Litowce

Litowce is a historical ethnonym used in Polish to designate Lithuanians, particularly those associated with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The term appears in medieval and early modern Polish sources, including chronicles, legal acts, and diplomatic correspondence, where it served to distinguish Lithuanian populations from Poles and Ruthenians within the Polish–Lithuanian realm and its neighboring regions.

Geographically, litowcy referred to people living in the territories governed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and in broader discussions it could encompass Lithuanians connected to the lands of the Grand Duchy or its successor political formations. The term was most common in sources from the 14th through the 18th centuries, a period when Polish and Lithuanian political entities were closely intertwined under the Commonwealth.

Linguistically and historically, litowce is one of several ethnonyms used in Polish to refer to Lithuanians, and its usage reflects the bilingual and multicultural milieu of the region. In modern Polish, the standard term for the Lithuanian people is litwini; litowce is largely obsolete outside scholarly or historical contexts.

In contemporary references, the term is usually encountered in historical studies, philology, and discussions of the ethnogenesis and identity of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It illustrates how medieval and early modern sources categorized peoples in a multiethnic borderland and how terminology evolved over time.