As a Brazilian I don't have many textbooks about Lithuanian history, so I'm asking this community here what I'm trying to know. Sorry if this question is too long (considering its subquestions), but this is my first post here.
a) Is it correct to call Lithuania a Grand Duchy in 1241? When that title really can be aplied to the country?
b) What was the real extension of the country in 1241? I've found a few maps online, but some of them contradict each other. If a more accurate map could be indicated I'd be glad.
b.1) What about towns and major villages? Which ones were the most important at the time? Is it possible to indicate where they were located?
c) When the Teutonic Order started their crusades (if I can use that word in this context) against Lithuania?
d) Am I correct to assume the great conflicts of that period were the Teutonic Order on the west, the Livonians on the north, and Rus under the Mongols on the east?
e) Literacy seems to be rare in 1241 Lithuania and, as far as I know, there was no written Lithuanian language at the time. What were the usual written languages?
e.1) Birch wood manuscripts were a common thing? Or they were alien to the country at the time?
Thanks in advance for all answers.
Is it too late to answer?
a) Whatever floats your boat, to be honest. All we know of 1241 is that Mindaugas unified the country and baptized 10 years later. There are no local sources on what the title was, and it was referred to in foreign sources as "Lithuania", pretty much.
b) Nobody truly knows. No primary source really goes in detail on the extension of Mindaugas's rule at the time. We know that Lithuanians were unified, Samogitia and Sūduva were in the nation, as well as parts of Sambia and Prussia that he would later give to the Teutonic Knights. There wasn't a solid floating concept of fixed borders at the time, anyway - whoever had the biggest army and could entice his rule was the ruler.
b) 1) Kernavė. Some sources mention Voruta, too.
brb