Martynas Mažvydas (1510 – 21 May 1563) was a
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
author who edited the first printed book in the
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian (, ) is an East Baltic languages, East Baltic language belonging to the Baltic languages, Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the language of Lithuanians and the official language of Lithuania as well as one of t ...
.
Variants of his name include Martinus Masvidius, Martinus Maszwidas, M. Mossuids Waytkūnas, Mastwidas, Mažvydas, Mosvidius, Maswidsche, and Mossvid Vaitkuna.
Biography
Mažvydas was a prolific 16th century Lithuanian author, who is associated with the beginnings of
Lithuanian literature. He was of
Samogitia
Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian language, Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see Samogitia#Etymology and alternative names, below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five ...
n origin, born near
Žemaičių Naumiestis (now in
Šilutė district municipality
Šilutė (; previously ''Šilokarčiama''; ) is a city in the south of the Klaipėda County in western Lithuania. The city was part of the Klaipėda Region and ethnographic Lithuania Minor. Šilutė was the interwar period, interwar capital of Š ...
) in the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
; his parents were said to be indigent townspeople. Mažvydas spent his youth in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
, where he worked together with other pioneering Lithuanian authors from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, such as
Abraomas Kulvietis,
Jurgis Zablockis, and possibly
Stanislovas Rapolionis. Later Mažvydas would publish some of their works.
In Roman Catholic Lithuania Mažvydas was persecuted for his
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
leanings, which motivated him to accept an invitation from
Duke Albrecht of Prussia to come to
Königsberg
Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
. He entered
Albertina University in 1546; in 1548 he graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree. The fact that Mažvydas graduated in one-and-a-half years suggests that he had studied elsewhere before – possibly in
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
, or at the school established by Kulvietis in Vilnius. It has also been suggested that he was teaching at Albertina University.
To spread the new Protestant faith in Prussia, Duke Albrecht commissioned the translation and publication of Lutheran texts in Old Prussian and Lithuanian. In the year 1547, while still a student in Königsberg, Mažvydas and his collaborators compiled and published the first printed Lithuanian book ''
Catechismusa Prasty Szadei'' ("The Simple Words of Catechism") at the
Hans Weinreich printing works in an edition of no more than 300 copies. It was based on the Polish version of Martin Luther's "Kleiner Katechismus". This book shows characteristics of the
Samogitian dialect
Samogitian ( or sometimes , or ; ), is an Eastern Baltic language spoken primarily in Samogitia and is often considered a dialect of Lithuanian.
It has preserved many features of the extinct Curonian language, such as specific phonologica ...
of Lithuanian, with clearly visible
Aukštaitian traits.
It was printed at about the same time as the first books in neighbouring nations' languages:
Polish in 1513 or 1514,
Belarusian in 1522,
Estonian
Estonian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe
* Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent
* Estonian language
* Estonian cuisine
* Estonian culture
See also ...
in 1535, and
Latvian in 1585.
In 1549, Mažvydas was appointed a priest in
Ragainė, in the present-day town of
Neman
Neman, Nemunas or Niemen is a river in Europe that rises in central Belarus and flows through Lithuania then forms Lithuania–Russia border, the northern border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia's western exclave, which specifically follows its s ...
. In the same year he wrote and published ''The Song of St. Ambrosy'', with a dedication in Lithuanian. In 1554 Mažvydas became the
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...
of Ragainė. He oversaw the education of his parishioners, regulated agricultural matters, and continued his literary work in Lithuanian. He translated "The Form of Baptism" from German into Lithuanian and published it in Königsberg in 1559. Between 1558 and 1562 he published "The Prussian Agenda" into the prayer "Paraphrasis", published in Königsberg in 1589, after the death of the translator. Another of his major works is "The Christian Songs" (''Gesmes Chriksczoniskas, Gedomas Baszniczosu Per Aduenta ir Kaledas ik Gramniczu'') (Part I, in 1566; Part II, in 1570), printed by his cousin Baltramiejus Vilentas. This book served as a basis for other Protestant books of songs that would later be published in
Lithuania Minor
Lithuania Minor (; ; ) or Prussian Lithuania (; ; ) is one of five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is a historical region of Prussia, where Prussian Lithuanians (or Lietuvininkai) lived, now located in Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Obla ...
