Kingdom of Lithuania (1918)
Kingdom of Lithuania | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1918 | |||||||||||||||
Status | Client state of the German Empire | ||||||||||||||
Capital | Vilnius | ||||||||||||||
Common languages | Lithuanian Polish Belarusian Russian | ||||||||||||||
Demonym(s) | Lithuanian | ||||||||||||||
Government | Constitutional monarchy under a provisional government | ||||||||||||||
King-elect | |||||||||||||||
• 1918 | Mindaugas II | ||||||||||||||
Legislature | Council of Lithuania | ||||||||||||||
Historical era | World War I | ||||||||||||||
18 September 1917 | |||||||||||||||
16 February 1918 | |||||||||||||||
3 March 1918 | |||||||||||||||
• Recognized by Germany | 23 March 1918 | ||||||||||||||
• Monarchy proclaimed | 4 June 1918 | ||||||||||||||
11 July 1918 | |||||||||||||||
• Monarchy suspended | 2 November 1918 | ||||||||||||||
11 November 1918 | |||||||||||||||
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The Kingdom of Lithuania was an attempt to establish an independent constitutional Lithuanian monarchy in February 1918. It was created towards the end of World War I when Lithuanian-speaking lands were under military occupation by the German Empire. The state was officially dissolved in November 1918.
The Council of Lithuania declared Lithuania's independence on 16 February 1918, but the council was unable to form a government, police, or other state institutions due to the continued presence of German troops. The Germans presented various proposals to incorporate Lithuania into the German Empire, particularly Prussia. The Lithuanians resisted this idea and hoped to preserve their independence by creating a separate constitutional monarchy.
On 4 June 1918, they voted to offer the Lithuanian throne to the German noble Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach. He accepted the offer in July 1918 and took the regnal name Mindaugas II. However, he never visited Lithuania. His election stirred up controversy, divided the council and did not achieve the desired results. As Germany was losing the war and was engulfed in the German Revolution, Lithuania suspended its decision to invite the Duke on 2 November 1918, thereby ending his reign.
Background
After the last
Election
Candidates
The crown of Lithuania was initially offered to
An idea was advanced to create a constitutional monarchy and invite a candidate who would fight to preserve Lithuanian independence. The Presidium of the Council of Lithuania voted confidentially on 4 June 1918, to establish a hereditary monarchy and to invite
Conditions
Duke William was presented with a twelve-point proposal which resembled medieval
Some authors called these conditions a constitution, but that is not accurate. Lithuanian law scholar Michał Pius Römer has called it an "embryo of a constitution"; these conditions were a very basic and temporary framework that would have developed into a constitution, had not the monarchy been abolished.[18] A project for a full constitution was later found in German archives, but it was never discussed by the Council of Lithuania and remained just a draft.[19]
After the election
The proposal for monarchy was controversial and created a rift between right-wing and left-wing members of the Council of Lithuania. The proposal was most strongly supported by Antanas Smetona, Jurgis Šaulys, and Catholic priests.[20] When the monarchy was approved, four members of the council resigned in protest: Steponas Kairys, Jonas Vileišis, Mykolas Biržiška, Stanisław Narutowicz (Stanislovas Narutavičius). Petras Klimas also voted against, but did not resign.[12] At the same time the Council co-opted six new members: Martynas Yčas, Augustinas Voldemaras, Juozas Purickis, Eliziejus Draugelis, Jurgis Alekna and Stasys Šilingas.[12] The debate over a constitutional monarchy vs. democratic republic was not a new one. Earlier, in December 1917, the council had voted 15-to-5 that a monarchy would suit Lithuania better.[21] The proponents argued that the Lithuanians were not politically mature for a republic and that the Germans would more readily support a monarchy. The opponents maintained that the council had no legal right to determine such fundamental matters as these had been delegated to the future Constituent Assembly of Lithuania by the Vilnius Conference.[22]
The Germans did not approve of the new king. They claimed that their recognition of independent Lithuania was based on the Act of 11 December, which provided for an alliance with Germany and therefore Lithuania did not have the right to unilaterally elect a new monarch.[23] They also protested that the Council of Lithuania had changed its name to the State Council of Lithuania just before the approval of Mindaugas II. The Council stopped using its new name in communications with the Germans but stood by its new king.[24] The Lithuanian press was censored and not allowed to publish any news about the new king, while the German press unanimously criticized the decision.[25] When Lietuvos aidas, the newspaper of the council, refused to print an article denouncing the new king, the newspaper was shut down for a month.[16] German–Lithuanian relations remained tense until October 1918. The election also further damaged the reputation of the council, already portrayed as a German puppet, among the Entente powers and the Lithuanian diaspora.[24] Lithuanians in the west thought that Lithuania should place its hopes of independence with the Entente and not Germany. This rift further fractured and weakened the Lithuanian positions.[26]
Republic
As Germany was losing the war, the Lithuanians received more freedom of action. On 20 October 1918, Chancellor of Germany Prince Maximilian of Baden repeated recognition of independent Lithuania, promised to convert the German military administration into a civilian government, and to allow the Lithuanians to take over once they had sufficient capabilities.[27] After receiving this news, the Council of Lithuania convened on 28 October to discuss a provisional constitution and formation of the government. As no projects or drafts had been prepared beforehand, these decisions needed to be made by the council during its session and this process took several days.[28] The changed political situation also dictated the council's need to rescind its decision to elect Mindaugas II. Lithuania, hoping to receive recognition from the Entente, could not have the Entente's enemy as its king.[29] Duke William indicated that he was willing to abandon the throne. Therefore, on 2 November, the Council suspended its invitation to Duke William leaving the final decision to the future Constituent Assembly of Lithuania.[29] Later the same day the Council adopted the first provisional constitution, which did not declare either monarchy or republic. The constitution simply organized the government on a provisional basis until the Constituent Assembly made a final decision.[10] Further constitutions did not reconsider a monarchy.
