History of Vilnius Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gediminas

Gediminas is credited with founding the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which, at its largest, stretched from the Baltics south to the Black Sea and west into what is now Germany. Gediminas is also widely known for establishing his capital at Vilnius (though he did not found the city) when he built a small castle there.

Gediminas was a noted Pagan who resisted converting to Christianity. Despite that, Gediminas was religiously tolerant and he opened his kingdom to Christians, Jews and others fleeing persecution.

Answer: Henry IV

Henry IV, also called Henry Bolingbroke, was crowned King of England in 1399. Prior to that, he led several unsuccessful attempts to conquer Vilnius and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania so the people could be converted to Christianity. Although he largely failed in his endeavors, he did capture many women and children whom he converted when they were taken back to England.

He also captured a few Lithuanian princes whom he also took back to England with him.

Answer: Poland

Sigismund II Augustus was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Prior to him, rulers of both places primarily ruled from Poland. However, Sigismund moved his palace to Vilnius and began exerted Polish control of Lithuania. This event is called the Polonization of Vilnius.

Although the Polonization of Lithuania began much earlier than Sigismund, he and his mother Bona Sforza, accelerated the process and were the first rulers to be centered in Vilnius.

Answer: Vilnius University

Vilnius University was founded in 1579 by Stephen Bathory when he was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. It is the oldest university in the Baltic area and remains open today. He founded the university by consolidating several smaller educational institutions into one organization. Pope Gregory XIII approved the founding with a papal bull.

Many scientists from around Europe flocked to the new university to begin their research and studies. Among the many accomplishment credited to the university is being the home of the first printing house in the region.

Answer: Russia

Vilnius had grown substantially since its founding, not only in population but also in strategic and cultural importance. The Russian and Swedish forces, led by Yakov Cherkassky, invaded the city. The Lithuanian and Polish forces were unprepared and were ordered to retreat.

This allowed Cherkassky to easily capture the city which was surrendered to him by Janusz Radziwill. The population and the city were decimated and it took decades to recover.

Answer: He expelled the Russians from the city

Jakub Jasinski was the primary leader of Lithuanian and Polish forces during the Vilnius Uprising which saw the Russians expelled from the city. Jasinski rallied not only armed forces but ordinary townspeople and the Russians were removed quickly and without loss of life.

This was part of a series of uprisings in Eastern Europe against Russia. Jasinski would die later in 1794 during the Kosciusko Uprising in Prussia.

Answer: It created instability in the city

Napoleon captured Vilnius during his crusade to invade Russia. However, his failure to make any headway in Russia saw Vilnius become overwhelmed by the Russians. Prior to this, the Kingdom of Poland was already heavily divided and chopped up among many different kingdoms.

The instability continued for decades after Napoleon's downfall and the Russian dominance over Vilnius continued. Uprisings, both violent and civil, occurred frequently but were always suppressed by the Russians. The Polish language was banned until 1901 during which only Russian and the Russian alphabet could be used.

Answer: Great Seimas

The Great Seimas met in Vilnius in December 1905 and worked to peacefully establish a semi-independent Lithuanian state within the Russian Empire. During the late 19th century, Vilnius slowly reestablished itself as an important city for culture and learning. One of the goals of the Great Seimas was to find a way to maintain that momentum. Ultimately, the Great Seimas failed to provide any definite solutions but it is widely seen as an important first step.

Answer: Independent in name only

On February 16, 1918, the Act of Independence of Lithuania was signed in Vilnius. This, on paper, granted Lithuania independence. However, the area was controlled largely by Germany which refused to grant independence and made publishing the act illegal.

The Germans suppressed any Lithuanian national symbols and displays of independence. As Germany's grip on the area weakened, it successfully pitted each of Vilnius' many races against each other, making any attempt to unify under one leader impossible. Lithuanians had very little control over any of its goings on. Once Germany withdrew from the region, it passed control over to Poland which also exerted itself over Vilnius. Further disagreements over borders and other things soon followed.

Answer: Paneriai

The neighborhood of Paneriai or Ponary was the site one of Lithuania's most infamous atrocities during World War II. The Nazi Army along with Lithuanian nationals killed at least 100,000 people, including Jews, Russians and Polish citizens. The killings took place over the course of about three years with the majority occurring in 1941.

The bodies were buried in six massive grave pits which today are memorialized as sites of Holocaust Remembrance.