Was the Grand Duchy of Lithuania an Empire?

Abstract

The article discusses the question that was raised recently by a number of prominent Lithuanian historians and publicists. Although the idea that the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) was an empire is absurd form the standpoint of hermeneutical-historicist methodology consequently applied (how can the GDL be called an „empire” if it failed to become a kingdom?), this question makes sense if asked from the standpoint of social scientific history and comparative literature. Within this standpoint, the author draws the distinction between two approaches as to how empires and imperialism can be conceptualized: the generalizing approach and an ideally typologizing approach. The main ideas in contemporary empires and imperialism studies are presented, with special attention being paid to the conceptions of Michael Doyle, Thomas J. Barfield and those of the „England School” in the contemporary theory of international relations. Using these ideas and the historiography of the GDL, the author seeks to answer the following questions: was the GDL an empire and what are the reasons for an answer in the affirmative; what kind of empire was the GDL, and into what kind of polity was it transformed? The author describes the GDL as a secondary patrimonial vulture empire (as propsed by Th. J. Barfield) that was transformed into a federative one-estate estate monarchy displaying some characteristic features of an empire until the very end of its independent existence in 1569.