作者：Tautvile Daugelaite
立陶宛的历史十分曲折复杂，对于资深历史迷而言都是个不小的挑战。国家的雄心壮志并受东西方文化的影响下塑造了这个曾经有辉煌历史的波罗的海国家。
Lithuania’s complex history can pose a serious challenge even for long-time history buffs. National ambition and the struggle for influence from East and West shaped the action-filled past of the Baltic nation.
3月11日是立陶宛恢复独立日，随着恢复独立三十周年的到来，我们为你送上立陶宛9个有意思的历史故事，话不多说，赶紧来一起开启波罗的海的辉煌历史吧！
With the 30th anniversary of the Lithuanian Restoration of Independence on March 11 drawing near, we proudly present 9 fascinating historical facts about Lithuania that anyone should know. To kickstart your journey into the glorious Baltic past, look no further!
1. 立陶宛历史上只有一位国王——明道加斯
Lithuania had only one king, Mindaugas
立陶宛的唯一一位国王明道加斯
这位国王并不热衷于万众瞩目的盛典，从1253年他朴素的国王加冕仪式中可见一斑，当时的典礼只在少数亲信的见证下完成。立陶宛在每年的7月6日庆祝明道加斯加冕日，也是立陶宛的建国日。然而，当年加冕仪式的具体时间和地点至今仍是一个谜。
He was not a huge fan of large parties. Or so we assume from his reportedly humble crowning ceremony in 1253, which was only attended by the closest witnesses. Lithuania celebrates the crowning day of Mindaugas on July 6, which doubles as Statehood day. However, the actual date or place of the crowning ceremony remains unknown.
智勇双全的明道加斯统一了立陶宛，他是立陶宛第一位由民间信仰教改信基督教并接受洗礼的统治者。即便如此，历史学家认为他最终还是放弃基督教了，回归原来的信仰。
Having united Lithuanian lands with might and wits, Mindaugas was the first ruler of Lithuania to accept baptism, convert to Christianity and leave Baltic Paganism behind. Even so, it is suggested he may have later renounced Christianity and turned back to pagan ways.
2. 首都维尔纽斯建在铁狼夜嚎的山丘上
The capital Vilnius was founded around the hills of iron wolf howling
格季米纳斯塔现在就矗立在铁狼夜嚎的山丘上
立陶宛的首都维尔纽斯因老城华丽的建筑风光闻名于世。但追溯到明道加斯时期，维尔纽斯向西北35公里的凯尔纳韦才是首都所在地。而很久后维尔纽斯才建成。
Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, has long been known for gorgeous old town architecture. But back in the times of Mindaugas, Kernave, a town some 35 kilometers to the northwest of Vilnius, was the capital. It wasn’t until much later that Vilnius was founded.
据说，14世纪立陶宛的最高统治者格季米纳斯大公在谷中狩猎了一整天，晚上就梦到了一只在山顶嚎叫的铁狼。早上醒来，大公立刻召来了一位大祭司Lizdeika。
It is said that the Grand Duke Gediminas, Lithuania’s supreme ruler in the 14th century, dreamed of an iron wolf howling on a hill after a long day of hunting in the valley.
大祭司预言，格季米纳斯会在群山中建起一座城，这座城不久就会声名远扬，就如同那神秘铁狼的叫声一般。后来格季米纳斯听从了大祭司的指示建立了“维尔纽斯”，这座城市是以流经群山的维尔尼亚河为名。
Upon his awakening in the morning, the duke consulted a pagan high priest, Lizdeika, who prophesied that Gediminas would found a city amongst these hills and the name of it would be heard far and wide, just like the howl of the mysterious iron wolf. And so Gediminas did. The city was named “Vilnius” after the River Vilnia that curves around the hills.
最早提及维尔纽斯的书面资料是1323年格季米纳斯寄往西欧的信件。他邀请商人和工匠前往维尔纽斯生活和贸易。
The earliest written source that mentions Vilnius is Gediminas's letters sent to Western Europe in 1323, in which he invites merchants and artisans to come to live and trade in Vilnius.
如今，铁狼在夜里长啸的山顶上便是格季米纳斯塔，从那里可以尽情俯瞰由维尔纽斯红房顶组成如画的风景。
Today, the hill where the iron wolf may have howled is topped with Gediminas tower that reveals a picturesque panoramic view over the red roofs of Vilnius.
