Northern Europe · LTU

Lithuania

The story · 11 chapters

How it was drawn

A medieval grand duchy that stretched to the Black Sea, joined with Poland, absorbed by Russia, restored in 1918 and the first Soviet republic to declare independence, in 1990.

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Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Lithuania fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Livonian Brothers of the Sword1236 to 1237
The crusading order attacks Samogitia and is crushed by Samogitians and Semigallians at Saule in 1236. The survivors merge into the Teutonic Order in 1237.
Teutonic Order1283 to 1422
For over a century the Order raids pagan Lithuania and fights for Samogitia. Lithuania and Poland crush it at Grunwald in 1410, and the Treaty of Melno in 1422 fixes the border for five centuries.
Golden Horde1362 to 1399
Algirdas defeats the Tatars at Blue Waters around 1362, opening the way to Kyiv. Vytautas's great army is routed by the Horde on the Vorskla river in 1399, ending his plans in the steppe.
Grand Principality of Moscow1368 to 1537
Two powers compete for the lands of Rus'. Algirdas besieges Moscow in 1368 and 1370. From 1492 Moscow strikes back, winning at Vedrosha in 1500 and taking Smolensk in 1514.
Tsardom of Russia1558 to 1667
Ivan the Terrible takes Polotsk in 1563 during the Livonian War. In 1655 Russian armies take and burn Vilnius. The Truce of Andrusovo in 1667 hands Smolensk to Russia.
Swedish Empire1600 to 1721
Wars with Sweden over Livonia from 1600. In 1655 Sweden invades and Lithuanian magnates briefly accept Swedish protection at Kedainiai. In the Great Northern War Swedish armies again cross the country.
Russian Empire1795 to 1915
Russia annexes Lithuania in the partition of 1795. Risings in 1831 and 1863 are crushed, and from 1864 to 1904 Lithuanian may not be printed in Latin letters; books are smuggled in from Prussia.
German Empire1915 to 1918
German armies occupy Lithuania in 1915 and run it as part of a military zone. Lithuanians declare independence under occupation on 16 February 1918.
Second Polish Republic1920 to 1938
Polish troops under General Zeligowski seize Vilnius in October 1920 and Poland annexes it in 1922. The two states keep no diplomatic relations until a Polish ultimatum forces them in 1938.
Nazi Germany1939 to 1944
Germany forces Lithuania to give up Klaipeda in March 1939, then invades in June 1941. Its occupation brings the murder of nearly all of Lithuania's Jews.
Soviet Union1940 to 1991
The Soviet Union occupies Lithuania in 1940 and again from 1944, deporting tens of thousands. The partisans fight on into the 1950s. In January 1991 Soviet troops kill 14 people at the Vilnius TV tower.
Russian FederationSince 2014Still open
Relations harden after Russia annexes Crimea in 2014. Lithuania strongly backs Ukraine after the 2022 invasion, and in June 2022 it halts rail transit of sanctioned goods to Kaliningrad, which Moscow calls a blockade.
BelarusSince 2021Still open
In 2021 thousands of migrants flown to Minsk are pushed toward the Lithuanian border, which Vilnius calls a hybrid attack by the Lukashenko government. Lithuania builds a fence along the whole frontier.

Today

Lithuania now

Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; over the next century, Lithuania extended its territory through alliances and conquest to include most of present-day Belarus and Ukraine. By the end of the 14th century, Lithuania was the largest state in Europe. An alliance with Poland in 1386 led the two countries into a union through a common ruler. In 1569, Lithuania and Poland formally united into a single dual state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Capital: Vilnius
Government: semi-presidential republic
Head of government: Mindaugas Sinkevičius
Head of state: Gitanas Nausėda
Languages: Lithuanian
Area: 65,290 km²

Through time

Then and now

Population2.9 million2023 · 2.4 million in 1950
Life expectancy76.0 years2023 · 66.1 years in 1950
GDP per person$30,8632022
Living in cities69%2025 · 32% in 1950
Literacy100%2011
Political regimeLiberal democracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
Military alliancesNATO2024 · None of these in 1950
Military spending3.1% of GDP2025
War deathsNone2025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Close partners

United States
France
United Kingdom
Poland
Estonia

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Lithuania fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Livonian Brothers of the Sword1236 to 1237

The crusading order attacks Samogitia and is crushed by Samogitians and Semigallians at Saule in 1236. The survivors merge into the Teutonic Order in 1237.

