The Melno peace - building sustainable security in Central Europe: a socio-cultural approach

ENThe Melno Peace is a treaty between the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the German (Teutonic) Order of September 27, 1422. a peace treaty was signed, which established the border between the LDK and the Order. It is one of the oldest and most stable cross-border borders in Europe, remaining unchanged for 600 years. Now it is the state border between the Republic of Lithuania and the Russian Federation and the external border of the European Union. Such long-term stability of this border leads to the need to reveal the assumptions and reasons for the observance of the Melno Peace. The durability of the Melno Peace is examined not from a historical but from a sociocultural point of view. This is due to the inner connection of peace and security. Security is a state of protection and protection from danger and confidence in one's knowledge. This threefold interpretation of the meaning of security is conditioned by the fact that security itself expresses a relationship in which there are no threats to the participants of the relationship. Peace is a form of security functioning. It is the absence of violent conflicts between individuals and their groups. The socio-cultural approach is the interpretation of human relations, their interaction and expression of activity, based on the protection of natural rights.From a socio-cultural point of view, the conclusion of the Peace of Melno marks the beginning of the real integration of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) into the Latin European civilization. This approach differs from the historical approach, because according to it, the integration of the GLD began in 1387, when the King of Poland and Grand Duke Jogaila of the GLD baptized the entire land. However, the conditions for real integration were created and expanded only when the aggression of the Teutonic (Teutonic) Order weakened and its transformation into the secular Duchy of Prussia took place. The secular Duchy of Prussia actively participated in creating socio-cultural changes in the western part of the GDL. The weakening of the Order's power is a primary but insufficient prerequisite for the longevity of the Melno Peace. Other reasons for the longevity of the Melno Peace are revealed when examining the integration of the LDK into European culture and civilization. From a socio-cultural point of view, the integration of the LDK into European civilization took place through the development of economic and cultural relations with the countries of Central Eastern Europe and purposeful adoption of their experience. It was the Peace of Melno that opened real ways for the integration of LDK into European culture and civilization. The essential features of this integration were the gradual establishment of sustainable security in Užnemune (Sūduva), the adoption of the western state economy management experience, changes in law, culture and education in the context of the spread of ideas of renaissance and reformation. Keywords: Peace, Melno peace, sustainable security, socio-cultural approach, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Teutonic Order, Statutes of Lithuania. [From the publication]

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