Treaty of Salynas¶

What the chronicles say [Historical record]¶

Treaty of Salynas, 12 October 1398 (a preliminary treaty was signed at Grodno on 23 March 1398), on an islet of the Nemunas, probably between Kulautuva and the mouth of the Nevėžis. Vytautas ceded Samogitia to the Order roughly up to the Nevėžis; the Order received part of Sudovia; the spheres of influence were Novgorod for Vytautas and Pskov for the Order; the Knights promised help against the Tatars; hostages including Sigismund Kęstutaitis (Žygimantas, hostage 1390–98) were released. Konrad von Jungingen signed; Marquard von Salzbach helped negotiate. Posilge alone says the Lithuanian nobles may have proclaimed Vytautas king at the feast; Polish historians doubt it (Wikipedia, Treaty of Salynas). Vytautas needed his western front quiet for the campaign against the Golden Horde that ended at the Vorskla.

Treaty of Salynas


Type	event
Years	1398-10-12
Status	Historical record
Book	II · The Golden Shadow
Note	Treaty of Salynas (1398): Vytautas cedes Samogitia to the Order to secure his southern crusade.

Where: Salynas (island in the Nemunas) (on the map)

What really happened [The saga’s invention]¶

A Samogitian elder, Gedgaudas, sixty-two, brings twelve elders as witnesses without knowing why. Henė pours; the Hidden Groves now lie under the Order’s flag; Galminas watches from the far bank. Eglė’s price comes due: the price of the 1382 rescue was “never sell the forest”.

Consequences¶

Leads to the Vorskla: the western peace frees Vytautas for the steppe. The place is an island in the Nemunas, no longer the Dykra.

Dramatisation¶

Book II ch. 19 “Salyno Puota” (Gedgaudas, a Samogitian elder; 12 October 1398, autumn) and ch. 20 “Stepių Alkis” (Vytautas; winter 1398–99).

Relations

Causes: Battle of the Vorskla — Western peace frees Vytautas for the steppe.

Location: Salynas (island in the Nemunas) — Islet in the Nemunas, 12 Oct 1398.

Participants: Konrad von Jungingen (Grand Master 1393-1407) · Marquard von Salzbach — Helped negotiate. · Vytautas · Žygimantas Kęstutaitis — Hostage freed.

Connections¶

graph LR
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  ev_vorskla["Battle of the Vorskla"]
  konrad_jungingen["Konrad von Jungingen (Grand Master 1393-1407)"]
  marquard["Marquard von Salzbach"]
  salynas["Salynas (island in the Nemunas)"]
  vytautas["Vytautas"]
  zygimantas["Žygimantas Kęstutaitis"]
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  ev_salynas -->|Location| salynas
  vytautas -->|Took part in| ev_salynas
  marquard -->|Took part in| ev_salynas
  zygimantas -->|Took part in| ev_salynas
  konrad_jungingen -->|Took part in| ev_salynas
  style ev_salynas stroke-width:3px