Gediminas Prince incl. Gediminas – Grand Duke of Lithuania

The life and reign of Gediminas, due to the lack of a sufficient number of historical sources, are also shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. The few news that have reached us do not give a complete picture of Gediminas. Perhaps it is his deeds that speak more clearly than all of Gedimina’s characteristics? If we analyze them, then we see the great personality of the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - a courageous fighter against the enemy, a talented commander, and a prudent politician.

Almost nothing is known about the activities of Gediminas before the Grand Duke's period. Where was he, what was he doing? One can only assume that he was the governor of Aukštaitija, a Lithuanian land, because in the order documents he is called the king of this land. Judging by the fact that there were villages in the Klaipeda land, the names of which come from his name, and in the Zhemoytsky volost of Pograuda Dusburg mentions some kind of Gediminas’ castle, then he probably owned these lands.

Gedimin or Gedymin - the Grand Duke of Lithuania, uniting under his rule not only the Lithuanian proper, but also many Russian lands, relied heavily on the Russian element; in relations with foreign states, he accepted the title of King of Lithuania and Rus', appointed Russian people to embassies; His most prominent associate, David, the headman of Grodno, was also Russian.

He waged a fierce struggle with the German knights, inflicting a number of defeats on them (especially strong ones at Plovtsy in 1331). In 1322 he entered into an alliance with the prince of Mazovia and in 1325 with the king of Poland Władysław Lokotok, sealing the latter with the marriage of his son Władysław Casimir to his daughter Aldona.

Like his predecessors, Gediminas continued to annex Western Russian lands. The ancient Russian lands with the cities of Polotsk (), Grodno and Beresty (Brest) (), Vitebsk (), Minsk (), Turov and Pinsk () and others came under his rule. Karamzin has a description of his campaign in Ukraine and its liberation from Horde rule:

This courageous knight (Gedimin of Lithuania), having ended the war with the Order in victory in 1319, immediately rushed to Vladimir (Volynsky)... The city surrendered... As soon as spring came (1320) and the land was covered with grass, Gedimin with new vigor stepped out into the field and took Ovruch, Zhitomir, the cities of Kyiv and went to the Dnieper... besieged Kyiv. The residents still did not lose hope and courageously repelled several attacks, finally, seeing no help... and knowing that Gediminas was sparing the vanquished, they opened the gates. The clergy came out with crosses and, together with the people, swore an oath of loyalty to the Sovereign of Lithuania, who, having delivered Kyiv from the yoke of the Mughals, ... soon conquered all of southern Russia (We are talking about Kievan Rus) to Putivl and Bryansk.

Among the Russian lands under the rule of Gediminas were: Black Rus', annexed by the Lithuanians at the beginning of the 13th century; the land of Polotsk, annexed under Mindovg and under Gediminas, ruled by his brother, Warrior; the principalities of Minsk, Pinsk and Turov, which came under Lithuanian rule, probably at the end of the 13th or beginning of the 14th centuries, and the principality of Vitebsk.

The story about Gediminas's campaign in 1320-21 against Volyn and Kyiv and the conquest of these areas belongs, as Professor Antonovich thinks, to the realm of historical legends and arose already in the 16th century. The newest Russian historian of Lithuania, Professor Lyubavsky, holds a different opinion.

Gediminas tried to extend his influence to other neighboring Russian lands, mainly Pskov and Novgorod. He helped the Pskovians in their fight against the Livonian Order, supported them in Pskov against Ivan Kalita and later sheltered Prince Alexander Mikhailovich in his possessions, stood on the side of the Pskovians in their desire to achieve complete independence from Novgorod in church terms.

Under Gediminas, the foundations of the policy of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in relation to the Russian lands were outlined, which subsequently led them to clashes with the princes of Moscow; but at this time, direct relations between both states were still peaceful, and in 1333 Simeon Ivanovich even married Gediminas’ daughter, Aigust, in the baptism of Anastasia. Gediminas' attention was focused especially on the fight against the Livonian Order, which was pressing the Lithuanians.

