The immortal legend of Queen Louise 2016-08-05
People interested in Klaipėda's past often encounter the name of the Prussian queen Louise, therefore, this article not only presents the biography of this extraordinary woman, her short residing in this port city, but also an aspect of Louise's cult prevailing in the region.
Women of the Enlightenment age - Marija Teresė Tiškevičienė 2016-05-16
Before the 18th century, in order to self-actualize as an artist or politician, a woman had to turn the world upside down. Her main duties revolved around the family and did not exceed the limits of everyday life. So how did it happen that winds of emancipation contradicting the belief of Genoa humanist Ottaviano Fregoso (1470–1524) that "women are extremely imperfect beings who cannot be compared to men in terms of dignity" started blowing during the age of Enlightenment?
Miracles and superstitions in Europe's everyday life 2016-04-18
Belief in miracles in society shows the inability of people to rationally explain the strange events that once in a while occur in our everyday life. We will talk about it more in this article by analyzing various mystical stories that resonated in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Western Europe.
Power and riches - collections of kings and noblemen (Part II) 2016-03-25
Collections of Lithuanian aristocrats were as valuable as those of the old European families. Several years ago, Meadows Museum (USA) organized an exhibition of one of the oldest noble European families - Dukes of Alba (Spain) - collection, which they accumulated for more than 500 years. The interest exceeded the expectations. Meanwhile, the time seems to be standing still at the count Oginskiai' art treasures’ exhibition presented at the M. Žilinskas Gallery. Our country, which has preserved a magnificent history still turns away from the heritage of its aristocrats, who helped us integrate into the Western culture.
Power and riches - collections of kings and noblemen (Part I) 2016-03-04
Since the ancient times the ruling class stood out from the rest of society with its accumulated wealth. This series of articles provide an overview of kings and noblemen's collections from the 15th to the early 20th century, not only in the West but also in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Moreover, it investigates how these art collections formed the high society's worldview.
A militant prince on the throne of the Republic 2015-04-23
In the Lithuanian-Polish historiography Henri of Valois (1551–1589) reigning period was named "the French experiment." He was the first foreigner in the Republic of Two Nations and a monarch, who failed to fulfill formal obligations. But even the short ruling of Henri of Valois in the Republic of Two Nations allowed our country to join the game of the great history.
The impact of the Great War to the emerging Lithuanian state 2015-03-25
Legacy of the Great War in Lithuania is simply deleted, emphasizing it as a stage that led to country's independence without examining enemy armies that operated there, battles and biographies of notable personalities. Meanwhile Lithuania could boast about the imprints of European-wide celebrities, who led the country into a changed world. It is especially relevant now, since 2014 - 2018 were announced as years of the Great War.
Concept of the Other World in Europe of the Middle Ages 2014-12-15
The Middle Ages are closely related with various mystical legends, ghosts, cult of the dead. Even the special type of sermons de mortuis (about the dead) spread in those times – virtues of some dead person were aggrandized and sins were forgotten in such sermons. Therefore, the author speaks about such believes that were alive in Western Europe and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Names immortalised in stone 2014-11-18
The article is about tombs and memorial stelae in churches of Italy, France and Lithuania, Kaunas in particular. Speaking about Lithuania, the author regrets that we do not have such important war or cultural memorials that could equal to West Europe. Even the rulers buried in the cellars of Vilnius Cathedral are not accessible to everybody, while the number of tombs that may be seen by visitors of churches is even smaller in Kaunas.
Proud amazons in the war field 2014-07-15
Actions of women from the times of the British queen Boudica († 60 or 61 AD), who fought against Ancient Rome, to the personality of Jane of Arc (1412 – 1431) were interpreted diversely. Female soldiers could be traced in the campaign of Napoleon, in the Civil War of America, the War of Crimea and in other historical events. They did not always hide their names under male tunics.
