21. New Independent States - Lithuania: History & Resources Lithuania / History and Resources. History. Basic Facts. History Resources. The two parties formed a coalition government (the first in Lithuania s history). http://wrc.lingnet.org/lithuhis.htm

Area Studies / New Independent States Lithuania / History and Resources History Basic Facts The ancestors of the modern Lithuanians were known as Balts and probably reached the area from the south-east around 2000 BC. By the 12th century the Balt peoples were split into tribal groups, all practicing nature religions. The two main groups in Lithuania were the Samogitians in the west and the Aukstaitiai in the east. In what is now south-west Lithuania and in neighbouring parts of Poland were the Yotvingians, also a Balt people, later to be assimilated by the Lithuanians and Poles. In the mid-13th century Mindaugas, leader of the Aukstaitiai, unified the Lithuanian tribes for a short time under the Catholic mantle. Pagan princes fought back and the country reverted back to paganism. They were then subjugated by another Christian, Vytenis, who became grand duke in 1290. His brother Gediminas, grand duke from 1316 to 1341, took advantage of the decline of the early Russian state to push Lithuania's borders south and east. It was Gediminas' grandson, Jogaila, who converted to Catholicism and married the crown princess of Poland in 1386, thus forging a 400-year bond between the states. The Aukstaitiai were baptised in 1387 and the Samogitians in 1413, making Lithuania the last European country to accept Christianity.

22. LITHUANIA History Jobs lithuania history Jobs. Your search did not return any records. Try a different Category. Category Select a Faculty http://www.academicjobseu.com/content/categories/LITHUANIA_SocialScience-Hist.as

Panic About Us Register Site Map ... Information LITHUANIA History Jobs Your search did not return any records. Try a different Category. Category: Select a Faculty Arts Divinity Education Engineering Languages Law Management Medicine and Medical Sciences Science Social Science Support Veterinary Select Department updateCategories1(document.form.topCat1.selectedIndex - 1,'Hist'); Location: (the job is based in) LITHUANIA Any Europe AUSTRIA BELGIUM CYPRUS CZECH REPUBLIC DENMARK ESTONIA FINLAND FRANCE GERMANY GREECE HUNGARY IRELAND ITALY LATVIA LITHUANIA LUXEMBOURG MALTA NETHERLANDS NORWAY POLAND PORTUGAL SLOVAKIA SLOVENIA SPAIN SWEDEN SWITZERLAND UNITED KINGDOM Worldwide AFGHANISTAN ALBANIA ALGERIA AMERICAN SAMOA ANDORRA ANGOLA ANGUILLA ANTARCTICA ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA ARGENTINA ARMENIA ARUBA AUSTRALIA AZERBAIJAN BAHAMAS BAHRAIN BANGLADESH BARBADOS BELARUS BELIZE BENIN BERMUDA BHUTAN BOLIVIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOWINA BOTSWANA BOUVET ISLAND BRAZIL BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY BRUNEI DARUSSALAM BULGARIA BURKINA FASO BURUNDI CAMBODIA CAMEROON CANADA CAPE VERDE CAYMAN ISLANDS CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CHAD CHILE CHINA CHRISTMAS ISLAND COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS COLOMBIA COMOROS CONGO COOK ISLANDS COSTA RICA CROATIA CUBA DJIBOUTI DOMINICA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC EAST TIMOR ECUADOR EGYPT EL SALVADOR EQUATORIAL GUINEA ERITREA ETHIOPIA FALKLAND ISLANDS (MALVINAS) FAROE ISLANDS FIJI FRENCH GUIANA FRENCH POLYNESIA FRENCH SOUTHERN TERRITORIES GABON GAMBIA GEORGIA GHANA GIBRALTAR GREENLAND GRENADA GUADELOUPE GUAM GUATEMALA GUINEA GUINEA-BISSAU GUYANA HAITI HONDURAS HONG KONG ICELAND INDIA INDONESIA IRAN (ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF) IRAQ ISRAEL IVORY COAST

23. Lithuania Adoption - Agencies Photolisting International Adoption Agency Lithuan Directory. Adoption Sites, Adoption Community, Adoption Shop, Adoption Reunion, International Adoption. lithuania history. Historical Background http://lithuania.adoption.com/files/history/Lithuania.php?country=Lithuania

