Lithuania

Abstract

The Lithuanians began to settle along the Baltic coast from the River Vistula to well beyond the Daugava (Western Dvina) River long before the birth of Christ. They were largely undisturbed until the Order of the Teutonic Knights, a military crusading organisation, began its drive to convert the pagan Lithuanians to Christianity early in the 13th century. It failed, largely due to the difficulty of penetrating the forests and marshlands in which the Lithuanians lived. German pressure, however, encouraged the deeply divided Lithuanian tribes to unite under Mindaugas, one of their chieftains. From then on until 1917 Lithuania was to follow a completely different path to that of its northern neighbours, Estonia and Latvia. In 1236 Mindaugas defeated the crusading Sword Brothers (q.v.Estonia). But it was not until 1253 that he was crowned king with the approval of Pope Innocent IV, having adopted Christianity two years earlier. Before he was murdered in 1263, however, he had reverted to paganism; Lithuania was to remain pagan until the end of the 14th century, the last country in Europe to convert.