Edvardas Gudavičius is one of the best known historians in modern Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

 specializing in early history of Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...

. In 1953 he graduated from Kaunas Polytechnic Institute with a degree in engineering

Engineering

Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

. Gudavičius started his career as a mechanic at one of the factories in Kaunas

Kaunas

Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...

, but in 1958 moved to Vilnius

Vilnius

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...

. In 1962 he enrolled to Vilnius University

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....

 this time seeking a degree in history

History

History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

. In 1991 he earned the title of professor

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

. He is a full member of 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...

.

To the wider public he mostly known for his work together with Alfredas Bumblauskas

Alfredas Bumblauskas

Alfredas Bumblauskas is a professor at Vilnius University and one of the best known Lithuanian historians.After graduating from Žemaitė school in Telšiai, he enrolled in Vilnius University in 1974. Bumblauskas received his doctoral degree in 1987, and was mentored by Edvardas Gudavičius...

 on the long-running TV show "Būtovės slėpiniai", a talk show

Talk show

A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....

 dedicated to topics of history of Lithuania

History of Lithuania

The history of Lithuania dates back to at least 1009, the first recorded written use of the term. Lithuanians, a branch of the Baltic peoples, later conquered neighboring lands, establishing the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in the 13th century the short-lived Kingdom of Lithuania. The Grand Duchy...

. 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

Statutes of Lithuania

The Statutes of Lithuania originally known as the Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were a 16th century codification of all the legislation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and its successor, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth...

.

Dissertations

• 1971 Lithuanian serfage process and its 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.
• ----, 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
  Order of Vytautas the Great
  The Order of Vytautas the Great is the Lithuanian Presidential Award. It may be conferred on the heads of Lithuania and foreign states, as well as their citizens, for distinguished services to the State of Lithuania.-History:...
  
  , Lithuania, 2003
• The Commander's Cross of the 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...
  
  , Lithuania, 1999
• Lithuanian National Prize
  Lithuanian National Prize
  The Lithuanian National Prize , established in 1989, is an award granted for achievements in culture and the arts. It has been awarded annually in six categories since 2006...
  
  1998.