Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis

The 13th and early 14th century was a time when Lithuania emerged as a grand duchy and became one of the biggest expansion forces in northeast Europe. Unfortunately, we have no information today about what the equipment of a Lithuanian warrior looked like at that time, except for archaeological data and poor historical sources. The aim of this article is to show that by using this apparently quite scanty information, we can create not only an image of the arms and armour used by a particular warrior; there is also a possibility to retrace specific features of warfare by Lithuanians. The search for analogues should not be limited to archaeology. Much information can be obtained from sources in the fine arts and applied arts. The analysis of Medieval art can be as important as research into weapons itself, because an archaeologically discovered object can easily be recognised in fine arts sources. However, this information should be analysed carefully, taking into account certain factors (the special conditions of Medieval art) that may cause the study to go in the wrong direction.

Personal testimonies of the Great War, revealed in memoirs, diaries and publications by Lithuanians, have already been used by historians seeking clarification of the reflection of the military experience in Lithuania. This article shows that a significant part of these testimonies appeared in the interwar period due to the intentional collection and publication of material on military history, and their publication was often not random, but also had a political aspect. Moreover, the article complements earlier knowledge of the fact that the Great War was referred to not only when mentioning the German occupation. The many references to the Great War in the writings of Lithuanian intellectuals, and in the writings and speeches of politicians in the interwar period, had much more varied reasons.

The article is devoted to the military history research of Vilnius and Lithuanian rudiments of the Polish 13th Lancers Regiment. At the end of 1918 the situation with the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania was complicated as the German Army had left this area and the Red Army wanted to take it over. It is worth noticing that Polish society was willing to organize military self-defence to protect themselves from Bolshevik attacks. The most important moment of forming the Polish units was at the end of December 1918 at Pośpieszka estate where the 1st Lancers Regiment of Vilnius was formed. Then it fought the Bolsheviks at the end of 1918 and in January 1919. This way the new page of Polish military history was opened.