|
Ruškaičiai
The Ruškaičiai were a Lithuanian noble family of the 13th century, during the time of the Lithuanian land confederation as well as the rise and rule of king Mindaugas. The family came from the Upytė region of Lithuania (around the modern-day Nevėžis river). They were first mentioned in the 1219 Lithuania-Volhynia Peace Treaty of the Hypatian Codex, in the third place chronologically, showing that the Ruškaičiai played a fairly important role within the hierarchy. The dukes named in the peace treaty were Kintibutas, Vembutas, Butautas, Vyžeitis and his son Velžys, Kitenis, and Plikienė, the latter being the first woman mentioned in Lithuanian history as well as the wife of a deceased duke named Plikis. The Ruškaičiai family supported Mindaugas during the 1248-1282 civil war; Vaišna Ruškaitis and Sirvydas Ruškaitis were loyal war leaders during Lithuania's war with Daniel of Galicia over Black Ruthenia. Vembutas Ruškaitis was probably Mindaugas's vicegerent in Samog ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Early Lithuanian Dukes
Early dukes of Lithuania (including Samogitia) reigned before Lithuanians were unified by Mindaugas into a state, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. While the Palemonids legend provides genealogy from the 10th century, only few dukes were mentioned by contemporary historical sources. All of them were mentioned in written sources the 13th century. Data about them is extremely scarce and is usually limited to few brief sentences. The primary sources are the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia and Hypatian Codex. Rulers recorded in historical sources * Žvelgaitis (Svelgates) – earliest known duke. In 1205, he attacked Riga and was killed in the battle, led by ruler of Semigallia, Vester. * Daugirutis (Dangerutis, Dangeruthe) – Livonians imprisoned this Lithuanian duke in 1213, where he killed himself. * Stekšys (Stakys, Steksė) – another powerful duke, killed in 1214 near Lielvārde. *Father of Mindaugas – several sources mention that he was a powerful duke, but do not give hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lithuanian Nobility
The Lithuanian nobility () or ''szlachta'' of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (, ) was historically a legally privileged hereditary elite class in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth (including during period of foreign rule 1795–1918) consisting of Lithuanians from Lithuania Proper; Samogitians from Duchy of Samogitia; following Lithuania's eastward expansion into what is now Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, many ethnically Ruthenian noble families (''boyars''); and, later on, predominantly Baltic German families from the Duchy of Livonia and Inflanty Voivodeship.Krzysztof Buchowski, ''Litwomani i polonizatorzy'', p. 20–50, 2006 Białystok, Uniwersytet w Białymstoku, Initially, the privileged social group of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was called ''boyars''. Boyars became part of the szlachta (nobility) during the Union of Horodło on October 2, 1413, initiating nobility in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania following the Western European model (wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lithuanian Land Confederation
The Lithuanian land confederation (Lithuanian: ''Lietuvių žemių konfederacija'') was a political union between the early dukes of Lithuania that constituted the transition to the early feudal Lithuanian state. It was part of a larger trend in the 13th century of various Baltic tribes forming land confederations, albeit none gave rise to individual Baltic states such as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This period also marked the emergence of the allod, wherein an individual family would own land, replacing communal land ownership. It would be another key factor in the emerging unification of the Lithuanian tribes. Formation According to historians, the main reason for the formation of the land confederation was the transition of tribal nobility into landed lords called ''kunigai'', who were backed by their own standing armies. The strongest of these landed lords consolidated their hegemony and became senior dukes with their own duchies. These dukes headed the land confederation, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mindaugas
Mindaugas (, , , , ; c. 1203 – 12 September 1263) was the first known grand duke of Lithuania, 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 (tribe), 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 nickn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Upytė
Upytė is a small village in Panevėžys district municipality in northern Lithuania. It is situated some 12 km southwest of Panevėžys on the banks of Vešeta Creek. It is now the capital of an elderate. In 1987 it had 580 residents. In the Lithuanian language, Upytė is a diminutive form of the word ''upė'', which means river. In 2004 Upytė celebrated its 750th anniversary by holding a conference ''Upytė Land: History and Culture''. Upytė linen museum is located in Stultiškiai. History The name Upytė was first mentioned in 1254 in a Livonian chronicle dealing with the divisions of the Upmala region. Upytė had a wooden castle built on an island which later became a hillfort when Lake Vešeta was drained. The castle was an important northern defence post against numerous incursions of the Livonian Order. Between 1353 and 1379 alone, it repelled ten such attacks. The castle was further expanded and fortified in the 15th century, when it served as the seat of the St ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nevėžis
The Nevėžis (; ) is the List of rivers of Lithuania, sixth longest river in Lithuania and one of the main tributaries of the Neman (river), Nemunas. The long Nevėžis flows entirely within Lithuania.Statistical Yearbook of Lithuania 2014 p. 12 Among the rivers that flow exclusively within Lithuania's borders, the Nevėžis is the second longest, after the Šventoji River, Šventoji. Its Source (river or stream), source is in the Anykščiai District Municipality. The river first flows in a northwesterly direction, but at Panevėžys it turns southwest, and passing Kėdainiai, flows into the Neman just west of Kaunas near Raudondvaris. Name There is a popular misconception that the name ''Nevėžis'' means 'a river without crayfish' because ''vėžys'' is the Lithuania ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hypatian Codex
