Editing Lithuania (section)

===Kingdom of Lithuania, Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth===
{{Main|Duchy of Lithuania|Kingdom of Lithuania|Grand Duchy of Lithuania|Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Kościuszko Uprising}}
[[File:Lithuanian state in 13-15th centuries.png|thumb|left|Changes in the territory of Lithuania from the 13th to 15th century. At its peak, Lithuania was the largest state in Europe.<ref name="Bideleux">{{cite book |last1=Bideleux |first1=Robert |title=A history of Eastern Europe: crisis and change |last2=Jeffries |first2=Ian |date=1998 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-16111-4 |page=122}}</ref><ref name="USDoS"/>]]
[[File:Traku pilis by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|thumb|left|[[Trakai Island Castle]], the former residence of the [[List of Lithuanian monarchs|Grand Dukes]]. [[Trakai]] was the capital of the medieval state.]]
[[File:Vilnia. Вільня (T. Makoŭski, 1600).jpg|thumb|left|Panorama of Vilnius in 1600]]
The first written record of the name for the country dates back to 1009 AD.<ref>Gudavičius, Edvardas (1999) ''Lietuvos Istorija: Nuo Seniausių Laikų iki 1569 Metų (Lithuanian History: From Ancient Times to the Year 1569)'' Vilnius, page 28, {{ISBN|5-420-00723-1}}</ref> Facing the [[Livonian Crusade|German threat]], [[Mindaugas]] in the middle of the 13th century united a large part of the [[Balts|Baltic]] tribes and founded the State of Lithuania, while in 1253 he was crowned as the Catholic [[Kingdom of Lithuania|King of Lithuania]].<ref name="Mindaugas">{{cite web |last1=Gudavičius |first1=Edvardas |title=Mindaugas |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/mindaugas/ |website=[[Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija]] |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref><ref name="LTHistoryBritannica">{{cite web |title=Lithuania - History |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Lithuania/History |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=3 November 2024 |date=21 October 2024}}</ref> Moreover by taking advantage of the weakened territory of the former [[Kievan Rus']] due to the [[Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'|Mongol invasion]], Mindaugas incorporated [[Black Ruthenia]] into Lithuania.<ref name="Mindaugas"/> After Mindaugas' assassination in 1263, [[Lithuanian mythology|pagan Lithuania]] was again a target of the [[Lithuanian Crusade|Christian crusades]] of the [[Teutonic Knights]] and [[Livonian Order]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gudavičius |first1=Edvardas |last2=Jasas |first2=Rimantas |title=Kryžiaus karai Baltijos regione |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/kryziaus-karai-baltijos-regione/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> [[Traidenis]] during his reign (1269–1282) reunified all Lithuanian lands and achieved military successes against the Crusaders, fighting alongside other Baltic tribes, but was unable to militarily assist the [[Old Prussians]] in their [[Prussian uprisings#The Great Prussian uprising (1260–1274)|Great Uprising]].<ref name="Traidenis">{{cite web |title=Traidenis |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/traidenis/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> Traidenis' main residence was in [[Kernavė]].<ref name="Traidenis"/>

From the late 13th century members of the [[Lithuanians|Lithuanian]] [[Gediminids]] dynasty began ruling Lithuania, who consolidated a [[hereditary monarchy]] and the [[Letters of Gediminas|status]] of [[Vilnius]] as permanent [[capital city]], [[Christianization of Lithuania|christianized Lithuania]] and by incorporating [[East Slavs]]' territories (e.g. principalities of [[Principality of Minsk|Minsk]], [[Principality of Kiev|Kyiv]], [[Principality of Polotsk|Polotsk]], [[Principality of Vitebsk|Vitebsk]], [[Principality of Smolensk|Smolensk]], etc.) significantly expanded the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]'s territory, which reached ~650,000 km2 in the first half of the 14th century.<ref name="VleLDK">{{cite web |last1=Petrauskas |first1=Rimvydas |title=Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-didzioji-kunigaikstyste/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> At the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest country in [[Europe]].<ref name="Bideleux"/><ref name="USDoS">{{cite web |title=Lithuania (02/08) |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/lithuania/101494.htm |website=U.S. Department of State}}</ref> In 1385, Lithuania formed a [[dynastic union]] with [[Poland during the Jagiellon dynasty|Poland]] through the [[Union of Krewo]].<ref name="VleLDK"/> Furthermore, in the late 14th–15th centuries [[Patrilineality|patrilineal]] [[Jagiellonian dynasty|members]] of the Lithuanian ruling Gediminids dynasty ruled not only Lithuania and Poland, but [[Kingdom of Hungary (1301–1526)|Hungary]], [[Croatia in personal union with Hungary|Croatia]], [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]], and [[Moldavia]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gediminaičiai |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/gediminaiciai/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jogailaičiai |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/jogailaiciai/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> The German attacks on Lithuania were ceased with a decisive Polish–Lithuanian victory in the [[Battle of Grunwald]] in 1410 and by concluding the [[Treaty of Melno]] in 1422.<ref name="VleLDK"/>

