Eine litauische Alternative für die ganze Rus'? : die Ostpolitik der litauischen Herrscher im ausgehenden Mittelalter : Ansprüche und Wirklichkeit
Title:
Eine litauische Alternative für die ganze Rus'? : die Ostpolitik der litauischen Herrscher im ausgehenden Mittelalter : Ansprüche und Wirklichkeit Lithuanian alternative for the whole Rus? : Eastern policy of the Lithuanian rulers in the late Middle Ages : claims and reality Litevská alternativa pro celou Rus? : východní politika litevských panovníků na konci středověku : postuláty a skutečnost
The aim of the article is to analyze the widely spread idea that the late medieval Grand Duchy of Lithuania could unite the whole Rus' and pose an alternative to Moscow. It is shown that the Lithuanian rulers didn't lay such claims; the attempts to detect them in their statements made in 1358 and (allegedly) in 1399 are nothing but misinterpretations. It is also shown that Algirdas, Jogaila and Vytautas had no real chances to subjugate the Duchy of Moscow and its allies and vassals, both as the result of their military expeditions (1368–1372, 1406–1408) and due to the matrimonial union (1383/84).