Hanulas and the townsfolk take Vilnius for Jogaila¶

What the chronicles say [Historical record]¶

On 12 June 1382, while Kęstutis was in the Severian land against Dymitr Korybut (Kaributas) and Vytautas was at Trakai, the Vilnius townspeople led by the merchant Hanul of Riga took the castle and city and handed them to Jogaila (Wikipedia, Lithuanian Civil War 1381–84; VLE, Hanulas). Hanul (Hennecke, Hannike, Hanulas) was a German-origin merchant from Riga who had become a burgher of Vilnius. He did not “open a gate”: he took the castle and handed over castle and city (the silver is kept only as rumour). He served as the first elder (namiestnik) of Vilnius from 1382 to 1387, took part in diplomatic missions (including the delegation that preceded the Act of Krėva) and died in Kraków c. 1417–18. On 6 July Jogaila signed the two-month Truce of Bražuolė with the Order; on 20 July Trakai surrendered to the joint forces.

Hanulas and the townsfolk take Vilnius for Jogaila


Type	event
Years	1382-06-12
Status	Historical record
Book	I · The Wolf’s Exile
Note	Hanulas and German merchants open Vilnius to Jogaila on 12 June 1382.

Where: Vilnius (on the map)

What really happened [The saga’s invention]¶

Hanulas is Henė’s first mask: a Riga-born merchant of Vilnius whom the Shadow-Seller possessed for a time. The silver is a rumour that the saga keeps as a price: a sack of Riga silver. The same crossed-key mark of Riga appears on the golden chain that later strangles Kęstutis.

Consequences¶

Caused by Kęstutis’s coup. It leads to the arrest of Kęstutis and Vytautas.

Dramatisation¶

Book I ch. 1 “Senasis Šernas” (Kęstutis, Trakai: in June the Riga merchant Hanulas and the townspeople took Vilnius castle and handed it over, “už Rygos sidabrą” the people whispered), ch. 2 (Vytautas’s men saw Hanulas’s wagons) and ch. 5 “Dvigubas Veidas” (Jogaila; the silver of Hanulas’s promises in his pockets). The event itself is backstory: 12 June 1382.

Relations

Caused by: Kęstutis takes Vilnius; Jogaila caught on his way back

Causes: Kęstutis & Vytautas lured to Jogaila’s camp near Trakai and arrested · Trakai granted to Skirgaila (1382-92) — Trakai fell 20 Jul 1382 and went to Skirgaila.

Location: Vilnius

Participants: Hanulas (Riga merchant) · Jogaila

Connections¶

graph LR
  ev_arrest["Kęstutis & Vytautas lured to Jogaila's camp near Trakai and arrested"]
  ev_coup_1381["Kęstutis takes Vilnius; Jogaila caught on his way back"]
  ev_trakai_to_skirgaila["Trakai granted to Skirgaila (1382-92)"]
  ev_vilnius_retaken["Hanulas and the townsfolk take Vilnius for Jogaila"]
  hanulas["Hanulas (Riga merchant)"]
  jogaila["Jogaila"]
  vilnius["Vilnius"]
  ev_vilnius_retaken -->|Causes| ev_arrest
  ev_vilnius_retaken -->|Location| vilnius
  ev_vilnius_retaken -->|Causes| ev_trakai_to_skirgaila
  ev_coup_1381 -->|Causes| ev_vilnius_retaken
  hanulas -->|Took part in| ev_vilnius_retaken
  jogaila -->|Took part in| ev_vilnius_retaken
  style ev_vilnius_retaken stroke-width:3px