In 1325, he accepted the proposal of an alliance from the Polish king Vladislav Lokotok, married his son and heir, Casimir, his daughter Aldona, baptized Anna, and together with the Poles undertook a number of successful campaigns against the crusaders, and the latter suffered a particularly strong defeat in Battle of Plovtsy in 1331

At the same time, Gediminas also intervened in the internal affairs of Livonia, where at that time there was an internecine war between the Archbishop of Riga and the city of Riga, on the one hand, and the order, on the other; he took the side of the first against the order and managed to significantly weaken the crusaders, so that in the last years of his life they no longer made large campaigns against Lithuania. Gediminas is credited with the construction of the cities of Troki and Vilna.

In the XIV-XV centuries. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia was a real rival of Muscovite Rus' in the struggle for dominance in Eastern Europe. It strengthened under Prince Gediminas (ruled 1316-1341). Russian cultural influence prevailed here at this time. Gedemin and his sons were married to Russian princesses, and the Russian language dominated at court and in official business. Lithuanian writing did not exist at that time. Until the end of the 14th century. Russian regions within the state did not experience national-religious oppression. Under Olgerd (reigned 1345-1377), the principality actually became the dominant power in the region. The position of the state was especially strengthened after Olgerd defeated the Tatars in the Battle of Blue Waters in 1362. During his reign, the state included most of what is now Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and the Smolensk region. For all residents of Western Rus', Lithuania became a natural center of resistance to traditional opponents - the Horde and the Crusaders. In addition, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the middle of the 14th century, the Orthodox population numerically predominated, with whom the pagan Lithuanians lived quite peacefully, and sometimes unrest was quickly suppressed (for example, in Smolensk). The lands of the principality under Olgerd extended from the Baltic to the Black Sea steppes, the eastern border ran approximately along the current border of the Smolensk and Moscow regions. There were trends leading towards the formation of a new version of Russian statehood in the southern and western lands of the former Kyiv state.

FORMATION OF THE GRAND DUCHIES OF LITHUANIA AND RUSSIAN

In the first half of the 14th century. A strong state appeared in Europe - the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia. It owes its origin to Grand Duke Gediminas (1316-1341), who during the years of his reign captured and annexed the Brest, Vitebsk, Volyn, Galician, Lutsk, Minsk, Pinsk, Polotsk, Slutsk and Turov lands to Lithuania. The Smolensk, Pskov, Galicia-Volyn and Kiev principalities became dependent on Lithuania. Many Russian lands, seeking protection from the Mongol-Tatars, joined Lithuania. The internal order in the annexed lands did not change, but their princes had to recognize themselves as vassals of Gediminas, pay him tribute and supply troops when necessary. Gediminas himself began to call himself “the king of the Lithuanians and many Russians.” The official language and language of office work of the principality became the Old Russian (close to modern Belarusian) language. In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania there was no persecution on religious or national grounds.

In 1323, Lithuania had a new capital - Vilnius. According to legend, one day Gediminas was hunting at the foot of the mountain at the confluence of the Vilni and Neris rivers. Having killed a huge aurochs, he and his warriors decided to spend the night near an ancient pagan sanctuary. In a dream, he dreamed of a wolf dressed in iron armor, who howled like a hundred wolves. The high priest Lizdeika, called to interpret the dream, explained that he should build a city in this place - the capital of the state and that the fame of this city would spread throughout the world. Gediminas listened to the priest's advice. A city was built, which took its name from the Vilna River. Gediminas moved his residence here from Trakai.

From Vilnius in 1323-1324, Gediminas wrote letters to the Pope and the cities of the Hanseatic League. In them, he declared his desire to convert to Catholicism and invited artisans, merchants, and farmers to Lithuania. The Crusaders understood that Lithuania’s adoption of Catholicism would mean the end of their “missionary” mission in the eyes of Western Europe. Therefore, they began to incite local pagans and Orthodox Christians against Gediminas. The prince was forced to abandon his plans - he announced to the papal legates about the alleged mistake of the clerk. However, Christian churches in Vilnius continued to be built.

The Crusaders soon resumed military operations against Lithuania. In 1336 they besieged the Samogitian castle of Pilenai. When its defenders realized that they could not resist for long, they burned the castle and themselves died in the fire. On November 15, 1337, Ludwig IV of Bavaria presented the Teutonic Order with a Bavarian castle built near the Nemunas, which was to become the capital of the conquered state. However, this state had yet to be conquered.

