Žvelgaitis (Svelgate) was a

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n duke who died in 1205. He is the first Lithuanian duke whose name is known from reliable sources. The account of his expedition and death is given in ''

Livonian Chronicle of Henry The ''Livonian Chronicle of Henry'' () is a Latin narrative of events in Livonia (roughly corresponding to today's Estonia and Latvia) and surrounding areas from 1180 to 1227. It was written by a priest named Henry. Apart from some references ...

'' by Henry of Latvia, an early thirteenth-century German chronicler of Latvian history, spanning the years 1186-1227. Žvelgaitis is called "rich and powerful," but he was not the supreme duke, as he led the army in the name of another, more powerful duke. In 1205, Žvelgaitis led several thousand horsemen northward, from

through

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, on the way to attack and plunder

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

. Returning from Estonia mid-winter, with booty and Estonian

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

s, his troops were caught unaware and attacked while crossing through waist-high snowdrifts near Ropaži. He was attacked by the Livonian and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

citizens of Riga, under the leadership of Vester, ruler of

Semigallians Semigallians (; ; also ''Zemgalians'', ''Semigalls'' or ''Semigalians'') were the Balts, Baltic tribe that lived in the south central part of contemporary Latvia and northern Lithuania. They are noted for their long resistance (1219–1290) agai ...

, coordinating the attack from a sleigh. Žvelgaitis was killed by a

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon. Today, the javelin is predominantly used for sporting purposes such as the javelin throw. The javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, unlike the sling ...

thrown by German Theodore Schilling. 1,200 Lithuanian soldiers perished; the Estonian slaves were slaughtered as well, in retribution for "past crimes" against the Livonians. In Lithuania, the return of Žvelgaitis was missed, and it is said that as many as fifty wives of the Lithuanian soldiers killed themselves in grief, hoping to be all the sooner at the sides of their slain husbands.

Archeology

There is the Žvelgaitis mound by

Žagarė Žagarė (, see also #Etymology, other names) is a city located in the Joniškis district, northern Lithuania, close to the border with Latvia. It has a population of about 2,000, down from 14,000 in 1914, when it was the 7th largest city in Lith ...

, officially known as the . A 2010 dig revealed that most likely the fort was built by the Germans, rather than Balts.Svajūnas SABALIAUSKAS
Žvelgaičio piliakalnis atskleidžia istorijos paslaptis
(Žvelgaitis Mound reveals the secrets of history)

References

External links

* *
„Istorijos detektyvai“: kodėl žiemgaliai nukirto galvą Žvelgaičiui ir prisidėjo pilnas roges lietuvių galvų

Archeology

References

External links

See also