What do you know about Baltic states and their history(Latvia, Lithuania aka brother states ^^). The things you like about them, things you hate. Historical bits etc.
>>268760
Basically they were Romuva for ages, then the Polish king asked some Christian orders to crusade them and Prussia was invented, as was the Livonian order which as far as I know was the genesis of Latvia - which is also like half protestant because of Sweden.
Lithuania came to be ruled by the king of Poland as the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth. But at that point the Lithuanians conquered so many Slavs that the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was basically a proto-Belarus.
Then the Russians ruined everything.
>>268780
To add to that, Lithuania rose mainly due to its good army and ability to incorporate Ruthenian lands. It wasn't even conquest per se since most people happily accepted pagan Lithuanians over Mongol cunts, plus being pagan and less advanced culturally, a lot of them quickly assimilated into Ruthenian framework.
However, it still wasn't just Ruthenian country because Lithuanians also brought a good state centralization framework with themselves. In other words, it was basically symbiosis.
neither can vote online
>>269266
Bravo.
Latvian here
Our history is pretty dull and boring
It's just various nations fighting each other on our soil and the victor gets to control us for the next century or so. We didn't even had our national identity before late 19th century. By then WW1 happened and we managed to found our independence during the clusterfuck in Eastern Europe during Russian Revolution. Inter War was pretty good though and we really flourished as an nation culturally and economically, but by then Molotov-Ribbentrop pact happened so we were annexed by Soviets and were occupied for 50 years until USSR collapsed. Right now we are living in poverty, 1/3 of our population have left for Western Europe, our government is corrupt and suck EU's cock every chance they get, there is bad blood between Latvians and Russian minority and everyone blames USSR for our shit economy, yet no one cares that we had 25 years to get our shit together.
GIMME THE QUADS
>>269205
>It wasn't even conquest per se since most people happily accepted pagan Lithuanians over Mongol cunts.
This only applies to Belarusian territories, Ukrainian ones were conquered and don't forget that Lithuanians up until about 1180~ paid tribute to Principality of Polotsk and served as mercenaries and onwards from that date they started invading everyone surrounding them.
>During the 10–11th centuries, Lithuanian territories were among the lands paying tribute to Kievan Rus', and Yaroslav the Wise was among the Ruthenian rulers who invaded Lithuania (from 1040). From the mid-12th century, it was the Lithuanians who were invading Ruthenian territories. In 1183, Polotsk and Pskov were ravaged, and even the distant and powerful Novgorod Republic was repeatedly threatened by the excursions from the emerging Lithuanian war machine toward the end of the 12th century.
And some of those lands already had Lithuanian dukes even before incorporation into GDL. There's even a Novgorod birch bark document mentioning Lithuanians invading Karelia in 1066, but don't really know how reliable are they.
>>271997
>Ukrainian ones were conquered
Conquered is a strong word even here. Lithuanian nobility happily accepted Ruthenian culture. It was not total assimilation, of course, because as I said, Lithuanians brought a lot of advancements in state governing mechanisms.
>>268760
I know lithuania used to be huge, before they became a part of the polish lithuanian commonwealth
>>272044
>Conquered is a strong word even here.
What I'm referring that Ukrainian territories didn't "voluntarily" joined GDL.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_on_the_Irpin_River
First in about 1320's Gediminas conquered Kiev and installed his own family members there as dukes. But they were still tributary to Golden Horde up until this battle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blue_Waters
>Lithuanian nobility happily accepted Ruthenian culture.
That's true.
I like the Baltic Freikorps units that were in operation for a few years after WWI. You guys should have let them stay in power tbqh.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freikorps_in_the_Baltic
HATE LATVIANS
Lithuanian here
i'm sure i'm not helpful cause i'm only here for the /phil/ but i know the first mentioning of Lithuania by name is the quedlinburg chronicle in 1009. also when i was in school my teacher said King Mindaugas conquered by having his sons become the leaders of foreign territories though i've no reason to assume this is true. Lithuania's still at the geographic center of europe, also it's a developing country which seems to lag behind culturally. I visited my family there this summer so if any of you're into /nature/ here i can post some pics. Lithuanians tend to dislike the polish at least comedically: there's an old joke that goes:
Jonas was living with his mother at 20 years old, and his mother was concerned about his love life.
>she asks him "Jonai, are there any girls you're interested in?"
>"no mom i'm fine"
>"well what about emilija upstairs, she's got that beautiful hair, and her makeup is always so perfectly done"
>"no mom please i'm alright"
"what about alina downstairs, she's got those cute glasses and she's so intelligent"
>"no mom really"
>"and what about žana across the hall? she can cook well, and she loves animals"
>"mom please"
>"really? there isn't a single girl you're interested in?"
>Jonas sighs, "mom do you promise not to get angry? -I'm in love with Petras."
>"WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY? [lithuanians are traditionally homphobic] HE'S POLISH!"
I'm trying to give as much info as i can and i'm pretty drunk pham so forgive me if this isn't useful.
I also know that during the grand duchy, Lithuanian language was less popular than polish, which i suspect may be part of the reason there's alot more polaks than lithuanians.
My father grew up in a town in lithuania where polish language was somewhat popular, and as a result he learned polish. Additionally due to the period of soviet rule nearly all people over 30 speak Russian. all heavy Lithuanian curse words are in Russian. I can't really think of any severe curse words in lithuanian.
I know they have some really well recorded paganism because they held onto it later than everyone else and latvian girls are supposed to be hot.
that's it im sorry
>>273901
Lithuania has one of the top 3 suicide rates in the world (depending on the source). I don't suspect that this is genetic because i've never heard anyone talk about it socially. i've been loosely suicidal since i was about twelve, my great grandma killed herself. a very famous lithuanian celebrity, Šapranauskas, killed himself just a few years ago.
Lithuania also had one of the highest alcohol consumption in the world according to WHO in 2010. Alcohol is a very strong article of Lithuanian culture. When i was there i had beer at every social lunch and dinner, also liquor at dinner.
sorry i'm no good with history, also real drunk, hope any of that info was useful. If you've anything else to ask i might be able to answer i'll come back periodically.
>>273951
>genetic
cultural*
>>268780
>Lithuania came to be ruled by the king of Poland
Partially wrong. Poland came to be ruled by a Lithuanian grand duke, who accepted the title of a king. Of course little by little Lithuanian nobility was assimilated into polish culture, but still.
>accepted Ruthenian culture.
>Not assimilated
This. A lot of people don't understand this.
So Estonia can not into Nordics AND Baltics?
>>276854
>Baltic
Yes.
>Balt
No.
>>276854
Estonians are more nordic than balt.
>>277477
Estonians are between four cultural groups, and stuck in the middle like a candle up the arse.
>>276854
I could accept Estonia as nordic if they became a part of Finland
>>277612
I could accept Estonia as Nordic if they had a welfare state, a real army and a president that wasn't a CIA-puppet.
>>277624
>I could accept Estonia as Nordic if they had a welfare state, a real army and a president that wasn't a CIA-puppet.
>a real army
>>276854
I'm the Lithuanian from before
Balts generally don't think of Estonians as Balts. I'm quite sure geography is the only reason anyone may think the two are related culturally.
languages are totally different as Estonian is Finnic while Lithuanian and Latvian are east-Baltic. Even Lithuanian and Latvian aren't mutually intelligible.
>>273923
>really well recorded paganism
lolno
Most of our pagan stuff was made up during the Interwar.