After the death of Gediminas, the principality passed to his seven sons. The Grand Duke was considered the one who ruled in Vilnius. The capital went to Jaunutis. His brother Kestutis, who inherited Grodno, the Principality of Trakai and Samogitia, was unhappy that Jaunutis turned out to be a weak ruler and could not come to his aid in the fight against the crusaders. In the winter of 1344-1345, Kestutis occupied Vilnius and shared power with his other brother, Algirdas (Olgerd). Kestutis led the fight against the crusaders. He repelled 70 campaigns to Lithuania by the Teutonic Order and 30 by the Livonian Order. There was not a single major battle in which he did not take part. Kestutis's military talent was appreciated even by his enemies: each of the crusaders, as their own sources report, would consider it the greatest honor to shake Kestutis's hand.

Algirdas, the son of a Russian mother, like his father Gediminas, paid more attention to the seizure of Russian lands. During the years of his reign, the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania doubled. Algirdas annexed Kyiv, Novgorod-Seversky, Right Bank Ukraine and Podol to Lithuania. The capture of Kyiv led to a clash with the Mongol-Tatars. In 1363, the army of Algirdas defeated them at Blue Waters, the southern Russian lands were freed from Tatar dependence. Algirdas' father-in-law, Prince Mikhail Alexandrovich of Tver, asked his son-in-law for support in the fight against Moscow. Three times (1368, 1370 and 1372) Algirdas made a campaign against Moscow, but could not take the city, after which peace was eventually concluded with the Moscow prince.

After the death of Algirdas in 1377, civil strife began in the country. The throne of the Grand Duke of Lithuania was given to the son of Algirdas from his second marriage, Jagiello (Yagello). Andrey (Andryus), the son from his first marriage, rebelled and fled to Moscow, asking for support there. He was received in Moscow and sent to reconquer the Novgorod-Seversky lands from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In the fight against Andrei, Jagiello turned to the Order for help, promising to convert to Catholicism. In secret from Kestutis, a peace treaty was concluded between the Order and Jogaila (1380). Having secured a reliable rear for himself, Jagiello went with an army to help Mamai against, hoping to punish Moscow for supporting Andrei and to share with Oleg Ryazansky (also an ally of Mamai) the lands of the Moscow principality. However, Jagiello arrived at the Kulikovo field late: the Mongol-Tatars had already suffered a crushing defeat. Meanwhile, Kestutis learned of a secret agreement concluded against him. In 1381 he occupied Vilnius, expelled Jogaila from there and sent him to Vitebsk. However, a few months later, in the absence of Kestutis, Jogaila, together with his brother Skirgaila, captured Vilnius and then Trakai. Kestutis and his son Vytautas were invited to negotiations at Jogaila's headquarters, where they were captured and placed in Krevo Castle. Kestutis was treacherously killed, and Vytautas managed to escape. Jagiello began to rule alone.

In 1383, the Order, with the help of Vytautas and the Samogitian barons, resumed military operations against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The allies captured Trakai and burned Vilnius. Under these conditions, Jagiello was forced to seek support from Poland. In 1385, a dynastic union was concluded between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish state in Krevo (Krakow) Castle. The following year, Jagiello was baptized, receiving the name Vladislav, married the Polish queen Jadwiga and became the Polish king - the founder of the Jagiellonian dynasty, which ruled Poland and Lithuania for over 200 years. Implementing the union in practice, Jagiello created the Vilnius bishopric, baptized Lithuania, and equalized the rights of the Lithuanian feudal lords who converted to Catholicism with the Polish ones. Vilnius received the right of self-government (Magdeburg Law).

Vytautas, who fought with Jogaila for some time, returned to Lithuania in 1390, and in 1392 an agreement was concluded between the two rulers: Vytautas took possession of the Principality of Trakai and became the de facto ruler of Lithuania (1392-1430). After campaigns in 1397-1398 to the Black Sea, he brought Tatars and Karaites to Lithuania and settled them in Trakai. Vytautas strengthened the Lithuanian state and expanded its territory. He deprived the appanage princes of power, sending his governors to manage the lands. In 1395, Smolensk was annexed to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and attempts were made to conquer Novgorod and Pskov. The power of Vytautas extended from the Baltic to the Black Sea. In order to provide himself with a reliable rear in the fight against the crusaders, Vytautas signed an agreement with the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily I (who was married to Vytautas’ daughter, Sophia). The Ugra River became the borders between the great principalities.

