Jagiello transferred the grand-ducal throne to his cousin Vytautas in 1392. In 1399, Vytautas (ruled 1392 - 1430) once again tried to annex the Moscow principality, this time in alliance with the Horde khan Tokhtamysh, who fled to Lithuania and dreamed of regaining the khan's throne, but suffered a severe defeat in the Battle of Vorskla. This defeat greatly weakened Lithuania, and in 1401 it was forced to confirm the regime of “personal union” with Poland, which led to the strengthening of the position of the Polish nobility (gentry) in the lands of the principality.
In 1405, Vytautas attacked the Novogorod and Pskov lands, and they turned to Moscow for help. War was brewing, but the forces of Lithuania and Moscow were approximately equal, and besides, the conflict was not beneficial to either side, and in 1408, after standing with the troops on the Ugra, Vitovt and the Moscow Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich made peace. At this time, in the west, the Polish-Lithuanian state waged a fierce struggle with the Teutonic Order. Peace on the eastern borders largely contributed to the fact that in 1410 the united troops of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania inflicted a crushing defeat on the Order in Battle of Grunwald(Battle of Tannenberg). A direct consequence of this victory was the final refusal of the Order in 1422 from Samogitia and the final liquidation of the Order under the Second Peace of Torun in 1466.
Once again Vytautas tried to intervene in Moscow affairs in 1427, when a dynastic feud began in Moscow, called the Shemyakin Troubles. Vitovt, relying on the fact that the Grand Duchess of Moscow, together with her son, people and lands, had surrendered herself under his protection, seriously laid claim to the throne of the King of Lithuania and Rus'. The matter was for official recognition by the Holy Roman Emperor. Recognition of Vytautas as a king and, accordingly, his country as a kingdom, would mean a radical change in the status of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the international arena. This was completely unprofitable for Jagiello and the Kingdom of Poland, which sought to expand its influence on its eastern neighbor. According to legend, the crown of Vytautas was stopped on the territory of Poland, and Jagiello personally cut it with a sword. The no longer young Vytautas could bear such a blow and died in 1430.
Perhaps this was the last attempt to establish the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as an independent power. The decisive inculcation of the Catholic faith and the expansion of the influence of the Poles, although it contributed to the rise of the economy, culture and science, at the same time firmly tied the country to the more developed Catholic Poland, and the system of privileges granted to the Catholic gentry broke the internal unity of the country. The transition of the Orthodox nobility to Catholicism and its Polonization became widespread. The enslavement of peasants in the first half of the 15th century added fuel to the fire. The response was mass peasant movements. The Orthodox majority, especially the lower strata of the population, increasingly oriented towards Rus'. An outflow of Orthodox Christians began from the Lithuanian lands: they went to empty lands in the east and southeast, the former Wild Field, where the owners were nomads. This was the beginning of the Cossacks in the lands bordering the Crimean Khanate.
And the former pagan priestess Biruta. From early childhood, Vytautas’s father began to raise him as a warrior, and one of his teachers was the former knight of the Teutonic Order, Gano von Windeyheim, who taught the young prince the German language, to wield weapons and showed the military techniques of the crusaders. From the age of 13, Vitovt began to participate in his father’s military campaigns, and soon, Keistut allowed him to act independently; in his first military campaign, Vitovt captured and destroyed the Prussian castle of Evsterborg.
In 1376, Vitovt received from his father the control of the Goroden principality with the cities of Kamenets, Berestye, Dorogichin, which he successfully defended from enemy attacks, in 1377 he drove them away from under the walls of Trok, and in 1380 he defended Dorogichin.
In 1381, Keistut's war began against his nephew and cousin Vytautas Jagiello, for power in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This internecine war did not last long; in 1382, Jagiello, with whom Vytautas had been friends since childhood and trusted him, convinced him to arrange negotiations with Keistut. Vitotv, having talked with his father, went to negotiate with him, but as soon as the two of them arrived , they were immediately captured by order of Jagiello. Five days later, Keistut was strangled and Vitovt, who was ill at that time, most likely faced the same fate. However, the story turned out differently, thanks to his wife Anna, who came with a maid to visit him, he was able to escape. Having changed into the clothes of his maid Elena, Vitovt, while still young and without a mustache, was able to leave the walls of the Krevsky castle in which he was imprisoned at night, and the maid who offered him to leave the walls of the castle in her place pretended to be a sick prince for another 3 days.
After Vytautas managed to get out of Krevo Castle, he went to Mazovia to Prince Janusz, who was the husband of his sister. Janusz accepted Vytautas and provided everything necessary so that he could get to the capital of the Teutonic Order, Malborg.
Vytautas had to enter into an alliance with the most important enemies of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and also convert to the Catholic faith, so that they would help him in the fight against Jagiello. Vytautas was not the first who turned to the worst enemies of Lithuania for help; Jagiello and a number of other Lithuanian princes did this before him.
