On 11 September 2020, Professor Richard BUTTERWICK-PAWLIKOWSKI gave a special lecture at the College of Europe in Natolin entitled:
"The Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Its Legacies"
Mass demonstrations in Belarus prominently feature the Pahonia, which is also the symbol of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This ‘vanished kingdom’ was once the largest polity in Europe. It was united with the Kingdom of Poland for more than four centuries and was the home to peoples of many religions and languages. Its legacies have had the potential to unite and divide successor nations – Lithuanians, Belarusians, Poles and Ukrainians, especially since it was destroyed by the Russian Empire in 1795.
The lecture was part of a preparatory lecture series for the students of the Mário Soares Promotion participating in the first semester study trip to Suwalszczyzna and Podlasie, taking place from 20 to 26 September 2020.
About the speaker:
Prof. Richard BUTTERWICK-PAWLIKOWSKI's research focuses on the Enlightenment and its critics in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, as well as on the history and culture of one of the most remarkable polities in European history – the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569-1795). He is the author of over seventy scholarly publications – monographs, edited volumes, and articles and chapters in refereed journals and collections.