OLGERD, AKA ALGIDRAS

V. B. Antonovich (“Essay on the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania”) gives us the following masterful description of Olgerd: “Olgerd, according to the testimony of his contemporaries, was distinguished primarily by deep political talents, he knew how to take advantage of circumstances, correctly outlined the goals of his political aspirations, and advantageously positioned alliances and successfully chose the time to implement his political plans. Extremely reserved and prudent, Olgerd was distinguished by his ability to keep his political and military plans in impenetrable secrecy. Russian chronicles, which are generally not favorable to Olgerd due to his clashes with northeastern Russia, call him “evil,” “godless,” and “flattering”; however, they recognize in him the ability to take advantage of circumstances, restraint, cunning - in a word, all the qualities necessary to strengthen one’s power in the state and to expand its borders. In relation to various nationalities, it can be said that all Olgerd’s sympathies and attention were focused on the Russian people; Olgerd, according to his views, habits and family connections, belonged to the Russian people and served as its representative in Lithuania.” At the very time when Olgerd strengthened Lithuania by annexing the Russian regions, Keistut was its defender before the crusaders and deserved the glory of the people's hero. Keistut is a pagan, but even his enemies, the crusaders, recognize in him the qualities of an exemplary Christian knight. The Poles recognized the same qualities in him.

Both princes divided the administration of Lithuania so precisely that Russian chronicles know only Olgerd, and German ones only know Keistut.

LITHUANIA AT THE RUSSIA MILLENNIUM MONUMENT

The lower tier of figures is a high relief on which, as a result of a long struggle, 109 finally approved figures are placed, depicting outstanding figures of the Russian state. Under each of them, on a granite base, there is a signature (name), written in a Slavic stylized font.

The figures depicted on the high relief are divided by the author of the Monument project into four sections: Enlighteners, Statesmen; Military people and heroes; Writers and artists...

The Department of State People is located on the eastern side of the Monument and begins directly behind the “Enlighteners” with the figure of Yaroslav the Wise, after which come: Vladimir Monomakh, Gediminas, Olgerd, Vytautas, the princes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Zakharenko A.G. History of the construction of the Monument to the Millennium of Russia in Novgorod. Scientific notes" of the Faculty of History and Philology of the Novgorod State Pedagogical Institute. Vol. 2. Novgorod. 1957

GRAND DUKE GEDIMIN
(1316-1341)

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which had broken up into appanages, was again reassembled in 1270 by Kunigas Traidianis, who was called Triden in Rus'. Triden reigned in Kernava, which he made the capital of all Lithuania. He ruled the principality for 12 years, until 1282. He had nothing to do with Mindovg and did not inherit the state from him, but simply reassembled the country. Triden, in general terms, pursued approximately the same policy as Mindovg: he supported uprisings in Zemgale, among the Prussians and among the Western Lithuanians. People fled from the order's lands, and Triden settled refugees in Lithuania and in the cities of Chervona Rus. Russian lands were still part of the Lithuanian state.

In 1293, Kunigas Vytenis (Vyten) gathered the Lithuanian and Russian lands under his rule. He will sit on the grand ducal table until 1316, and will also pursue policies directed against the order. One of his most significant acts was the liberation of Polotsk from the Germans and its annexation to his principality. In 1316, Vyteniu-Vytaustas was succeeded by Gediminas.
The circumstances of the inheritance and the degree of relationship of these princes are, in fact, not very clear. In Western Russian chronicles, Gediminas is called the son of Viten. The Polish historian Strykowski calls him Viten's brother, and Viten himself one of Triden's commanders. The Polish chronicler Jan Dlugosz reports that Gediminas was Wyten's groom, killed him and seized power. For the Russians and Germans, Gediminas was, of course, Gediminas, and under this name he went down in history.
During the 23 years of his reign, Gediminas created a strong and large state of Lithuanians and Russians. Officially, he was called: “King of the Lithuanians and Russians.”

