Adolfas Šapoka (13 February 1906 – 9 March 1961) was a prominent Lithuanian medieval historian. He attended lectures at both

Prague University ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , underg ...

and

Stockholm University Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, so ...

before becoming a prominent lecturer himself at the

Vytautas Magnus Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...

and Vilnius universities. Šapoka contributed to the development of the '' Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija'' as well as medieval historiography in interwar Lithuania. In 1944 he and his family moved to Germany and in 1946 moved again to Canada, where he died. Šapoka's most widely known contribution is ''"Lietuvos istorija"'', a study of Lithuania's history from the Baltic Tribes period up to his present-day.

Biography

Early life

Adolfas Šapoka was born on 13 February 1906 in the village of to Juozapas Šapoka and Konstancija Mikulėnaitė. He attended school in Utena. In 1925 he finished the Panevėžys gymnasium and entered Vytautas Magnus University. He studied with historians ,

Ignas Jonynas Ignas Jonynas (January 24, 1884 – July 14, 1954) was a Lithuanian diplomat, historian, and university professor. As a diplomat he is known for negotiations with the Second Polish Republic and League of Nations regarding Vilnius Region. As a h ...

, , and . In 1929 he graduated from the Faculty of Humanitarian Sciences. In 1930 he completed military service and was granted the rank of junior lieutenant.

Activity abroad and in Lithuania

From 1930 to 1931 Šapoka studied at

Charles University ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , undergr ...

in Prague. In 1933 he traveled to

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

and attended special courses for foreign historians, as well as collected documents from archives. From 1932 Šapoka was a lecturer at the Vytautas Magnus University. From 1934 he participated in the Lithuanian historical society. In 1936 he and other historians published ''"Lietuvos istorija"'' (History of Lithuania). Šapoka also edited a publication on Jogaila, and also published articles in the newspapers ''Praeitis'', ''Senovė'', ''Vairas'', and ''Židinys''. Šapoka's thesis on Lithuania and Poland after the Union of Lublin earned him a doctorate in 1938. His habilitation thesis on the

Treaty of Kėdainiai The Treaty of Kėdainiai or Kiejdany, signed on 17 August 1655, was a Swedish– Lithuanian agreement during the Second Northern War. After the Polish forces had been decisively defeated in the Battle of Ujście in which the Poznań and Kalisz ...

and Swedes in Lithuania in 1655–1656 made Šapoka a

docent The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de conf ...

Immigration and final years

In 1940 the faculty of history was moved to Vilnius. Šapoka was preparing to go there, however he was removed from Vytautas Magnus University by Soviet authorities. From 1940 to 1941 he participated in the editing of the '' Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija'' and lectured on history in the

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

higher technic school. During

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

from 1941 to 1943 Šapoka was a docent in Vilnius University. In 1944 Šapoka and his family moved to Germany. He lectured on history in a Lithuanian gymnasium and Lithuanian technic school. In 1948 Šapoka immigrated to Canada. From 1941 to 1961 he edited the Catholic newspaper ''Tėviškės žiburiai''. In 1950 Šapoka re-released ''"Lietuvos istorija"'' in Germany. He contributed to the making of a Lithuanian encyclopedia in Boston. Šapoka was a council member of the Lithuanian-Canadians Society. Adolfas Šapoka died on 9 March 1961 in Toronto, Canada. He was buried in Park Lawn Cemetery.

Historical work and publications

Šapoka was known for logical intellect and analytical thinking. ''"Lietuvos istorija"'' was a successful and prominent contemporary publication with record-hitting sales, being used as a study guide for future academics. It garnered much attention from the public, with a record of 17,500 sales. The publication remained an important work for those studying the history of Lithuania for several decades to come. It was re-released in 1989 and sold over 100,000 copies and 155,000 copies in 1990. Šapoka is also known for his publications on Lithuanian medieval history. It was colloquially known as ''"Šapokos istorija"'' (Šapokas's History).

References

External links

''"Lietuvos istorija"''
by Adolfas Šapoka, 1932, Kaunas {{DEFAULTSORT:Sapoka, Adolfas 1906 births 1961 deaths 20th-century Lithuanian historians Lithuanian expatriates in Canada 20th-century Lithuanian educators People from Vilna Governorate 20th-century historians Burials at Park Lawn Cemetery