The consort (or spouse) of the royal rulers of Lithuania and of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was in all cases a woman and nearly all took the title of Grand Duchess.
Morta and her sister were the only Queens of Lithuania; her successors took the title of "Grand Duchess" instead.
The short-lived Kingdom of Lithuania of 1918 had a King-Elect Mindaugas II of Lithuania: but his first wife, Duchess Amalie in Bavaria, had died six years earlier, and his second marriage, to Princess Wiltrud of Bavaria, occurred six years after the Kingdom was replaced by a Republic.
Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Grand Duchess | Ceased to be Grand Duchess | Death | Spouse |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- | Morta | - | - | around 1219 | 1235 husband's accession | 1263 | Mindaugas | |
- | Sister of Morta | - | - | after 1263 | 12 September 1263 husband's death | - | ||
- | Ramunė [1] [2] | Mindaugas (Mindaugas) | - | 1254/5 | 1267 husband's accession | 1269 husband's death | - | Shvarn |
- | Ludmila of Masovia? | Konrad I of Masovia (Piast) | 1223 | 1238 | 1270 husband's accession | 1282 husband's death | - | Traidenis |
Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Grand Duchess | Ceased to be Grand Duchess | Death | Spouse |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vida | Vidmund | It is uncertain how many wives Gediminas had. The Bychowiec Chronicle mentions three wives: Vida from Courland; Olga from Smolensk; and Jaunė from Polotsk, who was Eastern Orthodox and died in 1344 or 1345. [3] Most modern historians and reference works say Gediminas' wife was Jaunė, dismissing Vida and Olga as fictitious, since no sources other than this chronicle mention the other two wives. [4] | Gediminas | |||||
Olga Vsevolodovna of Smolensk | Vsevolod of Smolensk (Rurikids?) | |||||||
Jaunė (Ievna Ivanovna of Polotsk) | Ivan Vsevolodich, Prince of Polotsk (Rurikids?) | ? | - | Winter of 1341 husband's death | 1344/5 | |||
Maria Yaroslavna of Vitebsk | Yaroslav Vasilievich, Prince of Vitebsk (Rurikids?) | ? | 1318 | 1345 husband's accession | before 1349 | Algirdas | ||
Uliana Alexandrovna of Tver | Aleksandr Mikhailovich of Tver (Rurikids) | 1325 | 1350 | May 1377 husband's death | Autumn of 1392 | |||
Birutė | - | - | before 1349 | 3/15 August 1382 husband's death | Fall 1382 | Kęstutis | ||
Jadwiga of Poland | Louis I of Hungary (Anjou-Hungary) | 18 February 1373 | 18 February 1386 | 1392 power passed to Vytautas | 17 July 1399 | Jogaila | ||
Anna | probably a Lithuanian noble or a Rurikid | ? | around 1370 | 4 August 1392 husband's accession | 31 July 1418 | Vytautas | ||
Uliana Olshansky | Ivan Olshansky (Olshanski) | ? | 9 November 1418 | 27 October 1430 husband's death | 1448? | |||
Anna of Tver | Ivan Ivanovich of Tver Rurikid | ? | 1430? | 1430? | 1 September 1432 power passed to Sigismund Kęstutaitis | Between 1471 and 1484 [5] | Švitrigaila | |
Unknown | Unknown | - | January 1416 | 1 September 1432 husband's accession | Middle 1434 | Sigismund Kęstutaitis | ||
Elisabeth of Austria [6] | Albert II of Germany (Habsburg) | 1435/36/possibly 1437 | 10 March 1454 | 7 June 1492 husband's death | 30 August 1505 | Casimir I | ||
Helena of Moscow [6] | Ivan III of Russia (Rurikids) | 19 May 1476 | 18 February 1495 | 19 August 1506 husband's death | 20 January 1513 | Alexander | ||
Barbara Zápolya [6] | Stephen Zápolya (Zápolya) | 1495 | 8 February 1512 | 2 October 1515 | Sigismund I | |||
Bona Sforza [6] | Gian Galeazzo Sforza (Sforza) | 13 February 1495 | 18 April 1518 in Wawel Cathedral | 1 April 1548 husband's death | 7 November 1558 | |||
Elisabeth of Austria [6] | Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (Habsburg) | 9 July 1526 | 5 May 1543 | 15 June 1545 | Sigismund II Augustus | |||
Barbara Radziwiłł [6] | Jerzy Radziwiłł (Radziwiłł) | 6 December 1520 | 1547 | 8 May 1551 | ||||
Catherine of Austria [6] | Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (Habsburg) | 15 September 1533 | 23 June 1553 | 28 February 1572 | ||||
Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Grand Duchess | Ceased to be Grand Duchess | Death | Spouse |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anna of Austria [6] [7] [8] | Charles II, Archduke of Austria (Habsburg) | 16 August 1573 | 31 May 1592 | 10 February 1598 | Sigismund III | |||
Constance of Austria [6] | Charles II, Archduke of Austria (Habsburg) | 24 December 1588 | 11 December 1605 | 10 July 1631 | ||||
Cecilia Renata of Austria [6] | Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (Habsburg) | 16 July 1611 | 13 September 1637 | 24 March 1644 | Władysław IV | |||
Ludwika Maria Gonzaga [6] | Charles I of Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (Gonzaga) | 18 August 1611 | 5 November 1645 | 15 July 1646 | 20 May 1648 husband's death | 10 May 1667 | ||
30 May 1649 | 10 May 1667 | John II | ||||||
Eleonora Maria Josefa of Austria [6] | Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (Habsburg) | 31 May 1653 | 27 February 1670 | 10 November 1673 husband's death | 17 December 1697 | Michael | ||
Marie Casimire Louise de la Grange d'Arquien [6] | Henri Albert de La Grange d'Arquien (La Grange) | 28 June 1641 | 5 July 1665 | 19 May 1674 husband's election | 17 June 1696 husband's death | 1 January 1716 | John III | |
Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth [6] [9] | Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (Hohenzollern) | 19 December 1671 | 20 January 1693 | 15 September 1697 husband's coronation | 1 September 1706 husband's abdication | 4 September 1727 | Augustus II, 1st reign | |
Catherine Opalińska [6] | Jan Karol Opaliński (Opaliński) | 13 October 1680 | 10 May 1698 | 12 July 1704 husband's election | 1709 husband's desposation | 19 March 1747 | Stanisław I, 1st reign | |
Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth [6] [9] | Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (Hohenzollern) | 19 December 1671 | 20 January 1693 | 1709 husband's restoration | 4 September 1727 | Augustus II, 2nd reign | ||
Catherine Opalińska [6] | Jan Karol Opaliński (Opaliński) | 13 October 1680 | 10 May 1698 | 1733 husband's restoration | 1736 husband's abdication | 19 March 1747 | Stanisław I, 2nd reign | |
Maria Josepha of Austria [6] [9] | Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (Habsburg) | 8 December 1699 | 20 August 1719 | 1734 husband's election | 17 November 1757 | Augustus III | ||
Casimir IV was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447 until his death in 1492. He was one of the most active Polish-Lithuanian rulers; under him, Poland defeated the Teutonic Knights in the Thirteen Years' War and recovered Pomerania.
Lithuanian is an East Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the language of Lithuanians and the official language of Lithuania as well as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are approximately 2.8 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 1 million speakers elsewhere. Around half a million inhabitants of Lithuania of non-Lithuanian background speak Lithuanian daily as a second language.
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 partitions of Poland–Lithuania. The state was founded by Lithuanians, who were at the time a polytheistic nation of several united Baltic tribes from Aukštaitija, which by 1440, became the largest European state controlling an area from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south.
Lithuanian mythology is the mythology of Lithuanian polytheism, the religion of pre-Christian Lithuanians. Like other Indo-Europeans, ancient Lithuanians maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure. In pre-Christian Lithuania, mythology was a part of polytheistic religion; after Christianisation mythology survived mostly in folklore, customs and festive rituals. Lithuanian mythology is very close to the mythology of other Baltic nations – Prussians, Latvians, and is considered a part of Baltic mythology.
