Mindaugas

For the 20th-century claimant to the Lithuanian throne, see Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach. For other people named Mindaugas, see Mindaugas (name).

Mindaugas
Mindaugas, as depicted in the chronicles of Alexander Guagnini (1611)
King of Lithuania
Reign1253–1263
Coronation6 July 1253
Grand Duke of Lithuania
Reign1236–1253
SuccessorTreniota
Bornc. 1203
Died12 September 1263
SpouseSister of Morta
Morta
Issue
at least 3 more...		Vaišvilkas
HouseHouse of Mindaugas

Mindaugas (German: Myndowen, Latin: Mindowe, Old East Slavic: Мендог, romanized: Mendog, Belarusian: Міндоўг, romanized: Mindowh, Polish: Mendog; c. 1203 – 12 September 1263) was the first known grand duke of Lithuania and the only crowned king of Lithuania.[1][2] 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.[3] During the summer of 1253, he was crowned king,[4] ruling between 300,000 and 400,000 subjects, and got nicknamed as Mindaugas the Sapient by the Livonians.[5][6]

While Mindaugas's ten-year reign as king was marked by many state-building accomplishments, his conflicts with relatives and other dukes continued. The western part of Lithuania – Samogitia – strongly resisted the alliance's rule. His gains in the southeast were challenged by the Tatars. He broke peace with the Livonian Order in 1261, possibly renouncing Christianity, and was assassinated in 1263 by his nephew Treniota and another rival, Duke Daumantas of Pskov. His three immediate successors were assassinated as well. The disorder was not resolved until Traidenis gained the title of grand duke c. 1270.

Although his reputation was unsettled during the following centuries and his descendants were not notable, he gained standing during the 19th and 20th centuries. Mindaugas was the only king of Lithuania;[7] while most of the Lithuanian grand dukes from Jogaila onward also reigned as kings of Poland, the titles remained separate. Now generally considered the founder of the Lithuanian state, he is also now credited with stopping the advance of the Tatars towards the Baltic Sea, establishing international recognition of Lithuania, and turning it towards Western civilization.[7][8] In the 1990s the historian Edvardas Gudavičius published research supporting an exact coronation date – 6 July 1253. This day is now an official national holiday in Lithuania, Statehood Day.

  1. ^ "Mindaugas | ruler of Lithuania". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  2. ^ Gudavičius, Edvardas. "Mindaugas". Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  3. ^ Mägi, Marika (2018). In Austrvegr: The Role of the Eastern Baltic in Viking Age Communication through the Baltic Sea. Brill Publishers. 76 p. ISBN 978-90-04-21665-5.
  4. ^ Galeotti, Mark (17 January 2023). Teutonic Knight Vs Lithuanian Warrior: The Lithuanian Crusade 1283–1435. Bloomsbury USA. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-4728-5150-5.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference oconnor15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Salynė, Roberta (6 July 2021). "Kur gimė tikroji Lietuva: prasidėjo ten, kur šiandien nė neįsivaizduotume?". 15min (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference dubonis was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference barana was invoked but never defined (see the help page).