Vytautas¶

Summary¶

Vytautas (c. 1350 - 27 Oct 1430), son of Kęstutis and Birutė, is the protagonist of Books I-IV. We meet him at about thirty-two as Duke of Grodno, a good son who believes honour and blood will keep his family safe, and watch him lose both that belief and his father in August 1382. Escaping Krėva in a maid’s dress, he allies with the Order he hates, betrays it twice, becomes Grand Duke of Lithuania (1392), builds an empire from the Baltic toward the Black Sea, is broken on the Vorskla (1399), wins at Grunwald (1410) beside the cousin who killed his father, and dies uncrowned in 1430. The saga’s claim is that he is not a hero who becomes good but a good man who becomes effective, pays for it in people, and in the end chooses one thing to stay faithful to: the last sacred flame, kept secretly in the Trakai vault from 1387.

Vytautas


Tipas	veikėjas
Metai	c. 1350–1430
Status	Istoriniai duomenys
Pastaba	Grand Duke of Lithuania (1392–1430); protagonist of the saga, victor of Grunwald, known as Vytautas the Great.

Appearance & tells¶

Dark hair worn short in the warrior style, grey eyes „like a winter storm“, a strong frame and scarred sword-hands; he wears a wolf-fur cloak over plain mail and distrusts the finery of his cousin Jogaila. He rarely smiles. Birutė and Kęstutis alone call him „Vyti“; in narration he is always Vytautas, and „Vytis“ is only the coat of arms.

His body announces which of his seven forms he is in:

Sūnus (the Son, Book I ch. 1-9): his father’s sword, talks too much, sees wolves everywhere.
Išgyventojas (the Survivor, ch. 10-17): shaved beard, cropped hair, a maid’s dress; silent, animal.
Įrankis (the Tool, ch. 18-22): the Order’s white cloak and sword, German on his tongue, the amber pebble dead in its pouch.
Išdavikų Išdavikas (Traitor of Traitors, Book I ch. 23-30 to Book II ch. 9): burned Teutonic armour, the silver wolf worn openly, the pebble warm again.
Didysis Kunigaikštis (the Grand Duke, Book II ch. 10-26): Ruthenian robes, the Tatar court, Henė at his side.
Geležinis Vilkas (the Iron Wolf, Book II ch. 29 to Book IV): plain armour again, the wolves‘ ash on his hands, the lantern on campaign.
Ugnies Sargas (Keeper of the Flame, Book IV): old, half-deaf, sight reduced to two paces, the pebble cracked at the end.

Each form ends on a stated trigger: his father strangled, the kneeling at the border, the burned village, the poisoned sons, the Vorskla, Grunwald, and finally his choice of the flame over the crown.

Want · Need · Lie · Truth¶


Want (external)	Book I: avenge his father and win back Trakai. Later: an empire in the east that makes him equal to kings (II); to break the Order (III); a crown that would make Lithuania sovereign (IV).
Need (internal)	To survive without becoming his enemies, to know when to stop, to reconcile with Jogaila, and finally to decide what he is faithful to.
Lie they believe	„Honour and blood will keep us safe“ (inherited from Kęstutis), then „only cunning survives; trust is weakness“, then „the horizon belongs to the bold“ and „legitimacy comes from Rome or Kraków“.
Truth they learn (or refuse)	Cunning is a tool, faith is a choice, and some fires must be kept even at the cost of a crown: he refuses Henė’s last bargain at Lutsk and dies uncrowned, keeping the flame.

