| Abstract [eng] |
At the second half of 19th century the formation of the modern Lithuanian nation took place. This process took place together with the formation of modern Poles and other ethnic groups living in the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). In Lithuania, landlords and clergy played an important role in the national movement, influencing the religious-national consciousness of the commons. The cause of tension and disagreement between Lithuanians and Poles was often the issue of the use of the mother tongue in churches. The paper reviews the extent to which the common events in Inturkė and Joniškis parishes were reflected, how the Polish and Lithuanian national attitudes spread in the society and how the processes were reflected in the media of both nations. Ethnic relations in Joniškis and Inturkė parishes of Giedraičiai dean's office of Vilnius diocese were chosen as the object of research of master's thesis. This study, analyzing the processes of formation of national identity in both parishes, pays attention to Lithuanian-Polish religious-national aspirations, problems of change of their national identity, systematizes existing data, adding new, unpublished sources. The aim of the work is to examine the change of national relations and ethnolinguistic identity in Joniškis and Inturkė parishes of Giedraičiai deanery of Vilnius diocese. To achieve the goal, the following tasks were set: to review the main theories of nationalism and national movements; to determine the change of the national Catholic composition in Joniškis and Inturkė parishes in 1864–1914; to study the ethnic affiliation of Joniškis and Inturkė parish clergy and its role in the national and Catholic movement; to find out Lithuanian and Polish religious-national aspirations during the press ban and their influence on mutual relations; to discuss the manifestations and change of ethnolinguistic identity in Joniškis and Inturkė parishes in 1864 - 1914. In order to achieve the aim of the work, a descriptive method is used, which provides a detailed picture of the research objects on the nature and extent of ethnic conflicts in a particular parish. The comparative analog method is used to compare information from sources, revealing Polish and Lithuanian attitudes towards national relations. The statistical method was used to collect and summarize data on the population of parishes and their ethnic composition. The method of literature and source analysis helped to analyze and systematize scientific and ethnographic literature and narrative sources. The Lithuanian State Historical Archive and the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences store official questionnaires of priests, complaints of the residents and requests to the Vilnius Diocese administration. Some priests 'reports and explanations, as well as deans' letters, made it possible to collect and supplement data on clergy and their activities, and to clarify and compare the facts available on the processes of ethnic disagreement in the parishes under study. The analyzed press provided an overview of how the manifestations of ethnolinguistic identity were reflected. One of the most common modernist theories of nationalism was chosen for this study. Its researchers emphasize that education and access to high culture are important for the formation of modern society. This is relevant in the analysis of the role of the Lithuanian clergy and landlord in the modern national movement in 19th century. At that time, the majority of the population was low-educated peasants, who were most influenced by the faith and the Church. The national press language, which played a significant role in national self-identification, had important ideological and political significance for all national movements. Summarizing the research, it can be stated that in Vilnius county in the 19th century Lithuanians accounted for about 65% of the total population, but no language had a clear linguistic predominance. There are no precise data on the composition of the population of Joniškis and Inturkė parishes. The collected data are not reliable, as some of them were made up of parish priests, who could correct them according to their national beliefs. In the parishes of Giedraičiai deanery in the end of 19th century Lithuanians made up the majority of the population, and church services were held in Lithuanian. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Lithuanian language was used in only a few churches, including Inturkė and Joniškis churches. Comparing the data of the end of 19th century with the beginning of the 20th century, at the beginning of the 20th century, an increase in the number of Poles can be observed in Vilnius County. At the beginning of the 20th century, the language of prayer was considered to be the criterion for choosing a language during the parish census. The parish census sometimes caused serious public disagreement. Until the second half of the 19th century only Polish language was used in the church by Parish clergy. Later, most clergy of Joniškis and Inturkė parishes fostered the Lithuanian language, supported nationality, organized and distributed a forbidden press, raised the spirit of national revival, actively participated in the Lithuanian national movement, fought for the rights of the mother tongue in churches and spoke in the press. At the end of the 19th century in the mixed parishes of Inturkė and Joniškis conflicts often arose in Churches because of Mass language. Both, Poles and Lithuanians, wrote complaints and requests to the governors of the Vilnius diocese. Both nations sought to legitimize their native language in the church. Local landowners demanded to leave the Polish language in the church especially intensively. Complaints and conflicts of both, Poles and Lithuanians continued throughout the first decades of the 20th century. Manifestations and change of ethnolinguistic identity in Joniškis and Inturkė parishes in 1864–1914 are reflected by the press of that time, which became a condition of the identity of the modern democratic nation and a means of communication for the national movement. The newspapers of that time paid a lot of attention to the discussion of ethnic relations, reported on the events in the parishes, and published the complaints and speeches of the parishioners, which showed the national attitudes. |
