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Litvin

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Litvin – is a historical name of Belarusians and part of Lithuanians, under which they were known during 12-19 centuries, mostly in the state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Also, Belarusians were widely known as “Litvins” also in the 19th century, as well as at the beginning of the 20th century, and the name still exists in vanquishing forms in Belarus.

The front page of the Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania of 1588

The position of “Litvins”, as of the main nation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, had been established in the Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which were created (in the Old Belarusian language) in 1529, 1566 and 1588. The Second Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania of 1566 states:

“In this our state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in all of its lands, we [the Sovereign] shall grant any ranks and positions … to Litva (i.d. to Litvins) and to Rus’ (i.d. to Russians) only, who are ancient dwellers and natives of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. … To any offices and appointments, only those shall be appointed by us, the Sovereign, who are ancient natives of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, those are – Litvin and Rusin [Ruthen]”[1].

What nation was named "Litvins" here, had been exhaustively explained by the author of the Statute, Lew Sapieha, who wrote in the Old Belarusian language in a corresponding article of the Lithuanian Statute:

"...it is not in any foreign language, but in the language of our own, that we have our rights written"[2].

The term itself was used by the Grand Dukes of Lithuania to indicate their subordinates – Litvins (Belarusians). Kazimir (Jagaila’s son), the grand duke of Lithuania, wrote in his Belarusian agreement with Pskov of 1440 about “my people Litvins” and “my Litvins”[3]:

“And I, grand duke Kazimir, shall patron over Pskov dwellers the same way I do over my Litvins…”.

In a similar agreement with Novgorod of 1440 Kazimir wrote:[4]:

“…And my people: either Litvins, or Vitebsk dwellers, or Polock dwellers, or Smolensk dwellers, or from other our Russian parts, shall have a free way from all of my lands (….) and I, grand duke Kazimir, the prince, shall patron over Novgorod dwellers the same way I do over my Litvins.

Belarusians were called “Litvins” also after the times of the GDL, in the 19th century as well, which can be illustrated by the whole Russian 19th-century classical literature. In any Russian book from the first half of the 19th century, a “Litvin” would mean a Belarusian, and “Litva” would mean Belarus (mind such authors as Pushkin and Turgenev).

The Ukranians called Belarusians “Litvins” until the 1940-s, which can be illustrated by still existing folklore sayings. Dwellers of Bryansk and Kursk regions of Russia (bordering on Belarus), and of Bialystok region of Poland would call Belarusians “Litvins” all through the 19th century and even up to nowadays.

A linguist Anton Polevoy read in his report for the Moscow Dialectology Board in 1925 (about Litvins of the Novozybkov region – in western Russia, close to Belarusian border)[5]:

“Those songs make us even more think, that the language of Novozybkov Litvins is the Belarusian language, and therefore the very Litvins are Belarusians”.

The surname “Litvin”, and its derivatives (Litvinchuk, Litvinok, Litvinov, Litvinenko) are traditionally very frequent among Belarusian people.


Litvins throughout history

Vilna martyrs of 1347

It should be stressed, that the original form of the name is the form “Litwin”, which occurs in all medieval historical sources[6]. No any forms as “lietuva”, “lietuviai”, “litowcy” etc. occur in any medieval source.

“Litwins” come to be widely known in sources as of the formation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (ca. 1240’s), as a denomination of Belarusians and part of modern Lithuanians. It should be mentioned, that although the modern Lithuanians claim they were already at those times called lietuviai, such name is not know from any mediaval source at all, and the first Grand Duke of Lithuania Mindoug himself signed in his Latin letters as “rex Litwinorum”[7] (“duke of Litwins”).

It is an interesting fact, that the first Litwins, ever known from historical sources (1180) are Slavic dukes Vseslav Mikulich, Andrey Volodshich, Izyaslav and Vasilko from Minsk, Logoisk, Zaslavl and Braslav. The Galicz-Volyn chronicle, under the year of 1180, names them “litva”[8].

During the 1210’s, a duke Dovgerd (who, after some scholars[9] might have been Mindoug’s father) is known, as “one of the most powerful of Litvins”[10]. Some scholars made suggestions, that Dovgerd might have his residence in Oshmiany [11] or Vilna[12].

In 1267 a baron named Luka Litvin[13] was present at the court of a Lithuanian duke Dovmont, who was the ruler of Pskov since 1265. (Luka is an orthodox Christian name, popular with Slavs). Probably, “Litvin” existed as a surname already in those times.

