Vytautas Merkys
Encyclopedia
Vytautas Merkys is a Lithuanian historian and a professor at Vilnius University
.
in 1951. In 1952 he began working at the Lithuanian SSR Institute of History
, but for ideological reasons he was soon fired, along with Mečislovas Jučas. He returned to the Institute in 1953 as a fellow
.
He initiated his candidacy for a doctorate of philosophy degree in 1957 with the thesis Revoliucinis Vilniaus miesto darbininkų judėjimas 1895–1904 m. (The Revolutionary Movement of Vilnius City Workers from 1895 to 1904), and in 1969 he was awarded a doctorate (the Soviet equivalent of habilitation
) for his dissertation Lietuvos pramonės augimas ir proletariato formavimasis XIX amžiuje (The Growth of Lithuanian Industry and the Formation of the Proletariat in the 19th Century).
In 1986 he left the Institute and was designated head of the Department of Economic History at the Lithuanian SSR Academy of Sciences. He returned to the Institute of History in 1987 and became its director. Between 1992 and 2000 he was a senior fellow there. Merkys has been a professor at Vilnius University since 1991, and was a professor at Vytautas Magnus University
from 1993 to 2000. In 1990 he was elected to the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
, and since 2001 he has been a member of the Lithuanian Catholic Academy of Sciences.
Vytautas Merkys received the Lithuanian presidential award, Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
, third class, in 1995.
, the Lithuanian book smuggling movement
during the ban on the Lithuanian press, the work of the 19th-century historian Simonas Daukantas
, and the life of the 19th-century bishop Motiejus Valančius
.
Vilnius University
Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It is also the largest university in Lithuania....
.
Biography
Merkys graduated from Vilnius University's department of history and philologyPhilology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
in 1951. In 1952 he began working at the Lithuanian SSR Institute of History
Lithuanian Institute of History
The Lithuanian Institute of History is a state-funded research institution in Lithuania. Governed by national law, it is the country's main institution of history research, concentrating mostly on the history of Lithuania and its neighbouring states....
, but for ideological reasons he was soon fired, along with Mečislovas Jučas. He returned to the Institute in 1953 as a fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
.
He initiated his candidacy for a doctorate of philosophy degree in 1957 with the thesis Revoliucinis Vilniaus miesto darbininkų judėjimas 1895–1904 m. (The Revolutionary Movement of Vilnius City Workers from 1895 to 1904), and in 1969 he was awarded a doctorate (the Soviet equivalent of habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
) for his dissertation Lietuvos pramonės augimas ir proletariato formavimasis XIX amžiuje (The Growth of Lithuanian Industry and the Formation of the Proletariat in the 19th Century).
In 1986 he left the Institute and was designated head of the Department of Economic History at the Lithuanian SSR Academy of Sciences. He returned to the Institute of History in 1987 and became its director. Between 1992 and 2000 he was a senior fellow there. Merkys has been a professor at Vilnius University since 1991, and was a professor at Vytautas Magnus University
Vytautas Magnus University
Vytautas Magnus University ) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the interwar period as an alternate national university...
from 1993 to 2000. In 1990 he was elected to the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
The Lithuanian Academy of Sciences or LAS, founded in 1941 as the Lithuanian SSR Academy of Sciences , as an autonomous, state-subsidized establishment serving as a scientific advisory body to the government of Lithuanian SSR...
, and since 2001 he has been a member of the Lithuanian Catholic Academy of Sciences.
Vytautas Merkys received the Lithuanian presidential award, Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this Order. The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke...
, third class, in 1995.
Awards and recognition
- Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke GediminasOrder of the Lithuanian Grand Duke GediminasThe Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this Order. The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke...
, Third Class, 1995 - Lithuanian science award, 1997, for fundamental work on the Lithuanian book smuggling movement between 1864-1904KnygnešiaiBook smugglers were people who transported Lithuanian language books printed in the Latin alphabet into Lithuanian-speaking areas of the Russian Empire, defying a ban on such materials in force from 1866 to 1904...