Arc by book¶

Book I (1382-1387), Forms 1-4. Arrested at Jogaila’s camp near Trakai (3 Aug 1382), sees his father strangled at Krėva (ch. 9), escapes in a maid’s dress with Ona’s help (ch. 12-14), is saved in the Dykra by Eglė at a price (ch. 16), kneels to the Order (ch. 17-19), is baptised Wigand at Tapiau (21 Oct 1383) with a lying heart, leads the Order’s army against his own people (ch. 20-22), turns on it in July 1384 (ch. 24-25) and makes a truce with Jogaila (ch. 26). Trakai goes to Skirgaila (ch. 28). In 1387, after the second baptism, he lights the secret flame (ch. 29).
Book II (1387-1399), Forms 4-5. Twice baptised and holding only Grodno, he bows to Skirgaila at Trakai, defects to the Order again (1389-90), besieges Vilnius, then breaks with the Order again; his two hostage sons die (contested tradition; vytautas_sons). At Ostrów (4 Aug 1392) he becomes Grand Duke in all but name, builds toward the Black Sea, shelters Tokhtamysh, and is beaten on the Vorskla (12 Aug 1399): „the book the protagonist loses“.
Book III (1399-1411), Form 6. Reconciles with Jogaila and breaks the Order at Grunwald (15 Jul 1410), beheading Marquard for his insult to Birutė. Victory at Grunwald changes nothing for the gods.
Book IV (1411-1430), Forms 6-7. Samogitia is baptised, Ona dies (1418), he marries Julijona, deals with Sigismund at Lutsk (1429), refuses Henė’s last offer (the crown for the flame, Aug 1430), is blocked by Oleśnicki, falls from his horse and dies on 27 Oct 1430 with the word „Neužgeso“ („it did not go out“).
Book V (1430-1450). Alive only in memory and in the flame’s absence; his silver wolf and pebble pass to Žiežirba via Pilkoji.
Book VI (prequel). Born c. 1350 (ch. 12, Laima’s three sentences at the cradle); a boy at the Šventaragis fire with Jogaila (ch. 26).

Power & magic¶

Officially tier 0 (no gift), in practice bound, tier 2: Birutė binds him into the Senovės Sutartis in Book I ch. 3, standing as his surety until her sacrifice in 1384. He can use the Five-Voice and the amber pebble and nothing else; his power is political, not magical (Power systems §4). Perkūnas claims him at Krėva (ch. 10): he is an instrument, rewarded when he keeps an oath and struck when he breaks one (the cracked window at his false baptism; the Vorskla). The Amber Queen is his patron through Birutė and the pebble, which answers to the bearer’s honesty rather than his creed: dead in the Order’s consecrated halls, warm when he stops lying, cracked „like thin ice“ at his death.

Costs: every Five-Voice working takes some hearing and memory, so by the end of Book III his left ear is dead and in Book IV he sees nothing beyond two paces. The Last Flame he lights in 1387 (the lodge beyond the Neris, then the Trakai vault) is a binding of its own: if it goes out while he lives, the Sutartis penalty falls; it goes out at the moment of his death (Book IV ch. 29). He refuses Henė’s offers repeatedly and finally at Lutsk.

Record vs saga¶

[Historical record]: Born c. 1350 (VLE, English and Lithuanian Wikipedia; the Polish tradition says 1354-55). Duke of Grodno in 1382; seized with his father at Jogaila’s camp near Trakai on 3 Aug 1382 and held at Krėva; escaped in autumn 1382 with the help of his wife Anna, disguised in a maid’s or in Anna’s own clothes (Lithuanian Chronicles; Wigand of Marburg), and went to Janusz of Masovia and then to the Order. Baptised Wigand at Tapiau on 21 Oct 1383; Treaty of Königsberg 30 Jan 1384; burned Georgenburg on 9 July 1384; received Grodno, Brest and Podlasie after reconciling with Jogaila; baptised Aleksandras in 1386 (VLE side). Second flight to the Order 1389-90 (Treaty of Lyck, 19 Jan 1390); siege of Vilnius 11 Sep - 7 Oct 1390; broke with the Order in summer 1392; Ostrów Agreement 4 Aug 1392 (viceroy of Lithuania, Trakai restored); Salynas, 12 Oct 1398; defeated on the Vorskla, 12 Aug 1399; Vilnius-Radom union (1401); Raciąż (22-23 May 1404); Grunwald (15 Jul 1410); Horodło (2 Oct 1413); Samogitia baptised 1413-17; Ona died 31 Jul 1418, and he married Julijona Olshanska on 13 Nov 1418; Lutsk congress (Jan 1429); planned coronation set for 8 Sep 1430, then moved to 29 Sep; blocked when the royal guards under Jan Czarnkowski robbed Sigismund’s couriers on the Neumark border (before 19 Aug 1430) and the embassy stalled at Frankfurt an der Oder; the crown itself was never seized. Fell from his horse on the road from Vilnius to Trakai about 15-16 Oct 1430 and died at Trakai on 27 Oct, in Jogaila’s presence (Długosz, Kraszewski); buried in Vilnius cathedral by St Michael’s altar beside Ona. His only recorded child is Sofija.
[The saga’s invention]: The seven forms; the Silent Pact binding and Birutė’s surety; the Beggar’s grey stone; the silver wolf passing to him through the Krėva stones; Eglė’s rescue and price; the Last Flame (1387-1430) and the vault at Trakai; the poisoned sons (a contested tradition adopted for Book II); the wolves that will not come to the Vorskla; Henė’s three-stone bargains and the last offer (the crown for the flame, Lutsk, Book IV ch. 22); and the dying word „Neužgeso“. None contradicts a recorded date: magic explains how (the fall on the road, the silence at Krėva), never whether.