Traidenis was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1269 or 1270 until 1282. He is the second most prominent grand duke of Lithuania in the 13th century after Mindaugas. His reign ended a seven-year unrest period after Mindaugas was assassinated in 1263 and firmly established the Grand Duchy as a pagan state for another hundred years.
The Pact of Vilnius and Radom was a set of three acts passed in Vilnius, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and confirmed by the Crown Council in Radom, Kingdom of Poland in 1401. The union amended the earlier act of the Union of Krewo (1385) and confirmed the Ostrów Agreement (1392). Vytautas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, became fully in charge of the Lithuanian affairs, while Władysław II Jagiełło, King of Poland, reserved the rights of an overlord. After the death of Vytautas, Lithuania was to be ruled by Władysław II Jagiełło or his legal heir. The union is generally seen as strengthening of the Polish–Lithuanian union.
Alexandra was the youngest daughter of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his second wife, Uliana of Tver. Though Alexandra's exact date of birth is not known, it is thought that she was born in the late 1360s or early 1370s. In 1387, she married Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia, and had thirteen children with him.
The Treaty of Melno or Treaty of Lake Melno was a peace treaty ending the Gollub War. It was signed on 27 September 1422, between the Teutonic Knights and an alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at Lake Melno, east of Graudenz (Grudziądz). The treaty resolved territorial disputes between the Knights and Lithuania regarding Lithuania Minor and Samogitia, which had dragged on since 1382, and determined the Prussian–Lithuanian border, which afterwards remained unchanged for about 500 years. A portion of the original border survives as a portion of the modern border between the Republic of Lithuania and Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, making it one of the oldest and most stable borders in Europe.
Edvardas Gudavičius was a Lithuanian historian. He was known as one of the best historians in Lithuania specializing in the early history of Grand Duchy of Lithuania and is an author of many publications.
The family of Gediminas is a group of family members of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, who interacted in the 14th century. The family included the siblings, children, and grandchildren of the Grand Duke and played the pivotal role in the history of Lithuania for the period as the Lithuanian nobility had not yet acquired its influence. Gediminas was also the forefather of the Gediminid dynasty, which ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1310s or 1280s to 1572.
Helena Ivanovna of Moscow was daughter of Ivan III the Great, Grand Prince of Moscow, and an uncrowned Grand Duchess of Lithuania and Queen of Poland as she would not convert from Eastern Orthodoxy to Catholicism. Her childless marriage to Grand Duke of Lithuania and later King of Poland Alexander Jagiellon was a constant source of tension between the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Instead of guaranteeing peace, Helena's marriage gave her father Ivan III an excuse to interfere in Lithuanian affairs accusing Alexander of mistreating Helena and repressing Orthodox believers. This became the pretext to renew the Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars in 1500. The war ended with a six-year truce in 1503; the Grand Duchy of Lithuania lost about a third of its territory. Despite political tensions and religious differences, the marriage was a loving one and the royal couple was close. After her husband's death in 1506, Helena wanted to return to Moscow but was not allowed. When she planned to run away, she was arrested and reportedly poisoned.
The Galicia–Volhynia Wars were several wars fought in the years 1340–1392 over the succession in the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, also known as Ruthenia. After Yuri II Boleslav was poisoned by local Ruthenian nobles in 1340, both the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland advanced claims over the kingdom. After a prolonged conflict, Galicia–Volhynia was partitioned between Poland (Galicia) and Lithuania (Volhynia) and Ruthenia ceased to exist as an independent state. Poland acquired a territory of approximately 52,000 square kilometres (20,000 sq mi) with 200,000 inhabitants.
The Treaty of Salynas was a peace treaty signed on 12 October 1398 by Vytautas the Great, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, and Konrad von Jungingen, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. It was signed on an islet of the Neman River, probably between Kulautuva and the mouth of the Nevėžis River. It was the third time, after the Treaty of Königsberg (1384) and Treaty of Lyck (1390), that Vytautas promised Samogitia to the Knights. The territory was important to the Knights as it physically separated the Teutonic Knights in Prussia from its branch in Livonia. It was the first time that the Knights and Vytautas attempted to enforce the cession of Samogitia. However, it did not solve the territorial disputes over Samogitia and they dragged on until the Treaty of Melno in 1422.