Internecine war broke out again in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; Vitov, with the support of the crusaders, began to fight against Jagiello in 1383-1384. Vitovt gained power and his blows became stronger and stronger, so that Jagiello was forced to take refuge from him in Vitebsk, and leave his brother Skirgailo to fight in his place. The war was gaining momentum, Jagiello understood that the further the situation became more dangerous, and offered to make peace with Vytautas. Vitov, also realizing that the internecine war would bring benefits only to the crusader, agreed to this peace, after pacification, Vytautas attacked a detachment of crusaders and captured several castles of the Order.
Vytautas returns to his homeland, but Jagiello is trying in every possible way to control him and give him as little freedom of action as possible, this situation continued until 1387, when Jagiello, having become the Polish king, comes to Lithuania and begins to fulfill his promises given before the coronation, namely, forces all pagans in Zhemoytia to convert to the Catholic faith, publishes guidelines for Catholics, prohibited Orthodox Christians from marrying Catholics without the Orthodox spouse converting to Catholicism, and exempted the Catholic Church from taxes. With his actions, Jagiello caused discontent among the majority of the population of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was Orthodox; there were more and more dissatisfied people in the principality. Vitov decided to take advantage of this and take up arms again, leading an army against Jagiello. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was again approaching a war for power, between Vytautas and Jagiello.
Vitovt's struggle for power in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Before the start of the war with Jagiello, Vitovt agreed to marry his daughter Sophia to the son of Moscow Prince Dmitry Donskoy Vasily. These events alerted Jagiello, and he decided to weaken the influence of Vytautas by taking away the cities of Vladimir and Lutsk from him, Golshany from his ally Ivan Golshansky and Novogorodok from Vytautas’ brother Tovtivil.
Vytautas did not wait any longer and gathered all the dissatisfied princes in the middle of 1389 in Grodno, where they decided to capture Vilna and elevate Vytautas to the princely throne.
The plan was this: Vitov sent convoys with firewood to Vilno, in which his wars were hidden, they were supposed to penetrate the capital with such a convoy and capture it. However, Prince Koribut, who at that time remained in Vilna, learned about this plan, instead of Prince Skrigailo, who went to suppress the rebellion in Polotsk. As soon as the convoys approached Vilna, they were surrounded by Koribut’s troops, and Vytautas’s warriors had to surrender.
The coup plan failed, Vytautas was again forced to flee to the crusaders. The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order forgave Vytautas for his past betrayal and promised to help him; the obvious attempt to use Vytautas in the fight against Jogaila was stronger than Vytautas’ betrayal.
In 1390, an open war between Vytautas and Jagiello began; this year, with the help of the crusaders, he tried to capture Vilna, but the attempt failed, and it also failed to capture Vilna in 1391.
Vitovt's forces were greatly strengthened in 1392, after his daughter married Prince Vasily Dmitrievich of Moscow. Vitovt’s attacks became increasingly stronger, and the crusaders built for him the Riteswerder castle on the border with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, from where he launched raids on Lithuania. The governor of Jagiello in Lithuania, his brother Kernovsky Prince Wigand-Alexander, tried to capture it by storm, but was repulsed. Soon, brother Jagiello died, and he had high hopes for him in the fight against Vytautas.
Vytautas continued to advance and was able to capture Grodno and fortified himself there. Jagiello, seeing that the positions of Vytautas and his allies were getting stronger, and he had little chance of holding Lithuania, began to think about peace. Through his ambassador Henry, who came to Prussia, ostensibly to conclude a truce with the crusaders, he conveyed to Vytautas a proposal for peace and the transfer of power to him in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
It was not easy for Vytautas to agree to peace with Jagiello, since the Teutons held his wife Anna, two sons and brother hostage, but he made his choice and captured the Teutonic garrison in Riteswerder and then destroyed the castle. Next, he expels the crusaders from Grodno, captures and destroys two Teutonic fortresses, Metemburg and Neugarten, which were located on the border of the grand duchy.
The peace between Vytautas and Jagiello was concluded on August 5, 1392, in the village of Ostrov near Oshmyany. According to this peace treaty, Vytautas became the Grand Duke of Lithuania, and swore an oath to help the Kingdom of Poland and fight against its enemies.
Vitov paid dearly for the grand-ducal throne, the crusaders did not forgive Vitovt’s second betrayal and poisoned his sons who were held hostage, and they chained his brother Zhigimont in chains and threw him into a dungeon.
Vytautas, the uncrowned king
After Vytautas was declared Grand Duke of Lithuania in the principality, there were those who were dissatisfied with this state of affairs and openly, with weapons, opposed the Grand Duke, however, Vytautas quickly suppressed all the rebellions, and no one dared to encroach on his power anymore.
After coming to power, Vytautas constantly wages wars and is engaged in expanding the borders of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1395, by cunning he managed to annex the Smolensk principality to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, spreading a rumor that he was going to the Horde, he unexpectedly found himself with an army at the walls of Smolensk, lured the Smolensk princes to negotiations, captured them, and he himself captured the city.