In the 15th century the strengthened [[Grand Duchy of Moscow]] renewed the [[Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars]] for the Lithuanian-controlled [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] territories.<ref name="VleLDK"/> Due to the unsuccessful beginning of the [[Livonian War]], loss of land to the [[Tsardom of Russia]], and pressure by monarch [[Sigismund II Augustus]], a supporter of a close Polish–Lithuanian union, the [[Lithuanian nobility]] agreed to conclude the [[Union of Lublin]] in 1569 with the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland]], which created a new [[Federation|federative]] [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] with a joint monarch (holding both titles of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania), but Lithuania remained a separate state from Poland with its own territory (~300 000 km2), coat of arms, management apparatus, laws, courts, seal, army, treasury, etc.<ref name="LUnija">{{cite web |last1=Jasas |first1=Rimantas |title=Liublino unija |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/liublino-unija/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref><ref name="VleLDK"/> After concluding the [[real union]] Lithuania and Poland jointly managed to reach military successes during the Livonian War, [[Polish–Lithuanian occupation of Moscow|occupation of Moscow]] (1610), [[Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611)|war with Sweden (1600–1611)]], [[Smolensk War|Smolensk war with Russia (1632–1634)]], etc.<ref name="VleLDK"/><ref name="LUnija"/> In 1588, [[Sigismund III Vasa]] personally confirmed the [[Statutes of Lithuania#Third Statute|Third Statute of Lithuania]] where it was stated that Lithuania and Poland have equal rights within the Commonwealth and ensured the [[separation of powers]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Andriulis |first1=Vytautas |title=Trečiasis Lietuvos Statutas |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/treciasis-lietuvos-statutas/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> The real union strongly intensified the [[Polonization]] of Lithuania and Lithuanian nobility.<ref>{{cite web |title=Polonizacija |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/polonizacija/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref>

The mid-17th century was marked with disastrous military loses for Lithuania as during the [[Deluge (history)|Deluge]] most of the territory of Lithuania was annexed by the Tsardom of Russia and even Lithuania's capital Vilnius was fully [[Battle of Vilnius (1655)|captured]] for the first time by a foreign army and ravaged.<ref name="Raila">{{cite web |last1=Raila |first1=Eligijus |title=ATR nelaimių šimtmetis |url=http://www.xn--altiniai-4wb.info/index/details/102 |website=Šaltiniai.info |access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref> In 1655, Lithuania unilaterally [[Union of Kėdainiai|seceded]] from Poland, declared the Swedish King [[Charles X Gustav of Sweden|Charles X Gustav]] as the Grand Duke of Lithuania and fell under the [[Swedish Lithuania|protection of the Swedish Empire]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Kėdainių sutartis |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/kedainiu-sutartis/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> However, by 1657 Lithuania was once again a part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth following the Lithuanian revolt against the Swedes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lietuvių sukilimas prieš švedus |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuviu-sukilimas-pries-svedus/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> Vilnius was recaptured from the Russians in 1661.<ref>{{cite web |title=1661 12 03 Vilniaus pilyje kapituliavo rusų įgula |url=https://www.delfi.lt/archive/1661-12-03-vilniaus-pilyje-kapituliavo-rusu-igula.d?id=26316243 |website=DELFI |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref>

In the second half of the 18th century the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was three times [[Partitions of Poland|partitioned]] by three neighboring countries which completely [[Dissolution (politics)|dissoluted]] both independent Lithuania and Poland from the political map in 1795 after a failed [[Kościuszko Uprising]] and short-lived [[Vilnius uprising (1794)|recapture of capital Vilnius]] in 1794.<ref name="VleLDK"/> Most of Lithuania's territory was [[Russian Partition|annexed by the Russian Empire]], while {{Interlanguage link|Užnemunė|lt=Užnemunė|lt}} was annexed by [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]].<ref name="VleLDK"/>