24. The Most Important Dates In Lithuania History An Outline of Lithuanian History An Outline of Lithuanian History, The Most Important Dates in lithuania history. 1009. . First mention of Lithuania by St. Bruno. http://193.219.137.48/english/brief/dates.htm

Lithuania in Brief Geographical Location and Climate Population and Religion The Lithuanian Language Lithuania as Part of Central Europe An Outline of Lithuanian History The Most Important Dates in Lithuania History First mention of Lithuania by St. Bruno. Coronation of Mindaugas as the king of the newly established Lithuanian state. Baptism of Lithuania. Rule of Grand Duke Vytautas Magnus, the most famous sovereign of Lithuania. Battle of Zalgiris (Grünwald): victory of the joint Polish-Lithuanian army over the Teutonic Order, which was a threat to both states. The Union of Lublin: creation of a united Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth. Final partition of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth by Russia, Austria and Prussia: the greater part of Lithuania annexed by Russia. Proclamation during the German occupation of restored Lithuanian independence by a Lithuanian Council headed by Jonas Basanavicius. Occupation of Vilnius and the surrounding territory by Poland.

25. Lithuania: History Encyclopedia—lithuania history. Early History to the Nineteenth Century. The pagan Liths, or Lithuanians, may have settled along http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/world/A0859312.html

Encyclopedia Lithuania History Early History to the Nineteenth Century The pagan Liths, or Lithuanians, may have settled along the Nemen as early as 1500 B.C. In the 13th cent. the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and the Teutonic Knights conquered the region now comprising Estonia, Latvia, and parts of Lithuania. To protect themselves against the Knights, who pressed them from the north and the south, the Lithuanians formed (13th cent.) a strong unified state. Ladislaus II by his marriage with Jadwiga , daughter of Louis I of Poland and Hungary. He accepted and introduced Christianity. The union between Lithuania and Poland had at first the character of an alliance between independent nations. Witowt Tannenberg and Novgorod. After Witowt's death, decline set in. The Belarussians, who had retained their Greek Orthodox faith, inclined toward the rising grand duchy of Moscow. In 1569, hard pressed by the Russians under Ivan IV, Lithuania was joined with Poland by the Union of Lublin to form a commonwealth. The Lithuanian aristocracy and burghers became thoroughly Polonized. By the three successive partitions of Poland (1772, 1793, 1795) Lithuania disappeared as a national unit and passed to Russia. Modern History A Lithuanian linguistic and cultural revival began in the 19th cent., inspired largely by the Roman Catholic clergy and accompanied by frequent anti-Russian uprisings. World War I and the consequent collapse of Russia and Germany made Lithuanian independence possible. Proclaimed (Feb., 1918) an independent kingdom under German protection, Lithuania became (Nov., 1918) an independent republic.

26. Lithuania: History Related content from HighBeam Research on lithuania history. (Lithuanian history, during World War II) (Beat the Devil) (column) (The Nation). http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0859312.html

HOTWORDS CITE PRINT EMAIL in All Infoplease Almanacs Biographies Dictionary Encyclopedia Home Almanacs Atlas Dictionary ... Father's Day Infoplease Tools Periodic Table Conversion Tool Perpetual Calendar Year by Year ... Site Map Also from Infoplease Search Infoplease Info search tips Search Biographies Bio search tips Encyclopedia Lithuania History Early History to the Nineteenth Century The pagan Liths, or Lithuanians, may have settled along the Nemen as early as 1500 B.C. In the 13th cent. the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and the Teutonic Knights conquered the region now comprising Estonia, Latvia, and parts of Lithuania. To protect themselves against the Knights, who pressed them from the north and the south, the Lithuanians formed (13th cent.) a strong unified state. Ladislaus II by his marriage with Jadwiga , daughter of Louis I of Poland and Hungary. He accepted and introduced Christianity. The union between Lithuania and Poland had at first the character of an alliance between independent nations. Witowt Tannenberg and Novgorod. After Witowt's death, decline set in. The Belarussians, who had retained their Greek Orthodox faith, inclined toward the rising grand duchy of Moscow. In 1569, hard pressed by the Russians under Ivan IV, Lithuania was joined with Poland by the Union of Lublin to form a commonwealth. The Lithuanian aristocracy and burghers became thoroughly Polonized. By the three successive partitions of Poland (1772, 1793, 1795) Lithuania disappeared as a national unit and passed to Russia.