3. 立陶宛是欧洲最后一个接受基督教的国家
Lithuania was the last country in Europe to get baptised
立陶宛大公国的领土
立陶宛人坚守民间宗教，直到14世纪才接受基督教。立陶宛最后一个部落萨莫吉西亚15世纪以前都一直保持这种传统宗教信仰。
Lithuanians strongly held on to the traditional polytheistic Indo-European religion and only accepted Christianity in the 14th century. The last Lithuanian tribe, Samogitians, stayed with the traditional religion all the way until the 15th century.
基督教传教士在10世纪首次前往立陶宛，但他们并没有得到盛情款待。
The first Christian missions to Lithuanian territories started back in the 10th century, but the missionaries hardly received a warm welcome.
4. 立陶宛波兰的联合军队曾击溃十字军
Lithuanian-Polish joint armies crushed crusaders in a historical battle
格伦瓦尔德战役，维陶塔斯大公位于画面中央（杨·马特依科 1878）
1410年的格林瓦尔德战役（在立陶宛称为扎尔吉里斯）是中世纪规模最大的骑士战争之一，立陶宛大公国和十字军之间的冲突达到了顶峰。
The battle of Grunwald (Zalgiris in Lithuanian) in 1410 was one of the largest knight battles of the Middle Ages and a culmination of the long-standing conflict between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Crusaders order.
立陶宛大公国和波兰王国的联合军队击败条顿骑士团，约8千名条顿骑士伤亡，而立陶宛方仅折损2千-3千名士兵。
The joint armies of The Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland defeated the Teutonic order knights with estimated 8,000 Teutonic versus 2,000-3,000 casualties on the Lithuanian side.
尽管立陶宛军队人多势众，但是条顿骑士团的装备却更为精良。因此，立陶宛军队假意撤退，诱敌深入，维陶塔斯大公巧妙的策略最终使这场战役大获成功。
While Lithuanian armies were larger on man count, Teutonic order was more advanced in weaponry and armor. Thus the battle was won by a clever strategic move by Grand Duke Vytautas when the Lithuanian army seemingly retreated, luring the enemy into a trap.
5. 中世纪时 立陶宛曾是欧洲面积最大的国家
Lithuania was the largest country in Europe during the Middle Ages
立陶宛中世纪时的领土面积
一段鲜为人知的历史：15世纪时，立陶宛领土曾一度延伸至黑海。那时的立陶宛大公国囊括了现在的波兰、拉脱维亚、白俄罗斯、俄罗斯和乌克兰的部分领土。
A surprise for many: the current compact Lithuanian territory reached all the way to the Black Sea in the 15th century. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as it was called at the time, included parts of present-day Poland, Latvia, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.
有个广为流传的传说提到维陶塔斯大公让他的骏马喝黑海里的水，从而说明了大公国疆域之广。
One of the popular legends claims that Grand Duke Vytautas would let his horses drink from the Black Sea, thus illustrating the grand size of the duchy.
该传说最近得到了进一步证实，立陶宛的历史学家们推测，原本这些马可以在其中一条支流附近饮水，正是这条支流让河水咸度降低了。总算发现证据啦！
The myth was partially confirmed recently, when Lithuanian historians speculated that the horses could have been drinking the water close to one of the tributary streams which made the water less salty. Eureka!
6. 立陶宛和波兰曾是联合共和国
Lithuania and Poland were once a joint republic
《卢布林合并条约》后，波兰-立陶宛联邦诞生
立陶宛和波兰合作、交好的历史源远流长，并在1569年波兰立陶宛联邦建立时到达顶峰。它是立陶宛大公国和波兰王国的联合体。
Lithuania and Poland have a long history of collaboration and friendship, and the peak of it was the Poland- Lithuania commonwealth established in 1569. It united the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and The Crown of Poland.
这个联邦国家最鼎盛时期的面积将近100万平方公里，成为了16世纪至17世纪欧洲面积最大、人口最多的国家之一。波兰立陶宛联邦以波兰语和拉丁语为官方语言，并融合了近1100万的多种族人口。
At its largest, this commonwealth covered almost 1 million square kilometres, which made it one of the largest and most populous countries of 16-17th century Europe. The commonwealth used Polish and Latin as the official languages and incorporated a multi-ethnic population of almost 11 million.
