The article deals with the political and spiritual characteristics of Kristijonas Donelaitis’ epoch that affected the formation of the pioneer of the Lithuanian secular literature and made an impact on the content of his literary works. The significance of the political and spiritual reforms for the preservation of the language and culture of Prussian Lithuanians via the church and school is highlighted; attention is drawn to the fact the the modernization of the state had a positive effect on the linguistic and educational situation of ethnic minorities due to which the intellectuals of the Enlightenment epoch paid attention to the cultural and linguistic situation of the ethnic group of Lithuanians.