History of Lithuania the Lithuanian Chronicles and the Statutes of Lithuania, were all written in that language. German, Jewish and Armenian settlers were invited to live in Lithuania; the last two groups established their own denominational communities directly under the ruling dukes. The Tatars and Crimean Karaites were entrusted as soldiers for the dukes' personal guard. Towns developed to a much lesser degree than in nearby Prussia or Livonia. Outside of Ruthenia, the only cities were Vilnius (Gediminas' capital from 1323), the old capital of Trakai and Kaunas. Kernavė and Kreva were the other old political centers. Vilnius in the 14th century was
Law of Lithuania 2004. The civil law and commercial law is codified in a single legal act - the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania () which is in force since 1 July 2001. It is influenced by the civil codes of Quebec and the Netherlands. The commercial law in Lithuania is of an increasingly excellent drafting quality and the market in Lithuanian legal services is now increasingly competitive. Legal professionals are prepared and the law is researched in departments of three universities of Lithuania: Law of Lithuania Lithuanian law is a part of the legal system of Lithuania. It belongs to