See also
- Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1918)
- Kingdom of Finland (1918)
- Kingdom of Lithuania
- Kingdom of Poland (1917–1918)
- Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1918–19)
- United Baltic Duchy
Notes
- Międzymorze proposed by Józef Piłsudski. The Lithuanians feared that any union with Poland masked Polish imperialism and would bring back Polish political and cultural dominance. Eventually the tensions between Poland and Lithuania grew into the Polish–Lithuanian War.
- ^ The date is often incorrectly given as 13 July 1918.
- King of Lithuania. The name signified historical continuity with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Co-opted Council member Juozas Purickis wrote to the press that "Mindaugas I created the Lithuanian state, while his descendant Mindaugas II will reestablish it." (Janužytė 2007, p. 19) Note that the lineage between both men is based on genealogical speculation.
References
- ^ Sužiedėlis 1970–1978, p. 581.
- ^ Eidintas, Žalys & Senn 1999, p. 26.
- ^ Eidintas, Žalys & Senn 1999, p. 29.
- ^ Eidintas, Žalys & Senn 1999, p. 30.
- ^ Senn 1975, p. 33.
- ^ Tuska 1995, p. 32.
- ^ Senn 1975, pp. 35–36.
- ^ a b c d e f Senn 1975, p. 36.
- ^ Čepėnas 1986, pp. 215–217.
- ^ a b c Paleckis 2006.
- ^ Maksimaitis 2005, p. 49.
- ^ a b c Skirius 2002.
- ^ a b Janužytė 2007, p. 19.
- ^ Maksimaitis 2005, pp. 52–53.
- ^ a b Maksimaitis 2005, p. 53.
- ^ a b Liulevicius 2000, p. 210.
- ^ Page 1959, p. 94.
- ^ Maksimaitis 2005, p. 54.
- ^ Maksimaitis 2005, pp. 56, 60.
- ^ Tuska 1995, p. 49.
- ^ Maksimaitis 2005, pp. 45–46.
- ^ Eidintas, Žalys & Senn 1999, p. 31.
- ^ Senn 1975, p. 37.
- ^ a b Senn 1975, p. 38.
- ^ Čepėnas 1986, pp. 220–221.
- ^ Senn 1975, pp. 38–39.
- ^ Senn 1975, pp. 39–40.
- ^ Maksimaitis 2005, p. 62.
- ^ a b Maksimaitis 2005, p. 64.
Cited sources
- ISBN 5-89957-012-1.
- Eidintas, Alfonsas; Žalys, Vytautas; Senn, Alfred Erich (1999). Tuskenis, Edvardas (ed.). Lithuania in European Politics: The Years of the First Republic, 1918-1940. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-22458-3.
- Janužytė, Audronė (2007). "Lietuvių istorikų politikų valstybingumo samprata (1907–1918 m.)". Istorija. Lietuvos aukštųjų mokyklų mokslo darbai (in Lithuanian). 65. ISSN 1392-0456. Archived from the originalon 23 September 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
- Liulevicius, Vejas G. (2000). War land on the Eastern Front: culture, national identity and German occupation in World War I. Studies in the social and cultural history of modern warfare. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-66157-7.
- Maksimaitis, Mindaugas (2005). Lietuvos valstybės konstitucijų istorija (XX a. pirmoji pusė) (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Justitia. ISBN 9955-616-09-1.
- Page, Stanley W. (1959). The Formation of the Baltic States. Harvard University Press. OCLC 491526167.
- Paleckis, Mindaugas (24 October 2006). "Karališkojo kraujo paieškos: Lietuva ir šimto dienų karalius" (in Lithuanian). Bernardinai.lt.
- ISBN 0-8371-7780-4.
- Skirius, Juozas (2002). "Vokietija ir Lietuvos nepriklausomybė". Gimtoji istorija. Nuo 7 iki 12 klasės (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Elektroninės leidybos namai. ISBN 9986-9216-9-4. Archived from the originalon 3 March 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
- Sužiedėlis, Simas, ed. (1970–1978). "Council of Lithuania". LCCN 74-114275.
- Tuska, Liudas (1995). "Antanas Smetona". Lietuvos Respublikos prezidentai (in Lithuanian). Valstybinis leidybos centras. ISBN 9986-09-055-5.