page_title: Lithuanian literature
section_title: Latin language
hierarchical_section_title: Lithuanian literature / History / Latin language
caption_attribution_description: English: The title page of the poem by Ioannes Radvanus (pl. Jan Radwan) "Radivilias". Vilnia, 1592. Русский: Титульный лист книги, содержащей поэму Яна Радвана "Радзивиллиада". Опубликована в Вильне в 1592 году Яна Карцаном.
context_page_description: Lithuanian literature concerns the art of written works created by Lithuanians throughout their history.
context_section_description: A wealth of Lithuanian literature was written in Latin, the main scholarly language in the Middle Ages.
  The edicts of the Lithuanian King Mindaugas is the prime example of the literature of this kind. The Letters of Gediminas are another crucial heritage of the Lithuanian Latin writings.
  One of the first Lithuanian authors who wrote in Latin was Nicolaus Hussovianus (about 1480 – after 1533). His poem Carmen de statura, feritate ac venatione bisontis (A Song about the Appearance, Savagery and Hunting of the Bison), published in 1523, describes the Lithuanian landscape, way of life and customs, touches on existing political problems, and reflects the clash of paganism and Christianity. 
  Joannes Vislicensis (1485-1520) wrote a poem - monument Bellum Prutenum (Prussian war) dedicated to a Battle of Grunwald against Teutonic order.
  A person under the pseudonym Michalo Lituanus (about 1490 – 1560) wrote a treatise De moribus tartarorum, lituanorum et moscorum (On the Customs of Tatars, Lithuanians and Muscovites) in the middle of the 16th century, but it was not published until 1615.
  Petrus Roysius Maurus Alcagnicensis (about 1505 – 1571), was a lawyer and poet of Spanish birth who became an extraordinary figure in the cultural life of Lithuania in the 16th century. Augustinus Rotundus (about 1520 – 1582) was a publicist, lawyer, and mayor of Vilnius,  who wrote history of Lithuania in Latin around the year 1560 (no known manuscript has survived). Jonas Radvanas, a humanist poet of the second half of the 16th century, wrote an epic poem imitating the Aeneid of Vergil. His Radivilias, intended as the Lithuanian national epic, was published in Vilnius in 1588.
  Boierus Laurentius (about 1561–1619) was a poet of Swedish descent, who graduated from the University of Vilnius. His main work is Carolomachia – a poem dedicated to the victory of Lithuanians over Sweden army in the Battle of Kircholm in 1605. The poem was written and published in 1606 - just after one year of the event. The poem celebrated Grand Hetman (polemarchos as referred in the poem) of Lithuania Jan Karol Chodkiewicz and the Lithuanian army. Many interesting battle details were attested in his poem, also one of the first mentionings of the Lithuanian battle cry - muški! (Latin: caede!, English: defeat!)
  Matthias Sarbievius (1595–1640) was a poet of Polish birth, graduated from the University of Vilnius and spent most of his productive years in Lithuania - Vilnius and Kražiai. His European fame came from his first collection of poetry, Lyricorum libri tres (Three Books of Lyrics, 1625). In his book Dii gentium (Gods of The Nations,1627) along with Roman deities he described Lithuanian mythology.
  Adam Schröter (1525-1572) wrote a poem in Latin devoted to river Nemunas De fluvio Memela Lithuaniae carmen elegiacum (Elegic songs about Lithuanian river Nemunas).
  17th-century Lithuanian scholars also wrote in Latin, which was the common scholarly language in Catholic Europe: Kazimieras Kojelavičius-Vijūkas and Žygimantas Liauksminas are known for their Latin writings in theology, rhetorics and music. Albertas Kojalavičius-Vijūkas wrote the first printed Lithuanian history in two volumes, Historiae Lituanae (1650, 1669). Kazimieras Kojelavičius-Vijūkas was a prolific writer - his legacy counts more than 20 books in Latin.
  Maciej Stryjkowski and Augustinus Rotundus were strong proponents of using Latin as official language of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, because they thought that Lithuanian language was just a vernacular language which had developed from Latin. Their belief was based on grammatical similarities of Lithuanian and Latin.
  Latin books of Lithuanian authors were published in Vilnius, Cracow and Riga. Only in 16th century, 158 Latin books were published in Vilnius. Researches count 374 books published in Grand Duchy of Lithuania, or written by citizens of GDL and published abroad in 15th-16th centuries. Although the first printing press was established in Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1522, in Vilnius, the first who established a printing press in a City of London i
caption: The title page of Radivilias (1592, Vilnius). The poem celebrating commander Mikalojus Radvila Rudasis (1512–1584) and recounts the famous victory of Lithuanian armed forces over Moscow troops (1564).[1]
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