4 years after the capture of Smolensk in 1399, Vitovt went on a military campaign against the Crimean Khanate in order to place his protege Tokhtymash on the Khan’s throne, who promised to give up Ukrainian lands in exchange for help in the fight for the Crimean Khanate. On August 12, 1399, the Battle of the Vorskla River took place. Vitovt's troops were defeated, and he himself escaped with a small detachment. But, despite the defeat, Vitovt did not lose heart, he was able to gather an army to defend Kyiv, and when the Tatars, led by Temir-Kutlui, approached the walls of Kyiv, they did not dare to storm and went back.
Despite the loss of a large number of troops, the enemies of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were completely unable to take advantage of this situation, and by 1404 he again had enough forces to attack the Novgorod land, and go to war against the Moscow principality in 1407 and capture Odoev.
In 1409, with the uprising in Zhemoitia, the war between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Order began, and on July 15, 1410, the most important and significant battle for Vytautas and the entire Grand Duchy of Lithuania took place near Grunwald. Together with the Polish king Jagiello, Vytautas was able to defeat the crusaders, the most dangerous enemies who constantly threatened the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland. After this battle, the Teutonic Order no longer threatened as much as before and soon ceased to exist.
After the victory at Grunwald, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania became one of the most powerful states in Europe, Vytautas gained great influence and fame, and many European monarchs began to seek his friendship. In 1422, the Czechs choose Vytautas as their king, and he sends a military detachment there to help in the war against the Catholic Holy Empire.
Vytautas did a lot for his state, but one problem remained: that Poland would cease to lay claim to the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vytautas had to become a king, and Lithuania a kingdom. And although Pope Martin V did not give his blessing for the coronation of Vytautas, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund I supported Vytautas and agreed to crown him and recognize the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a kingdom, he also promised to send the royal crown by September 8, 1430.
Many guests came to the coronation of Vytautas, but it never took place. Jogaila and the Polish magnates set up outposts on their territory, and when the ambassadors of Sigismund I, who were carrying the crown, became aware of this, they turned back. Vitov, when he learned about this, took this news very hard, and, despite the fact that he was offered to take another crown for the coronation, instead of the one he was waiting for, he refused this offer. He soon became seriously ill and died on October 27, 1430. After himself, Vytautas left the largest and most powerful state in Europe, which was considered by neighbors and feared by enemies.
The exact date of birth of Vytautas is unknown. Based on secondary descriptions in chronicles, historians have come to the conclusion that he was born around 1350. Lithuanian Vitovt was the son of Keistut and nephew of Olgerd and at birth did not claim power over the entire state. He proved his supreme position among his compatriots for many years in numerous civil and foreign wars.
Power struggle
In 1377, Vitovt's uncle, Grand Duke of Lithuania Olgerd, died. Power passed to his son Jagiello. Keistut, who was the prince of Troki, recognized his nephew as his eldest and returned to his pressing matters - the fight against the Catholic crusaders, who had created their own military orders in the Baltic states. Jagiello, however, was afraid of his uncle. In addition, his paranoia was reinforced by the advice of those close to him.
Jagiello entered into an alliance with the crusaders in order to deprive Keistut of his inheritance. Soon it began, in which the future Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas took part. In 1381, together with his father, he defeated Jagiello. Keistut briefly became the ruler of the entire country, and Vitovt became his heir.
Civil War
Already in the next year - 1382, an uprising broke out in Lithuania against the power of Keistut. Together with Vitovt, he was captured and strangled in prison. The son fled to the possessions of the Teutonic Order. Three years later, Poland and Lithuania entered into a union, thus effectively merging into one state. Jagiello moved his capital to Krakow. At the same time, Vitovt obtained from his cousin the return of the Grand Duchy to him as governor.
However, soon the conflict between them broke out with renewed vigor. Vytautas again had to flee to the crusaders, with whom he lived for three years, preparing for a triumphant return to his homeland. In 1392, after a series of battles, the brothers signed the Ostrov Agreement. The Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas again regained his title. Formally, he recognized himself as a vassal of the Polish king, but historians consider 1392 to be the date of the beginning of his actual independent rule.
Campaigns against the Tatars
After the end of the civil war, Vytautas could finally pay attention to the external enemies of Lithuania. On the southern borders, his state bordered on the steppe, which was under the control of the Tatars. In 1395, Khan of the Golden Horde Tokhtamysh suffered a crushing defeat from the army of Tamerlane. He fled to Vilna, seeking refuge there.
What did Vitovt do in this situation? The Grand Duke of Lithuania, whose biography is an example of an active military leader who fought against all dangerous neighbors, could not miss such a chance. He sheltered Tokhtamysh and began to gather troops for future raids into the steppe. In 1397, the prince's army crossed the Don and, without encountering much resistance, plundered and destroyed Tatar camps. When the weakened horde finally decided to fight, the odds were clearly not in its favor. The Lithuanians defeated the steppe inhabitants and took more than a thousand prisoners.
But Vitovt, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, did not stop there. Interesting facts about Crimea prompted him to go to this unexplored peninsula, where Tokhtamysh’s opponents roamed and stored their wealth. Before, the Lithuanian army had never gone so far into enemy territory. Vytautas hoped that his successes would inspire the Pope to declare an all-European war against the Tatars. If such a campaign really began and ended in success, then the prince could count on a royal title and a significant increase in territories in the east.
