Grand Duchy of Lithuania¶

Overview¶

[Historical record] A pagan realm, the last in Europe, stretching from the Baltic coast to the Rus‘ lands. Mindaugas was crowned King in 1253; Gediminas (c. 1316-1341) made Vilnius its capital in 1323; Algirdas (east) and Kęstutis (west) ruled as a diarchy from 1345 to 1377. Grand Dukes in the saga’s years: Jogaila (1377-81; 1382-92), Kęstutis (1381-82), Vytautas (1392-1430, by the Ostrów agreement, 4-5 Aug 1392), Švitrigaila (1430-32), Žygimantas (1432-40) and Casimir (elected 29 Jun 1440, aged 12). Baptism came with Jogaila in 1387 and Samogitia in 1413-17.

Grand Duchy of Lithuania


Tipas	grupuotė
Pastaba	Grand Duchy of Lithuania: sovereign pagan-Ruthenian realm from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

Wants (by book)¶

Book	Goal	Leverage	Red line
VI	Survive the Order	The Pact; Kęstutis’s wolves	Kin blood
I	One lord in Vilnius	Algirdaičiai against Kęstutaičiai	A Pact-breaker on the throne
II	An empire from the Baltic to the Black Sea	Vytautas’s governors, Tatars and Karaims at Trakai	Vorskla, 1399
III	Samogitia back; the Order broken	Grunwald, 1410	Reversion to the Crown (Vilnius-Radom, 1401)
IV	A crown for Lithuania	Horodło and Lutsk	The crown turned to leaves
V	Keep the realm from Poland	The council lords: Goštautas, Kęsgaila, Daugirdas	Incorporation as a province

Patron Force¶

None as a state. Its two ruling lines have separate patrons, the Shadow-Seller for the Algirdaičiai and the Amber Queen for the Kęstutaičiai (see Algirdaičiai and Kęstutaičiai). After 1430 the Gold-Glutton speaks through its council’s ledgers (Book V ch. 17).

Internal tensions¶

The realm is a family firm until 1392. The appanage princes then give way to governors. Boyars gain Polish arms at Horodło, but Orthodox princes are shut out of the top offices, which is the grievance behind Švitrigaila’s army in 1432. Samogitia obeys no one it did not choose.

Notable members¶

Algirdas, Jogaila, Kęstutis, Vytautas, Švitrigaila, Žygimantas.

Ryšiai

Members: Algirdaičiai (Algirdas’s line) · Kęstutaičiai (Kęstutis’s line)

Ruled by: Algirdas (1345–1377) · Gediminaičiai (House of Gediminas) · Jogaila (1377–1392) · Kęstutis (1345–1382) — Co-ruler (west); sole Grand Duke 1381–82. · Vytautas (1392–1430) · Švitrigaila (1430–1432) · Žygimantas Kęstutaitis (1432–1440)

Served by: Alšėniškiai (Holszański, princes of Halshany) · Goštautai (Gasztołd) (1413–…) · Kęsgailos (Kieżgajło)

Sąsajos¶

graph LR
  algirdaiciai["Algirdaičiai (Algirdas's line)"]
  algirdas["Algirdas"]
  alseniskiai["Alšėniškiai (Holszański, princes of Halshany)"]
  gdl["Grand Duchy of Lithuania"]
  gediminaiciai["Gediminaičiai (House of Gediminas)"]
  gostautai["Goštautai (Gasztołd)"]
  jogaila["Jogaila"]
  kesgailos["Kęsgailos (Kieżgajło)"]
  kestutaiciai["Kęstutaičiai (Kęstutis's line)"]
  kestutis["Kęstutis"]
  svitrigaila["Švitrigaila"]
  vytautas["Vytautas"]
  zygimantas["Žygimantas Kęstutaitis"]
  algirdaiciai -->|Member of| gdl
  kestutaiciai -->|Member of| gdl
  algirdas -->|Rules| gdl
  kestutis -->|Rules| gdl
  jogaila -->|Rules| gdl
  vytautas -->|Rules| gdl
  svitrigaila -->|Rules| gdl
  zygimantas -->|Rules| gdl
  gediminaiciai -->|Rules| gdl
  alseniskiai -->|Serves| gdl
  gostautai -->|Serves| gdl
  kesgailos -->|Serves| gdl
  style gdl stroke-width:3px