Mykolas Biržiška (; ; 24 August 1882, in
Viekšniai – 24 August 1962, in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
), a
Lithuanian editor, historian, professor of literature, diplomat, and politician, was
one of the twenty signatories of the
Act of Independence of Lithuania
The Act of Independence of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Nepriklausomybės Aktas) or the Act of February 16, also the Lithuanian Resolution on Independence ( lt, Lietuvos Nepriklausomybės Nutarimas), The signed document is actually titled simply '' ...
.
Biography
Born in a
noble Lithuanian family Biržiška was twice expelled from the
Gymnasium in Šiauliai after refusing to attend Orthodox services, and after organising a Lithuanian evening, although later was allowed to finish the studies.
He graduated from law school at the
University of Moscow
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
in 1907. He was arrested at a student meeting in 1902 for advocating Lithuanian causes and served part of a two-year sentence, but succeeded in regaining admission to the university. After returning to
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
, he became involved in the independence movement, frequently contributing articles to periodicals and later working with the War Relief Committee. at the time he was also working as assistant of
Tadeusz Wróblewski. In 1915 he became principal of the first Lithuanian high school in Vilnius.
Together with his fellows he wrote a letter for US President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
asking for support for Independence of Lithuania.
In 1918 he was elected a member of the
Council of Lithuania, and signed the Act in 1918. He served briefly as Minister of Education in the Second Cabinet of Ministers, and was busy preparing to reopen
Vilnius University
Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
.
On 31 January 1920, Mykolas Biržiška wrote in ''
Lietuvos aidas
''Lietuvos aidas'' (literally: ''Echo of Lithuania'') is a daily newspaper in Lithuania. It was established on September 6, 1917 by Antanas Smetona, and became the semi-official voice of the newly formed Lithuanian government. When the government ...
'':
the issue of belonging to a certain nationality is not decided by everyone at will, it is not a matter that can be resolved according to the principles of political liberalism
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...
, even one cloaked in democratic slogans.
During the events that preceded the Polish occupation of Vilnius in 1920, Biržiška acted as a negotiator. In summer 1921 he landed in court for an article in newspaper "Straż Litwy", and was defended by attorney Tadeusz Wróblewski. He was one of 32 Lithuanians arrested in January 1922 and expelled formally a month later by decision of Aleksander Meysztowicz, president of Central Lithuania provisional government, from Vilnius and handed over to Lithuanian army.
He moved to
Kaunas, the
temporary capital A temporary capital or a provisional capital is a city or town chosen by a government as an interim base of operations due to some difficulty in retaining or establishing control of a different metropolitan area. The most common circumstances leadin ...
, where he became a professor of literature at
University of Lithuania
Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) ( lt, Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas (VDU)) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the interwar period as an alternate national university.
Initially it was k ...
. While a professor, he was an editor of the
Lithuanian Encyclopedia, and participated in a number of social and cultural organizations. He became founder and chairman of the
Union for the Liberation of Vilnius
The Union for the Liberation of Vilnius ( lt, Vilniaus vadavimo sąjunga or ) was an organization established in 1925 to support Lithuanian territorial claims to Vilnius Region then part of the Second Polish Republic. With 27,000 members and 600,0 ...
. Biržiška then served as
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of
Vilnius University
Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
from 1940 to March 1943, and in autumn 1944.
After the second
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
occupation in 1944, Biržiška went to
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, and was a professor at the
Baltic University in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
and
Pinneberg
Pinneberg (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Pinnbarg'') is a town in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. It is the capital of the district of Pinneberg and has a population of about 43,500 inhabitants. Pinneberg is located 18&nbs ...
. He moved to the United States in 1949. He pursued his earliest interests,
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
and
folk dance, until his death in 1962.
Family
Biržiška belonged to an eminent
noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Gr ...
family. His grandfather Leonardas Biržiška was an active participant in the
1839-1831 Uprising; and his brothers,
Vaclovas Biržiška
Vaclovas Biržiška (2 December 1884 – 3 January 1956) was a Lithuanian attorney, bibliographer, and educator.
He was a member of a notable Lithuanian family; his great-grandfather Mykolas Biržiška was a representative in the Sejm when the Co ...
and
Viktoras Biržiška, were also leaders of the Lithuanian community. His father, the physician Antanas Biržiška, declined a professorship at the University of Moscow to practice medicine in the rural areas of Lithuania.
He had two daughters Marija Biržiškaite and Ona Biržiškaitė Barauskienė and three grandchildren.
Selected bibliography
* ''Lietuvių dainų literatūros istorija'', 1919.
* ''Mūsų raštų istorija. 1547-1904'', expanded later to "Mūsų raštų istorja (nuo 16 a. iki 1864) (1925).
* ''Dainos kelias'',1921.
* ''Barono gyvenimas ir raštai'', 1924.
* ''Duonelaičio gyvenimas ir raštai'', 1927.
* ''Rinktiniai mūsų senovės raštai'', 1927.
* Together with his brother Vaclovas he prepared and published a work by
Simonas Daukantas
Simonas Daukantas ( pl, Szymon Dowkont; 28 October 1793 – 6 December 1864) was a Lithuanian/Samogitian historian, writer, and ethnographer. One of the pioneers of the Lithuanian National Revival, he is credited as the author of the first book o ...
, ''Darbai senųjų lietuvių ir žemaičių'', 1929.
* ''Aleksandrynas'', 3 vol. (1960-1965) Bibliography of Lithuanian writers up to 1865. Primarily Vaclovas' work, but Mykolas served as collaborator and editor after Vaclovas' death in 1956.
* ''Anuo metu Viekšniuose ir Šiauliuose'' (memoirs).
* ''Lietuvių tautos Kelias'' 2 vol. written in exile in Los Angeles, 1952
Notes
Sources
*
References
* "Biržiška, Mykolas". Encyclopedia Lituanica I: 364:365. (1970–1978). Ed. Simas Sužiedėlis. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. LCC 74-114275.
Biographyat
Lituanus
''Lituanus'' is an English language quarterly journal dedicated to Lithuanian and Baltic languages, linguistics, political science, arts, history, literature, and related topics. It is published by the non-profit Lituanus Foundation, Inc., and ha ...
magazine.
Biography at Lietuvos Seimas website(in Lithuanian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birziska, Mykolas
1882 births
1962 deaths
People from Viekšniai
People from Shavelsky Uyezd
19th-century Lithuanian nobility
20th-century Lithuanian nobility
Ministers of Education of Lithuania
Members of the Council of Lithuania
Lithuanian male writers
20th-century Lithuanian historians
Lithuanian literature historians
Lithuanian encyclopedists
Lithuanian independence activists
Lithuanian ethnographers
Lithuanian emigrants to the United States
Moscow State University alumni
Rectors of Vilnius University
Rectors of Vytautas Magnus University
Lithuanian writers in Polish