Battle of Vorskla
However, the crusade under the patronage of Rome never happened. Meanwhile, the Tatars were able to resolve internal conflicts and unite in order to defeat their Western enemies. The steppe inhabitants were led by Khan Timur Kutlug and his temnik Edigei. They assembled a large army of several tens of thousands of warriors.
What could Vytautas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, oppose to them and whom could he gather under his banner? ruler allowed him to find a compromise between different parts of Lithuanian society. First of all, he was faced with the dilemma of relations with the Russian Orthodox population, who lived over a large area of the country. Vytautas took care of these people and their governors, thanks to which he was able to earn a good reputation.
His ideas about a punitive campaign against the Tatars found a response not only among his Orthodox population, but also among some independent Russian princes. The Smolensk ruler agreed to perform together with Vitovt. Significant help also arrived from Poland and even the Teutonic Order. These Catholics agreed to present a united front against the steppe inhabitants. Finally, with Vitovt there were Tatars loyal to Tokhtamysh.
An army of about 40 thousand people marched east in 1399. The decisive battle took place on the Vorskla, a tributary of the Dnieper. Vytautas's army was the first to launch an offensive, and it even managed to push back the Tatars. However, the second half of the nomads made a maneuver in advance, bypassing the Lithuanian squad. At the decisive moment, the Tatars struck the Christians in the rear and pushed them to the river. The battle ended in defeat. Vitovt himself was wounded and barely escaped. After this failure, he had to forget about expansion into the steppe and the royal title. Many Russian and Lithuanian princes died in the battle: the rulers of Polotsk, Bryansk and Smolensk.
New union with Poland
After the defeat at Vorskla, Vytautas's power was under threat. He lost many supporters, while his new enemy became active in Lithuania. He became Svidrigailo Olgerdovich - the younger brother of Jagiello and the Prince of Vitebsk. Under these conditions, Vytautas decided to conclude a new union with Poland. At the end of 1400, he met with Jagiello near Grodno, where the monarchs signed a document that marked a new stage in the development of relations between Krakow and Vilna.
What was the essence of the treaty and why was it so important? Jagiello recognized Vytautas' lifelong right of ownership of Lithuania, which actually deprived Svidrigailo of any rights to the throne. His struggle was becoming meaningless and obviously doomed to failure. For his part, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas, after his death, undertook to transfer the throne to Jagiello or his heir. If he had not existed, then the throne of Lithuania should have passed to a person elected by the vote of the aristocrats. At the same time, the Poles guaranteed equal rights to Russian Orthodox boyars. This treaty became known as the Vilna-Radom Union.
Conflict with German knights
The lost war with the Tatars was a strong, but not fatal blow. Soon Vitovt recovered from it. His focus was on relations with the Teutonic Order. The Crusaders spent many decades seizing land from Lithuania and Poland while they were engaged in civil wars. Now the monarchs were allies, which meant that the possibility of coordinated allied actions against the Teutonic Order opened up before them.
Vytautas was interested in returning the Samogitian lands, and Jagiello wanted to get back Eastern Pomerania, as well as the Chelmin and Michalov lands. The war began with an uprising in Samogitia. Vytautas supported those dissatisfied with Teutonic rule. The Grand Duke of Lithuania, whose brief biography is a series of continuous military campaigns, decided that this was the best chance to launch an offensive against the crusaders.
Campaign against the Teutonic Order
At the first stage of the war, both sides of the conflict acted indecisively. The only serious success of the Poles and Lithuanians was the capture of the Bydgoszcz fortress. Soon the opponents concluded a peace treaty. However, it was short-lived, turning out to be the respite needed by opponents in order to mobilize their reserves. The master of the order, Ulrich von Junginen, enlisted the support of the Hungarian king Sigismund of Luxemburg. Foreign mercenaries became another source of support for the Germans. By the time hostilities resumed, the crusaders had an army of 60 thousand people.
It consisted mainly of feudal lords who joined the militia along with their small detachments. The Lithuanians were supported by the Czechs. Their leader was Jan Zizka, the future famous leader of the Hussites. Russian units were also on Vitovt’s side, including the Novgorod prince Lugvenius. At the military council, the allies decided to take different roads to Marienburg, the capital of the Teutonic Order. The coalition had forces approximately equal to those of the crusaders (about 60 thousand people).
Battle of Grunwald
If at the first stage of the war the German knights invaded Poland, now the Poles and Lithuanians themselves attacked the possessions of the Order. On July 15, 1410, the general battle of the Great War (as it was called in Lithuanian chronicles) took place. The Allied army was commanded by Jagiello and Vytautas. The Grand Duke of Lithuania, whose portrait photo is in every textbook on European medieval history, was already a legend among his contemporaries even then. All compatriots and even his opponents admired the ruler’s tenacity and persistence, thanks to which he achieved his goals. Now he was one step away from ridding his country forever of the danger of the Catholic crusaders.
