Loading

History of Lithuania

The first Soviet republic to break away and restore its independence, in 1990. 4 eras, 1236 to today.

Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 1236–1795 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 partitions of Poland–Lithuania. By 1440 the grand duchy had become the largest European state, controlling an area from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south. Algirdas's son Jogaila signed the Union of Krewo in 1386, bringing two major changes in the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: the conversion to Christianity of Europe's last pagan state, and the establishment of a dynastic union between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. Eventually, the Union of Lublin of 1569 created a new state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Seat of power: Vilnius

Rulers

Kovno Governorate, 1842–1918 Draft, not yet reviewed

Kovno Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (guberniya) of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Kovno (Kaunas). It was formed on 18 December 1842 by Tsar Nicholas I from the western part of Vilna Governorate, and the order was carried out on 1 July 1843. The governorate included almost the entire Lithuanian region of Samogitia and the northern part of Aukštaitija. Kaunas Fortress was constructed and renovated between 1882 and 1915 to protect the Russian Empire's western borders.

Seat of power: Kaunas

Rulers

Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1940–1990 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic was de facto one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union between 1940–1941 and 1944–1990. During World War II, the previously independent Republic of Lithuania was occupied by the Red Army on 16 June 1940, in conformity with the terms of the 23 August 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, and established as a puppet state on 21 July. On 18 May 1989, the Lithuanian SSR declared itself to be a sovereign state, though still part of the USSR. On 11 March 1990, the Republic of Lithuania was re-established as an independent state, the first Soviet Republic to leave Moscow and leading other states to do so.

Seat of power: Vilnius

Lithuania, 1990 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

In the 1230s, Lithuanian lands were united for the first time by Mindaugas, who formed the Kingdom of Lithuania on 6 July 1253. Towards the end of World War I, Lithuania declared independence in 1918, founding the modern Republic of Lithuania. On 11 March 1990, a year before the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to break away when it proclaimed the restoration of its independence. On 20 April 1990, the Soviets imposed an economic blockade by ceasing to deliver raw materials to Lithuania.

Seat of power: Vilnius

Rulers

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.