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Straipsnyje aptariami Kristijono Donelaičio epochos politiniai ir dvasiniai bruožai, kurie turėjo įtakos pasaulietinės lietuvių literatūros pradininko formavimuisi ir jo kūrybos turiniui. Akcentuojama politinių ir dvasinių reformų reikšmė Prūsijos lietuvių etnoso kalbos bei kultūros išsaugojimui per Bažnyčią ir mokyklą. Atkreipiamas dėmesys, kad valstybės modernizavimas palankiai atsiliepė tautinių mažumų kalbinei bei švietimo būklei, dėl kurios ir Apšvietos laikotarpio intelektualai atkreipė dėmesį lietuvių etnoso kultūrinę ir kalbinę padėtį. It has never been easy to assess an epoch, as the processes that form it frequently have the roots deep in the past, and its reflection emerges and then transforms more than once, depending on the aims, objectives, and subjective insights of its assessors. The very definition of the epoch and the establishment of its boundaries can cause confusion as, depending on the aspirations and preliminary attitudes, even when seeking allegedly sterile objectivity, one tends to follow one's own subjective understanding of the epoch. However, it becomes even more difficult to use the notion of the epoch when it comes to one or another person, as a simple, however, basic question is to be answered: whether it was the person who formed the epoch or it was the epoch that made an impact on the person's activity and formed it. The said simple question is often of primary importance to the framework of the research and influences its final outcomes. The beginning of Kristijonas Donelaitis' epoch may be considered to be the Great Plague of 1709-1711, which, like a watershed, divided the history of Prussia in two parts: Prussia before and after the plague. But for its scale, the disaster might not have been such a significant starting point; as it was, it was felt for a long time in the environment of Donelaitis' residence and his prospective professional activity. The plague was especially painful for the Lithuanians in whose language the pioneer of the Lithuanian belles-lettres wrote. Equally well, the year 1701 may be chosen, as it marks the beginning of the Kingdom of Prussia, i.e. the beginning of strengthening of its absolu tism and its political power in the European context. What should be considered the end of the epoch? The question is even more difficult. Can one say that the epoch of Kristijonas Donelaitis ends with his death? Probably not, as his "The Sea sons", thanks to L. Rhesa, were published as late as 1818, i.e. 38 years after his death. That way, the impact of his literary work and of himself on the epoch was extended further than his bodily existence would have allowed. If we accept that viewpoint, his epoch will last as long as there are people able to read, which also means to understand and assess, his literary works in the langua ge they were written. However, the aim of the article is not the literary work of Donelaitis or its impact, therefore, we shall look into the time that he lived in and that made an impact on his life without trying to limit it to the framework of specific years in a manner typical of the traditional historiography. In the field of politics, Prussia became one of the central powers which played a decisive role in the formation of the policy development strategies of Europe, and especially its Central and Eastern regions. Due to the abrupt, however, consistent and dynamic political, economic, and mi litary growth of the said geopolitical power, not even its immediate neighbours, but also the major players of European politics had to take it into consideration. For the Lithuanian population of Prussia, which was not politically capable because of the continuing serfdom, the change did not have any special political consequences. Despite that, the state modernization gradually improved their position in the country, even though the effects of the plague painfully and significantly redu ced the number and the viability of the Lithuanian population. The reforms encouraged the survival of the Lithuanian language among the local residents and created preconditions for the oral and written language to take root in public life. [...]