“He headed a principality where the tribal system had not yet completely become a thing of the past, but left this world as a feudal lord, the owner of several huge castles, on whose orders an army of several tens of thousands of sabers was assembled.”(Burkovsky. “Russian Atlantis”)

In politics and Gediminas, there were two main lines: the fight against the crusaders and the collection of Russian lands. Not all of Lithuania was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Its core was the Aukshaits, one of the Lithuanian tribal unions. Other Lithuanian tribal unions - the Samogitians and the Yatvingians - had nothing to do with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Yatvingians joined the Grand Duchy of Lithuania only in the 14th century - much later than the principalities of Chervona Rus. And Samogitia was conquered from the Germans and included in Lithuania only by Vytautas in the 15th century, when the Grand Duchy of Lithuania included almost all of Western and Southwestern Rus'.

By the end of Gedemin's reign, Russian lands made up two-thirds of the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. (If we count without Volyn, which was a vassal of Lithuania, but has not yet become part of it. In 1240, Gedimin installed his son Lubart to reign in Vladimir-Volynsky.) This is explained by the fact that the Lithuanian princes, establishing their power over the Russian lands, they tried to adapt to local life, customs and culture in everything. They tried to make as few changes as possible. “We don’t destroy the old, and we don’t introduce anything new” - that was their rule. The Lithuanians accepted the Orthodox faith, local culture, language - in a word, they became Russian princes, only of a new dynasty.
This was precisely the reason for the rapid advance of the Lithuanians to the south and west. Yes, they had to conquer new lands. But, having broken the resistance of the local princes, and in some places entered into an agreement with them, the Lithuanians then did not encounter obstacles from the rest of the local population.

The principalities of Minsk, Lukomsk, Drutsk, Turovo-Pinsk became vassals of Lithuania. In this case, the Russian princes were motivated by profit. Gediminas created a state that provided protection against the German knights, and against the Golden Horde and against the Crimean Tatars. The vassal principalities, as a rule, were headed by the princes of the previous dynasties, the Rurikovichs, and no one tried to displace them or control the internal politics of the country. The principality continued to live almost the same way as it had lived independently, and only in relations with the outside world did vassalage really mean something. The prince could not conclude treaties himself, could not conduct an independent policy and during wars had to act together with the Grand Duke as part of his army. Under Prince Gediminas, even in Kyiv, Lithuanian influence was felt, although the Kyiv princes were then still under the rule of the Golden Horde. The local population often, of its own free will, invited Lithuanian princes to rule.

However, Gedimin understood very well that North-Eastern Rus', which was gaining strength, would eventually want to regain the lost Russian lands in the north-west, and at the same time seize his ancestral Lithuania. For this reason, Gediminas takes a decisive step towards the Catholic West - he agrees to the baptism of Lithuania and makes peace with Livonia, Riga, Denmark, and then with his eternal enemy - the Teutonic Order, hoping that now his lands will be safer.
Gediminas pursued an openly anti-Moscow policy. He made a lot of efforts to tear Pskov and Novgorod away from the alliance with Moscow, and, frankly speaking, it was not difficult for him to pursue this policy. Pskov and Novgorod did not strive to become vassals of Lithuania, but they also did not want to become subjects of the Moscow prince. As for the Principality of Smolensk, it eventually became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Gedimin acted as an active ally of Tver in its conflicts with Moscow.

The official language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was Russian, office work was conducted in it, and chronicles were written in it. Gediminas did not shy away from dynastic marriages with Russian princes. He was married to Maria Tverskaya and had numerous offspring from her. Gedimin's son Lubart was married to a Russian princess and reigned in Volhynia, in the indigenous Russian lands. Another son, Olgerd, was married in his first marriage to Princess Maria Yaroslavovna of Vitebsk, and in his second marriage to Princess Ulyana Alexandrovna of Tver. Gediminas' daughter Maria married the Tver prince Dmitry Mikhailovich in 1320. All of this, undoubtedly, is part of the policy of drawing Tver into its orbit, the policy of separating it from Moscow.