Lithuanian grand duke Viten (ruled 1294-1316) was called “rex Lethowinorum” (“duke of Litvins”) in Latin sources. Peter of Duisburg (ca. 1326) depicted a crusader’s raid onto Litvins near Grodno in 1295[14]: “…five brothers (crusaders) and 150 men from Sambia and Nattangia went on a raid to the castle of Grodno; and when they came close, they wished to dismount and go down the Neman on ships; they devastated a village of Litvins [Lethowinorum] on the riverbank there, killed and captured many people, and moved on”. (In 1295, a village of Litvins was situated near Grodno).

Byzantine emperor John V Palaiologos

Vilna martyrs of 1347 were, no doubt, Slavs. Their names were Kumec, Kruglec and Nezhilo, which are distinct Slavic names, and they were naperers at the court of the Lithuanian grand duke Olgerd in Vilna. The chronicles said that[15]: “Kruglec, Kumec and Nezhilo were born of Litva”; “their Lithuanian names were Kruglec, Kumec, Nezhilo”.

Also, there is evidence in contemporary documents, that Constantinople Patriarch Philotheus I and Byzantine emperor John V Palaiologos were called “Litvins” by their contemporaries[16]. It must have resulted from a straight support that the Emperor and, especially, the Patriarch gave to Lithuania, relating to Olgerd's activities of widening the Lithuanian Orthodox Christian archdiocese.

A Vilna prelate Matej (Matthew), according to a 1422 document, was a born Litvin (“venerabilem virum magistrum Mathiam origine Lytwanum”). However the Lithuanian grand duke Vitovt made a purposeful statement on Matej’s being appropriate for a position of the bishop of Samogitia (nowadays Letuva) in Medniki (nowadays Varniai), as Matej had “a satisfactory command of the Samogitian dialect” (i.e. of nowadays Lithuanian language) (“ac de ydiomate Samagitico sufficintissime institutum”[17]). Such claims have never been made to any Litwins, who were clerics in Belarusian lands, which shows, that normally Litvins did not have any command of the Samogitian dialect, even on a “satisfactory” level.

The second catholic bishop of Vilna was also a Litvin – Jacub (Jan’s son) Plichta ([jakub plihta]), who died on February 2, 1407. The documents testify of him as of a distinct Litvin, from the nation and language of Litva (“Johannis dicti Plychta … viro vicarium Lythuanie, eiusdemque nacionis et lingue”[18]). His name (Jacub), father’s name (Jan), and surname are distinctly Slavic.

Francysk Skaryna

A Russian chronicle gives a list of “Lithuanian” dukes, who perished in the battle of Vorskla on August 12, 1399[19]: “These are the names of the Lithuanian dukes, who perished: Andrey Olgerdovich of Polock, Dmitry Olgerdovich of Bryansk, Ivan Dmitrievich Kindyr, Andrey Dmitrievich, Ivan Evlashkovich, Leon Koriadovich, Michailo Vasylievich, his brother Semen Vasylievich, Michailo Podberezsky, his brother Alexander, Fedor Patrikeevich Rylsky, Andrey of Druck, Mont Toluntovich, Ivan Yuryevich Belsky…”.

The enlightener and Roman Pope Aneus Silvius Piccolomini wrote in 1458, that Litvins speak a Slavic language[20]. Such European scientists as Hertman Schedel (in his “World Cronicon”, 1493), Jan Norich (in “Decachyston”, 1511[21]), Jan of Bohemia (in “Omnius Gentes Mores”, 1538[22]) and an Austrian diplomat Sigismund Herberstein (in “History of Moscovia”, 1549) wrote of Litva (Lithuania) as of a Slavonic country, and alltogether considered the Lithuanian language a Slavic language.

Herberstein wrote in 1549 [23]:

“…the bison is called by Litvins in their language “Suber” (“zubr” is the bison in the Belarusian language);

“the beast, called by Litvins in their language “Loss”, is called Ellend in German (elk, “los” in Belarusian);

“the Sovereign assignes a governor thereto, whom they [Litvins] in their language call “Starosta” [a name of an office in Belarusian]”.

A world-famous enlightener and cultural icon Francisk Skorina from Polock (who introduced book printing in Belarus in 1517) registered at the Cracow University as a “Litvin” in 1505.

Tadeusz Kosciuszko

A known revolutionary activist and a national hero of the USA – Tadeusz Kosciuszko (born near Brest, Belarus) – appealed to his companions: “Am I not your fellow countryman? Am I not a Litvin?..”. In his letter to the Russian tzar Kosciuszko wrote: “I was born a Litvin…”.

