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Lithuania

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Lithuania lĭtho͞oāˈnēə [key], Lithuanian Lietuva, officially Republic of Lithuania, republic (2015 est. pop. 2,932,000), 25,174 sq mi (65,201 sq km), N central Europe. Lithuania borders o...

Memel, city, Lithuania

(Encyclopedia)Memel: see Klaipeda, Lithuania.

Grybauskaite, Dalia

(Encyclopedia)Grybauskaite, Dalia, 1956–, Lithuanian politician, president of Lithuania (2009–14). A member of the Communist party of the Soviet Union (1983–89) and the Communist party of Lithuania (1989–90...

Ladislaus II, king of Poland

(Encyclopedia)Ladislaus II or Ladislaus Jagiello yägyĕˈlō [key], 1350?–1434, king of Poland (1386–1434), grand duke of Lithuania (1378–1401), founder of the Jagiello dynasty. Leaguing with Poland against ...

Balts

(Encyclopedia)Balts bôlts [key], peoples of the east coast of the Baltic Sea. They include the Latvians, the Lithuanians, and the now extinct Old Prussians. Their original home was farther east, but from the 6th c...

Elijah ben Solomon

(Encyclopedia)Elijah ben Solomon, 1720–97, Jewish scholar, called the Gaon of Vilna, b. Lithuania. A leading Jewish scholar of his time, he opposed the spread of Hasidism in Lithuania and Poland because he feared...

Witowt

(Encyclopedia)Witowt or Witold vĭtˈôft, –ôlt [key], Lithuanian Vytautas, 1350–1430, grand duke of Lithuania (1401–30). In 1382, Witowt, as well as his father, was imprisoned by Ladislaus Jagiello (see Lad...

Vilnius

(Encyclopedia)Vilnius vĭlˈnēo͝os [key], Rus. Vilna, Pol. Wilno, city (1993 pop. 590,100), capital of Lithuania, on the Neris River. It is a rail and highway junction, a commercial and industrial city, and a cen...

Memel Territory

(Encyclopedia)Memel Territory māˈməl [key], Ger. Memelland, name applied to the district (1,092 sq mi/2,828 sq km) of former East Prussia situated on the east coast of the Baltic Sea and the right (northern) ban...

Smetona, Antanas

(Encyclopedia)Smetona, Antanas äntäˈnäs smĕˈtōnä [key], 1874–1944, Lithuanian dictator. A lawyer, he became a leader of the Lithuanian autonomists under the czarist regime. He was provisional president (1...