Important works
Vytautas Merkys' principal works focus on Lithuanian 19th-century and early 20th century history, especially the Lithuanian national revivalLithuanian National Revival
Lithuanian National Revival, alternatively Lithuanian National Awakening , was a period of the history of Lithuania in the 19th century at the time when a major part of Lithuanian inhabited areas belonged to the Russian Empire...
, the Lithuanian book smuggling movement
Knygnešiai
Book smugglers were people who transported Lithuanian language books printed in the Latin alphabet into Lithuanian-speaking areas of the Russian Empire, defying a ban on such materials in force from 1866 to 1904...
during the ban on the Lithuanian press, the work of the 19th-century historian Simonas Daukantas
Simonas Daukantas
Simonas Daukantas or Szymon Dowkont was a Lithuanian writer, ethnographer and historian. One of the pioneers of the Lithuanian national revival, he is credited as an author of the first book on the history of Lithuania written in the Lithuanian language...
, and the life of the 19th-century bishop Motiejus Valančius
Motiejus Valancius
Motiejus Valančius was a Catholic bishop of Samogitia, historian and one of the best known Lithuanian writers of the 19th century.-Biography:...
.
- V. Merkys, Vilniaus darbininkų revoliucinis judėjimas 1905–1907 m. išvakarėse, Vilnius, 1957.V. Merkys, Lietuvos valstiečių ir žemės ūkio darbininkų judėjimas 1901–1904 m., Vilnius, 1959.
- V. Merkys, Liudvikas Janavičius, Vilnius: Vaga, 1964.
- V. Merkys, Narodnikai ir pirmieji marksistai Lietuvoje, Vilnius: Mintis, 1967.
- V. Merkys, Dalevskių šeima, Vilnius: Vaga, 1967.
- J. Jurginis, V. Merkys, A. Tautavičius, Vilniaus miesto istorija nuo seniausių laikų iki Spalio revoliucijos, Vilnius: Mintis, 1968, (Lietuvos SSR valstybinė premija, 1969).
- В. Меркис, Развитие промышленности и формирование пролетариата в Литве в XIX в., Вильнюс: Минтис, 1969.
- M. Valančius, Raštai, t. 2: Žemaičių vyskupystė, parengė V. Merkys, Vilnius, 1972.
- S. Daukantas, Raštai, t. 1–2, sudarė V. Merkys, Vilnius, 1976.
- V. Merkys, Nelegalioji lietuvių spauda kapitalizmo laikotarpiu (ligi 1904 m.). Politinės jos susikūrimo aplinkybės, Vilnius: Mokslas, 1978.
- V. Merkys, Lietuvos valstiečiai ir spauda XIX a. pabaigoje – XX a. pradžioje, Vilnius, 1982.
- Lietuvos TSR istorija, t. 1 Nuo seniausių laikų iki 1917 metų, red. kol. B. Vaitkevičius, M. Jučas, V. Merkys, Vilnius: Mokslas, 1985.
- V. Merkys, L. Mulevičius, R. Vėbra, E. Vidmantas, Lietuvių nacionalinio išsivadavimo judėjimas /ligi 1904 m./, Vilnius: Mokslas, 1987.
- M. Jučas, I. Lukšaitė, V. Merkys, Lietuvos istorija: Nuo seniausių laikų iki 1917 metų, Vilnius: Mokslas, 1988.
- V. Merkys, Simonas Daukantas, 2 papild. leid., Vilnius: Vyturys, 1991.
- V. Merkys, Knygnešių laikai. 1864–1904, Vilnius: Valstybinis leidybos centras, 1994.
- V. Merkys, Draudžiamosios lietuviškos spaudos kelias. 1864–1904: Informacinė knyga, Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla, 1994.
- V. Merkys, Motiejus Valančius: tarp katalikiškojo universalizmo ir tautiškumo, Vilnius: Mintis, 1999.
- V. Merkys, Tautiniai santykiai Vilniaus vyskupijoje 1798-1918 m.: Vilnius: Versus Aureus,2006.