International scientific conference “Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Historical source texts, contexts and interpretations”
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Historical source texts, contexts and interpretations
15–16 October 2025
National Museum
Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
4 Cathedral Sq., Vilnius
An extensive body of sets of historical source texts formed in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania dealing with state (local and central), confessional institution and private (family archives) affairs, which are kept in memory institutions in Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and other countries. For more than two centuries, researchers from various countries have been examining and publishing these sources. Without a doubt, one of the most well-known source sets is the Lithuanian Metrica, which has since become an object of international research, however, we find a situation where other historical source texts of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, significantly larger in their scope, have received considerably less attention. The research opportunities offered by source sets reflecting the activities of 16th–18th-century central and local state institutions in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania are yet to be sufficiently utilised, and the archival legacy of separate magnate families has obviously received inadequate attention.
The particularities of various historical sources, processing of the data they contain, their digitisation, the application of different methodologies and their introduction into historiography are among the most relevant objectives in source studies today. Thus, at the centre of attention of this conference is the issue of the research and publication traditions associated with 16th–18th-century historical sources of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the search for new research approaches and their application.
The conference is being organised by the Lithuanian Institute of History within the framework of the long-term acdemic research and experimental development programme for 2022–2026, “Grand Duchy of Lithuania historical source texts, contexts and interpretations”.
Preliminary thematic blocks for conference papers:
- new theoretical and methodological approaches in historical source research, their application and results.
- the formation of historical source sets from state institutions (from the Lithuanian Metrica to local district court books), confessional institution archives and private archives (egodocumentary material), and their thematic variety;
- epochal historical sources and the epoch of a source: case study analysis of historical sources;
- new historical sources, establishing their context and their “introduction” into the historiographical discourse;
- from the original to its publication: particularities of the archaeographical preparation of historical sources;
- the functioning of historical sources in cultural memory.
We kindly invite researchers in historical source studies of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to participate in this conference. Please send your conference paper themes and brief abstracts (up to 1,500 characters) to the conference coordinators before 25 July 2025 by email: ldksaltiniu.konferencija@gmail.com. There are plans to publish the conference proceedings as a collection of separate themed articles.
Conference languages – Lithuanian and Polish (with synchronous translation).
Organisers:
- Lithuanian Institute of History
- National Museum Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
Partners:
- Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences
- M. S. Hrushevsky Institute of Ukrainian Archaeography and Source Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Organising committee:
- Dr Robertas JURGAITIS (Lithuanian Institute of History, Lithuania), committee chairman
- Dr habil. Konrad BOBIATYŃSKI (University of Warsaw, Poland)
- Dr Jonas DRUNGILAS (Lithuanian Institute of History, Lithuania)
- Dr habil. Aliaksandr HRUSHA (Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland)
- Dr Karin FRIEDRICH (University of Aberdeen, Scotland)
- Dr Mārīte JAKOVĻEVA (Latvian National Museum of History, Latvia)
- Dr habil. Mathias NIENDORF (University of Greifswald, Germany)
- Dr. habil. Andrzej RACHUBA (Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland)
- Dr. Adam STANKEVIČ (Lithuanian Institute of History, Lithuania)
- Dr Ramunė ŠMIGELSKYTĖ-STUKIENĖ (National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Lithuanian Institute of History, Lithuania)
- Dr Oleg ODNOROZHENKO (M. S. Hrushevsky Institute of Ukrainian Archaeography and Source Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lithuanian Institute of History, Lithuania)
For more detaied information contact:
Dr Jonas DRUNGILAS (Lithuanian Institute of History, Lithuania), +370 615 87127, email: jonas.drungilas@istorija.lt
Doctoral student Gabija TUBELEVIČIŪTĖ (Lithuanian Institute of History), email: ldksaltiniu.konferencija@gmail.com
