Vilniaus universitetas: istorinės ir istoriografinės kolizijos

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Vilniaus universitetas (VU; Vilnius University); Aukštasis mokslas; Istorinės ir istoriografinės kolizijos; Higher education; Historical and historiographical collisions.

ENIn 2009, Lithuania commemorated its Millennium. Starting the count of years in the Christian Millennium era, when everybody perceived literally the words of Revelation of St. John that read that after a thousand years Christ would come to judge according to the "Book of Life" Lithuania now had an opportunity to reflect on what it had created in a thousand years. In the context of the Millennium ideas, the establishment of Vilnius University is one of the most significant events of the Lithuanian Millennium. The scientific institution founded by Jesuits and the king Stephanus Batoreus of the Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth in 1579, formally known as Academia ct Univcrsitas Vilnensis Societatis Jesu, after the abolition of the Society of Jesuits became a state institution and in 1783 was renamed to the Highest School of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which after the last division of the Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth and the annexation of Lithuania by Russia in 1795 was renamed to the High School of Vilnius; in 1803 it received a new Statute and was named the Imperial Vilnius University which later, in 1863 , was closed as a punishment to Lithuania for the anti-Russian uprising. In December 1918, the authorities of the reinstated Lithuania established Vilnius University de jure as a successor to the old Vilnius University. In view of the complicated political situation, in 1919 the University recstablishment was cleared both by Bolsheviks and the Polish government which annexed Vilnius. It succeeded in implementing the declared restoration of the university, which was then renamed into Stcplun Batory University. When Lithuania regained Vilnius in 1939, the faculties of Vytautas Magnus University (established in 1922 under the name of the Lithuanian University) moved from Kaunas to Vilnius, and from 1940, an educational institution known as Vilnius University began functioning again.Under this name, the University functioned until March 1943 when it was closed again, this time by the Nazi occupational aministration. In the summer of 1944, when Lithuania was reoccupicd by the Soviet Union, the name of Vilnius University under the Soviet regime was continually changing; in 1979 it had the longest name in its entire history: Vilnius Vmcas Kapsukas State University of the Labour Red Flag and Order of Friendship of Nations. In 1990, after the restoration of independence, the shortest name - Vilnius University - was reinstated again. Different names did not imply any major qualitative change. In most cases they were politically motivated, caused by external factors (losses of independence, occupations, loss of the capital city Vilnius etc.). Despite geopolitical fractures and the resultant profound changes in the University structure, the consistent conversion of the University names and activity periods clearly shows that all former University styles are the one and only Vilnius University, despite the political system, the states political dependence, the dominant ideas and teaching languages (Latin dominated till 1805-1817, Polish till 1919-1939, Lithuanian has been used since 1940). The variable life of Vilnius University due, to geopolitical fractures also affected the formation of its historiographical trends. Historiography had doubts as to the continuity of the history of Vilnius University in the course of centuries. It was characteristic of the Lithuanian historiography of the 4th decade, and of the Soviet historiography of the 6th decade of the 20th century. The uncertainty was also ptesent in the global scientific community. In the academic community, perhaps the most widely spread news of Vilnius University was distributed in 1983 by the most comprehensive university register by Lubor Jilek.According to the register, Vilnius had two universities: Stephan Batory University (1578-1939 ) and Kapsukas University originating from the Lithuanian University in 1939. The opinion was influenced by the nationalist trend in Polish historiography. In the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century, Polish historiography considered the entire Grand Duchy of Lithuania to be a Polish civilization mission area and simultaneously part of the Polish civilization, although this historiography had some exceptions treating the Lithuanian state and civilization as separate up to 1791. There were only different versions of the traditional Polish historical thought. Stereotypes are automatically repeated by assuming Lithuania, even before the Union of Lublin (1569), as part of the Jagiellonian Poland, and calling the common Lithuanian and Polish state created by the Union of Lublin not by its official name, i.e. the Republic of Two Nations (Rzeczpospolila Obojga Narodow), but Rzeczpospolica Polska (the Republic of Poland). We can still see the concepts of Polish "kresy" and stereotypes of Vilnius as an old Polish city; the patronage federalism ideas are still alive, too. In this context, Jilek's message that Vilnius University as a Polish university was restored in 1919 and existed until 1939 adequately reflected the traditional Polish versions of historical culture. The University of Vilnius restored by the Polish Government in 1919 wa s originally seen as a source of traditions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After 1922, it was already treated as a reviver of a Polish university. In fact, in 1919-1939 Vilnius University was developed as a Polish university. In the symbolism of Stephan Batory University, the Polish Eagle appeared above the Vytis of Lithuania. [...]. [Extract, p. 957-958]