Tarimas¶

VY-tau-tas · IPA /ˈviːtɐʊtɐs/ · English sound-alike „VEE-tow-tahs“. Lithuanian stress on the first syllable, the y a long ee, the au as in „cow“. In English-language sources he is Vytautas the Great (Vytautas Didysis); Polish Witold, Ruthenian Vitovt, German Witowt. Baptismal names: Wigand (1383), Aleksandras (1386).

Appearances¶

Book I: prologue (named only); ch. 1-10 and 13-30, with 28b and the afterword chapter 31; offstage in ch. 11 (Birutė) and 12 (Ona’s mourning).
Book II: the protagonist throughout, except chapters told from other viewpoints (ch. 1 Skirgaila; ch. 7 Bolingbroke; ch. 8 Sofija; ch. 15 Tokhtamysh); key chapters 4-6, 9-12, 22-26.
Book III: ch. 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 13, 17, 20, 21, 25, 28 and the afterword.
Book IV: ch. 1, 3, 12, 13, 16, 17, 19, 22, 24-26, 28-30.
Book V: in memory (ch. 1-4, 6-9, 15, 17-22, 24-26, 29) and in the flame’s absence.
Book VI: ch. 12 (his birth), 26 (the cousins at the fire) and the epilogue, ch. 30.

Book IV fixes the oath at 1382 (48 years) and the Last Flame at 1387 (43 years); Vytautas laughs in Book IV ch. 9, 10, 18, 19 only at Henė’s jokes; after Grunwald his sight is „nothing beyond two paces“.

Ryšiai

Ally: Janusz I of Masovia (1382–1382) — Refuge in Masovia. · Jogaila (1384–1389) — Cold truce. · Jogaila (1392–1430) · Marquard von Salzbach (1384–1389) — Captured July 1384; became his adviser. · Sigismund of Luxembourg (1429–1430) · Teutonic Order (1389–1392) · Tokhtamysh (1395–1399)

Bargained with: Šešėlių Pardavėjas / Henė (1398–1399) — Vorskla vision accepted.

Bound by: Birutė’s Senovės Sutartis over Vytautas · The Last Flame promise

Child of: Birutė · Kęstutis

Claimed by: Perkūno Rūstybė (1382–1430) · Šaknų Motina (Root-Mother) (1382–1430) — Contested with Perkūnas.

Enemy: Edigu (1398–1419) · Jogaila (1382–1384) · Jogaila (1389–1392) · Marquard von Salzbach (1390–1410) — Lyck 1390; the insult of 1404; beheaded at Grunwald for refusing to apologise. · Skirgaila (1382–1392) · Teutonic Order (1384–1389) · Teutonic Order (1392–1430) · Ulrich von Jungingen (1407–1410) · Zbigniew Oleśnicki (1429–1430)

Holds: Kryžiaus kalavijas (the Order’s sword) (1383–1384) · Motinos gintaras (Birutė’s pebble) (1382–1430) · Paskutinė žarija (Šventaragis ember) (1387–1430) · Sidabrinis vilkas (Kęstutis’s amulet) (1382–1430) · Šerno kalavijas (Kęstutis’s sword) (1400–1430) — After 1430 whereabouts unknown.

