SUMMARY:

In his article Igor Marzaluk traces the development of a historical image of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Rusin-Byelorussian historical scholarship from the 14th century to the period of modern nation-building. The author claims that the main foundations of Byelorussian historical narrative were laid from the 14th to 17th centuries and therefore focuses on an in-depth analysis of the chronicles and polemical works from this period. Marzaluk reconstructs a peculiar perception of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on the side of Rusin elites, which claimed a role for Rusin element in the foundation and development of this polity and fostered a loyalty to this historic community. The author argues that the perception of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as “own” polity was possible due to the narrative of the uninterrupted development of Slavic statehood from the Kievan Rus’ to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.