Another important direction of Gediminas' policy was the fight against the crusaders. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the state of Lithuanians and Russians, turns out to be not just a participant in the events, but the leader of the peoples and tribes of the Baltic states. In 1322, Gediminas concluded an alliance with the prince of Mazovia, in 1325 - with Poland, directed against Teutonic Order. The union is sealed by the marriage of the daughter of Gediminas with many children, Aldona, with the Polish king Vladislav Loketok.
The Teutonic Order does not remain in debt and constantly invades the lands of Lithuania. In this regard, the construction of castles is underway in the Principality of Lithuania. Castles are built both on the border and in the interior of the country. In 1323, Vilnius was mentioned for the first time in Gediminas' letters. The ruins of Gediminas Castle are preserved in Vilnius, in the very center of the city.

Gediminas made a number of successful campaigns against the order and in 1331 completely defeated the invading knights at Plovtsy. Gediminas even ended his life in a very typical way: in 1341 he was mortally wounded in the Battle of Veluon. In this battle, by the way, the knights used gunpowder for the first time.
Gedimin left as an inheritance to his seven sons only two purely Lithuanian appanages: Vilna (Evnutia) and Trokai (Keistuta); the rest were acquired Russian lands - Slonim inheritance (Monvidu), Turov-Pinsk (Narimantu), Vitebsk (Olgerdu), Volyn (Lyubartu), Novogrudok (Koriat).

Voronin I. A.

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania is a state that existed in the northern part of Eastern Europe in 1230-1569.

The basis of the Grand Duchy was made up of Lithuanian tribes: Samogitians and Lithuanians, who lived along the Neman River and its tributaries. The Lithuanian tribes were forced to create a state by the need to fight the advance of the German crusaders in the Baltic states. The founder of the Principality of Lithuania was Prince Mindovg in 1230. Taking advantage of the difficult situation that had developed in Rus' due to Batu’s invasion, he began to seize Western Russian lands (Grodno, Berestye, Pinsk, etc.). Mindovg’s policy was continued by princes Viten (1293-1315) and Gediminas (1316-1341). By the middle of the 14th century. the power of the Lithuanian princes extended to the lands located between the Western Dvina, Dnieper and Pripyat rivers, i.e. almost the entire territory of present-day Belarus. Under Gediminas, the city of Vilna was built, which became the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

There were ancient and close ties between the Lithuanian and Russian principalities. Since the time of Gediminas, most of the population of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania consisted of Russians. Russian princes played a large role in the administration of the Lithuanian state. Lithuanians were not considered foreigners in Rus'. The Russians calmly left for Lithuania, the Lithuanians - for the Russian principalities. In the XIII-XV centuries. the lands of the Principality of Lithuania were part of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and were subordinate to the Metropolitan of Kyiv, whose residence since 1326 was in Moscow. There were also Catholic monasteries on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania reached its highest strength and power in the second half of the 14th - early 15th centuries. under princes Olgerd (1345-1377), Jagiello (1377-1392) and Vytautas (1392-1430). The territory of the principality at the beginning of the 15th century. reached 900 thousand sq. km. and extended from the Black to the Baltic Seas. In addition to the capital Vilna, the cities of Grodno, Kyiv, Polotsk, Pinsk, Bryansk, Berestye and others were important political and commercial centers. Most of them were previously the capitals of Russian principalities, were conquered or voluntarily joined the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In the XIV - early XV centuries, along with Moscow and Tver, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania acted as one of the centers of the possible unification of Russian lands during the years of the Mongol-Tatar yoke.

In 1385, at the Krevo Castle near Vilna, at a congress of Polish and Lithuanian representatives, a decision was made on a dynastic union between Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (the so-called “Krevo Union”) to fight the Teutonic Order. The Polish-Lithuanian union provided for the marriage of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello with the Polish Queen Jadwiga and the proclamation of Jagiello as king of both states under the name Vladislav II Jagiello. According to the agreement, the king had to deal with foreign policy issues and the fight against external enemies. The internal administration of both states remained separate: each state was entitled to have its own officials, its own army and treasury. Catholicism was declared the state religion of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Jagiello converted to Catholicism with the name Vladislav. Jagiello's attempt to convert Lithuania to Catholicism caused discontent among the Russian and Lithuanian populations. The dissatisfied people were led by Prince Vitovt, Jogaila's cousin. In 1392, the Polish king was forced to transfer power in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania into his hands. Until the death of Vytautas in 1430, Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania existed as states independent from each other. This did not prevent them from acting together from time to time against a common enemy. This happened during the Battle of Grunwald on July 15, 1410, when the united army of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania completely defeated the army of the Teutonic Order.

