Publications

This monograph by the preeminent historian of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, researcher at The Institute of Lithuanian History, and professor at the Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Dr. Habil. Antanas Tyla, analyzes the development of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania’s treasury and tax system from the mid-16th to the mid-17th centuries, the dynamics of tax revenues flowing into the state and court treasuries as well as the different categories of expenditures and their effectiveness in meeting state goals, especially defense. There is an account of the impact of the Union of Lublin on the treasury, the expansion of taxable objects, the financing of the Livonian War, Stephan Bathory’s military campaign against Muscovy, Sigismund Vasa’s dynastic policy arguments with Sweden, the Commonwealth’s war against Muscovy and the re-taking of Smolensk, and the adjustment of the tax system to meet increasing needs.

This book about the history, architecture, and plans to research and restore the Sapieha Palace and park ensemble, which was built at the end of the 17th century in the Antakalnis district just outside Vilnius, is based on written sources and physical evidence.

Twenty scholarly articles prepared on the basis of presentations at the international conference on the Union of Lublin at the Lithuanian Museum of Art’s Applied Arts Museum on November 19-20, 2009.

This book is a first attempt to become reacquainted with what historians have forgotten and archaeologists have found – old toys and games, which were the most important friends and educational tools of our youth. At first glance, research into the leisure activities of prehistoric times might seem simple and fun but, in truth, is also important and meaningful. By researching the games of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the 13th-17th centuries, an attempt is made to answer essential questions concerning their chronology, geographical and social spread, origin, development, and ties with their geographical neighbors, near and far. The book raises questions concerning the social and cultural aspects of leisure activities; the probable cultural, economic, and political reasons for the popularity and legality of toys and games, and their place in the populace of the time. This book should be of interest not only to specialists, but also to the general public interested in the history of Lithuanian toys and everyday life.

Previously unpublished research reports covering thirty years of archaeological investigations of ancient burial sites, ritual sites, settlements, and graves of important historical persons.

The book cover features Sigismund Vasa, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, who recaptured Smolensk on June 13, 1611, after the city had been under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Moscow for nearly a hundred years. The ruler’s victorious military expedition was crowned by a day of triumph, ceremoniously celebrated in Vilnius on July 24, 1611. This is evidenced by a unique surviving manuscript dedicated to the ruler, Dies Triumphi, which is decorated with golden letters and verses laid out to recreate triumphal arches. After 400 years, this Latin manuscript and its Lithuanian translation is being published.  The ruler’s reception ceremony and the historical circumstances of the regaining of Smolensk are discussed in introductory articles by Vilnius University Prof. Eugenija Ulčinaitė and Dr. Eugenijus Savičevas.

The book presents a brief history of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius Lower Castle and the reconstruction of this important residence of the rulers of Lithuania.  It also presents highlights from its very large, varied, and valuable archeological collections and some of the most significant acquisitions for its interior displays, reflecting Lithuania’s historical ties with Europe. The book provides floor plans for planned exhibitions, a chronology of the most important dates in the history of the palace, and information about new objects from abroad relating to Lithuanian history.

The book presents a brief history of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius Lower Castle and the reconstruction of this important residence of the rulers of Lithuania.  It also presents highlights from its very large, varied, and valuable archeological collections and some of the most significant acquisitions for its interior displays, reflecting Lithuania’s historical ties with Europe. The book provides floor plans for planned exhibitions, a chronology of the most important dates in the history of the palace, and information about new objects from abroad relating to Lithuanian history.

This scholarly monograph by the long-time professor of history at Vilnius University’s History Department, Dr. habil. Mečislovas Jučas, outlines the major historical features of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Lithuanian state protected the nation against foreign enemies, created a legal and administrative infrastructure, protected the Roman Catholic faith, watched over the economy and culture, and provided a home for the Lithuanian people. The most important aim of this book is to show how the old Lithuanian state came into being, how it flourished, how it later grew weaker and became diminished, and finally was destroyed by foreign powers. The book is based on the professor’s lectures at Vilnius University, but it also takes into account recent scholarly research, and attempts to look at many questions in a new and original way. The greatest attention is paid to various aspects of state development.

This book by the noted scholar of Latin literature about the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and professor of classical philology at the University of Vilnius, Dr. habil. Eugenija Ulčinaitė, is devoted to a specific literary genre – ceremonial greetings (gratulationes) with which the grand dukes and nobles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were honored on their arrival in Vilnius. The book contains four 16th-18th century facsimiles in the original Latin (with translations into Lithuanian) of greetings to the kings of Poland and the grand dukes of Lithuania Stephen Bathory, Sigismund Vasa, and Wladyslaw Vasa, and to the nobleman and bishop Krzystof Jan Szembek.