Jonas Vaidutis (; ; 1365 – spring 1402) was a Lithuanian

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, and academic rector from the

Gediminid The House of Gediminas (), or simply the Gediminids, were a dynasty of monarchs in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that reigned from the 14th to the 16th century. A cadet branch of this family, known as the Jagiellonian dynasty, reigned also in the ...

dynasty. Vaidutis was a son of duke Butautas and a grandson of the former Lithuanian monarch

Kęstutis Kęstutis ( – 3 or 15 August 1382) was sole Duke of Trakai from 1342 to 1382 and List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1342 to 1382, together with his brother Algirdas (until 1377), and with his nephew Jogaila (from 1377 to ...

. He titled himself as the Duke of

Drohiczyn Drohiczyn () (, ) is a town in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. The town has a population of 2,110 and is situated on the bank of the Bug River. Drohiczyn has a long and rich history, as in the past it was one of the most impo ...

. He held the positions of the Custos of the

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

and the

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

of Kraków and

Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; , ) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (), situated on the Vistula River near its confluence with the San, in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy ...

. From 1401 to 1402, the year of his death, he was the Rector of the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

in Kraków. According to Czech philologist , Vaidutis was the first ethnic Lithuanian to be a European

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...

. Lithuanian-American historian Vanda Sruogienė deemed him the earliest known Lithuanian to graduate from a university. His pre-Christian Lithuanian name ''Vaidutis'' is sometimes confused with that of his uncle

Vaidotas Vaidotas (fl. 1362) was a son of Kęstutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania. In reliable historical sources he is mentioned only twice: as defender of Kaunas Castle in 1362 and as ruler of Navahrudak. Due to very limited information, his life is subje ...

Biography

Vaidutis was born in 1365 in

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, ...

. His father was Lithuanian duke Butautas, a son of the monarch

. Butautas unsuccessfully attempted a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, failing to capture the capital city

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

while the monarchs Kęstutis and

Algirdas Algirdas (; , ; – May 1377) was List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his brother Kęstutis (who defended the western border of the Duchy) he created an empire stretching from the pre ...

were away in

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

assisting their brother

Liubartas Liubartas or Demetrius of Liubar (died ) was a Lithuanian prince from the Gediminid dynasty. He was the prince of Volhynia, and from 1320, he ruled over Lutsk, Liubar and Zhytomyr. Liubartas was also the last ruler of the Kingdom of Galicia–Vo ...

, the Grand Prince of Volhynia. Therefore, in 1365, Butautas retreated first to the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

region controlled by the

State of the Teutonic Order The State of the Teutonic Order () was a theocratic state located along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. It was formed by the knights of the Teutonic Order during the early 13th century Northern Crusades in the region ...

and then to the royal manor of

Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (; ; ; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charles of Luxembourg, born Wenceslaus (, ), was H ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, the capital city of the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

. By departing abroad Butautas left his recently born son Vaidutis in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is thought that Vaidutis entered into the custody of his grandfather Kęstutis or possibly his uncle

. In 1381, around the outbreak of the first Lithuanian civil war, sixteen-year-old Vaidutis followed in his father's footsteps by departing to Prussia. The

Toruń Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...

chronicle attests that Vaidutis arrived in

Riesenburg Prabuty () is a town in Kwidzyn County within the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland. It is the seat of Gmina Prabuty. Geographical location Prabuty is located between the Liwieniec and Sowica lakes, approximately 18 kilometers east of ...

in early February, with Kęstutis supposedly being unaware of his departure. He subsequently traveled to the imperial court in Prague, arriving after his father Butautas had died there, possibly of a plague outbreak in the city. Vaidutis may have decided to remain abroad because Kęstutis had been killed in 1382 after being imprisoned in Kreva Castle by Jogaila. It is believed that Vaidutis was

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

in Prague as Jonas (). While in Bohemia, Vaidutis studied at the University of Prague (possibly in the Faculty of Theology) and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

as a

. According to some accounts, Vaidutis went on to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he graduated from a university in 1387. Despite being abroad, Vaidutis retained personal connections with the

Lithuanian nobles 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 r ...

as he swore an oath to the Lithuanian duke Žadvydas, who conflicted with the Lithuanian monarch

Skirgaila Skirgaila, also known as Ivan/Iwan ( or 1354 – 11 January 1397; baptized 1383/1384 as ''Casimir''), was a regent of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for his brother Jogaila from 1386 to 1392. He was the son of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuan ...

. Later on, Jonas Vaidutis moved to the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

, which was ruled by his

relative, King

Władysław II Jagiełło Jogaila (; 1 June 1434), later Władysław II Jagiełło (),Other names include (; ) (see also Names and titles of Władysław II Jagiełło) was Grand Duke of Lithuania beginning in 1377 and starting in 1386, becoming King of Poland as well. ...

(). Since at least 1389, Jonas Vaidutis was appointed as the custos of the

and as the

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

of the

Kraków Cathedral The Wawel Cathedral (), formally titled the Archcathedral Basilica of Saint Stanislaus and Saint Wenceslaus, () is a Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it is part of the Wawel Castle Complex an ...

and Sandomierz Collegiate Church. In 1401, he was elected as the second rector of the

in Kraków after it was reformed in 1400 by Władysław II Jagiełło. Jonas Vaidutis' career developed with the patronage of Władysław II Jagiełło. The election took place on St. Gall's Day, 16 October 1401. His candidacy was supported by the outgoing rector,

Stanisław of Skarbimierz Stanisław of Skarbimierz (1360–1431; Latinised as ''Stanislaus de Scarbimiria'') was the first rector of the University of Krakow following its restoration in 1399. He was the author of ''Sermones sapientiales'' (), comprising 113 sermons. Sta ...

, who delivered a laudation in favor of the prince, emphasizing his theological education, noble birth, and virtuous conduct. He also mentioned that the prince had been a benefactor of the university. Vaidutis did not hold the position of rector for long; by May of the following year, he was already deceased. During his tenure, the university admitted only 43 students. He was presumably buried in the

. His successor was , a canon of the Kraków Cathedral and later the

bishop of Vilnius Bishops of Vilnius diocese from 1388 and archdiocese (archdiocese of Vilnius) from 1925:" ...

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jonas Vaidutis 1365 births 1402 deaths Gediminids 14th-century Lithuanian nobility Rectors of the Jagiellonian University Canons of Kraków Canons of Sandomierz