A Short History of Lithuania

Medieval realm of the Lithuania had encountered battles, invaders, and struggles which had truly affected the lives of the Baltic tribes. The first people of Lithuania are called Balts, whose tribes also included Prussian and Latvian people. They had established themselves on the presently known Lithuanian territory. Back around 7th and 2nd centuries BC, they had started to exist among the areas of civilization rooting from Indo-European ethnic group. In 1009, the name Lithuania had been finally used and known to the world. 

During 1236-1263, Duke Mindaugas eventually united the Baltic tribes, having Lithuania become a single stat. It was truly advantageous to the country to resist the Teutonic Knights’ invasion. Mindaugas embraced Christianity leading different people to be united. However, it was also used for political reasons. Later on, Mindaugas accepted the crown from the Pope of Rome, becoming the first and only king in the Lithuanian history. Nonetheless, he was assassinated and was replaced by Grand Duke Gediminas. In 1316, Gediminas united Lithuania and under his rule, the country grew strong. The Vilnius then was hailed the capital of the country.

Lithuania had once been the largest country in Europe, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea. In the middle ages, Lithuania entered a union with Poland to form a commonwealth and gained Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. Furthermore, the Lithuania then became part of the Russian Empire. After the country had shed blood and fought for freedom, it had finally gained independence from the Soviet Union on March 11, 1990.