Slide Library BELARUS FOREVER BELARUSIAN STATEHOOD By Piotra

Slide Library “BELARUS FOREVER!” BELARUSIAN STATEHOOD By Piotra Murzionak October 29, 2016 Magazine “CULTURE, NATION”, www. sakavik. net Project “Together”, Issue #6, October 2016

Republic of Belarus – independent european country Population – 9. 5 mln, 17 th in Europe (plus 1. 5 mln of Belarusians live abroad). Territory – 208. 000 sq. km. , 12 th in Europe. The state border – 3618 km: Ukraine - 1084 km EU countries - 1251 km (Latvia - 173 km, Poland - 399 km, Lithuania – 679 km) Russia - 1283 km.

Beginning: MIGRATION OF SLAVS http: //archive. worldhistoria. com/finno-ugrian-impact-on-russian-ethnos_topic 20088_page 16. html In V-VIII CE, Slavic tribes moved from the Elbe-Vistula area to the North-East. In the East, they reached the places of residence of the Finno-Ugric tribes (future Muskovians). Movement to the South-East was limited by nomadic Khazar tribes (Slavs-Poliane and Sarmatians? – future Ukranians).

Beginning: SLAVS and BALTS in X-XII CE. Blue line – modern border of Belarus It is believed that the modern Belarusian ethnos was formed on the basis of Slavic tribes (Kryvians, Drehovians, Radzimians) and Balt tribes (Latgalians, Selonians, Aukstatians, Samogitians, Yotvingians)

Periods of Belarusian Statehood 960 -1397 – Polatsak Principality 1236 -1569 – Grand Duchy of Lithuania 1569 -1798 – Rzeczpospolita I, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1795 -1917 – without Statehood (in Russian empire) 1918 -1991 – Belarusian Democratic Republic, Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic since 1991 – Republic of Belarus

POLATSAK PRINCIPALITY (960 -1397) Coat of arms of the Principality of Polotsk (print of Prince Izyaslav, 986 -1001)

POLATSAK PRINCIPALITY Polatsak at first recalled in records in 862. Polatsak principality was founded in 960 and considered as the first statehood on Belarusian territory. Polatsak fought for leadership with Kiev and Novgorod. 31 princes ruled during Polatsak period (960 -1397). Pagan Lithuanians initially paid tribute to Polotsk. Borders of Polatsak principality in the mid of XI century

PROMINENT FIGURES OF POLATSAK PERIOD Rahvalod (920 -980) – First Prince of Principality (945 -980). It appears he did not belong to Rurik dynasty. Ragneda (960 -1000) -The daughter of Rahvalod, the wife of Grand Prince Uladzimir of Kiev (the Baptist). Mother of Princes: Izyaslau Uladzimiravich (988 to 1001), Yaraslau the Wise (Great Prince of Kiev from 1019 by 1054), Vsevolod (Vladimir-Volyn), Mstislav (Chernigov and Tsmutarakan), and princesses - Predslava (married Czech Prince Boleslav) and Pramislava (married Hungarian Prince Laszlo Sarah Bald). Usjaslau Charadzej. (1018 -1101) - grandson of Rahvalod, great -grandson of Vladimir, Grand Duke of Kiev. In times of Usjaslau Charadzej. (1044 -1101) Polatsk principality reached its greatest prosperity. EUFRASІNNIA POLATSKAYA, Pradslava (1104 -1173), greatgranddauther of Prince Usyaslau Charadzej. Educator. The first woman among Eastern Slavs canonized by church.

BELARUSIAN LANDS in XI-XIII CE.

MINDOUG – First King of Lithuania Mindoug is the first and the last king of Lithuania (1253 – 1260). He was crowned in Navagradak. Perhaps he came to Navagradak with his own strength, but more likely he was invited by inhabitants of Navagradak. Coronation of Mindoug in Navagradak, 1253 Navagradak became the capital of the Duchy of Lithuania till 1323. Mindoug converted to Orthodoxy in 1246, to Catholicism in 1251, and in 1261 returned to paganism. Mindoug has undertaken the association of Lithuanian and Belarusian lands to protect them from the Mongols of the Golden Horde, who occupied the territory of Muscovy and leftbank Ukraine in 1240 -1241.

GDL - the unifier of East Slavic lands With Gedimin (1316 -1341) – Vitebsk, Pinsk (1320), Minsk, Svisloch, Slutsk (1326), Turau (1336), Volyn (1340) With Algerd (1345 -1377) - Bryansk (1356), Novgorod-Seversky, Putivl, Pereyaslav, Kursk, Belgorod, Poltava (1362) With Vytaut (1392 -1430) - Vyazma (1403), Smolensk (1404), Kozelsk, Mtsensk (1427). In the late 14 th century, GDL area was about 900, 000 sq. km. In 1493, in the GDL resided 4. 45 million inhabitants (3. 75 million of Ruthenians and 0. 5 million of Lithuanians). Muscovy and the principalities in the north-east and south were under the Golden Horde from 1234 on 1480.

