The Triumphant Genealogical Awareness of the Nobility in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 17th and 18th Centuries

Abstract

This article attempts to show how the manifestation of ancestors was expressed in the genealogical awareness of the nobility in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, using publications to mark special occasions in the 17th and 18th centuries, genealogical trees and diagrams. The research seeks to establish what effect the exaltation of various battles had on the genealogical memory of the nobility in the Grand Duchy, bearing in mind the context of its involvement in one of the most famous battles it ever fought. The genealogical sources mentioned were examined in order to ascertain which battles and what memories of the commanders who fought in them were important to the genealogical awareness of the nobility, and why this memory was selective, for some battles and notable heroes from these battles are remembered and glorified, while others are simply forgotten. Memories of which battles were important to the genealogical presentation of certain families, how was it expressed, and in what period were the ancestors who participated in these battles remembered? The first part of the study presents the memory of ancestors as soldiers, and the ways this memory was expressed. The second part focuses on ancestors who distinguished themselves in specific battles, and which family members who participated in battles are remembered and honoured, in this way distinguishing them from other ancestors.