The ''Hypatian Codex'', also known as Hypatian Letopis or Ipatiev Letopis, is a compendium of three Rus' chronicle, Rus' chronicles: the ''Primary Chronicle'', ''Kievan Chronicle'' and ''Galician-Volhynian Chronicle''. It is the most important source of historical data about Kievan Rus'. The language of this work is Old Church Slavonic with many East Slavic languages, East Slavisms. Provenance The codex was discovered in Ukraine in 1617 by Zacharias Kopystensky, and was then copied by monks in 1621. The codex later known as the ''Hypatian Codex'' was most likely acquired from the Ipatievsky Monastery (Hypatian Monastery) in Kostroma on 15 May 1767. This would have happened during the May–June 1767 Volga voyage of Empress Catherine the Great, Catherine II (), who was highly interested in reading Rus' chronicles, and collecting them all at the capital city of Saint Petersburg (one of the goals of her voyage). Count Vladimir Grigorievich Orlov (1743–1831), then director of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daniel Of Galicia
Daniel Romanovich (1201–1264) was Prince of Galicia (1205–1207; 1211–1212; 1230–1232; 1233–1234; 1238–1264), Prince of Volhynia, Volhynia (1205–1208; 1215–1238), Grand Prince of Kiev (1240), and King of Ruthenia (1253–1264). Biography Early life and reign Daniel's father, Roman the Great, Roman Mstislavich, united the principalities of Principality of Halych, Galicia and Principality of Volhynia, Volhynia in 1199. After his death in 1205, the boyars of Galicia forced the four-year-old Daniel into exile with his mother Anna-Euphrosyne and brother Vasylko Romanovich. After the boyars proclaimed one of their own as prince, the Poles and Hungarians invaded the principality, ostensibly to support the claims of young Daniel and Vasylko, and divided it between themselves. In 1219, Danylo renounced his claims to Galicia (eastern Europe), Galicia in favor of his father-in-law, Mstislav the Bold. In 1221, Daniel re-established his rule over Volhynia, where the boyars a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Ruthenia
Black Ruthenia (), or Black Rus' (; ; ), is a historical region on the Upper Neman, including Novogrudok, Grodno and Slonim. Besides these, other important parts of Black Rus' are Vawkavysk and Białystok. The region was inhabited by the Baltic Yotvingians from ancient times and the name "Black Russia" appeared relatively late. On the 1712 map of French cartographer Henri Chatelain "Russie noire" (Black Ruthenia) is placed in region of Eastern Galicia (today Western Ukraine), which is traditionally known as "Russie rouge" ( Red Ruthenia). History The convention of distinguishing different Ruthenian regions by colours was first done by Medieval Western and Central European historians from the 14th to 17th centuries. It was first done circa 1360 by , referring to the Black and Red Ruthenia (placing them in modern Ukraine). Some researchers claim that this color naming convention was influenced by the Mongol invaders, who used them for the cardinal directions. Sometimes in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vicegerent
Vicegerent is the official administrative deputy of a ruler or head of state: ''vice'' (Latin for "in place of") and ''gerere'' (Latin for "to carry on, conduct"). In Oxford colleges, a vicegerent is often someone appointed by the Master of a college to assume their powers and responsibilities during a period of absence. Usage Catholic Church In the Catholic Church, the Vicegerent is an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rome, who is granted the personal title of archbishop and serves as the chief assistant to the Cardinal Vicar of Rome. Church of England Early in 1535, closely following the passing of Parliament's Act of Supremacy formally creating the Church of England, King Henry VIII appointed his chief minister Thomas Cromwell "Vice-Gerent in spirituals", effectively acting as the king's deputy in church matters and taking precedence over the two archbishops; this was a necessary step as Cromwell, as an unordained layman, otherwise had no jurisdiction within the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samogitia
Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian language, Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see Samogitia#Etymology and alternative names, below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania alongside Lithuania proper. Žemaitija is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its capital city is Telšiai and the largest city is Šiauliai (located on the border between Samogitia and Aukštaitija). Throughout centuries, Samogitia developed a separate culture featuring diverse architecture, folk costumes, dances, songs, traditions, and a distinct Samogitian language. Famous landmarks include Tauragė Castle, Plungė Manor and Hill of Crosses. Etymology and alternative names The region is primarily referred to by its Lithuanian name, ''Žemaitija'', in both local and national contexts. The Latin language, Latin-derived ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
History Of Lithuania
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categorize history as a social science, while others see it as part of the humanities or consider it a hybrid discipline. Similar debates surround the purpose of history—for example, whether its main aim is theoretical, to uncover the truth, or practical, to learn lessons from the past. In a more general sense, the term ''history'' refers not to an academic field but to the past itself, times in the past, or to individual texts about the past. Historical research relies on primary and secondary sources to reconstruct past events and validate interpretations. Source criticism is used to evaluate these sources, assessing their authenticity, content, and reliability. Historians strive to integrate the perspectives of several sources to devel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
