Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country located in the Baltic states. The country is highly rural, with its capital being Vilnius - the official language is Lithuanian, and the state religion is Catholicism.
State flag of Lithuania since 1896.
History[]
Middle Ages (1462-1495)[]
Throughout the Middle Ages, Lithuania was a growing power in eastern Europe, almost connecting the Baltic and Black seas. Good diplomatic relations were maintained for Lithuania between Poland, and controversially, the Teutonic Order. Trade coming from the Russian principalities had to pass through Lithuania, making the kingdom even richer; Poland took note of this, and sought for closer relations.
Lithuanian troops ride to the Polish capital Krakow, after winning the Battle of Warsaw.
The Reformation (1496-1629)[]
Lithuania's ally Poland was one of the first countries to convert to Protestantism, having bordered Transylvania, the source of the new religion. This tensioned relations between the two countries, and in 1499 Poland offered Lithuania to enter into a personal union, but Lithuania refused, and diplomatic ties were cut.
Lithuania joined the Protestant League and fought against Poland in the Great League War, originally losing territory to Poland, but gaining land as the tides of war turned. In 1537, Queen Alseta II entered into a royal marriage with Jarkko I, the legendary Finnish king, to secure the strategic alliance between Lithuania and Finland.
When the war finally ended in 1629, Lithuania was almost at the gates of Krakow, Poland's capital. During the peace treaty, Poland was forced to cede its eastern border regions to Lithuania.
Age of Enlightenment (1630-1821)[]
During the Age of Enlightenment, Lithuania found itself sandwiched between Poland and Russia, trying to avoid hostile relations with both, and resecuring its alliances with Austria and Finland.