27. Bank Of Lithuania History of the Bank of Lithuania”. They present To top. Development of Banking in Lithuania. History of the Bank of Lithuania. The second http://www.lb.lt/eng/museum/expositions.html

General information Expositions Future and past events Publications The Museum has two main expositions: “Trade Relations of the Baltic Tribes in the 1st-13th Centuries and the Currency of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th-18th Centuries” and “Development of Banking in Lithuania. History of the Bank of Lithuania”. They present the monetary relations of the inhabitants of the territory of Lithuania, the trade relations in the early centuries A.D., the history of Lithuanian currency from the appearance of the first coins in late 14th century to the present, the history and development of the banks of Lithuania. Trade Relations of the Baltic Tribes in the 1st-13th Centuries and the Currency of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th-18th Centuries Development of Banking in Lithuania. History of the Bank of Lithuania Trade Relations of the Baltic Tribes in the 1st-13th Centuries and the Currency of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th-18th Centuries The exposition starts with the period before the appearance of the first Lithuanian coins: the exhibits include raw amber that was the main commodity of the Baltic tribes during the early centuries AD in their trade with other lands, currency of the Roman Empire found during the archaeological excavations of burials, fortress hills and early settlements in the territory of Lithuania.

28. Litouwen.StartTips.com Timeline. ·WWW History Lithuania. ·History. ·History of the Lithuanian State. ·lithuania history. ·Lithuania the Nemunas . ·History since Middle Ages. http://www.litouwen.starttips.com/

Litouwen StartTips .com Litouwen.StartTips www.StartTips Jouw.StartTips Litouwen (Lithuania) een land van de Baltics. Samen met Letland (Latvia) en Estland (Estonia) maakte het sedert decennia deel uit van de Sovjetunie en onder communistisch juk. European Union European Union Lithuania - EU Member State zoek... General Country Info Geographical Position Lithuania in Detail Lithuania Overview Lithuanian Community in Netherlands ... zoek... History Historical Dates Timeline WWW History Lithuania History ... zoek... Wars Chronology of WWII Wars Last 200 Years World War II History zoek... Historical Persons Rulers of Lithuania Political Rulers since 1700 Famous Samogitians Painters Gallery ... zoek... Politics Constitution (Missing Link) Elections Presidency (Missing Link) Heads of State Presidents of Lithuania Government Parliament (Missing Link) Seimas – the Parliament Political Parties Political Rulers since 1700 Education ... zoek... Religions All Religions Worldwide Jews in Lithuania Religion in Lithuania zoek... ... zoek... Zoek Google Altavista simple EuroFerret Euroseek Excite Infoseek Lycos Magellan MSN Northern Light Webcrawler Yahoo Anzwers document.write(code);

29. History Of Lithuania History of Lithuania. Early History. The first Lithuanians, or Liths, were a branch of an ancient group known as the Balts, whose http://www.fact-index.com/h/hi/history_of_lithuania.html

Main Page See live article Alphabetical index History of Lithuania Early History The first Lithuanians , or Liths , were a branch of an ancient group known as the Balts , whose members also included the original Prussian and Latvian people. Unlike the Prussians and Latvians , the Lithuanians have successfully built a nation that has endured for most of the past few centuries. The first known reference to Lithuania as a nation ( Litua ) comes from the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg dated February 14 In the early 13th century , a pair of German religious orders, the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Brothers of the Sword , conquered much of what is now Estonia and Latvia , in addition to parts of Lithuania . In response, a number of small Baltic tribal groups united under the rule of Mindaugas (or Mindowe), and soundly defeated the Livonians at Siauliai in . In Mindaugas signed an agreement with the Teutonic Order and in was baptized in their presence by the bishop of Kulm ( Culmer Land .) On July 6 , Mindaugas was crowned as King of Lithuania. However, Mindaugas was later murdered by his nephew, subsequently resulting in great unrest and a relapse into paganism In Gediminas , with the aid of colonists from Germany, began the restoration of the land. Many cities were founded with the German system of laws (