The location of the decisive battle was the outskirts of the town of Grunwald. The Germans were the first to arrive here. They strengthened their own positions, dug camouflaged pit traps, placed cannons and riflemen and began to wait for the enemy. Finally the Poles and Lithuanians arrived and took up their positions. Jagiello was in no hurry to attack first. However, at the most crucial moment, Vytautas decided to attack the Germans without the order of the Polish king. He moved his units forward immediately after the crusaders opened fire on their opponents with all their bombards.
For about an hour, the knights tried to repel the attacks of the Lithuanians and Tatars (Vytautas also had Crimean cavalry in his service). Finally, the Marshal of the Order, Friedrich von Wallenrod, gave the order for a counter-offensive. The Lithuanians began to retreat. This was a thoughtful maneuver, initiated by Vytautas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania. He saw the death of the German army surrounded by crusaders who had lost their organized formation. Everything happened exactly as the military leader had planned. At first, the knights decided that the Lithuanians were fleeing in panic, and rushed after them at full speed, while losing their battle formation. As soon as part of the German army reached Vitovt’s camp, the prince gave the order to close ranks and surround the enemy. This mission was entrusted to the shoulders of the Novgorod prince Lugveny. He accomplished his task.
Meanwhile, most of the Teutonic army fought with the Poles. It seemed that victory was already in the hands of the Germans. Jagiello's warriors even lost the Krakow banner, however, it was soon returned to its place. The outcome of the battle was decided by the introduction of additional reserves into the battle, who were waiting in the rear. The Poles used them more effectively than the Crusaders. In addition, Vytautas' cavalry unexpectedly struck the Germans from its flank, which dealt a fatal blow to the order's troops. Master Jungingen died on the battlefield.
The Allies won, and this success predetermined the outcome of the war. This was followed by the unsuccessful siege of Marienburg. Although it had to be removed, the Germans agreed to give up all previously captured lands and pay a huge indemnity. The victory of the Great War marked the future dominance of the region by the union of Poland and Lithuania and the decline of the Catholic orders in the Baltic states. Vitovt returned to his homeland as an undoubted hero. The Grand Duke of Lithuania received Samogitia back, as he wanted on the eve of the conflict.
Relations with Moscow
Vitovt had an only daughter, Sophia. He married her to Prince Vasily I of Moscow, the son of Dmitry Donskoy. The ruler of Lithuania tried to maintain friendly relations with his son-in-law, although this was hampered by his desire to continue expansion to the east at the expense of Russian lands. The two states became opposing political centers, each of which could unite the East Slavic lands. Vitovt was even baptized according to the Orthodox rite, although he later converted to Catholicism.
Smolensk became a stumbling block for Moscow-Lithuanian relations. The Grand Duke of Lithuania, Russian Vytautas, tried several times to annex it. He also actively intervened in the internal politics of Pskov and they sent Vytautas armies, as was the case with the Battle of Grunwald. At the expense of Russian lands, the Grand Duke expanded the borders of his power to the banks of the Oka River and Mozhaisk near Moscow.
The grandson of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas was the son of Vasily I, Vasily the Dark II. He ascended the throne as an infant in 1425. His father understood that Moscow had too few forces to fight the Lithuanians and Tatars at the same time. Therefore, he gave in to his father-in-law in every possible way in border disputes, avoiding war. Vasily I, dying, asked Vytautas to protect the new prince from attacks on power. The grandson of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas was Vasily II. It was this kinship that prevented the contenders for the throne from organizing a coup d'état.
Last years
By the end of his life, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas was the oldest monarch in Europe. In 1430 he was 80 years old. On the eve of the anniversary, the ruler organized a congress in Lutsk, to which he invited Jagiello, Sigismund of Luxembourg (who soon became Holy Roman Emperor), papal legates and numerous Russian princes. The mere fact that so many powerful rulers gathered for this event already suggests that Vytautas was one of the most significant political figures of his time.
At the Lutsk Congress, the prospects for the coronation of the old man were discussed. If he had accepted a title equivalent to that of Jagiello, Lithuania would have finally become independent and received protection in the West. However, the Poles resisted the coronation. It never happened. Vytautas died shortly after the congress in Troki, on October 27, 1430. The place of his burial is still unknown. Vytautas was the Grand Duke of Lithuania for 38 years. It was during his reign that this state flourished. The following princes fell into final dependence on Poland. The union of the two countries was called the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
On the monument “Millennium of Russia”, installed in the Novgorod Kremlin in 1862, sculptor Mikhail Mikeshin depicted the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas among the figures of Russian history. There was also a place for his father Keistut, and for his uncle Olgerd, and for his grandfather Gediminas. This emphasized the significant role that these Lithuanian rulers played in the history of Russia.
