Lietuvių laisvės kovos: 1863-1864 metų sukilimo patirtys

ENThis article examines how Lithuanian nobles and peasants perceived armed resistance during the 1863–1864 uprising in Poland and Lithuania against the Russian Empire. The study explores proclamations, poems, sung folk songs, and memoirs left by Lithuanian insurgents. Most of these texts continue the historical narrative of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). In their writings, the insurgents portray Lithuania as a “mother” - an active historical subject. They view the uprising as one more battle in the centuries-long Lithuanian struggle for national freedom. The insurgents refer to themselves as “freedom fighters.” They claim to defend not only their faith, liberty, homeland, and peasant rights from the “tyrant of Moscow,” but also “civilisation” itself. Their songs and poems reflect a familiar GDL-era motif: a stark contrast between Lithuanian freedom and Muscovite despotism and barbarism. The texts assert the necessity of uniting the forces of Lithuania, Poland, and Ruthenia in the fight against Moscow. For a “free Lithuania,” they argue, “free Poles” are essential allies. After the failed uprising, Lithuanian insurgents used written texts to preserve the memory of fallen “brothers” and to give meaning to the “struggle for Lithuania.” Writers who took part in the uprising — Andrius Vištelis, Mikalojus Akelaitis, and Juozas Miliauskas-Miglovara - later became active participants in the Lithuanian national movement of the late 19th century.