Temporary capital of Lithuania Temporary capital of Lithuania The temporary capital of Lithuania () was the official designation of the city of Kaunas in Lithuania during the interwar period. It was in contrast to the declared capital in Vilnius, which was under Polish control from 1920 until 1939. Currently, the term "temporary capital", despite having lost its meaning, is still frequently used as a nickname for Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania. During World War I, Lithuania declared independence on February 16, 1918. The declaration stated that Lithuania would be a democratic republic with Vilnius as its capital. This claim was based on
History of Jerusalem during the Kingdom of Jerusalem Holy Land. The Ayyubid period ended with waves of destruction of the city. Its fortifications were destroyed first, and later most of the buildings, as part of a deliberate scorched earth policy intended to prevent all future crusades from gaining a foothold in the city and region. This was a short but relatively turbulent and significant period in the history of Jerusalem. For the first time since the destruction of the city in 70 A.D., Jerusalem was the capital of a separate political entity, a status only regained during the British Mandate in the 20th century. The Crusader period in