| |||||||
| Capital | Vilnius | ||||||
| Largest city | Vilnius | ||||||
| Other cities | Lvov, Brest, Kyiv | ||||||
| Language official |
Lithuanian, Ruthenian | ||||||
| others | German, Yiddish | ||||||
| Religion main |
Paganism, Orthodox Christianity | ||||||
| others | Judaism | ||||||
| Ethnic Groups main |
Lithuanians, Ruthenians | ||||||
| others | Jews, Russians | ||||||
| Demonym | Lithuanian | ||||||
| Government | Duchy | ||||||
| Duke | |||||||
| Area | 315,159 km² | ||||||
| Established | 1200s | ||||||
| Currency | Ducat | ||||||
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a major eastern European monarchy centered in the Baltic region. One of Europe's last pagan states, its rulers converted to Orthodox Christianity in the late 1400s, although paganism has persisted into modern times. Lithuania engaged in longtime power struggles with its neighbours to the east and west, the Teutonic Knights and the Rus' states, eventually triumphing over both to gain control of most of Ruthenia. A large, ethnically and religiously diverse state, Lithuania was relatively tolerant for the time, sustaining populations of Orthodox and Hussite Christians and pagans in a system of de facto mutual toleration.