该联邦维持了两个多世纪，一直到1797年遭到俄罗斯帝国、奥地利和普鲁士帝国的瓜分。
The Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth existed for more than two centuries and ended after Russian Empire, Austria, and Prussia divided the territories amongst them in 1797.
7. 维尔纽斯拥有波罗的海国家最古老的大学
Vilnius boasts the oldest university in the Baltic States
维尔纽斯大学主要的庭院
维尔纽斯大学主要的庭院
Vilnius University was founded in 1579 and has since been the majestic and slightly mysterious palace of education.
维尔纽斯大学目前有两万多名优秀学生，并以其雄伟华丽的建筑群为豪。这些建筑群代表了上个世纪所有主要建筑风格：巴洛克、哥特式、文艺复兴和古典主义。
With over 20,000 students reaching towards the stars, the University takes pride in a gorgeous architectural complex representing all major architectural styles of the second millennium – baroque, gothic, renaissance, and classicism.
如今，大学的庭院里都是学生和充满好奇的探险家和旅客们。在这座集大成的建筑杰作里，蜿蜒的回廊和绿意盎然的院子里有无数值得探寻的东西。
Today, the eclectic courtyards are filled with students and curious explorers or tourists alike – there is simply so much to discover between the curved corridors and green yards of this architectural masterpiece.
8. 立陶宛宪法是欧洲第一部宪法
Lithuanian constitution is the first one in Europe
《波兰立陶宛联邦宪法》原件副本
继美国在1787年批准的最高法案之后，第二部书面宪法于1791年在波兰立陶宛联邦得到批准。宪法的副本现在位于波兰向公众开放展览。
The second written constitution following suit of the USA, which ratified the supreme law in 1787, was approved in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1791. The original copy of the constitution is now exhibited to the public in Poland.
欧洲首部由十一条构成的宪法，对宗教、房产、政府和法律机构、军事以及联邦生活中其他的领域进行了定义。该宪法最初用波兰语写成，后来翻译至立陶宛语。
The first European constitution consisted of 11 articles and defined religion, real estate, governmental and legal institutions, military, and others spheres of life in the commonwealth. The document was originally written in Polish and later translated to Lithuanian.
9. 四十年来，书籍偷偷被运送至立陶宛境内
For 40 years, books were smuggled to Lithuania as contraband
左侧是非法使用拉丁字母的宗教歌曲书籍副本，
右侧是国家认可的西里尔字母书籍副本
谁能想得到，拉丁字母印刷的书籍在一国受到无比欢迎，甚至需要偷偷从国外运来呢！
Who would have thought that books printed in Latin alphabet could ever become so unwelcome in a country that they would need to be secretly smuggled from abroad!
1864年至1904年，当立陶宛仍是俄罗斯帝国的一部分时，拉丁字母被完全禁用。政府引入了西里尔字母取而代之。这意味着立陶宛的所有文件、书籍和其他印刷品只能使用西里尔字母。
When Lithuania was a part of the Russian Empire, 1864-1904 saw a complete ban of the Latin alphabet. Instead, the Cyrillic alphabet was introduced. That meant that all the documents, books, and other types of printed material in Lithuania could only use Cyrillic alphabet.
大多数使用拉丁字母的书籍是在东普鲁士（现为俄罗斯加里宁格勒）印刷的，但也有在遥远的美国印刷。据估计，每年约有3-4万本非法书籍被偷偷运到立陶宛，才得以在立陶宛国内继续传播立陶宛语和文化遗产。
Most of the books using Latin alphabet were printed in East Prussia (presently Kaliningrad, Russia) but also as far as the USA. It is estimated that around 30,000-40,000 illegal books were smuggled into the country every year to keep spreading Lithuanian language and heritage throughout the country.
从许多立陶宛人都有一个共同的民族特征，那就是喜欢发掘与祖国相关有趣的历史，尤其是在恢复独立三十周年之际！探秘立陶宛历史的工具都帮你准备好了，你准备好更深入地探索大公，史诗战斗和波罗的海古老语言了吗？
One of the national traits shared by many Lithuanians is love for uncovering historical curiosities about their country. Especially with the 30th anniversary of Restoration of Independence drawing near! Since the starting kit of the Lithuanian history has been laid out, you are ready to dive deeper into the fascinating world of grand dukes, epic battles, and ancient languages of the Baltics!
以上图片来源: vilnius-tourism.com, Wikimedia commons
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