Member of: Kęstutaičiai (Kęstutis’s line)

Parent of: Sofija Vytautaitė · Vytautas’s sons Jurgis and Ivanas (hostages; contested)

Practises: Gintarystė (amber-craft) (1382–…) — tier 1 — Only through Birutė’s pebble; he is no amber-craftsman. · Senovės Kalba (1382–…) — tier 2 — Bound tier-2: Five-Voice and the pebble only.

Protagonist of: I · The Wolf’s Exile · II · The Golden Shadow · III · The Green Wood · IV · The Invisible Crown

Rules: Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1392–1430)

Served by: Danila (Vytautas’s scribe) (1411–1430) — Personal scribe and chamber servant.

Sibling: Tautvilas Kęstutaitis (Kondrat)

Spouse: Julijona Alšėniškė (1418–…) — Married 1418 at Grodno; 13 Nov per en.wikipedia (Vytautas), ‚before Christmas‘ per VLE and en.wikipedia (Uliana Olshanska); Jan Kropidło, bishop of Włocławek, officiated after the Vilnius bishop refused; Julijona a widow, Ona’s niece. · Ona (1370–1418)

Surety: Birutė (1382–1384)

Took part in: Agreement of Ostrów · Battle of Grunwald / Žalgiris · Battle of the Vorskla · Birutė binds Vytautas (Sutartis, surety, flame promise) · Congress of Lutsk: the crown offered · Jogaila baptised, married, crowned in Kraków · Kęstutis & Vytautas lured to Jogaila’s camp near Trakai and arrested · Peace of Raciąż; Marquard insults Birutė · Pontoon bridge over the Vistula at Czerwińsk · Siege of Vilnius (11 Sep - 7 Oct); Crooked Castle falls 16 Sep · The Beggar turns Kęstutis’s coin to stone · The break: Ritterswerder guests seized, Order forts burned · Treaty of Lyck; hostages demanded · Treaty of Salynas · Truce in the ashes with Jogaila · Vytautas baptised ‚Wigand‘ (a lie) · Vytautas before Zöllner at Marienburg · Vytautas burns Order castles; turns on the Order · Vytautas dies at Trakai; the Last Flame goes out · Vytautas flees to the Order again · Vytautas secretly lights the Last Flame · Vytautas shelters with Janusz I in Masovia

Vassal of: Teutonic Order (1383–1384)

Chronologija¶

Year	Event	Book
1382	Birutė binds Vytautas (Sutartis, surety, flame promise)	I · Vilko Tremtis
1382	The Beggar turns Kęstutis’s coin to stone	I · Vilko Tremtis
1382	Vytautas shelters with Janusz I in Masovia	I · Vilko Tremtis
1382	Vytautas before Zöllner at Marienburg	I · Vilko Tremtis
1382-08-03	Kęstutis & Vytautas lured to Jogaila’s camp near Trakai and arrested	I · Vilko Tremtis
1383-10-21	Vytautas baptised ‚Wigand‘ (a lie)	I · Vilko Tremtis
1384	Truce in the ashes with Jogaila	I · Vilko Tremtis
1384-07	Vytautas burns Order castles; turns on the Order	I · Vilko Tremtis
1386-02-15	Jogaila baptised, married, crowned in Kraków	I · Vilko Tremtis
1387	Vytautas secretly lights the Last Flame	I · Vilko Tremtis
1389	Vytautas flees to the Order again	II · Auksinis Šešėlis
1390-01-19	Treaty of Lyck; hostages demanded	II · Auksinis Šešėlis
1390-09-11	Siege of Vilnius (11 Sep - 7 Oct); Crooked Castle falls 16 Sep	II · Auksinis Šešėlis
1392-07	The break: Ritterswerder guests seized, Order forts burned	II · Auksinis Šešėlis
1392-08-04	Agreement of Ostrów	II · Auksinis Šešėlis
1398-10-12	Treaty of Salynas	II · Auksinis Šešėlis
1399-08-12	Battle of the Vorskla	II · Auksinis Šešėlis
1404-05-22	Peace of Raciąż; Marquard insults Birutė	III · Žaliasis Miškas
1410-06-30	Pontoon bridge over the Vistula at Czerwińsk	III · Žaliasis Miškas
1410-07-15	Battle of Grunwald / Žalgiris	III · Žaliasis Miškas
1429	Congress of Lutsk: the crown offered	IV · Nematoma Karūna
1430-10-27	Vytautas dies at Trakai; the Last Flame goes out	IV · Nematoma Karūna