30. Lithuania Vacation Guide: Romantic Lithuania Cruises, Lithuania Honeymoons, Geta lithuania history. ONCE THE LARGEST EUROPEAN MEDIEVAL STATE Emergence of a Powerful Nation The earliest known mention of the name http://www.travelwizard.com/europe/Lithuania1200_History.html

European Luxury Tours, Luxury Vacations, Luxury Cruises  Site Index European Vacation Guide: Romantic European Vacations  European Luxury Vacations, Travel, Tours and Cruise Consultants  European Vacations, call 1-415-662-2683 to book. Open every day!  Other Places in Europe Albania Andorra Austria ... Mediterranean Guide Lithuania: History ONCE THE LARGEST EUROPEAN MEDIEVAL STATE Emergence of a Powerful Nation The earliest known mention of the name "Lithuania" is found in the German (Teutonic) chronicles of 1009. Lithuania emerged as a larger state in the middle of the 13th century through a union of Baltic territories with Mindaugas becoming the state's first Grand Duke. The country, however, did not adopt Christianity until 1387 and was, for the most part, under constant military attack by the Germanic Livonian and Teutonic Orders for the first 200 years of its existance as a united territory. Not only did the Teutonic and Livonian Orders fail to conquer Lithuania, but by the end of the 14th century Lithuania became one of the most powerful states in eastern Europe. In 1410, a joint Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Tartar and Czech army under the leadership of Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas crushed the Teutonic Order once and for all at the battle of ?algiris (Tannenberg or Grunwald). The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was also responsible for keeping the Golden Horde from invading western Europe. Union with Poland and Russian Annexation Independent Republic Relief from oppression came only with the collapse of the Tsarist Russian Empire at the end of World War I. On February 16th, 1918, a group of leading Lithuanian intellectuals gathered to sign Lithuania's declaration of independence. Over the following several years most of the world's prominent nations recognized the country's statehood and, in turn, Lithuania established diplomatic and economic relations with the world abroad. During Lithuania's 22 years of independence in between the world wars, Lithuania rapidly progressed in all spheres of her national life. But then disaster struck again in 1940.

31. Lithuania: History And Future Of The Currency Board Arrangement: lithuania history and Future of the Currency Board Arrangement Author info Abstract Publisher info Download info Related research Statistics. http://ideas.repec.org/p/imf/imfwpa/02127.html

This file is part of IDEAS , which uses RePEc data Papers Articles Software Books ... Help! Lithuania: History and Future of the Currency Board Arrangement: Author info Abstract Publisher info Download info ... Statistics Author Info Alonso-Gamo, Patricia Fabrizio, Stefania Kramarenko, Vitali Wang, Qing Abstract No abstract is available for this item. Download Info To download: If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help file . Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large. File URL: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2002/wp02127.pdf File Format: application/pdf File Function: main text Download Restriction: no Publisher Info Paper provided by International Monetary Fund in its series IMF Working Papers with number 02/127. Length: Date of creation: Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:02127 Keywords: Contact details of provider: Postal: International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC USA

32. HISTORY OF LITHUANIA HISTORY OF LITHUANIA. Lessons Vilnius. However, Lithuania s history is not limited by the 20th century alone, as its roots lie much deeper. http://www2.gol.com/users/lithemb/eng/history.html

HISTORY OF LITHUANIA Lessons of History: Is Lithuania a Newly Born State? The Lithuanian state is proud of its over 700-year history. Sometimes, however, Lithuania is referred to merely as a country separated from the Soviet Union or even as a newborn state. One might get the wrong impression that Lithuania was once an integral part of the Soviet Union and had to separate somehow, for unknown reasons. In a few years Lithuania will celebrate 1,000 years since the first recorded mention of Lithuania was made in 1009 in the Quedlinburg Annals. From 1392 to 1430, Lithuania was the largest state in Europe, stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The loss of independence in 1940 was a consequence of the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a trade-off between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. This pact resulted in the complete annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union. On March 11, 1990, after 50 years of Soviet control, Lithuania re-established its statehood. Thus, it can by no means be considered a newborn state.It is important to remember that many Western countries refused to recognize the incorporation of Lithuania and other Baltic States into the Soviet Union, and the Lithuanian diplomatic missions were active in the United States, Britain, Vatican City, Uruguay, Brazil, Canada and Colombia all the way until the re-establishment of independence. On February 16, 1918, the Lithuanian Council declared the re-establishment of independent democratic Lithuanian state with its capital in Vilnius. However, Lithuania's history is not limited by the 20th century alone, as its roots lie much deeper.

