Ona dies¶
What the chronicles say [Historical record]¶
Anna (Ona), Vytautas’s wife, died on 31 July 1418 at Trakai and was buried in Vilnius cathedral (en.wikipedia, Anna, Grand Duchess of Lithuania; pl.wikipedia, Witold Kiejstutowicz; the Lithuanian Wikipedia gives 31 August, a minority date). She is remembered for helping Vytautas escape Krėva in 1382. Her birth year and origins are uncertain. Vytautas married Julijona of Alšėnai, Ona’s niece, on 13 November 1418; the Bishop of Vilnius refused for kinship and the Bishop of Włocławek, Jan Kropidło, officiated. Švitrigaila had escaped from Kremenets in March of that year.
For the selected 31 July date see MLE: Ona. Her private letter and bedside words below are inventions, not documentary quotations. See History and the Saga.
Ona dies
Ona dies · event¶
Type |
event |
Years |
1418-07-31 |
Status |
Historical record |
Book |
|
Note |
Grand Duchess Ona dies in Trakai on 31 July 1418; the saga invents her final words and letter. |
Where: Trakai (on the map)
What really happened [The saga’s invention]¶
The book sets her last night at the approach of the rye harvest, retaining the 31 July date. Her last words show she always knew about the vault and kept it from everyone, as she kept the swap at Krėva. She is the last person who knew Vytautas before the Krėva night. Her last letter, found in a copper-bound box, is read aloud by Julijona at his deathbed: “Grįžk, jei gali. Jei negali, žinok, kad aš žinau.”
Consequences¶
The saga’s consequences are her husband’s second marriage and, in 1430, her letter at his deathbed.
Dramatisation¶
Book IV ch. 9 “Onos Mirtis” (Ona; 31 July 1418, summer), ch. 10 “Julijona” (autumn 1418), and the letter read in ch. 29 “Vilko Mirtis”.
Connections¶
graph LR
ev_ona_dies["Ona dies"]
ona["Ona"]
trakai["Trakai"]
ev_ona_dies -->|Location| trakai
ona -->|Took part in| ev_ona_dies
style ev_ona_dies stroke-width:3px