Teutonic Order1283 to 1422

For over a century the Order raids pagan Lithuania and fights for Samogitia. Lithuania and Poland crush it at Grunwald in 1410, and the Treaty of Melno in 1422 fixes the border for five centuries.

Golden Horde1362 to 1399

Algirdas defeats the Tatars at Blue Waters around 1362, opening the way to Kyiv. Vytautas's great army is routed by the Horde on the Vorskla river in 1399, ending his plans in the steppe.

Grand Principality of Moscow1368 to 1537

Two powers compete for the lands of Rus'. Algirdas besieges Moscow in 1368 and 1370. From 1492 Moscow strikes back, winning at Vedrosha in 1500 and taking Smolensk in 1514.

Tsardom of Russia1558 to 1667

Ivan the Terrible takes Polotsk in 1563 during the Livonian War. In 1655 Russian armies take and burn Vilnius. The Truce of Andrusovo in 1667 hands Smolensk to Russia.

Swedish Empire1600 to 1721

Wars with Sweden over Livonia from 1600. In 1655 Sweden invades and Lithuanian magnates briefly accept Swedish protection at Kedainiai. In the Great Northern War Swedish armies again cross the country.

Russian Empire1795 to 1915

Russia annexes Lithuania in the partition of 1795. Risings in 1831 and 1863 are crushed, and from 1864 to 1904 Lithuanian may not be printed in Latin letters; books are smuggled in from Prussia.

German Empire1915 to 1918

German armies occupy Lithuania in 1915 and run it as part of a military zone. Lithuanians declare independence under occupation on 16 February 1918.

Second Polish Republic1920 to 1938

Polish troops under General Zeligowski seize Vilnius in October 1920 and Poland annexes it in 1922. The two states keep no diplomatic relations until a Polish ultimatum forces them in 1938.

Nazi Germany1939 to 1944

Germany forces Lithuania to give up Klaipeda in March 1939, then invades in June 1941. Its occupation brings the murder of nearly all of Lithuania's Jews.

Soviet Union1940 to 1991

The Soviet Union occupies Lithuania in 1940 and again from 1944, deporting tens of thousands. The partisans fight on into the 1950s. In January 1991 Soviet troops kill 14 people at the Vilnius TV tower.

Russian FederationSince 2014Still open

Relations harden after Russia annexes Crimea in 2014. Lithuania strongly backs Ukraine after the 2022 invasion, and in June 2022 it halts rail transit of sanctioned goods to Kaliningrad, which Moscow calls a blockade.

BelarusSince 2021Still open

In 2021 thousands of migrants flown to Minsk are pushed toward the Lithuanian border, which Vilnius calls a hybrid attack by the Lukashenko government. Lithuania builds a fence along the whole frontier.

Lithuania now

Capital

Vilnius

Government

semi-presidential republic

Head of government

Mindaugas Sinkevičius

Head of state

Gitanas Nausėda

Languages

Lithuanian

Area

65,290 km²

Then and now

Population2.9 million2023 · 2.4 million in 1950

Life expectancy76.0 years2023 · 66.1 years in 1950

GDP per person$30,8632022

Living in cities69%2025 · 32% in 1950

Literacy100%2011

Political regimeLiberal democracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950

Military alliancesNATO2024 · None of these in 1950

Military spending3.1% of GDP2025

War deathsNone2025