Edvardas Gudavičius (1929-)

Edvardas Gudavičius (born on September 6, 1929 in Kaunas) is one of the best known historians in modern Lithuania specializing in early history of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1953 he graduated from Kaunas Polytechnic Institute with a degree in engineering. Gudavičius started his career as a mechanic at one of the factories in Kaunas, but in 1958 moved to Vilnius. In 1962 he enrolled to Vilnius University this time seeking a degree in history. In 1991 he earned the title of professor. He is a full member of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.

To the wider public he mostly known for his work together with Alfredas Bumblauskas on the long-running TV show "Būtovės slėpiniai", a talk show dedicated to topics of history of Lithuania. Gudavičius is a frequent contributor to various reference works, including the currently in print 20-volume Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija. He also published works on the Statutes of Lithuania.

Dissertations

 * 1971 Lithuanian serfage process and it's reflection in The first Statute
 * 1989 Lithuania in the Balts war against German aggression in 13th century

Publications

 * Žymenys ir ženklai Lietuvoje XII-XX a., Vilnius, 1981, 131 p.
 * Pirmasis Lietuvos Statutas (together with Stanislovas Lazutka), Vilnius, 1983, t. 1, d. 1: Paleografinė ir tekstologinė nuorašų analizė; Vilnius, 1985, t. 1, d. 2: Dzialinskio, Lauryno ir Ališavos nuorašų faksimilės; Vilnius, 1991, t. 2, d. 1: Tekstai senąja baltarusių, lotynų ir senąja lenkų kalbomis. ISBN 5-417-00548-7.
 * Kryžiaus karai Pabaltijyje ir Lietuva XIII amžiuje, Vilnius, 1989, 192 p. ISBN 5-420-00241-8.
 * Miestų atsiradimas Lietuvoje, Vilnius, 1991, 95 p. ISBN 5-420-00723-1.
 * Mindaugas, Vilnius, 1998, 360 p. ISBN 9986-34-020-9.
 * Lietuvos istorija. Nuo seniausių laikų iki 1569 metų, Vilnius, 1999, 664 p. ISBN 9986-39-112-1.
 *  (by Edvardas Gudavičius), Vilnius, 2002, 116 p. ISBN 9955-445-55-6.
 * Lietuvos europėjimo keliais: istorinės studijos, Vilnius, 2002, 384 p. ISBN 9955-445-42-4.
 * Lietuvos akto promulgacijos kelias: nuo Vytauto kanceliarijos iki Lietuvos Metrikos, Vilnius, 2006, 80 p. ISBN 9986-19-913-1.

Awards
Edvardas Gudavičius received these awards:
 * The Commander's Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great, Lithuania, 2003
 * The Commander's Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, Lithuania, 1999
 * Lithuanian National Prize 1998.