The exact date of birth of Vytautas, who was to expand the borders of Lithuania to Tula and Crimea, is unknown. The German chronicler Konrad Bitshin mentioned that in 1370 Vytautas was 20 years old, and the Polish historian Martin Kromer in 1430 determined the venerable age of the Grand Duke at 80 years. Therefore, it is generally accepted that Vytautas was born in 1350. His parents were the Lithuanian prince Keistut and the former vadelot (that is, pagan priestess) Biruta. Vytautas the Great's grandfather Gediminas had seven sons, who after the death of their father divided Lithuania into seven appanages. The brothers alternated between fighting and forming alliances. Keistut inherited a narrow strip along the border of Lithuania with the possessions of the militant Teutonic Order, so his life was spent in constant battles. However, when in 1363 a dispute arose between the prince and his brother Olgerd, Keistut and 13-year-old Vitovt found refuge in the order’s possessions. A few years later, the brothers reconciled and began to rule the Principality of Lithuania together.
Prince Keistut. Romanticized portrait by A. Penkovsky, 1838. Source: Wikipedia.org
From a young age, Vitovt went on military campaigns with his father and uncle. In 1370 they fought Poland and Prussia, and in 1372 they moved east. The army of Olgerd and Keistut, who stood up for the Tver prince Mikhail in his conflict with Moscow, besieged Pereyaslavl-Zalessky and took Dmitrov. There was no general battle with the Moscow army: the Lithuanians and the army of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich (the future Donskoy), after standing for several days on opposite sides of a deep ravine, settled the conflict peacefully. The Lithuanians returned to the borders of their principality. It must be said that this campaign was not considered long-distance: the eastern border of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania then passed not far from Moscow, and Mozhaisk and Kolomna were in the possessions of Olgerd.
In 1377 Olgerd died. The crown of the Grand Duke was inherited by his son Jagiello. Keistut did not object to this. The old man was already approaching 80, but he, apparently, considered himself a man in the prime of his life - his youngest daughter was only 8 years old. For some time, peace and friendship reigned between uncle and nephew, until Keistut learned that Jagiello had concluded a secret agreement with the Order directed against him. The crusaders had long looked askance at the old prince: he never accepted Christianity, and paganism flourished in his domains, especially in Samogitia. Having secured themselves with a secret agreement with Jogaila, the order attacked Keistut. The mighty old man repelled the attack and, having exposed the insidious intrigues of his nephew, went to war against him.
Vladislav II Jagiello. 1863, Mikhail Godlevsky Source: en. wikipedia.org
Jagiello was captured, but was pardoned at the request of Vytautas. Keistut was proclaimed Grand Duke of Lithuania. However, his reign was short-lived. Jagiello, released on parole not to claim the throne, with the support of the Order, started a civil war. His brothers stood at the head of the riots that broke out throughout Lithuania.
Vytautas wandered around the country, not having time to suppress the riots against his father. In August 1382, the parties agreed to begin peace negotiations, but Keistut and Vytautas, who arrived at them, were captured right in Jogaila’s tent and locked in prison. A few days later, the old prince was strangled, and Vitovta managed to escape, dressing in a woman’s dress as his wife’s servant. His mother Biruta was accused of organizing the escape, and Jagiello, who again became the Grand Duke, ordered her to be drowned.
Vitovt and Keistut are captured by Jogaila. Painting by Wojciech Gerson en. wikipedia.org
Not finding refuge with numerous relatives, Vitovt headed to the capital of the Teutonic Order, Marienburg. This did not seem very logical, but quite in the spirit of medieval politics, when everyone fought with everyone, and allied treaties were renegotiated several times a year. The Crusaders decided to use the guest as a counterweight to Jogaila, who began to pursue a policy too independent of the Order. Together with the army of the crusaders, Vytautas, who received Catholic baptism under the name Viganta, invaded his native lands, and the civil war began with renewed vigor.
It ended somewhat unexpectedly. Nobody defeated anyone. Poland ran out of kings, and in August 1385 Jogaila was invited to the Krakow throne. Having concluded a marriage with Princess Jadwiga, the Union of Lublin with Poland and taking the name Vladislav, Jagiello placed the Polish crown on his head, and left Lithuanian affairs to Vytautas, who had reconciled with him. He joyfully drove out the Teutons who were left in fools from the Lithuanian land and began to rule. Nominally he was considered a vassal of his cousin, but in fact he was absolutely independent.
Portrait from the Brest Augustinian monastery. Unknown author, second half of the 17th century. Source: Wikipedia.org
Vytautas began to build a strong state. Skillfully supporting anti-Polish sentiments in the Lithuanian aristocracy, he increasingly strengthened the informal independence of his country. In 1391, Vitovt married his daughter Sophia to the Moscow Prince Vasily Dmitrievich. New family ties did not stop him from biting off large chunks of Russian lands. Strict adherence to principles and established rules was not at all characteristic of Vytautas. When the need arose, he was easily baptized a second time, this time according to the Orthodox rite, and took the name Alexander. True, no one called him by that name. For his contemporaries and descendants, he always remained Grand Duke Vytautas, or, in the Lithuanian manner, Vytautas. But no matter what his name was, the prince did everything for his country. The territory of the Principality of Lithuania rapidly expanded under him. He captured Smolensk, Orsha and Kyiv, pushed the eastern border to the upper reaches of the Oka, and constantly interfered in the affairs of Novgorod and Pskov. Having conquered Podolia from the Tatars, he reached the shores of the Black Sea and founded settlements on the site of present-day Odessa and Ochakov.
