After the collapse of the Polish-Lithuania Commonwealth, Lithuania fell under the yoke of the Russian Empire. For over 100 years the Lithuanians managed to preserve their language, traditions and customs despite a systematic, state-orchestrated campaign to stamp it out.

In part IV of our history of Lithuania series, we tell the story of how, through extraordinary tenacity, perseverance, cleverness and sacrifice, the Lithuanians kept their identity right through to independence in 1919.

We begin from the partitions of the Polish-Lithuania Commonwealth, through the Napoleonic wars, Russification, and the heroic book carriers.

0:00 Introduction
0:45 The Bar Confederation
1:34 First Partition of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
3:15 Second Partition of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
4:09 Warsaw Uprising
4:26 Vilnius Uprising
4:56 Third Partition of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
5:20 Napoleon Era
6:21 Duchy of Warsaw
10:21 Lithuania under the Russian Empire
11:50 November Uprising
13:42 Emilia Plater
14:51 Russification Policies
15:32 January Uprising
16:39 The Hangman
18:58 Book carrier movement
25:22 Lithuania declares Independence

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