Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 9.djvu/329

 LITERATURE

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UTHUAHU

ciliatioQ of the same or of a cemetery, in the rito of blessing the people and fields in virtue of a special papal indult, for the major and minor Rogation D^s, m the procession and prayers to obtain rain or fine weather, to avert storms and tempests, in time of famine or war, to escape mortality or in time of pesti- lence, in any tribulation, during the translation of relics, in solemn exorcisms of the possessed, and at the Forty Hours* Devotion. The Roman Pontifical, be- sides the occasions given in the Ritual, orders its reci- tation in the conferring of major orders, in the conse- cration of a bishop, benediction of an abbot or abbess, consecration of vu*gins, coronation of a kin^ or queen, consecration of a church, expulsion and readmission of public penitenta on Maunay Thursday, and in the ^'Ordo ad Synodum".

Another form is given in the Roman Missal for Holy Saturday and the Vigil of Pentecost. It is an abbreviation of the other. Each verse and response must be duplicated in this litany and in that chanted on Rogation Days (S. R. C, 3993, ad 4).

A third form is in the "Commendatio" of the Ro- man Ritual, in which the invocations and supplications are specially chosen to benefit the departing soul about to appear before its Maker (Holzhey, "Thekla- Akten", 1905, 93). This and the preceding form may not be used on other occasions (S. R. C, 2709, ad 1).

Formerly it was customary to invoke onlv classes of saints, then individual names were added, and in many places local saints were added (Rock, "The Church of Our Fathers", London, 1903, 182; "Maii- uale Lincopense", Paderbom, 1904, 71). To obtain uniformity, changes and additions to the approved were forbidden (S. R. C, 2093, 3236, 3313).

Romiaehe QuartaUchrift (1903), 333; Bykoukai. in Buch- BERQCR, Kirchliehes Handler., a. v. Litanei; Punkeh in Kirchenlex., a. v. Litanei; Samson, Die AUerheiligen Litanei (Paderfoom, 1894); Pastor Bonus, III, 278.

pRANas Mershman.

Literatuze, Classical. See Latin Literature IN THE Church.

Uthuania (Ger. Lilauen)^ an ancient grand-duchy united with Poland in the fourteenth centunr.

The Lithuanians belong to the Indo-Germanic family, of which they form with the Letts and the extinct Borussians (Old Prussians) the Balto-Slavonic group. Within the Russian Empire they dwell principallv in the governmental districts of Kovno, Urodno, Tchernigoff, and, in smaller numbers, in some few districts of Russian Poland (total in 1897: 1,658,542, or, including the Letts, 3,094,469). In Germany they are found in the northern part of East Prussia and in West Prussia (total about 110,000). Concerning their early history, even to-day little re- liable information is available. In the twelfth cen- tury of our era, we find them divided into various clans and taking part in the wars between the princes of Polozk, Novgorod, Tchernigoff, etc., now as allies of the princes and again as enemies. From the end of the twelfth century they were engaged in constant war- fare with the Order of the Brethren of the Sword, who were extending their conquests along the coast of the Baltic into Livonia. The Lithuanians were divided politically into numerous principalities, mostly heredi- tary, and to a great extent independent of one an- other.

The credit of having united them l)elongs to Prince Mendog (or Mind owe), who, towards the middle of the thirteenth century, succeeded in com- pelling the lesser princes to recognize his supremacy. With a view .to strengthening his position against ex- ternal enemies, especially the Teutonic OiSer, Min- dowe and his wife sought baptism in 1250 or 1251, and received from Innocent TV the royal crown, with which he was crowiied bv the Bishop of Kulm, in 1252 a253) in presence of the Master of the Teu- tonio Order. As Mindowe desired a special diocese

for his territories, one Christian, a memoer of tbo Teutonic Order, was by order of the pope conse- crated Bishop of Lithuania by Archbishop Albert of Riga. Notwithstanding Albert's efforts to secure this new diocese as suffragan of his see, it was made directly dependent on Rome. Of Christian's activity in Lithuania little is known. At this period, however, Christianity acquired no firm footing in Lithuania proper; it was embraced only by Mindowe and his immediate friends^ and bjr them purely for political reasons, and it was also with an eye to political inter- est that they reverted to paganism about 1262. As Christian was coadjutor Bishop of Mainz as early as 1259, he cannot have long occupied the See of Lithu- ania; his successor, John, also a member (A the Teu- tonic Order, also appears as coadjutor Bishop of Constance. The murder of Mindowe by his nephew Traniate was followed by great political confusion and a complete relapse into paganism. In the Rus- sian territories, however, which were then and later known as Lithuanian, Christianity was retained under the Greek Orthodox form, these regions having been evangelized from Byzantium.

The first step towards the restoration of Lithuanian power was taken by Gedymin (arehduke from 1316), when he introduced German colonists into his terri- tories, and founded numerous cities and towns, grant- ing them the privileges customary in Germany. TTie most important of these cities was Wilna, afterwards the capital of Lithuania. Gedvmin succeeded in extending his kingdom to the east oy successful battles with the Tatars, who had then made themselves masters of Russia. From 1336 he was involved in war with the Teutonic Order, and was slain while besieging Welona, one of their fortresses, in 1340 or 1341. Two of his sons, Olgerd and Keistut, success- fully defended the independence of their kingdom against the order, while pushing their conquests fur- ther into Russia. Vigorous champions of paganism, they opposed the entrance of Christianity within their frontiers, although Gedymin, while himself re- maining a heathen, had granted entire freedom to U^ Christian religion. Thus, the Franciscan and Domini- can monasteries founded at Wilna under Gedymin were suppressed by his sons. Olgerd (d. 1377) was succeeded by his son JageUo, who made overtures to the Teutonic Order and concluded a secret treaty with it. JageUo, however, awakened the suspicions of his uncle, Keistut, who took up arms, surprised him at Wilna, and made him prisoner for a time. In the ensuing civil war, Keistut allowed himself to be enticed into Jagello's camp under pledge of personal safety, but on his arrival there he was at once seized, thrown into prison, and eventually put to death (1382).

In 1384, upon the death of Louis I of Hungary and Poland, the Polish nobles, having crowned his daugh- ter Hedwig, decided that as the new queen was but fifteen years old, she must be provided with a consort capable of protecting her dominions. Their choice fell upon JageUo of Lithuania, whose hostility to the Teutonic Order made him their natural aUy. More- over, the Catholic Church in Poland saw in this union the promise of glorious missiona^ activity in a land stiU for the most part pagan. 'The Franciscan pro- vincial, Kmita, wno enjoved JageUo's confidence, was one of the foremost aclvojcates of union between the kingdoms. JageUo, after formaUy suing for the (lueen's hand, promised to embrace the CatliQl^r laith, with his brothers and all his subjects, to unitf his Lithuanian and Russian lands forever with thr Polish Crown, to recover at his own expense the te^ ritory taken from Poland, and to pay Duke WilUaa of Austria, who had been promised Hedwig's hand, an indemnity of 200,000 gulden. Hedwig at lecigth consented to the match. JageUo was Mptixed or 15 Feb., 1386, taking the name of Wladislaw, and m