>{{cite journal |last = Aleksandravičius |first = Egidijus|authorlink = Egidijus Aleksandravičius|title = Istorija ir politika|journal = Darbai ir dienos |volume = 2(11) |pages = 185–190 |language = Lithuanian }}</ref>
Currently the [[Republic of Lithuania]] has no territorial claims.
== Notes ==
{{reflist}}
==See also==
* [[Central Lithuania]]
* [[Ethnographic Lithuania]]
==External links==
* [http://www.halgal.com/graphics/PUR/PUR_map_mixethnic1.jpg The map of the ethnic groups of the eastern Poland in 1921], after [[Norman Davies]], ''God's Playground: A History of Poland: Volume II, 1795 to the Present''; Columbia University Press: 1982
[[Category:Geography of Lithuania]]
[[Category:Historical regions]]
[[Category:History of Lithuania]]
[[Category:History of Poland]]
[[be:Літоўская зямля]]
[[be-x-old:Літва старажытная]]
[[lt:Didžioji Lietuva]]
[[nn:Eigentlege Litauen]]