Topic 2

UKRAINE UNDER LITHUANIA AND POLAND

At the beginning of the 13^th century Lithuania was a backward country. Lithuanian tribes were pagan (they worshiped grass-snakes and oaks) and illiterate. They were often at war with each other. At this time German crusaders came to Lithuania from Palestine. The Roman Pope planned to use the crusaders for spreading Catholicism in that area. The Crusaders captured vast territories on the Baltic coast (present-day Estonia and Latvia) and built several fortresses and cities there. The most prominent city was Riga (founded by Crusaders in 1202). The German knights planned to attach the nearby Lithuania to their lands. That threat caused Lithuanians to stop quarrels and unite. In the mid-13^th century the Lithuanian tribes were united under the leadership of Prince Mindovg. He defeated a German army and burnt all the prisoners to thank the Lithuanian gods for the victory. Having a powerful army the Lithuanians decided to conquer nearby lands. In the 14^th century they moved first into Belarus and then to Ukraine.

At this time Ukraine was under the control of the Golden Horde, the state formed by the Mongol-Tatars in the 13^th century. By the mid-14^th century the Golden Horde was not as powerful as in the 13^th century.¹⁶ In 1362 at the Battle of Blue Waters (Suni Vody) the Tatars were defeated by the Lithuanians and Ukraine became part of the Grand Principality of Lithuania. The Lithuanian state was the biggest in Europe and included, besides Lithuanian lands, also the territories of Belarus, Ukraine, and some parts of Russia (as far as the Oka River with such cities as Viazma and Smolensk).

The Lithuanians were culturally inferior to the Ukrainians as they were pagan and illiterate. So they quickly adapted to a more developed Ukrainian culture. Many of the upper class Lithuanians adopted Orthodox faith and intermarried with Ukrainian nobles. Ruthenian (Ukrainian/Belarusian), the language of the great majority of the principality’s population, became the official language of government. Ukrainian and Belarusian laws were used to form the basis of the Lithuanian law. Having powerful enemies (Moscow Principality on the east and the Teutonic order of German knights on the west) the Lithuanians were interested in good relations with the Ruthenian majority.¹⁷ That is why a popular slogan of the Lithuanian rulers was “We do not change the old traditions.” The Lithuanian army was well organized and strong. It adopted modern military equipment and tactics from German crusaders. Lithuanians built a number of powerful fortifications in Ukraine after the model of German fortresses and castles.

The Conquest of Western Ukraine

After the Mongol invasion of 1240 Western Ukraine managed to quickly recover and restore statehood in the form of Galicia-Volhynia principality. Located strategically on the major trade routs and possessing substantial deposits of salt, a valuable commodity in those days,¹⁸ the principality prospered. Under Prince Danylo of Halych (1238-1264), Galicia-Volhynia reached the peak of its political influence. He subdued the powerful local aristocracy, defeated the German knights on his western borders, and tried to form a military coalition against the Mongols.¹⁹ In 1253 in recognition of Danylo’s power Roman Pope granted him the title of king. After Danylo’s death the principality had been relatively stable until his dynasty died out in the 14^th century. Taking advantage of the situation Poland and Lithuania invaded Western Ukraine. The result of the struggle between Poland and Lithuania was the division of Western Ukraine (1387) into two parts: the Poles gained Galicia and the Lithuanians gained Volhynia²⁰.