This article is about the specific polity Republic of Lithuania and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
Is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. The Republic of Lithuania was established a first time on 2 November 1918 when it broke away from the Russian Empire and declared independence in the aftermath of World War I. At the beginning of World War II it was again conquered by the Soviet Union. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union it gained again its independency in 1991.
Establishment
November 1918: On 4 June 1918, the Lithuanian parlament 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, the Kingdom of Lithuania was officially dissolved in November 1918.
November 1918: The Republic of Latvia was established on 18 November 1918 when it broke away from the Russian Empire and declared independence in the aftermath of World War I.
December 1918: In November 1918, the locals of Perloja established a self-governing parish committee, often called the Republic of Perloja (Perlojos respublika), chaired by Jonas Česnulevičius, veteran of the Imperial Russian Army.
December 1918: Zarasai and Švenčionys conquered by RSFSR.
December 1918: Utena conquered by RSFSR.
December 1918: Rokiškis was taken over by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR).
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Was a global conflict between two coalitions, the Allies (primarily France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States) and the Central Powers (led by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire). It was mainly caused by the competition of the western countries over domain in Europe and in the rest of the world with their colonial empires. The war ended with the defeat of the Central Powers. The war also caused the Russian Revolution and the ensuing Russian Civil War.
1.1.World War I eastern Front
Was the theatre of war in eastern Europe during World War I.
1.2.Aftermath of World War I
Were a series of treaties and military events that can be considered a direct consequence of World War I.
1.2.1.Aftermath of World War I in Poland
Events that happened shortly after the end of World War I in Poland.
1.2.1.Lithuanian War of Independence
Events that happened shortly after the end of World War I in Lithuania leading to the independence of the country.
January 1919: The German occupying army withdrew from Vilnius and turned the city over to local Polish self-defense forces.
1.2.1.1.Lithuanian-Soviet War
Was a war between Lithuania and the Russian SFSR. Russia considerd Lithuania, that had recently declared independence, a secessionist state. At the end of the war Russia recognized the independency of Lithuania.
July 1920: Soviet-Lithuanian Peace Treaty signed between Lithuania and Soviet Russia. In exchange for Lithuania's neutrality and permission to move its troops in the territory that was recognised during its war against Poland, Soviet Russia recognized the sovereignty of Lithuania. Lithuania officially maintained that its de jure borders were those delineated by the treaty although a large territory, the Vilnius Region, was controlled by Poland.
January 1921: The Lithuanians claimed the southern shore of Daugava, including Grīva and Daugavpils, despite Latvian protests.
1.2.1.1.1.Soviet offensive (Lithuanian War of Independence)
Was the military invasion of Lithuania by the Russian SFSR that started the Lithuanian-Soviet War.
January 1919: Ukmergė and Panevėžys are occupied by Russian Bolshevik forces.
January 1919: Šiauliai conquered by RSFSR.
January 1919: To prevent fights in Lithuania between retreating Germans and the Red Army, the Soviets and Germans signed a treaty on January 18. The treaty drew a temporary demarcation line that went through Daugai, Stakliškės, and 10 kilometres east of the Kaišiadorys-Jonava-Kėdainiai railway.
January 1919: Telšiai conquered by RSFSR.
February 1919: Russian operations to take Kaunas began on February 7.
February 1919: Soviet 7th Riflemen Regiment (900 men) took over Jieznas, south of Kaunas.
February 1919: A joint Lithuanian and German forces captured Šėta and forced the Red Army to retreat.
February 1919: The Bolshevik 3rd and 4th Riflemen Regiments (about 2,000 men) attacked Alytus.
February 1919: Lithuanians retreated, were reinforced by new Lithuanian and Saxon Volunteers, attacked again, and took Jieznas on February 13.
February 1919: On the night of February 14-15, German forces and one company of the Lithuanians returned to Alytus and retook the city.
April 1919: The Red Army retook Panevėžys on April 4.
