Аннотация: Translation from Russian into English: Владимир Владимирович Залесский "Диалог о великолитовцах".
Dialogue about Velikolithuanians
Zalesski Vladimir Vladimirovich
Reader(man) and Reader(woman) crossed the street into the green traffic light.
The Reader(man) decided to demonstrate the ability to listen attentively during a conversation and an excellent memory:
- Karamzin names The Grand Duchy of Lithuania by Lithuania, and inhabitants of this state (Duchy) he names by the Lithuanians. "Lithuanians" - this term in Karamzin's "History" dominates. It is "inconvenient". The ethnic Lithuanians and Lithuania (ethnic territory) existed at times of Karamzin. Small - "ethnic" Lithuania (partially) some centuries was integrated into hugeness Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Especially, presently, at our epoch, it is "inconvenient" to name by "Lithuanians" of all inhabitants of Duchy, when there is the small Baltic state a Lithuania. Inconvenience, mixture of notions.
Reader(woman) looked at the Reader(man) with amazement and confirmed:
-Karamzin is Great!
-Karamzin is Great! -reiterated the Reader(man) the words of Reader(woman) and added:
- Karamzin is a historian of an era of the Emperor Alexander I. Partitions (sections) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita) were completed. Territories of the former Grand-Lithuanian state became - generally - territories of governorates (provinces) of the Russian Empire. The period between two dynasties - the House of Rurik and The House of Romanov - was named as the Time of Troubles (Russian: Смутное время, Smutnoe vremya).
- According to Wikipedia (rus), - stated the Reader(woman), - Emperor Alexander I, by a decree of October 31, 1803, gave the rank (title ) of Historian Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin; to the title at the same time was added 2 thousand rubles of annual salary. The illumination of the Russian historical process brought Karamzin closer to the yard and the king who settled him near him in Tsarskoe Selo.
- How to name the inhabitants of Grand Duchy of Lithuania? - Reader(man) with a smilehas quoted the Reader(woman)'s questions. - Members of the Polish-Lithuanian szlachta? Between the dynastic union of 1385 and state union (association of two states of Poland and Lithuanian Duchy in Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) in 1569 almost two centuries have passed ... The Duchy existed. Had inhabitants. How them to name? At Karamzin's "History" the word "litvin" twinkles. But, probably, this word strange sounded and in times of Karamzin. It especially is strange sounds now.
- "Litvin" - a word strange. It seems that it never was widespread and was never perceived by the cultural environment, - the Reader(woman) noted. - The term "Lithuanians", as the name of all residents of the huge Grand-Lithuanian state, creates effect of reduction, effect of minimization. Effect of separation. If attention is directed towards small ethnic Lithuania and on a small nation of Lithuanians. Then beyond the limits of perception are the outstanding democratic achievements of the Grand-Lithuanian state, and its glorious history and its territorial dimensions.
- Any "History" exists in a historical context, - the Reader(man) has again smiled. - in historical literature it is possible to meet opinion that Government of the Russia, Prussia and Austria were afraid of the constitutional and democratic reforms in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, seeing in it manifestation of the spirit of the French revolution.
It is unlikely that such opinions were a subject of discussion in the conditions of absolute monarchy.
- Since 1569 Grand-Lithuanian state in the Commonwealth. - Added Reader(woman).- There is some difficulty in perceiving the fact that there were such political manifestations as decentralization, confederation and federation, democracy and religious tolerance, legal protection of personal freedoms. Res Publica? Respublica? Rech Pospolita? Rzeczpospolita? Continuation of democratic traditions of Antiquity, of Ancient Rome?
- Whether the name "Rzeczpospolita" the official name, the official designation? However what are the criteria for "officiality"? You can quite safely assume that in official documents this name was used, - said the Reader(man).
- There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, what was difficult perceived in the conditions of absolute monarchy! - the Reader(woman) has joked.