The Battle of Grunwald, which took place near the villages of Grunwald and Tannenberg, became the decisive battle in the centuries-long struggle of the Polish, Lithuanian and Russian peoples against the aggressive policies of the Teutonic Order.

The Master of the Order, Ulrich von Jungingen, entered into an agreement with the Hungarian King Sigmund and the Czech King Wenceslas. Their combined army numbered 85 thousand people. The total number of combined Polish-Russian-Lithuanian forces reached 100 thousand people. A significant part of the army of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas consisted of Russian soldiers. The Polish king Jagiello and Vytautas managed to attract 30 thousand Tatars and a 4 thousand Czech detachment to their side. The opponents settled down near the Polish village of Grunwald.

The Polish troops of King Jagiello stood on the left flank. They were commanded by the Krakow swordsman Zyndram from Myszkowiec. The Russian-Lithuanian army of Prince Vytautas defended the center of the position and the right flank.

The battle began with an attack by Vytautas' light cavalry against the left wing of the Order's troops. However, the Germans met the attackers with volleys of cannons, scattered them, and then launched a counterattack themselves. Vytautas' horsemen began to retreat. The knights sang the victory anthem and began to pursue them. At the same time, the Germans pushed back the Polish army stationed on the right flank. There was a threat of complete defeat of the Allied army. The situation was saved by the Smolensk regiments stationed in the center. They withstood the fierce onslaught of the Germans. One of the Smolensk regiments was almost completely destroyed in a brutal battle, but did not retreat a single step. The other two, having suffered heavy losses, held back the onslaught of the knights and gave the Polish army and the Lithuanian cavalry the opportunity to rebuild. “In this battle,” wrote the Polish chronicler Dlugosh, “only the Russian knights of the Smolensk Land, formed by three separate regiments, steadfastly fought the enemy and did not take part in the flight. Thus they earned immortal glory.”

The Poles launched a counteroffensive against the right flank of the Order's army. Vytautas managed to strike at the detachments of knights returning after a successful attack on his position. The situation has changed dramatically. Under enemy pressure, the order's army retreated to Grunwald. After some time, the retreat turned into a stampede. Many knights were killed or drowned in the swamps.

The victory was complete. The winners received big trophies. The Teutonic Order, which lost almost its entire army in the Battle of Grunwald, was forced in 1411 to make peace with Poland and Lithuania. The land of Dobrzyn, recently torn away from it, was returned to Poland. Lithuania received Žemaitė. The Order was forced to pay a large indemnity to the winners.

Vitovt had a great influence on the policies of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily I, who was married to his daughter Sophia. With the help of his daughter, Vitovt actually controlled his weak-willed son-in-law, who treated his powerful father-in-law with trepidation. In an effort to strengthen his power, the Lithuanian prince also interfered in the affairs of the Orthodox Church. Trying to free the Russian regions that were part of Lithuania from ecclesiastical dependence on the Moscow metropolitan, Vitovt achieved the establishment of the Kyiv metropolitanate. However, Constantinople did not appoint a special independent metropolitan of Western Rus'.

In the first half. XV century The political influence of the Poles and the Catholic clergy on Lithuanian affairs increases sharply. In 1422, the union of Lithuania and Poland was confirmed in Gorodok. Polish positions were introduced in the Lithuanian lands, Sejms were established, and the Lithuanian nobility, who converted to Catholicism, were given equal rights with the Polish.

After the death of Vytautas in 1430, an internecine struggle for the grand-ducal throne began in Lithuania. In 1440 it was occupied by Casimir, the son of Jagiello, who was also the Polish king. Casimir wanted to unite Lithuania and Poland, but the Lithuanians and Russians strongly opposed this. At a number of sejms (Lublin 1447, Parczew 1451, Sierad 1452, Parczew and Petrakov 1453), an agreement was never reached. Under Kazimir's heir, Sigismund Kazimirovich (1506-1548), the rapprochement of the two states continued. In 1569, the Union of Lublin was concluded, which finally formalized the merger of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The head of the new state was the Polish king Sigismund Augustus (1548-1572). From this moment on, the independent history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania can be considered over.

