The Last Pagans? Paganism in the Medieval Baltic

Ideology, Society and Medieval Religion Seminar Series

While Christianity, Islam and Judaism are recognised as the major religions of medieval Europe, until the end of the 14th century one of Europe’s largest polities, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was (at least officially) pagan. But what was the religion of the Lithuanians? This talk explores the nature of Baltic traditional religion and its status within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, drawing attention to the problematic nature of sources produced by crusaders and their supporters. The talk draws on archaeological as well as textual and cultural evidence in an effort to understand Europe’s last pagan polity. The talk will consider why Baltic paganism proved the most enduring of Europe’s traditional religions south of the Arctic Circle, and why and how Lithuania eventually became a Catholic nation.

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For more information, or to be added to our mailing list, please contact Emmie (emmie.price-goodfellow@york.ac.uk) or Tim (tim.wingard@york.ac.uk). You can also view all upcoming events on our website, https://medreligion.wordpress.com