FIRST BOOK in Belarusian/Ruthenian in 1517 Francis Skaryna (1490, Polotsk - 1551, Prague) - educator and humanist, writer, entrepreneur, scientist and physician. The first East Slavic printed book by Francis Skaryna in Belarusian version was “The Bible”. Skaryna’s “Bible” contains 23 books of the Old Testament (2400 pages) under the title "Russian Bible”. In Polish (1513) “Hortulus Animae polonice” In Lithuanian (1547) “ The Simple Words of Catechism” In Muscovy (1564) "The Apostle” (by two natives of the GDL (Belarus) - Ivan Fedorov (Vilejka district) and Peter Mstislavets (Mstislavl).

UNION of LUBLIN Union of Lublin - an agreement to merge the Kingdom of Poland the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the federal state of two peoples - Rzeczpospolita I or Commonwealth was created on June 28, 1569. One of the reasons for federation was the need to protect against Muscovy threats. According to the Union of Lublin, the Kingdom of Poland took control of Podlachia, Volhynia, Podolia and Kiev lands, territories that used to belong to GDL. The GDL territory was 292. 000 sq. km, of which Belarusian lands occupy 77%, Lithuanian - 23%. The GDL had its own separate army, treasury and most other official institutions. In 1618, the area the Commonwealth was 1 million sq. km. with population of 12 million inhabitants: Poles - 4. 5 million Ukrainians - 3. 5 million, Belarusians - 1. 5 million, Lithuanians - 0. 75 million, Prusians - 0. 75 million, Jews - 0. 5 million, Livonians - 0. 5 million.

The GDL STATUTE According to the Union of Lublin (1569), the power in the Commonwealth passed into the hands of the Polish king. At the same time, on the territory of the GDL continued to operate Statute of GDL. According to the Statute, the GDL was the distinctive state with its own territory, army, finance, courts. The Statute was written in Belarusian language. In the Kingdom of Poland legal documents were in Latin or Polish languages. The GDL Statute (1588)

The GDL STATUTE The Statute of 1588 was prepared by outstanding state and public figures of the GDL - by Chancellor Astafii Valovich and Vice. Chancellor Leu Sapieha. The Statute legislated preservation of political Astafii Valovich (1520, Grodno area - November 20, 1587) distinctiveness of the GDL. Leu Sapieha (April 4, 1557, Beshankovichy - July 7, 1633, Vilnius)

GDL in the middle of the 17 th centure The first half of the 17 th century was a golden period in the GDL development. There were 10 provinces: Samagitsija, Trakaj, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Mstislav, Minsk, Navagradak, Vilnja, Brest, Smolensk; 757 cities and towns/mjastechak. The main source of national income was grain exports through the Baltic ports.

Second half of XVII – XVIII c. c. 1654 -1667 - the war with Muscovy resulted in death of every second Belarusian (from 2. 9 million left 1. 4 million). 1700 -1721 – during the Northern War with Sweden most cities and towns were destroyed. In XVII - XVIII c. c. , government attributes of GDL in Rzechpospolita gradually declined compared to the period prior the Union of Lublin (1569), while the influence of the Polish government and culture increased. In 1696 Belarusian language was replaced by Polish in all official documents. Rzeczpospolita was divided three times (1772, 1793, 1795) among three empires - Austrian, Prussian and Russian. It means that the territory of modern Belarus has never been dependent on Moscow starting from the Principality of Polotsk (960) till the end of 18 th century. At the end of the 18 th century about 70% of the population of Belarus were Uniates (1596, Union of Brest). Through the usage of the Belarusian language in the liturgy Belarusians preserved their language and their national culture. In 1839 the Uniate Church was abolished annexed to the Russian Orthodox Church. By 1840, on the Belarusian land he has acted Statute ON, but it was forbidden to use the language (in worship and writing in Latinitsa). Belarusian lands were part of the Russian Empire until 1917 under the name "Northwest Territory“ or Paunochna-Zakhodni Kraj.

There were 3 major uprising for the restoration of the statehood involving Belarus territory March 1794 - November 1794. Leader - T. Kosciuszko. Grodno, Brest, Novogrudok, Slonim, Pinsk, Vaukavysk, Kobrin, Ashmyany, Lida, Braslav. November 1830 - Fall 1831. Ashmiany, Vilejka, Disna, Glybokae, Lepel, Lida, Dyatlovo. 40, 000 dead and wounded insurgents. January 1863 - autumn 1864. In Belarus, under leadership of K. Kalinowski. Around 70, 000 participants. There were 237 fights with Russian troops on territories of Belarus and Lithuania. 128 rebels were executed, 800 people exiled to Siberia, about 12. 5 thousand people sent to Siberia.

