bard32
Banned
The main language used in Commonwealth was Polish.
I know that. However, I was speaking hypothetically. The Commonwealth was
broken up by the First Partition of Poland. When that happened, Lithuania was
annexed by Imperial Russia.
The main language used in Commonwealth was Polish.
The main language used in Commonwealth was Polish.
If you avoid Kazimir from becoming Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland in the same time than you could also avoid polonization and there were no danger of russification ( btw Russians was word used for themselves by all east slavik population, not only by Moscovites)
Without the demographic changes started by the Northern war the Lithuanian population would be much bigger.
It is probable.And Lithuanian was on its way out until the revival in the 19th century. If the PLC had survived, no revival and the Lithuanians would probably assimilate.
More than half aristocracy was Lithuanian origin (but most acts was written in Russian)But would that have led to Lithuanian being more widely spoken, or a small part of the aristocracy speaking Lithuanian instead of Ruthenian?
Maybe. In Lithuanian speaking territories the density of population was about two times bigger and modern Lithuanian ethnic territory consist only half of that prior 18th century.Interesting... could those people have settled elsewhere in the Grand Duchy and spread the language that way?
Maybe. In Lithuanian speaking territories the density of population was about two times bigger and modern Lithuanian ethnic territory consist only half of that prior 18th century.
OK, it MAINLY spoke Ruthenian. Written documents in Lithuanian are few, and in Ruthenian aplenty.Actually there were both languages in usage.
This is because they wrote in Ruthenian. There were no Lithuanian written language till the middle of 16th century.OK, it MAINLY spoke Ruthenian. Written documents in Lithuanian are few, and in Ruthenian aplenty.
Most of those raids felt on Ukrainian lands, while low density and most probable settling land was in what is now Belarus. And again assimilation not always work in this way, IMO there are more cases when inhabitants change language without significant foreign influx.One problem I thought of would be that even if the Lithuanians settled in different areas, the population of Ruthenians would outnumber them far too much, so the settlers would eventually be assimilated.
So what if somehow (longer-lasting and more devastating Tatar raids on the duchy maybe?) the population of Ruthenians were reduced while the Lithuanian population remained large? Maybe that way there could be a larger amount of Lithuanians spread in Ruthenia?
Most of those raids felt on Ukrainian lands, while low density and most probable settling land was in what is now Belarus. And again assimilation not always work in this way, IMO there are more cases when inhabitants change language without significant foreign influx.
AFAIK the last of those raids was in 1506.There were actually some present and there also were some settlements established in 14th (prior Christianization) that survived till 17th (and then they weren't assimilated but wiped out by Russian army).In the 16th century there were also extensive raids on Belarus too. I just assumed that with a larger Lithuanian presence, the language would spread further. I just can't see it not being assimilated otherwise.