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The rector of Vilnius University (VU), Professor Rimvydas Petrauskas, stated that there is a strong nationalist trend in the development of Belarusian historical self-awareness in recent decades, which treats Belarus as the true heir to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
However, R. Petrauskas emphasizes that this is only one direction, and in academic historiography “the heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania is seen quite adequately,” a dialogue is taking place between Lithuanian historians and colleagues in Belarus.
“We as a society may pose the following question: is the interest of Belarusians in the past of the GDL dangerous? In answering the question, it should be noted that Belarus really has reason to be interested in the history of the Grand Duchy. of Lithuania and treat it as your own After all, a large part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania is territorially located in present-day Belarus. 15 minutes said the professor.
The historian points out that the GDL was not a nation-state of Lithuania, but a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multi-denominational state. According to R. Petrauskas, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania expanded by annexing Ruthenian lands, therefore, “both Lithuanians, Ukrainians and Belarusians have every reason to take an interest in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and treat their past as their own.”
Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Alvydas Nikžentaitis
Alvydas Nikžentaitis, director of the Lithuanian Institute of History (LII), assured that Belarusians are discovering the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in search of its historical identity.
“The historical identity of the Russians was based on completely different historical events than those of the ethnic Lithuanians. For example, in the historical identity of the Ruthenians, relationships with pets and Tatars first appeared, when ethnic Lithuanians or Samogitians emphasized relationships with the Poles or the German order. ” 15 minutes said the historian.
According to A. Nikžentaitis, sometimes when Belarusians look for identity in the GDL, only the Slavic beginnings are seen. Furthermore, according to the historian, the people around Aliaksandr Lukashenko use the past of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to create a Belarusian identity. A. Nikžentaitis drew attention to the reconstruction of the GDL castle in Belarus, one of the most important initiators of this program – Pavelas Latuška, the director of the Janka Kupala National Academic Theater, who resigned during the protests.
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