Samogitian uprisings refer to two uprisings by the Samogitians against the Teutonic Knights in 1401–1404 and 1409. Samogitia was granted to the Teutonic Knights by Vytautas the Great, Grand Duke of Lithuania, several times in order to enlist Knights' support for his other military affairs. The local population resisted Teutonic rule and asked Vytautas to protect them. The first uprising was unsuccessful and Vytautas had to reconfirm his previous promises to transfer Samogitia in the Peace of Raciąż. The second uprising provoked the Knights to declare war on Poland. Hostilities escalated and resulted in the Battle of Grunwald (1410), one of the biggest battles of medieval Europe. The Knights were soundly defeated by the joint Polish–Lithuanian forces, but Vytautas and Jogaila, King of Poland, were unable to capitalize on their victory. Conflicts regarding Samogitia, both diplomatic and military, dragged until the Treaty of Melno (1422).
The Jagiellonian or Jagellonian dynasty, otherwise the Jagiellon dynasty, the House of Jagiellon, or simply the Jagiellons, was the name assumed by a cadet branch of the Lithuanian ducal dynasty of Gediminids upon reception by Jogaila, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, of baptism as Władysław in 1386, which paved the way to his ensuing marriage to the Queen Regnant Jadwiga of Poland, resulting in his ascension to the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland as Władysław II Jagiełło, and the effective promotion of his branch to a royal dynasty. The Jagiellons were polyglots and per historical evidence Casimir IV Jagiellon and his son Saint Casimir possibly were the last Jagiellons who spoke in their patrilineal ancestors Lithuanian language, however even the last patrilineal Jagiellonian monarch Sigismund II Augustus maintained two separate and equally lavish Lithuanian-speaking and Polish-speaking royal courts in Lithuania's capital Vilnius. The Jagiellons reigned in several European countries between the 14th and 16th centuries. Members of the dynasty were Kings of Poland (1386–1572), Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Kings of Hungary, and Kings of Bohemia and imperial electors (1471–1526).
Mindaugas was the first known grand duke of Lithuania and the only crowned king of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or rise to power; he is mentioned in a 1219 treaty as an elder duke, and in 1236 as the leader of all the Lithuanians. The contemporary and modern sources discussing his ascent mention strategic marriages along with banishment or murder of his rivals. He extended his domain into regions southeast of Lithuania proper during the 1230s and 1240s. In 1250 or 1251, during the course of internal power struggles, he was baptised as a Roman Catholic; this action enabled him to establish an alliance with the Livonian Order, a long-standing antagonist of the Lithuanians. By 1245, Mindaugas was already being referred to as "the highest king" in certain documents. During the summer of 1253, he was crowned king, ruling between 300,000 and 400,000 subjects and got nicknamed as Mindaugas the Sapient by the Livonians.
The Manvydai family was a small but influential 15th-century Lithuanian noble family, whose most prominent members were brothers Albertas Manvydas and Jurgis Gedgaudas and their sons Jonas Manvydas and Petras Gedgaudas. The family used the Leliwa coat of arms that were received in the Union of Horodło (1413). They considered Vishnyeva and Zhuprany in present-day Belarus their ancestral estates. In a few decades, the family amassed about 20 larger land holdings with about 2,500 serf households. The family supported Grand Duke Švitrigaila who was deposed in 1432. The last male heir died in 1475 and the family's wealth was inherited by the Radziwiłł family and Alekna Sudimantaitis.
Gediminas' Cap was the most important regalia of the Lithuanian monarchs who ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania until the Union of Lublin in 1569. During the inaugurations of Lithuanian monarchs, Gediminas' Cap was placed on the monarch's heads by the Bishop of Vilnius in Vilnius Cathedral.