Hello all,
So, Lithuania was a powerful realm in its heyday. Mindagaus -- the first Duke and later King of Lithuania -- fought and won many wars against Christian forces, defeating Polish and Crusader enemies and conquering land from the Baltic into Ruthenia.
However, though Mindagaus was a pagan for most of his life who resisted Christian influence, he eventually accepted Catholic baptism and built a cathedral in Vilnius to court Christian support against the Mongols. However, during what would later be called the Northern Crusades, his Christianisation was very unpopular among his subjects, and he was assassinated by a conspiracy of nobles in 1263. Lithuania would remain pagan thenceforth until nearly the 1400s.
Under the reign of Gediminas (r. 1316-1341), Lithuania would become a major power in Eastern Europe, conquering all of Ruthenia and even extending its influence to the Black Sea. Gediminas even conquered Kiev -- the capital and most important city of the Rus', as well as an important seat of the Orthodox Church and a holy city to Christians. And Gediminas was known to be a champion of the Lithuanian old gods; he was willing to tolerate his Christian subjects and engage in trade and diplomacy with Christian realms, but he did not tolerate Christian missionary efforts, and he expelled and executed those who evangelised Christianity or preached against the old gods.
Lithuania would remain under pagan rule until 1387. It was never conquered by the Northern Crusades; indeed, the Lithuanians had a proud legacy of defeating Christian incursions. King Jogalia decided to accept Christian baptism in order to marry Jagwida, Queen of Poland (or King, rather); and thus Poland and Lithuania were united under the Jagiellonian branch of the Gediminid dynasty.
However, what if this union never took place? What would Lithuania look like, if it wasn't Christianised by its own King with the support of his new Polish subjects?
I imagine an enduring pagan Lithuania being something like the Khazar Khanate or the Kievan Rus'. The Khazars and the Rus' (until the reign of Saint Vladimir) adopted pragmatic religious policies, playing Rome, Constantinople, and even Baghdad off each other to preserve their independence. Lithuania could likewise exploit divisions in the Christian and Muslim world, selectively patronising, marginalising, and persecuting different sects as is politic. Indeed, this was Lithuania's policy for most of its history, and it had worked rather well.
Another key factor is the Mongols. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was powerful in its own right, but it was often aligned with the Golden Horde, paying tribute to the Muslim, Turco-Mongol Khan in exchange for military assistance against the Christians of Poland, Muscovy, the Knights of Livonia, and the Knights Teutonic. If Lithuania and the Tatars had maintained their partnership (with Lithuania controlling the Vistula and the Dnieper, while the Horde controls the Don and the Volga), maybe the Golden Horde would be strengthened as well. Perhaps we'd think of the Baltic and Ruthenia as a pagan buffer-zone between Christian Europe and an Islamic "Russia" (which might come to be called "Tatarstan" or "Tataria" or something).
So, what do you guys think? Cheers, all!
So, Lithuania was a powerful realm in its heyday. Mindagaus -- the first Duke and later King of Lithuania -- fought and won many wars against Christian forces, defeating Polish and Crusader enemies and conquering land from the Baltic into Ruthenia.
However, though Mindagaus was a pagan for most of his life who resisted Christian influence, he eventually accepted Catholic baptism and built a cathedral in Vilnius to court Christian support against the Mongols. However, during what would later be called the Northern Crusades, his Christianisation was very unpopular among his subjects, and he was assassinated by a conspiracy of nobles in 1263. Lithuania would remain pagan thenceforth until nearly the 1400s.
Under the reign of Gediminas (r. 1316-1341), Lithuania would become a major power in Eastern Europe, conquering all of Ruthenia and even extending its influence to the Black Sea. Gediminas even conquered Kiev -- the capital and most important city of the Rus', as well as an important seat of the Orthodox Church and a holy city to Christians. And Gediminas was known to be a champion of the Lithuanian old gods; he was willing to tolerate his Christian subjects and engage in trade and diplomacy with Christian realms, but he did not tolerate Christian missionary efforts, and he expelled and executed those who evangelised Christianity or preached against the old gods.
Lithuania would remain under pagan rule until 1387. It was never conquered by the Northern Crusades; indeed, the Lithuanians had a proud legacy of defeating Christian incursions. King Jogalia decided to accept Christian baptism in order to marry Jagwida, Queen of Poland (or King, rather); and thus Poland and Lithuania were united under the Jagiellonian branch of the Gediminid dynasty.
However, what if this union never took place? What would Lithuania look like, if it wasn't Christianised by its own King with the support of his new Polish subjects?
I imagine an enduring pagan Lithuania being something like the Khazar Khanate or the Kievan Rus'. The Khazars and the Rus' (until the reign of Saint Vladimir) adopted pragmatic religious policies, playing Rome, Constantinople, and even Baghdad off each other to preserve their independence. Lithuania could likewise exploit divisions in the Christian and Muslim world, selectively patronising, marginalising, and persecuting different sects as is politic. Indeed, this was Lithuania's policy for most of its history, and it had worked rather well.
Another key factor is the Mongols. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was powerful in its own right, but it was often aligned with the Golden Horde, paying tribute to the Muslim, Turco-Mongol Khan in exchange for military assistance against the Christians of Poland, Muscovy, the Knights of Livonia, and the Knights Teutonic. If Lithuania and the Tatars had maintained their partnership (with Lithuania controlling the Vistula and the Dnieper, while the Horde controls the Don and the Volga), maybe the Golden Horde would be strengthened as well. Perhaps we'd think of the Baltic and Ruthenia as a pagan buffer-zone between Christian Europe and an Islamic "Russia" (which might come to be called "Tatarstan" or "Tataria" or something).
So, what do you guys think? Cheers, all!