The first Lithuanian princes

Mindovg (d. 1263)

Mindovg - prince, founder of the Principality of Lithuania, ruler of Lithuania in 1230-1263. Chroniclers called Mindaugas “cunning and treacherous.” The tribes of Lithuania and Samogit were prompted to unite under his rule by the increased need to combat the onslaught of German crusader knights in the Baltic states. In addition, Mindovg and the Lithuanian nobility sought to expand their possessions at the expense of the western lands of Rus'. Taking advantage of the difficult situation in Rus' during the Horde invasion, the Lithuanian princes from the 30s. XIII century began to seize the lands of Western Rus', the cities of Grodno, Berestye, Pinsk, etc. At the same time, Mindovg inflicted two defeats on the Horde troops when they tried to penetrate into Lithuania. The Lithuanian prince concluded a peace treaty with the crusaders of the Livonian Order in 1249 and observed it for 11 years. He even transferred some Lithuanian lands to the Livonians. But in 1260 a popular uprising broke out against the rule of the Order. Mindovg supported him and in 1262 defeated the crusaders at Lake Durbe. In 1263, the Lithuanian prince died as a result of a conspiracy of princes hostile to him, who were supported by the crusaders. After the death of Mindaugas, the state he created disintegrated. Strife began between the Lithuanian princes, which lasted for almost 30 years.

Viteni (d. 1315)

Vyten (Vitenes) - Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1293 - 1315. Its origin is legendary. There is information that Viten was the son of the Lithuanian prince Lutiver and was born in 1232. There are other versions of his origin. Some medieval chronicles call Viten a boyar who had large land holdings in the Zhmud lands, and one of the legends considers him a sea robber who was engaged in pirate fishing off the southern shores of the Baltic. Viten was married to the daughter of the Zhmud prince Vikind. This marriage allowed him to unite the Lithuanians and Samogitians under his rule.

During his reign, almost all Belarusian lands were peacefully gathered into a single state.

Perhaps the Imperial Russian Geographical Society ("Picturesque Russia", 1882) was right in asserting the origin of the Gedyminovichs from the Krivichi Rogvolodovichs - historians do not find other convincing objective reasons for the peaceful unification.

* Editor's comment

Family leader of the Gediminovichs.

Some modern historians, disputing the conclusions of the Imperial Geographical Society (although without access to its archives - no one worked with the Polotsk Chronicle after Tatishchev), consider Gedimina a descendant of the Zhmudins, who “they had been sitting on the princely thrones of the appanages of the Principality of Polotsk for a long time - it was weakened and princes from strong Lietuva (Zhmudi) were invited/appointed there, so the annexation of the Polotsk lands took place voluntarily and peacefully”

A question immediately arises that cannot be answered.
How probable is an invitation (peaceful - there was no conquest) to the princely throne in the Christian center of the leaders of the pagan aborigines

[ “The Samogits wear poor clothes and, in the vast majority of cases, are ashen in color. They spend their lives in low and, moreover, very long huts; in the middle of them there is a fire, near which the father of the family sits and sees the cattle and all his household utensils. For they have the custom of keeping cattle, without any partition, under the same roof under which they themselves live. The more noble ones also use buffalo horns as cups... They blast the earth not with iron, but with wood... When going to plow, they usually carry it with them. there are a lot of logs with which to dig the ground"
S. Herberstein, “Notes on Muscovy”, 16th century, about contemporary Zhmudins. (It was even sadder in the 13th century)]

And what guided the residents, preferring them to people from neighboring (Volyn, Kyiv, Smolensk, Novgorod, Mazovia) principalities, which

• represent a powerful state entity
• closer in culture
• closer in language
• dynastically related
• live in cities, know writing and similar laws

And this despite the fact that at that time in Polotsk there was "freedom Polotsk or Venice"- undesirable rulers were quite often simply expelled.