1.2.1.1.2.German/Lithuanian Offensive (Lithuanian-Soviet War)
Was a joint German-Lithuanian offensive against the the Soviet invasion, during the Lithuanian-Soviet War.
February 1919: The movement of the Bolsheviks towards East Prussia worried Germany, and they sent volunteers. At the end of February, the Lithuanian partisans, supported by German artillery, took Mažeikiai and Seda, and pursued the Bolsheviks to Kuršėnai.
March 1919: Before mid-March, the Germans took Kuršėnai, Šiauliai, Radviliškis, Šeduva, Joniškis.
March 1919: The Bolshevik morale underwent deeper declines and, between March 19 and March 24, their forces left Panevėžys. Lithuanian forces entered the city on March 26.
1.2.1.1.3.Lithuanian offensive
Was a Lithuanian offensive in the territories of the Russian SFSR, during the Lithuanian-Soviet War.
May 1919: On May 3, the Separate Panevėžys Volunteer Regiment, supported by the 18th Regiment of Saxon Volunteers, had secured the town of Ukmergė.
May 1919: On May 7, Lithuanians entered Širvintos.
May 1919: Lithuanians and Poles mounted a joint operation to take Giedraičiai.
May 1919: The reorganized Lithuanian army carried out its first operation. The Vilkmergė Group captured Kurkliai and Anykščiai.
May 1919: The Panevėžys Group launched a drive towards Panevėžys on May 18 and secured the city the following day.
May 1919: The Lithuanians lost Panevėžys to a Bolshevik counterattack.
May 1919: The Soviets left Panevėžys to Lithuanian forces without a fight.
May 1919: Lithianian forces charged towards Kupiškis and secured Subačius.
May 1919: Joniškėlis' partisans broke through the Soviet lines and took Rokiškis in Soviet rear.
June 1919: Bolshevik forces, afraid that they could be encircled, left Kupiškis on the night of May 30-31, and Lithuania secured that city on June 1.
June 1919: The drive towards Utena resumed on May 31, and the city was secured on June 2 by Lithuanian forces.
June 1919: Another Soviet push came on June 20 and the front stabilized.The Soviets were cornered in a small region around Zarasai.
1.2.1.1.4.Final Battles of the Lithuanian-Soviet War
Were the final battles of the Lithuanian-Soviet War.
August 1919: The Ukmergė Group attacked first and captured Zarasai.
1.2.1.2.War against the Bermontians
Was the war between the Bermontians, a pro-German military formation, and Lithuania.
July 1919: In June 1919, the Bermontians crossed the Lithuanian-Latvian border and took the town of Kuršėnai.
November 1919: By October, the Bermontians had taken considerable territories in western Lithuania, including the cities of Šiauliai, Biržai, and Radviliškis.
December 1919: The Bermontians were completely removed from Lithuania.
1.2.1.3.Polish-Lithuanian War
Was a war between newly-independent Lithuania and Poland following World War I.
January 1920: On October 7, 1920, an agreement was signed by Poland and Lithuania, establishing a truce, known as the Suwałki Agreement: it temporarily accepted the Foch Line.
August 1920: Lithuanians conquered Suwalki.
August 1920: Knowing that the Polish Army was busy preparing for the Battle of the Nemunas River, the Lithuanian authorities decided to capture the city of Augustów, an event which took place on August 26.
August 1920: The 1st Polish Infantry Regiment assaulted the Lithuanian defenders of the city of Augustów by surprise and disarmed a company of the 10th Lithuanian Infantry Regiment, securing control of the town.
August 1920: Polish Colonel Nieniewski entered the city of Suwałki with his soldiers.
August 1920: On August 31, Sejny was conquered by the Polish army.
September 1920: Polish forces retreated from Sejny further south.
September 1920: The Lithuanian army reached Augustów.
September 1920: The Lithuanian forces advancing from Sejny were routed and Augustów again fell into Polish hands.
September 1920: Sejny is acquired by Poland at the end of the Polish-Lithuanian War.
September 1920: Polish forces recaptured Sejny.
September 1920: End of the Polish-Lithuanian War.