Forms (arc stages)¶

Form	Years	Ends with
Sūnus	1350–1382	Kęstutis strangled at Krėva
Išgyventojas	1382–1382	Eglė leads Vytautas through the Dykra
Įrankis	1383–1384	Vytautas burns Order castles; turns on the Order
Išdavikų Išdavikas	1384–1392	Vytautas’s hostage sons poisoned (Grunau tradition, contested)
Didysis Kunigaikštis	1392–1399	Battle of the Vorskla
Geležinis Vilkas	1399–1411	Battle of Grunwald / Žalgiris
Ugnies Sargas	1411–1430	Vytautas dies at Trakai; the Last Flame goes out

Sąsajos¶

graph LR
  birute["Birutė"]
  danila["Danila (Vytautas's scribe)"]
  edigu["Edigu"]
  flame_promise["The Last Flame promise"]
  gdl["Grand Duchy of Lithuania"]
  janusz1["Janusz I of Masovia"]
  jogaila["Jogaila"]
  julijona["Julijona Alšėniškė"]
  jungingen["Ulrich von Jungingen"]
  kestutaiciai["Kęstutaičiai (Kęstutis's line)"]
  kestutis["Kęstutis"]
  marquard["Marquard von Salzbach"]
  ona["Ona"]
  perkuno_rustybe["Perkūno Rūstybė"]
  root_mother["Šaknų Motina (Root-Mother)"]
  shadow_seller["Šešėlių Pardavėjas / Henė"]
  sigismund["Sigismund of Luxembourg"]
  skirgaila["Skirgaila"]
  sofija["Sofija Vytautaitė"]
  sutartis_birute["Birutė's Senovės Sutartis over Vytautas"]
  teutonic_order["Teutonic Order"]
  tokhtamysh["Tokhtamysh"]
  vytautas["Vytautas"]
  vytautas_sons["Vytautas's sons Jurgis and Ivanas (hostages; contested)"]
  vytautas -->|Spouse| ona
  vytautas -->|Spouse| julijona
  vytautas -->|Parent of| sofija
  vytautas -->|Parent of| vytautas_sons
  vytautas -->|Member of| kestutaiciai
  vytautas -->|Rules| gdl
  vytautas -->|Enemy| jogaila
  vytautas -->|Enemy| skirgaila
  vytautas -->|Ally| janusz1
  vytautas -->|Vassal of| teutonic_order
  vytautas -->|Enemy| teutonic_order
  vytautas -->|Ally| jogaila
  vytautas -->|Enemy| jogaila
  vytautas -->|Ally| teutonic_order
  vytautas -->|Ally| jogaila
  vytautas -->|Enemy| teutonic_order
  vytautas -->|Ally| tokhtamysh
  vytautas -->|Enemy| edigu
  vytautas -->|Enemy| jungingen
  vytautas -->|Ally| sigismund
  kestutis -->|Parent of| vytautas
  birute -->|Parent of| vytautas
  shadow_seller -->|Bargained with| vytautas
  perkuno_rustybe -->|Claims| vytautas
  root_mother -->|Claims| vytautas
  sutartis_birute -->|Binds| vytautas
  birute -->|Surety for| vytautas
  flame_promise -->|Binds| vytautas
  marquard -->|Ally| vytautas
  marquard -->|Enemy| vytautas
  danila -->|Serves| vytautas
  style vytautas stroke-width:3px