A world-famous poet Adam Mickewicz (who was born and dwelled near and in Navahradak – in Grodno region of Belarus) appealed to his native land as “O Litva! My homeland!..”.

The founder of the modern Belarusian dramaturgy and one of the fathers of the modern Belarusian language, Vincent Dunin-Marcinkevicz (1808-1884), considered himself to have been raised “among Litvins”[24] (he was raised near Bobruisk and Minsk, in Belarus). His close friend, Vladislav Syrokomlya (Syrokomlya was an old noble surname and a name of a coat-of-arms in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania), another Belarusian poet, was called a “Lithuanian lyrist” (“lirnik litouski”) among friends. Another 19th-century Belarusian writer Artem Veriga-Dorevsky, who was born near Lepel, and lived in Vitebsk wrote in his book: “Litva, my homeland”. His verse “To Litvins, who signed into my Album” of 1858 is devoted to young Belarusian poets.

A famous scientist, a national hero of Chili, Ignat Domeiko (born near Navahradak), wrote of “our Litvins” (in his book “My Travels”), embracing both then Belarusian barons and peasantry with the term. Domeiko’s Diploma (at Krakow University, 1887) was granted to “…a noble man Ignat Domeiko, a Litvin…”[25].

A Russian world-famous classic writer, Fedor Dostoevsky (whose ancestors came from Dostoevo estate near Pinsk) wrote: “…my ancestors come from Lithuanian swamps…”.


Nowadays

Today the name “Litvins” enjoys its revival in Belarus, while many Belarusians prefer to be called “Litvins” and to be associated with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, whereas it is widely known, that Belarusians who were then called Litvins have contributed to almost every aspect of its culture.

Many folk bands and clubs bear the name “Litvins”. A folk band “Stary Olsa[1]”, which is known, seemingly, all over Europe, promotes the culture of the historical Litvins through original songs in the Old Belarusian language, written in the 15-17 centuries at the royal courts of Vilna and Cracow, that use the word “Litvin” and cover the heroical past of Litvins.

There is a wide youth initiative in 2009 for the to-be in October population census, which encourages all Belarusians to register as “Litvins”[26].