Great seal of “Alexander, otherwise Vitovda - Grand Duke of Lithuania, Russia, etc.,” 1407. Source: Wikipedia.org
In 1395, Vytautas' troops successfully fought the Tatars. The Lithuanians reached the lower reaches of the Volga, invaded the Crimea, and inspired such respect in the Horde that when Tamerlane defeated the Golden Horde, its khan Tokhtamysh took refuge in Lithuania. He begged Vytautas to help him regain his lost power, promising vassal submission. The Lithuanian prince (by that time already baptized for the third time, again according to the Catholic rite) turned to the Pope with a proposal to organize a crusade to the east to conquer the Russian and Golden Horde lands. But I never received a response from the Vatican. Then he gathered an army that included Lithuanians, Poles, crusaders, Russians and the Tatars who fled with Tokhtamysh. This army headed south, but on the Vorskla River it came across the barrier of Khan Timur Kutlug and the temnik Edigei. The Golden Horde captured Vytautas's army in a pincer movement, pressed it to the river and completely defeated it. The wounded prince barely managed to return home with a handful of soldiers.
His enemies were quick to take advantage of Vitovt’s weakening. Jagiello forced his cousin to sign a document according to which Vytautas could not pass on the grand ducal crown to his descendants. Ryazan prince Oleg Ivanovich captured the Smolensk lands, although not for long. Already in 1404, the ruler of Lithuania recovered and returned Smolensk.
Battle of Vorskla. Miniature from the 16th century. from the Facial Chronicle. Source: Wikipedia.org
In May 1409, an uprising broke out in Samogitia, which had been under the rule of the Teutonic Order for several decades. The crusaders began to pacify the rebellious province with fire and sword. In response to this, Vytautas supported his fellow tribesmen, and Jagiello declared a “pospolitan ruin,” that is, a gathering of militia.
A war began between the Order and the united Poland and Lithuania. The decisive battle took place on July 15, 1410 near the village of Grunwald.
Each of the opposing armies consisted of approximately 30-40 thousand soldiers. The Crusaders called upon chivalry from all over western Europe. The bulk of Jogaila's troops were Poles and Lithuanians, but together with them the Smolensk regiments, a Czech detachment under the command of Jan Zizka and the Tatar cavalry of Khan Jalal ad-Din entered the battlefield. Although the Polish king was formally considered the head of the army, direct command belonged to the experienced commander Vytautas.
Three lines of Smolensk regiments took the main blow of the crusader cavalry. While the brutal battle was going on, the Lithuanian army, mainly consisting of peasant militias, wavered and ran. Vitovt knew the area well and understood that there was a lake on the way of the fugitives; he caught up with his fellow tribesmen, brought them to their senses, rebuilt them and led them back to the battlefield.
"Battle of Grunwald". Painting by Jan Matejko. 1878.
In the 14th century, they fought over the division of land and power not only in Europe. To the east, where large territories were divided between small but quite strong and powerful principalities, there was also a serious struggle. The Slavs had little desire for unification. Almost all of them were satisfied with the situation when each principality was independent and capable of independently solving its problems. However, smaller entities were constantly attacked by the growing Principality of Moscow or Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, or by the Tatars, who periodically raided the Slavic lands, ravaging them and turning them into desert.
During such a difficult time for the Slavic states, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt came to power.The son of the Lithuanian pagan prince Keistut, Vitovt was baptized at birth according to Christian custom and received the first name Wigand, and then (for some reason) Alexander. In the late 80s of the 14th century, it was this man who had to find himself in the very center of the whirlpool that engulfed the awkward but huge Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
First, his uncle Algirdas (Olgerd) died, and a struggle begins in Lithuania between his son Jogaila and Keistut, Vytautas’ father.
Vitovt's path to the grand ducal crown was not easy. In 1376, Keistut transferred to him the Principality of Grodno with the cities of Brest, Kamenets, Drogichin on the Bug. Already at that time, Vitovt distinguished himself with military valor in battles with the crusaders. Chroniclers call it “Młodzańsk Udatny”. Several times Vitovt, at the head of the Grodno squad, repelled the order’s attacks. So, in 1377 he drove the enemy out of Troki, and in 1380 he defended Drogichin on the Bug. It was Vytautas Keistut who wanted to transfer the entire Troki principality to rule. But Grand Duke Jagiello had other plans - to seize the Principality of Troki and put his brother Skirgailo in charge. Having invited Keistut and Vytautas to Vilna for peace negotiations in 1382, he killed Keistut. A similar fate awaited Vytautas, whom Jagiello threw into the same dungeon of Krevo Castle where his father died. Vitovt was saved by his wife, the daughter of the Smolensk prince Anna, and the maid Alena, who visited him. In the dungeon, the maid Alena turned to Vitovt: “Prince, you must run away as quickly as possible. Jagiello will destroy you, just as he destroyed Keistut. Put on my clothes and go with the princess, and I will stay here. It’s already dark and no one will know.” Vitovt protested: “What are you saying? Do you know what awaits you then? “I know what awaits me, but no one will feel my death, and your death would be a misfortune for Lithuania. Run away, prince! Vytautas refused, and then the courageous girl replied: “I wish to serve my homeland - I would be pleased to die for Lithuania. Once you are free, you will do so much good for her, let me participate in this. When you love Lithuania, then listen to me.” Vitovt accepted Alenin’s sacrifice and put on her clothes.
