Daugirutis or Dangerutis (''Dangeruthe'' or ''Daugeruthe'') was an early Lithuanian duke who committed suicide in 1213. He is the second (after

Žvelgaitis Žvelgaitis (Svelgate) was a Lithuanian 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'' by Henry of Latvia, 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 whose name is known from reliable sources. His life is recorded in the

Chronicle of Henry of Livonia 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 ...

; even though no other sources mention his name, he is considered to be one of the most influential pre-

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 ...

Lithuanian nobles. Daugirutis attacked

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

n and

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 ...

n lands many times. His domain or lands he ruled are unknown. His daughter was married to

Visvaldis Visvaldis was a Latgalian nobleman and the prince of Jersika in the 13th century. In the '' Livonian Chronicle of Henry '', he is called king (''rex''). Biography Visvaldis's date of birth is unknown. His origins, too, are unclear: some sch ...

, Duke of

Jersika The Principality of Jersika (; ; ) was a medieval Latgalian principality in the east of modern-day Latvia, and one of the largest medieval states in Latvia before the Northern Crusades. The capital of Jersika was located on a hill fort southea ...

(in the present-day

Līvāni municipality Līvāni Municipality (, ) is a municipality in Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 1999 by merging Rožupe Parish, Turki Parish and Līvāni town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but sma ...

). This marriage protected Visvaldis from attacks of Lithuanians, but he had to provide food and shelter for the troops of Daugirutis on their expeditions to plunder the Estonian or Russian lands. In 1213, Daugirutis traveled to Velikiy Novgorod to sign a peace treaty with Mstislav. The chronicles of Novgorod do not mention the treaty. While the purpose of the agreement is not explicitly mentioned, historians assume it was directed against the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after thei ...

. On his way back Daugirutis was attacked and captured by the Livonian Order. He was imprisoned in the Cēsis Castle and a large ransom was requested for his release. When his friends arrived to discuss the terms of release, but did not bring enough money for the ransom, Daugirutis killed himself. That Daugirutis was a powerful man is evidenced by his agreement with Novgorod. If Daugirutis was weak or ruled only small territories there would be no point for Novgorod in negotiating with a petty noble. The Lithuanian raids to

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

and other lands decreased greatly in number after the deaths of Daugirutis and Steksys. This is considered a period of decline in the unification of the Baltic tribes into the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania 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, ...

References

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External links

Visvaldis, Duke of Jersika
{{in lang, lv 1213 deaths Suicides in Latvia Year of birth unknown 13th-century dukes in Europe 13th-century Lithuanian nobility

See also

References

External links