Ringaudas or Ryngold was a mythological

Grand Duke of Lithuania This is a list of Lithuanian monarchs who ruled Lithuania from its inception until the fall of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1795. The Lithuanian monarch bore the title of Grand duke, Grand Duke, with the exception of Mindaugas, who was crown ...

from the

Palemonids The Palemonids () were a legendary dynasty of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The legend was born in the 15th or 16th century as proof that Lithuanians and the Grand Duchy were of Roman origins. History Jan Długosz (1415–1480) wrote that th ...

legends and supposed father of

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 ...

, the first

King of Lithuania This is a list of Lithuanian monarchs who ruled Lithuania from its inception until the fall of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1795. The Lithuanian monarch bore the title of Grand Duke, with the exception of Mindaugas, who was crowned king in 1 ...

(1251–1263). In fact, there is nothing known about Mindaugas' father from reliable sources. The Livonian Rhymed Chronicle, a contemporary source, just mentions that he was a powerful duke, but does not provide his name. Ringaudas, son of otherwise unknown Algimantas, is first mentioned in the second redaction of the Lithuanian Chronicle written c. 1515 and has no historical basis. In the chronicle Ringaudas returned to Navahrudak after a victorious battle with the

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

on the bank of the

Neman River Neman, Nemunas or Niemen is a river in Europe that rises in central Belarus and flows through Lithuania then forms Lithuania–Russia border, the northern border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia's western exclave, which specifically follows its s ...

at Mohilna near

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

. This battle could have some historical basis as Mongols did invade Lithuania, but it happened in the late 1230s and early 1240s. However, it is known for a fact that at the time Mindaugas already had supreme power in Lithuania. The legendary account claimed that Ringaudas fathered three sons. He left Navharudak to one of his sons,

Vaišvilkas Vaišvilkas or Vaišelga (also spelled ''Vaišvila'', ''Vojszalak'', ''Vojšalk'', ''Vaišalgas''; died 18 April 1267) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1264 until his death in 1267. He was a son of Mindaugas, the first and only Christian Ki ...

. However, it is known from reliable contemporary sources that Vaišvilkas was son of Mindaugas. Therefore the third redaction of the Lithuanian Chronicle, also known as the

Bychowiec Chronicle The ''Bychowiec Chronicle'' (; ; also spelled ''Bykhovets'', ''Bykovets'' or '' Bychovec'') is an anonymous 16th-century chronicle of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Although one of the least reliable sources of the epoch, it is considered the most ...

, made Ringaudas father of Mindaugas to correct this clear contradiction. This legendary version was popularized by

Maciej Stryjkowski Maciej Stryjkowski (also referred to as Strykowski and Strycovius;Nowa encyklopedia powszechna PWN. t. 6, 1997 – ) was a Polish historian, writer and a poet, known as the author of ''Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all of Rutheni ...

and other medieval historians, and it still survives to this day.

, asserts that Ringold's father, Algimant, ruled in Navagradak over all Rus' and Lithuania, starting from Vilija River up to

Starodub Starodub (, , ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Bryansk Oblast, Russia, on the Babinets (river), Babinets River in the Dnieper basin, southwest of Bryansk. Population: 16,000 (1975). History Starodub has been known ...

Chernigov Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukrain ...

, Turau and

Karachev Karachev () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Karachevsky District in Bryansk Oblast, Russia. Population: History First chronicled in 1146, it was the capital of one of the Upper Oka Principal ...

, as well as all of

Podlasie Podlachia, also known by its Polish name Podlasie (; ; ), is a historical region in north-eastern Poland. Its largest city is Białystok, whereas the historical capital is Drohiczyn. Similarly to several other historical regions of Poland, e.g ...

with its adjacent castles, Brest,

Mielnik Mielnik is a village in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Mielnik. It lies approximately south-east of Siemiatycze ...

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 ...

, etc., holding them in peaceful tenure. Algimunt hurriedly died after his father, Trojnat, leaving all lands, including Rus' territories, to his son, Ringold, with common consent of all estates.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite encyclopedia , editor-first=Simas , editor-last=Sužiedėlis , encyclopedia=

Encyclopedia Lituanica ''Encyclopedia Lituanica'' (likely named after ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' or ''Encyclopedia Americana'') is a six-volume (about 3600-page) English language encyclopedia about Lithuania and Lithuania-related topics. It was published between 197 ...

, title=Ringaudas , year=1970–1978 , publisher=Juozas Kapočius , volume=IV , location=Boston, Massachusetts , pages=500–501, lccn=74-114275 {{cite book , title=Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295-1345 , first=S. C. , last=Rowell , pages=50–51 , year=1994 , publisher=Cambridge University Press , isbn=978-0-521-45011-9 {{cite journal , url=http://viduramziu.istorija.net/socium/sostine2.htm , title=Kiek buvo Lietuvos sostinių? , first=Tomas , last=Baranauskas , journal=Kernavė , date=July 2001 , volume= 1 , issue=1 , accessdate=2007-09-07 , language=lt , issn=1648-2735 {{cite encyclopedia , encyclopedia=Lietuvių enciklopedija , title=Ringaudas , first=Zenonas , last=Ivinskis , location=Boston, Massachusetts , publisher=Lietuvių enciklopedijos leidykla , year=1953–1966 , volume=25 , pages=308–309 , lccn=55020366 , language=lt 13th-century Lithuanian nobility Legendary monarchs

See also

References