The boundaries of ethnic Belarusians in the late 19 th - early 20 th century «Этнографическая карта белорусского племени» , на которой показаны «границы белорусской области» (профессор Е. Ф. Карский, 1903 г. ). https: //upload. wikimedia. org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Belarusians_1903. jpg The boundaries of ethnic Belarusians in this period according to AF Rytsih (1875), E. F. Karski (1903) and M. V. Dounar-Zapolski (1919) is significantly beyond the scope of the present territory of Belarus, where lived a considerable number of ethnic Belarusians - Vilnius (Lithuania), Davgavpils (Latvia), Bialystok (Poland), Nevel, Sebezh, Smolensk (Russia).

According to the census in the Russian Empire (1897), in which national identity was defined by language, on the Belarusian territory in 5 provinces lived 8. 5 millions. Among them, Belarusians, 5. 4 million (63. 5%). Census in Russian Empire (1897) in provinces/hubernii (by lanquage) Province Total Belarusians Russians Polish Jews Lithuanians Ukranians Latvians Vilnja 1, 591, 207 891, 903 56. 1% 78, 623 4. 9% 130, 054 8. 2% 202, 374, 12. 7% 279, 877 17. 6% 919 0. 06% 471 0. 03% 788, 599 53% 705, 045 44% 1, 633, 091 76. 0% 1, 389, 782 82. 4% 5, 408, 420 63. 5% 5, 885, 547 4. 7% 198, 001 13. 3% 74, 143 5% 83, 999 3. 9% 58, 155 3. 4% 492, 921 5. 8% 55, 667, 469 44% 50, 377 3. 4% 161, 662 10% 64, 617 3% 17, 526 1% 424, 236 5% 7, 931, 307 6. 3% 174240 11. 7% 278542 17. 3% 343, 466 16. 0% 203, 507 12. 1% 1, 202, 129 14. 1% 5, 063, 156 4% 2302 0. 15% 3570 0. 2% 701 0. 04% 3619 0. 2% 290, 069 3. 4% 1, 658, 532 1. 3% 420 0. 03% 362, 526 22. 6% 10069 0. 5% 3559 0. 2% 377, 493 4. 4% 22, 380, 551 17. 8% 264062 17. 7% 426 0. 03% 1686 0. 08% 7027 0. 4% 273, 772 3. 2% 1, 435, 937 1. 1% Vitsebsk 1, 489, 246 Garodnja 1, 603, 409 Minsk 2, 147, 621 Mahileu 1, 686, 764 Total in 5 8, 518, 247 provinces All Russian 125, 640, 021 Empire

Belarusian Democratic Republic The revolution of 1917 led to the collapse of the Russian Empire and created the conditions for the Belarusian statehood. 25 March 1918 - declared independence of Belarus. BPR flag BPR coat “Pahonja” The first People's Secretariat. In the first row (left to right) - Burbis, Serada, Varonka, Zakharka; in the second row - Smolich, Kricheusky, Ezavitau, Ausyanik, Zajats. Since December 1918 the BDR government under pressure from the Bolsheviks was forced to leave and still works in exile.

BSSR January 1, 1919 the creation of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus (SSRB, later BSSR) was declared in Smolensk. BSSR flag, 1919 BSSR coat, 1919

LITVA-BELARUS Lit. Bel flag February 27, 1919 - the establishment of the Lithuanian. Belarusian Socialist Republic (Litbelas). Declared in Vilnius at a joint meeting of the Central Executive Committees of the Lithuanian SSR and of the BSSR. Lithuanian-Belarusian Republic existed prior to August 25, 1919. July 31, 1920 – BSSR independence re-declared

On the arms of the Byelorussian SSR in 1927 -1937 and 1937 -1938 inscriptions were made in the four official languages: v Belarusian v Yiddish v Russian v. Polish. BSSR coat (1937 -1938)

Republic of Belarus July 27, 1990 - the BSSR Supreme Council adopted the Declaration on State Sovereignty and declared independence. Flag, 1991 -1995 August 25, 1991 - Declaration received the constitutional status. September 19, 1991 - the country received new name - the Republic of Belarus. New state symbols were approved - white-red-white flag and the coat of arms “Pahonja". Coat of arms, 1991 -1995

Republic of Belarus Due to the referendums of 1995 and 1996 state symbols have been changed. The celebration of Independence Day of Belarus moved from 25 August to 3 July. 1951 -1991 -1995 -2014

Slide Library “BELARUS FOREVER!” BELARUSIAN STATEHOOD By Piotra Murzionak The maps form the following web-sites were used: www. jivebelarus. net http: //adverbum. org/maps. htm http: //www. hist-geo. net http: //www. manarchija. org/dz_lad Magazine “CULTURE, NATION”, www. sakavik. net Project “Together”, Issue #6, October 2016