The princess, together with Vytautas in disguise, left the dungeon. The guards mistook him for a maid. The prince lowered himself from the castle wall using a rope and escaped from captivity. He went to Mazovia to Prince Janusz, who was married to his sister Danuta. Later, Princess Anna arrived in Chersk, where Vitovt was.
In 1383 and 1384 Vytautas, with the support of the Order, fought against Jagiello. The Grand Duke was forced to reconcile with Vytautas and return the Principality of Grodno to him, although the Principality of Troki went to Skirgailo.
As a result of all the upheavals, Jagiello, who by that time had received the Polish crown, decided to come to an agreement with Vytautas on the terms that the latter would rule Lithuania for life, but after his death the grand duchy would go to the Polish king. Vitovt agreed.
In subsequent years (from 1392), Vytautas significantly strengthened his position in Eastern Europe. He gave his daughter as a wife to the Moscow sovereign Vasily Dmitrievich, thereby strengthening the alliance with Russia. In 1410, he personally commanded the Lithuanian army, playing a major role in the defeat of the Teutonic Knights - a defeat from which the Teutonic Order never recovered. And in 1429, the Pope granted Vytautas the title of King of Lithuania. And only the death of the Grand Duke prevented him from receiving it.
It was under the rule of Vytautas that numerous principalities were able to unite. Legends were made about the power of Vytautas. Even now, historians believe that this politician and ruler played a significant role in the formation of an independent Slavic statehood. Torn apart by civil strife, attacked from the east by Tatar hordes, and from the west by German Teutonic knights, the Slavic land required a competent leader who could cope with troubles.
This is how Vitovt became. The Grand Duke of Lithuania called for the union of neighboring lands into one state in order to repel all enemy attacks with the help of military force. So Vytautas’s army repelled the Tatar Golden Horde. The fighting with the Tatars led to the fact that their troops stopped robbing and enslaving the Slavs.
Having solved one problem, another remained - these were the Teutonic knights. The Teutonic Order, under the cover of the Crusades, sought to conquer the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and nearby lands. Vytautas's great achievement was the victory and complete defeat of the German troops at Grunwald. But the prince, having gathered an army and enlisted the support of Poland and other principalities, defeated the knights, closing their path to the Slavic lands for a long time.
Vytautas did a lot for his lands. During his reign, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania became a fairly powerful and wealthy country. Vytautas was able to conquer lands outside the principality, expanding his possessions. The prince paid a lot of attention to the military training of young people, as well as education. In addition, special collections of laws were written in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, according to which all people of the principality were supposed to live.
“And the great prince Vytautas was a strong ruler and famous throughout all the lands, and many kings and princes served at his court” ─This is what it says about him in the chronicle. During the reign of Vytautas, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia reached its power and stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea, from Brest to the Ugra River - a real empire. This is the result of the life and political activities of Vytautas. It seemed that he knew no peace and devoted himself entirely to caring for the state.
The ambassador of the Teutonic Order, Konrad Kyburg, who arrived in Vilna in 1398, wrote the following about Vytautas: “The Grand Duke works a lot, he himself is involved in governing the region and wants to know about everything; Having attended frequent audiences, we ourselves saw his amazing activity: while talking to us about business, he at the same time listened to the reading of various reports and gave decisions. The people have free access to him, but anyone who wants to approach him is first interrogated by a specially appointed nobleman, and after that the request to be submitted to the monarch is either briefly stated on paper, or the petitioner himself goes with the said nobleman and orally conveys her Grand Duke. Every day we saw a lot of people coming with requests or coming from remote areas with some errands. It is difficult to understand how he has time for so many activities; every day the Grand Duke listens to the liturgy, after which until lunch, he works in his office, has lunch soon and after that for some time, also not for long, remains with his family or is amused by the antics of his court jesters, then he rides on horseback to inspect the construction of a house or ship or anything that attracts his attention. He is formidable only in wartime, but in general he is full of kindness and justice, he knows how to punish and have mercy. He sleeps little, laughs little, is more cold and reasonable than ardent; whether he receives good or bad news, his face remains impassive.”
The wise reign of Vytautas was remembered in the following centuries as the golden times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The 16th century poet Nikolai Gusovsky inspiredly glorified Vytautas:
Torchbearer of wars with the weak,
and with a strong peacemaking angel
He placed his naked sword,like a border post,
Before the invasion of enemies from the south and east.
P about materials from the sites http://great-rulers.ru andhttp://www.belarus.by/ru/belarus/history