See also

References

  1. ^ “Въ томъ панстве Великомъ Князстве Литовскомъ и во всихъ земляхъ ему прислухаючыхъ достойностей духовныхъ и свецкихъ городовъ дворовъ и кгрунтовъ староствъ въ держаньи и пожываньи и вечностей жадных чужоземцомъ и заграничникомъ ани суседомъ таго панства давати не имаемъ; але то все мы и потомки наши Великіе Князи Литовскіе давати будуть повинни только Литве а Руси, родичомъ старожитнымъ и врожонцамъ Великаго Князства Литовского (…..) А хотя бы хто обчого народу за свое заслуги въ той речы посполитой пришолъ ку оселости зъ ласки и данины нашое, албо которымъ иншимъ правомъ; тогды таковые толко оселости оное ужывати мають будучы обывателемъ обецнымъ Великаго Князства и служачы службу земскую томужъ панству. Але на достоенства и всякій врядъ духовный и свецкій не маеть быти обиранъ, ани отъ насъ Господаря ставленъ, толко здавна продковъ своихъ уроженецъ Великого Князства Литовского Литвинъ и Русинъ».
  2. ^ "...не обчым яким языком, але своим власным права списаные маем".
  3. ^ "...а коньчали есмо так: што ж послу из нашее земли из Литовское, и гостю - или Литвин, или Русин, или Полочанин, или Витеблянин, или Смолнянин, - тым путь чыст изо всее моее отчыны в Псковскую землю (....) А мне великому князю Казимиру блюсти Псковитина, как и своего Литвина; також и Псковичом блюсти Литвина, как и Псковитина...". (АЗР, т.1, 1846, с.51-53).
  4. ^ "...А што моих людзей, или Литвин, или Витблянин, или Полочанин, или Смолнянин, или с иных наших Руских земль, тым путь чыст изо всее моее отчыны (....) А мне великому князю Казимиру, королевичю, блюсти Новгородца, как и своего Литвина; також и Новгородцом блюсти Литвина, как и своего Новгородца..." (АЗР, т.1, 1846, с.51-53).
  5. ^ «Гэтыя песьні яшчэ больш пераконваюць у тым, што мова навазыбкаўскіх ліцьвіноў ёсьць мовай беларускай, а гэткім чынам, і самі ліцьвіны — таксама ёсьць беларусамі». (Я.Станкевіч. Язык і языкаведа. Вільня: Інстытут беларусістыкі, 2007. с.854).
  6. ^ see: АЗР т.1, ПСРЛ т.7, Vetera Monumenta Poloniae et Lithuaniae t.I, Monumenta Poloniae Vaticana t.III, Chronicon terrae Prussiae, etc.
  7. ^ "Mindovve, Dei gracia rex Litwinorum": Liv-, Esth-, und Curlandisches Urkundenbuch nebst Regesten / Hrsg. von F.G von Bunge. [Abt. 1 ] Reval, Riga. Bd. I. 1853. sp. 462, nr. 363; Maleczynski K. W sprawie autentycznosci dokumentow Mendoga z lat 1253-1261 //Ateneum Wilenski. 11.1936. tab., kol. 9; А.Жлутка. Міндаў, кароль Летовіі. Мн., 2001. с.43.
  8. ^ «с ними же бяхуть (...) и Литва: Всеслав Микуличь изъ Логажеска, Андреи Володшичь, и сыновець его Изяслав, и Василко Бряцьславичь». (ПСРЛ, т.2, ст. 620; Алексеев Л.В. Полоцкая земля. М., 1966).
  9. ^ Гудавичус Э. История Литвы с древнейших времён до 1569 г., Т.1, 2005. Москва, Baltrus.
  10. ^ “Lettones, Litowini”: (Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae / Heinrichs Livländische Chronik. (Monumenta Germaniae Historica; SS rer. Germ.; 31). 2. Auflage. Hahn, Hannover 1955).
  11. ^ А.Н. Хохлов. Новгородско-литовско-тверские отношения в третьей четверти 13 века // Новгород и Новгородская земля. История и археология. (Материалы научной конференции). Вып. 9. 1995
  12. ^ Воскресенская летопись. ПСРЛ., т. 7. ст. 573-574. Рязань: Узорочье, 1998
  13. ^ Воскресенская летопись. ПСРЛ, т.7. М., 2001. с.166
  14. ^ Scriptores rerum Prussicarum (SRP). Th.Hirsch, M.Toppen, E.Strehlke. Hirzel, 1861. Bd.I
  15. ^ (Darius Baronas. Trys Vilniaus kankiniai: gyvenimas ir istorija. Aidai, Vilnius, 2000).
  16. ^ From a Metropolitan Cyprian’s letter of June 23, 1378: "Патриарха литвином назвали, царя тако же". (“They said the Patriarch is a Litvin, so they said of the Emperor”) (Памятники древнерусского канонического права, I. Русская историческая библиотека, VI, СПб., 1880. стлб. 173-186).
  17. ^ Codex epistolaris Vitoldi, pp. 60-61, 103.
  18. ^ Codex epistolaris Vitoldi, pp. 60-61, 103.
  19. ^ Патриаршая или Никоновская летопись. - ПСРЛ, т. 11. М.: 2000. с. 174
  20. ^ "Lituania et ipsa late patents regio Polonis ad orlentem connexa est... Sermo gentis Sclavonicus est". (Pii II Pontificis Maximi Historia Rerum ubique Gestarum cum Locorum descriptione. Parrhisiis, 1509, pp.109v-110).
  21. ^ "Post Poloniam Lituania est spaciola quoque tellus verum paludibos sylvisque plurimum obducta... Lingua utuntur Sclavonica". (Jo. Coclei Norici Decastichon. In librum. Norinburgae, 1511, pp.Kv-K II - Inkunabel. Gymnasial Bibliothek zu Koeln, GB XI 490b, Panzer VII, 451, 86).
  22. ^ "Lithunia est Poloniae ad ortum connexa noningentorum millium passuum circuitu magna sui parte palustris plurimumque nemorosa... Sermo gentis, ut Polonis, Sclavonicus, hie enim sermo, quern latissime patet, ac plurimis quidem gentibus communis est…". (Omnium Gentium Mores, Leges et Ritus. Ex mulris clarissimis rerum scriptoribus a Joanne Boemo Aubano Teutonico nuper collecti et novissime recogniti. Antverpiae, 1538, pp.80v-81).
  23. ^ Herberstein. Rerum Moscoviticarum. Unveraenderter Nachdruck. Minerva GMBH. Frankfurt a. M., 1964, p.2, s.109-114.
  24. ^ Дунін-Марцінкевіч В. Збор твораў. Мн., 1958. С.362.
  25. ^ С.Суднік. Да пытання нацыянальнага самавызначэння Ігната Дамейкі // Лідскі летапісец, №19.
  26. ^ Стаць Літвінам і быць ім!
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