- Type:
- Book Chapter
- Author:
- David Marples; Veronica Laputska
- Published:
- 2026
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This chapter traces the early formation of modern Belarus, beginning with the Polack Principality, a powerful medieval state that emerged by the ninth century and controlled much of the territory of today’s Belarus. It examines Polack’s strategic importance, its rivalry with Kyiv and Novgorod, and its cultural legacy, including the construction of the St. Sophia Cathedral under Usiaslau. The chapter shifts to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where Belarusian lands and language drove its expansion, governance, and cultural life into the sixteenth century. It also recounts the 1863 uprising led by Kastus Kalinouski, who envisioned an independent Belarusian-Lithuanian state and became a lasting symbol of resistance to tsarist rule. Finally, the chapter explores the short-lived Belarusian People’s Republic of 1918 and its enduring symbolic role in the national identity of modern Belarus.
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The history this book covers
Civilizations: Belarus
Sıkça sorulan sorular
- What is "The Making of Modern Belarus" about?
- This chapter traces the early formation of modern Belarus, beginning with the Polack Principality, a powerful medieval state that emerged by the ninth century and controlled much of the territory of today’s Belarus.
- Who wrote "The Making of Modern Belarus"?
- David Marples; Veronica Laputska