Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1295 to 1316
Vytenis
(
Belarusian
:
В?цень
,
romanized
:
Vicie?
;
Polish
:
Witenes
) was
Grand Duke of Lithuania
from
c.
1295
to
c.
1316
.
[1]
[2]
He became the first of the
Gediminid dynasty
to rule for a considerable amount of time. In the early 14th century, his reputation outshone that of
Gediminas
, who is regarded by modern historians as one of the greatest Lithuanian rulers.
[3]
The rule of Vytenis was marked by constant warfare in an effort to consolidate the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
with the
Ruthenians
,
Masovians
, and the
Teutonic Order
.
Warfare
[
edit
]
Vytenis is mentioned for the first time in 1292 during his father's invasion of
Masovia
: an army of 800 men reached as far as
Ł?czyca
.
[4]
After his father's death, c. 1295, he became Grand Duke. Vytenis was soon involved in succession disputes in Poland, supporting
Boleslaus II of Masovia
, who was married to a Lithuanian duchess
Gaudemunda
, and opposing
Władysław I of Poland
.
[3]
In Ruthenia, Vytenis managed to recapture lands lost after the assassination of
Mindaugas
and capture the principalities of
Pinsk
and
Tura?
.
[5]
The
crusade
against
pagan
Lithuania and
Samogitia
intensified and reached a new level in the 1290s as
Prussians
and other
Baltic tribes
were conquered by the
Teutonic Knights
and
Livonian Order
. During Vytenis's reign a network of defensive castles was established and strengthened along the banks of the
Neman
and
J?ra
rivers; the Knights matched this with their own castles on the opposite bank.
[3]
During this time, the Teutonic Order was attempting to establish a corridor along the
Baltic Sea
, in Samogitia, to link up with the
Livonian Order
to the north. During the reign of Vytenis, the Teutonic Knights organized some 20 raids into Samogitia.
[4]
Vytenis took measures to undermine influence of local Samogitian nobles, as evidenced by an increasing numbers of traitors and refugees.
[6]
It seems that Gediminas was helping Vytenis to control the nobles, who seriously considered resettling in Prussia as vassals of the Teutonic Knights.
[7]
The Order also consolidated its control over
Semigalia
, where Lithuanians had their garrisons since the
Battle of Aizkraukle
. The Order captured
Dynaburg
Castle, controlled by Lithuanians since 1281, in 1313.
[5]
Alliance with Riga
[
edit
]
One of the most celebrated achievements of Vytenis was an alliance with
Riga
. In 1297 disagreements between the
Archbishop of Riga
, burghers of Riga, and the
Livonian Order
grew into an internal war. Vytenis offered help to the citizens of Riga and even made some vague promises to convert to Christianity, to ease religious tensions between the
pagan
soldiers and Christian residents.
[3]
Vytenis successfully invaded Livonia, destroyed Karkus castle north of Riga, and defeated the order in the
Battle of Turaida
, killing Livonian Land Master Bruno and 22 knights.
[4]
When Livonia was secured, Vytenis organized eleven campaigns into territories of the
Teutonic Knights
in Prussia in 1298?1313,
[5]
including one to
Brodnica
, where entire population was massacred.
[8]
His cause was helped by the fact that in 1308 the Teutonic Knights conquered
Pomerania
and started its
quarrels with Poland
.
A Lithuanian garrison, situated in a "Lithuanian castle" outside the city, guarded Riga until 1313 when the city residents gave it to the Order and sent the pagans away. Friendship with Riga fostered trade and commerce, and helped to consolidate Lithuanian influence in the
Daugava
basin, where c. 1307
Polatsk
, a major trade post, was annexed by Lithuania.
[6]
Due to close contacts with Riga Vytenis invited
Franciscan friars
to maintain a Catholic church in
Navahrudak
for German merchants in 1312.
[3]
In the field of religion, it seems that Vytenis laid the groundwork for the creation of the
Metropolitanate of Lithuania
c. 1316.
[3]
The metropolitanate was a tool in the competition between Vilnius and Moscow for the religious leadership in
Ruthenia
.
Death and succession
[
edit
]
Vytenis died ca. 1315 without an heir. The circumstances surrounding his death are not known. For a long time Russian historians claimed that he was struck by
lightning
. However, that was a mistake of a Russian scribe: it was an inadequate translation of Teutonic propaganda that Gediminas killed his master Vytenis and
usurped
his throne.
[4]
Vytenis is mentioned for the last time in September 1315 during the unsuccessful
Siege of Christmemel
, the first castle built by the Teutonic Knights on the right bank of the Neman River. Historians know of only one son of Vytenis, ?velgutis (
Swalegote
), who possibly died before his father.
[3]
Such a situation allowed
Gediminas
, brother of Vytenis, to become the Grand Duke of Lithuania. During his reign the Grand Duchy became a major military and political power in the Eastern Europe.
[3]
[9]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Gudavi?ius, Edvardas
; Matulevi?ius, Algirdas; Varakauskas, Rokas.
"Vytenis"
.
Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia
(in Lithuanian)
. Retrieved
7 July
2021
.
- ^
Suziedelis, Saulius A. (7 February 2011).
Historical Dictionary of Lithuania
. Scarecrow Press. p. 341.
ISBN
978-0-8108-7536-4
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Rowell, C. S. (1994).
Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295?1345
. Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series. Cambridge University Press. pp. 55?59.
ISBN
978-0-521-45011-9
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Simas Su?ied?lis, ed. (1970?1978). "Vytenis".
Encyclopedia Lituanica
. Vol. VI. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapo?ius. pp. 221?222.
LCCN
74-114275
.
- ^
a
b
c
Gudavi?ius, Edvardas
; Rokas Varakauskas (2004). "Vytenis". In Vytautas Spe?i?nas (ed.).
Lietuvos valdovai (XIII-XVIII a.): enciklopedinis ?inynas
(in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedij? leidybos institutas. pp. 32?33.
ISBN
5-420-01535-8
.
- ^
a
b
Kiaupa, Zigmantas; J?rat? Kiaupien?; Albinas Kuncevi?ius (2000) [1995].
The History of Lithuania Before 1795
(English ed.). Vilnius: Lithuanian Institute of History. pp. 112?114.
ISBN
9986-810-13-2
.
- ^
Rowell, C. S.
Lithuania Ascending
, 63
- ^
Christiansen, Eric (1997).
The Northern Crusades
(2nd ed.). Penguin Books. pp.
146?147
.
ISBN
0-14-026653-4
.
- ^
"Gediminas | grand duke of Lithuania"
.
Encyclopædia Britannica
. Retrieved
25 June
2021
.