TEXT B. The Slavs' Struggle against the German Feudal Lords

Task: read the text and find the answers to the questions given below.

In the period of feudalism, one can distinguish four basic waves of German eastward expansion. The first wave occurred in the 9th century, with the struggle of the East Frankish feudal lords against the Great Moravian states and their attack on Posavian and Dalmatian Croatia. In the 10th and early 11th century, the onslaught of the Holy Roman Empire was directed against the Polabian-Baltic Slavs, Bohemia, and Poland. The third wave, which occurred between the second half of the 12th and the early 15th century, involved the subjugation of the Polabian-Baltic Slavs by the princes of Brandenburg and Saxony, the subjugation of the Prussians by the Teutonic Order, the expansion of German feudal lords and merchants, the Catholic Church, the Order of the Brothers of the Sword, and the Livonian Order into the eastern Baltic region, and the seizure of Slovenian territory by the Hapsburgs. The fourth wave of the feudal expansion (16th through 18th centuries) included the formation of the multinational Hapsburg monarchy, which subjugated Bohemia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Croatia, and the expansion to the east of Brandenburg-Prussia, which gained strength steadily from the mid-17th century and seized the lion’s share of the Polish territory as a result of the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772, 1793, and 1795.

In the intervals between the four basic waves of the eastward expansion of the German feudal lords there were periods of temporary retreat which were largely the result of the heroic resistance of the Polabian-Baltic Slavs and the Polish-German wars of the early 11th century, the Battle on the Ice (1242), the battle of Grunwald (1410), and the Hussite revolutionary movement of the early 15th century. The German expansion was also set back by the 13 Years’ War of 1454-1466 between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Order. In the late 18th and early 19th century, another offensive to the east was temporarily interrupted by the events of the Great French Revolution and the wars of revolutionary and Napoleonic France.

1. Who wanted to seize the Slavic lands?

2. When did the first wave of expansion take place?

3. What did the third wave of expansion involve?

4. What happened as a result of the fourth wave of expansion?

5. What was the result of the heroic resistance of the Polabian-Baltic Slavs?

6. What set back the German expansion of the 15^th century?

Text c. The Principality of Polatsk

Task: go through the text and summarise its main points under the following headings:

a) Polatsk Principality in the 9‑10^th centuries;

b) Polatsk under Usiaslau the Magician;

c) the decline of the Principality.

The Principality of Polatsk is one the first states on the territory of modern Belarus. It is first mentioned in the chronicles of the 9^th century. It was established by the tribal union of the Kryvichy. The power in this state belonged to the vecha, or council of all the citizens of the town and vicinity. All the decisions about war and peace, trade, and internal affairs were made by the vecha. In case of war, the vecha chose a prince for commanding the army. The prince usually also had power over the army in peacetime.

In the second half of 10^th century Polatsk was governed by its own dynasty the first ruler of which that is mentioned in the history was Rahvalod (? - 978). He struggled against the Kiev prince Vladimir for the influence in the Turau and Smolensk principalities, but lost the war and was killed.

Rahvalod’s daughter Rahneda was forced to marry Vladimir after her father’s death. Her grandson prince Usiaslau (1044‑1101) ruled Polatsk at the time it achieved its highest power and wealth. It traded with many neighbouring and remote countries and had developed manufacturing.

Usiaslau led the war against the Kiev princes for the control of Pskov and Novgorod – other Slavic principalities. During Usiaslau’s reign, many lands were joined to Polatsk, among them the Minsk, Vitsebsk, Orsha and Slutsk principalities, as well as part of Livonia and other territories. At the time of its greatest extent the principality stretched over large parts of today's northern and central Belarus and a smaller part of today's southeastern Latvia, including (besides Polatsk itself) the following towns: Vitsebsk, Drutsk, Minsk, Izjaslau (now Zaslauye), Lahoisk, Barysau, Brachyslau (now Braslau).

Usiaslau was very popular among the people due to his intelligence, courage, and strong character. Many legends and stories about him were created; he was even called “The Magician”.

After Usiaslau the Magician, the glory of Polatsk began to diminish. The principality of Polatsk was divided into several smaller principalities which were half-dependent on their more powerful neighbours, mainly Kiev and Novgorod. By the beginning of the 14th century it was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but it preserved its autonomous status until 1504, when the principality was transformed into the Polatsk voivodeship.

TEXT D.The Flourishing of the Great Principality of Lithuania

Task: skim the text to find out why Vitaut’s reign is considered to be the period of the highest flourishing of the Great Principality of Lithuania.

In the 13^th century, a new state, the Great Principality of Lithuania, started its growth and development on the Belarusian territory. It initially consisted of Belarusians and the Orthodox Baltic tribe, the Yatviags, which later merged with Slavs. At the beginning of the 15^th century, in the reign of Vitaut, the Great Principality of Lithuania occupied large territories from the Baltic to the Black Sea, having many neighbouring states as vassals.

Vitaut’s reign (1392‑1430) and several decades after it are considered to be the period of the highest flourishing of the Great Principality of Lithuania. The statehood in Lithuania was one of the most liberal in Eastern Europe. The majority of Belarusian cities had their right of self-government, the so-called Magdeburg right, based on elections. The principality had a parliament consisting of two chambers – Soym and Rada, which replaced the vecha. The state language was Belarusian. It was the language of laws, charts, and other official documents.

The population belonged to three groups – nobles, merchants and artisans, and peasants. The life of the lower groups of population was generally better than in the Principality of Moscow or Poland. All these conditions attracted people from other countries. As a result, the ethnic composition of the Great Principality of Lithuania was varied. Thus, in addition to Belarusians, Ukrainians, and Samogitians (joined to the principality after 1422), Tatars from the Golden Horde, and Jews from Germany and other countries of Europe also settled there. The liberal policy of Vitaut towards these peoples attracted them – they could feel free to use their language, religion, and traditions.

TEST I

I. Read and translate the text into Belarusian /Russian. Do the translation in writing.

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