33. Lithuania Europe Lithuania History Books Online Shopping Store Lithuania Europe lithuania history Books Online Shopping Store An Online Shopping Mall and directory arranged in a variety of categories. http://www.plaza101.com/plaza/store/shop65181/Online/Lithuania/

34. NCBuy: Lithuania History - Country Reference History background report for Lithuania. part of the Countries of the World Reference Center profile for Lithuania. Backgrounds lithuania history. http://www.ncbuy.com/reference/country/backgrounds.html?code=lh&sec=backhistory

35. Lithuania Online: Netizen Communities genealogy, missing people Ingermanland, ruined Baltic Western town 300th anniversary of Sanct-Peterbourg Jews in lithuania history, religion, celebrities http://www.on.lt/net.htm

Netizen Communities Lithuanian version N - new, U - updated, L - in Lithuanian only, Ctrl-F - quick search in this page Usenet Newsgroups: lt.konferencijos* : skelbimai.*, susirasinejimas, svajos, filosofija, religijos, mokslas, veikla, etc. omnitel.* : newuser, internet, www, globalone, gsm, paging, talk, etc. soc.culture.baltics - culture in the Baltic states: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia Web to News Gateway L Mailing Lists: Konferencijos.lt listserver : aplinka, istorija, ngo, study, grafika, programming, valgiu, etc. KTU listserver : kut-student, kaunas-list, music-list, relig-list, free-list, etc. VDU First Class server : automobiliai, kompiuteriai, mainai, www.lt naujienos Interlux : medicina Langas lsu (Lietuvos Studentai Uzsienyje) AEGEE aegee-l (European student organization) Hi Agder lek-l (Lietuviu Elektroninis Klubas) RM Gate : lithuania (genealogical and historical research) Roots Web : lithuania-l (genealogical and historical research) Yahoo LithRatPack (culture, events, travel, Lithuanian-Americans) IB listserver : balt-l (Baltics) SEARN listserver : nordbalt (Nordic - Baltic) To subscribe to the desired mailing list, type "subscribe [list name] [your address]" or "help" in the body of the letter to its listserver.

36. Belarus History And Famous Personalities it); Literature on Belarus History (ru); lithuania history (en); Lithuanian Youth Fraternity, Encyclopedia of 1848 Revolutions (en); http://www.ac.by/country/history.html

37. Lithuania History and the Latvians survived the ravages of history. Traditions of Lithuanian statehood date from the early Middle Ages. As a nation, Lithuania emerged about 1230 http://www.country-studies.com/lithuania/history.html

History Lithuanians belong to the Baltic group of nations. Their ancestors moved to the Baltic region about 3000 B.C. from beyond the Volga region of central Russia. In Roman times, they traded amber with Rome and around A.D. 900-1000 split into different language groups, namely, Lithuanians, Prussians, Latvians, Semigallians, and others. The Prussians were conquered by the Teutonic Knights, and, ironically, the name "Prussia" was taken over by the conquerors, who destroyed or assimilated Prussia's original inhabitants. Other groups also died out or were assimilated by their neighbors. Only the Lithuanians and the Latvians survived the ravages of history. Traditions of Lithuanian statehood date from the early Middle Ages. As a nation, Lithuania emerged about 1230 under the leadership of Duke Mindaugas. He united Lithuanian tribes to defend themselves against attacks by the Teutonic Knights, who had conquered the kindred tribes of Prussia and also parts of present-day Latvia. In 1251 Mindaugas accepted Latin Christianity, and in 1253 he became king. But his nobles disagreed with his policy of coexistence with the Teutonic Knights and with his search for access to western Europe. Mindaugas was killed, the monarchy was discontinued, and the country reverted to paganism. His successors looked for expansion toward the Slavic East. At that early stage of development, Lithuania had to face the historically recurring question dictated by its geopolitical positionwhether to join western or eastern Europe.

