VolhyniaVolhynia (also spelled Volynia) (voʊˈlɪniə ; Volýnʹ, Wołyń, Volýnʹ, װאָלין), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and western Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but the territory that still carries the name is Volyn Oblast, in western Ukraine. Volhynia has changed hands numerous times throughout history and been divided among competing powers. For centuries it was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
TatarsThe Tatars (ˈtɑːtərz ) is an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar". Initially, the ethnonym Tatar possibly referred to the Tatar confederation. That confederation was eventually incorporated into the Mongol Empire when Genghis Khan unified the various steppe tribes. Historically, the term Tatars (or Tartars) was applied to anyone originating from the vast Northern and Central Asian landmass then known as Tartary, a term which was also conflated with the Mongol Empire itself.
SzlachtaThe szlachta (Polish: AUDPl-szlachta.ogg'szlachta endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the state, exercising extensive political rights and power. Szlachta as a class differed significantly from the feudal nobility of Western Europe. The estate was officially abolished in 1921 by the March Constitution.
RurikidsThe Rurikids or Riurikids also known as the Volodimerovichi, were a noble house allegedly founded by the Varangian prince Rurik, who, according to tradition, established himself in Novgorod around the year AD 862. After the conquest of Kiev by Rurik's successor Oleg the Wise in 880, the Rurikids established a dynasty over the state of Kievan Rus' until its disintegration in the 12th and 13th centuries. Over time, the reigning house split into many different branches, with distinct branches ruling regional centers.
Lithuania properLithuania proper (Lithuania propria; Tikroji Lietuva, Didžioji Lietuva) refers to a region that existed within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania where the Lithuanian language was spoken. The primary meaning is identical to the Duchy of Lithuania, a land around which the Grand Duchy of Lithuania evolved. The territory can be traced by Catholic Christian parishes established in pagan Baltic lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania subsequent to the Christianization of Lithuania in 1387.
Vilnius UniversityVilnius University (Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, it is Lithuania's leading research institution, ranked among the Top 29% Higher Education Institutions in the world. The university was founded in 1579 as the Jesuit Academy (College) of Vilnius by Stephen Báthory.
BaltsThe Balts or Baltic peoples (baltai, balti) are an ethno-linguistic group of peoples who speak the Baltic languages of the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. One of the features of Baltic languages is the number of conservative or archaic features retained. Among the Baltic peoples are modern-day Lithuanians and Latvians (including Latgalians) — all Eastern Balts — as well as the Old Prussians, Yotvingians and Galindians — the Western Balts — whose languages and cultures are now extinct.
European bisonThe European bison (: bison) (Bison bonasus) or the European wood bison, also known as the wisent (ˈviːzənt or ˈwiːzənt), the zubr (zuːbər), or sometimes colloquially as the European buffalo, is a European species of bison. It is one of two extant species of bison, alongside the American bison. The European bison is the heaviest wild land animal in Europe, and individuals in the past may have been even larger than their modern-day descendants.
LublinLublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of the Vistula River and is about to the southeast of Warsaw by road. One of the events that greatly contributed to the city's development was the Polish-Lithuanian Union of Krewo in 1385.
Christianization of LithuaniaThe Christianization of Lithuania (Lietuvos krikštas) occurred in 1387, initiated by King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Władysław II Jagiełło and his cousin Vytautas the Great. It signified the official adoption of Christianity by Lithuania, the last pagan country in Europe. This event ended one of the most complicated and lengthiest processes of Christianization in European history. Lithuanians' contacts with the Christian religion predated the establishment of the Duchy of Lithuania in the 13th century.