1.2.2.Sejny Uprising
Was a Polish uprising against the Lithuanian authorities in August 1919 in the ethnically mixed area surrounding the town of Sejny.
September 1919: After several military skirmishes, Polish forces secured Sejny and the Lithuanians retreated behind the Foch Line.
Was a Civil War in Russia that involved varios factions but mainly the Bolsheviks and the conservative White Army in the core Russian territories, as well as a multitude of local secessionist states. At the end of war the Bolsheviks were victorious and established the Soviet Union.
2.1.Pro-independence movements in the Russian Civil War
Local independence movement caused several secessions and revolts during the Russian Civil War.
2.1.1.Establishment of the Republic of Perloja
Was the creation of the small Republi of Perloja, in Lithuania, during the Russian Civil War.
January 1924: In 1923, Perloja was divided along the Merkys River, leaving one bank to Lithuania and another to the Second Polish Republic.
2.2.Polish-Soviet War
Was a war between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in the aftermath of World War I and during the Russian Civil War.
July 1919: Polish armies attacked Mołodeczno and captured it on 4 July.
January 1920: The new Latvian government requested Polish help in capturing Dyneburg, and it was, after heavy fighting by the Polish 1st and 3rd Legion Divisions under Rydz-Śmigły. The city was then handed to the Latvians.
Refers to several different events that led to the stabilization of the border between Latvia and Lithuania after World War I.
October 1919: In September 1919, during attack against the Soviets, Lithuanian army occupied much of Ilūkste Municipality.
April 1921: On March 1921, Lithuania was given the port town Palanga, the village of Šventoji, parts of Rucava Municipality and the railroad junction of Mažeikiai on Rīga - Jelgava- Liepāja railroad line, which meant that Latvia had to build a new railway line. Latvia received the town of Aknīste and some smaller territories in Aknīste Municipality, Ukri parish and Bauska Municipality. Latvia gave up 283,3 square km, while receiving 290 km2.
Was a revolt in the Klaipėda region that had been placed under provisional French administration after World War I. After the revolt the territory was unified with Lithuania.
February 1923: Faced with the fait accompli, the League of Nations had to resolve to accept the transfer of the Memel Territory to Lithuania as an autonomous region.
By late 1938, Lithuania had lost control over the situation in the Memel Territory. In the early hours of 23 March 1939, after a political ultimatum had made a Lithuanian delegation travel to Berlin, the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Juozas Urbšys and his German counterpart Joachim von Ribbentrop signed the Treaty of the Cession of the Memel Territory to Germany in exchange for a Lithuanian Free Zone in the port of Memel, using the facilities erected in previous years.
March 1939: By late 1938, Lithuania had lost control over the situation in the Memel Territory. In the early hours of 23 March 1939, after a political ultimatum had made a Lithuanian delegation travel to Berlin, the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Juozas Urbšys and his German counterpart Joachim von Ribbentrop signed the Treaty of the Cession of the Memel Territory to Germany in exchange for a Lithuanian Free Zone in the port of Memel, using the facilities erected in previous years.
Was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945 (it started sooner in certain regions) between the Axis Powers (mainly Germany, Japan and Italy) and the Allies (mainly the Soviet Union, the U.S.A., the U.K., China and France). It was the war with more fatalities in history. The war in Asia began when Japan invaded China on July 7, 1937. The war in Europe began when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. The war ended with the complete defeat of the Axis powers, which were occupied by the Allies.
6.1.World War II (Eastern Theatre)
Was the Eastern European theatre of World War II.
6.1.1.Soviet occupation of the Baltic states
Was the Soviet invasion of the Baltic states in the early phase of World War II as agreed by Germany and the USSR in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
June 1939: On 15 June the USSR invaded Lithuania.
June 1939: A new "popular front" governments were formed in each Baltic country.
March 1990: On 11 March 1990, a year before the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lithuania became the first Baltic state to proclaim its independence, resulting in the restoration of the independent State of Lithuania.
Republic of Lithuania