38. WWW-VL History Index WWWVL history Index site providing links for WWW-VL history lithuania. Click here for Liutuvos Istorijos Puslapis. history of lithuania from the Catholic Encylopedia http://www.ukans.edu/history/VL/europe/lithuania.html

WWW-VL HISTORY: LITHUANIA Click here for The World-Wide Web Virtual Library (WWW-VL) Main Catalog The WWW-VL search facility. Click Here to access the Mirror at Florence, Italy Click Here to access the Mirror at Lawrence, Kansas, USA Research Tools Geography Maps Map Page of Lithuania Relief Map Political 1998 Lithuania [enlish. clickable map of districts and towns] Baltic Lands 1000-1809 1579 Lithuania Russian Empire on the Baltic 1882 Gazetteers Location of Cities and Towns World Heritage Sites Vilnius Historic Centre Language Languages of Lithuania Latvian Dictionaries (in Polish) Lithuanian Language Course On-Line An Historical Grammar of the Lithuanian Language , by Cyril Babaev Lithuanian Fonts for Windows95 Lithuanian Language Software for Sale Reference Country Study: Lithuania Countries of the World: Lithuania World Factbook 2001 [click on "lithuania"] Lthuania. A Country Study United States Department of State Background Notes [January, 1998] Important Facts in Lithuanian History Bibliography Bibliographies, including Internet Gateways

39. Lithuania: From Ancient Times To World War I - A Part Of Randburg A Gediminaitis, Jogaila (Jagiello), in becoming the King of Poland in 1386, started the 400year common history of lithuania and Poland, which was marked by http://www.randburg.com/li/general/general_7.html

Search Randburg - Search Iceland German From ancient times to World War I The Baltic tribes established themselves on what is presently known as Lithuanian territory during the 7th-2nd centuries BC. Many centuries passed, however, before the name of Lithuania appeared in records for the first time, in AD 1009, in the Annals of Quedlinburg. During the period 1236-63, Duke Mindaugas (Mindowe) united the Lithuanian ethnic lands and established the state of Lithuania, which was able to offer resistance against the eastward expansion of the Teutonic Knights. In 1253, Mindaugas embraced Christianity for political reasons, and accepted the crown from the Pope of Rome. Thus, he became the first and only king in Lithuanian history. Grand Duke Gediminas (Gedimin), who ruled the country from 1316 to 1341, started the long-term expansion of Lithuania into the lands of the eastern Slavs. He founded the modern capital city of Vilnius and started the Gediminaiciai dynasty, whose representatives became members of many European monarchies. A Gediminaitis, Jogaila (Jagiello), in becoming the King of Poland in 1386, started the 400-year common history of Lithuania and Poland, which was marked by several agreements and unions. As a result of this union, Christianity finally came to Lithuania.

40. HISTORY history. Cultural Timeline. Rulers of lithuania. The rich culture of lithuania goes back thousands of years. lithuanians are a branch of the Balts whose settlement dates back to around 200 B.C. lithuanian is one of the oldest languages in Europe. http://neris.mii.lt/history/history.html

History Cultural Timeline Rulers of Lithuania The rich culture of Lithuania goes back thousands of years. Lithuanians are a branch of the Balts whose settlement dates back to around 200 B.C. Lithuanian is one of the oldest languages in Europe. The first written mention of Lithuania was in the Annales Quedlinburgenses in 1009 A.D. The first Lithuanian state was established by the Grand Duke Mindaugas in 1230. He converted to Christianity briefly and was crowned king of Lithuania in 1252. The Grand Duke Gediminas, who reigned from 1316 to 1341, is credited with founding Vilnius at the confluence of Neris and Vilnia rivers - and a dynasty that united Lithuania and Poland from 1386 until 1795. Lithuania reached its height under the Grand Duke Vytautas the Great, who ruled from 1392 to 1430. He strengthened the foundations for Europeanized and Catholic state. Driving back the Turks, he extended the grand duchy almost to the Black Sea. Map of LITHUANIA (14th - 15th century) In 1410, Vytautas and his cousin Jogaila decisively beat the German crusaders of the Teutonic Order in the great battle of Tannenberg. He celebrated his victory in his magnificent red-brick castle on an island at Trakai. Lithuania progressively entered European culture. At the Union of Lublin in 1569, the Polish-Lithuanian kingdom was formally marged into a commonwealth headed by a monarch. In 1579, the region's oldest university, Vilnius University, was established by the Jesuits. It was one of the most important centers of the Counter-Reformation. The country now has six universities, academies and research institutes.

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