.
Mažvydas initiated the patterns of several genres of Lithuanian literature: a
primer; a catechism; a book of songs with notes; a prayer book; a translation of
Holy Writ; and original prefaces and dedications.
He died in
Königsberg
Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
(now
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad,. known as Königsberg; ; . until 1946, is the largest city and administrative centre of Kaliningrad Oblast, an Enclave and exclave, exclave of Russia between Lithuania and Poland ( west of the bulk of Russia), located on the Prego ...
), aged about 53.
The Catechism
In the year 1547 Mažvydas compiled and published the first printed Lithuanian book – the
Catechism
A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...
(''The Simple Words of Catechism''), that was the beginning of literature and printing in Lithuanian. The book was printed in
Königsberg
Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
.
The book consists of the dedication in Latin ''To the Grand Duchy of Lithuania'', two prefaces: one in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
(in prose), and one in Lithuanian (in verse), a primer, the catechism, and the book of songs. The rhymed preface in Lithuanian, ''The Appeal of The Small Book Itself Unto Lithuanians and Samogitians'', is the first authentic verse in Lithuanian. An
acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...
, the initial letters of its lines from 3 to 19 downwards, form the name of the author, Martinus Masvidius, thus confirming his authorship.
The prefaces state the aims of the author, namely, to educate people and spread culture, to fight the remains of heathen beliefs, and to consolidate the
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
religion. The style of the preface is distinctly rhetorical; it is the most prominent example of syntactical-intonational prosody in Lithuanian literature.
Approximately 200 copies were printed; only two have survived. One is held at the
Vilnius University
Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...
Library in Lithuania, and another at
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń or NCU (, UMK) is located in Toruń, Poland. It is named after Nicolaus Copernicus, who was born in Toruń in 1473.
History
The beginnings of higher education in Toruń
The first institution of higher ...
Library in Poland.
The first Lithuanian book, A fragment from the text-book, 1547
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
, 2006.
Bibliography
* ''Catechismvsa prasty szadei, makslas skaitima raschta yr giesmes…'' – Königsberg: H. Weinreich, 1547. – 79p.
* ''Giesme s. Ambraseijaus bey s. Augustina…'' – Königsberg. H. Weinreich, 1549. – 16p.
* ''Forma chrikštima…'' – Königsberg: J. Daubman, 1559. – 2.
* Gesmes chriksczoniskas, gedomas bažniczosu per adventa ir kaledas ik gramniču / šleido B.Vilentas – Königsberg: J. Daubman, 1566. – 4.
* Gesmes chrikščoniškas, gedomas bažniczosu per velikas ir sekminias ik adventa / arengė ir išleido B.Vilentas – Königsberg: J. Daubman, 1570. – 50.
* Lietuviškos maldos. – Karaliaučius, 1574.
* Trumpas klausimas ir prieprovimas... // M.Liuteris Enchiridion: Katechismas mažas... – Königsberg: G.Osterberger, 1579, p. 7-72
* ''Parafrasis permanitina poteraus malda…'' – Königsberg, G. Osterberger, 1589. – 14 p.
*
References
::In-line:
::General:
*
Short info about Mažvydas' Hymnals
by Jūratė Trilupaitienė
* Trilupaitienė, Jūratė. Martynas Mažvydas: The First Lithuanian Hymns – Vilnius: Baltos lankos, 1998, 27 p.
* Bense, Gertrud: Zum regionalen und personalen Umfeld des früheren preußisch-litauischen Schrifttums. In: Annaberger Annalen 4 (1996), Seite 55–6
* Korsakas, Kostas et al. Martynas Mažvydas: Pirmoji lietuviška knyga. Vilnius, 1974.
External links
The Preface of The Simple Words of Catechism, in modernised Lithuanian
The original Preface of The Simple Words of Catechism, in Lithuanian
About Ragnit (Neman), in Russian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazvydas, Martynas
1510 births
1563 deaths
People from Šilutė District Municipality
People from the Duchy of Prussia
Lithuanian Lutheran clergy
Lithuanian emigrants
Archdeacons
History of the Lithuanian language
Lithuania Minor
Lithuanian writers
16th-century Lithuanian people
Lithuanian expatriates in Germany
University of Königsberg alumni