Everything about Mindaugas totally explained
Mindaugas (
simplified Lithuanian transcription [m
indaŭgas])) (ca. 1203 –
12 September 1263) was the first known
Grand Duke of Lithuania, a title he gained ca. 1235, and was crowned
King of Lithuania in 1251. He is generally considered the founder of the
Lithuanian state, and the first leader to unite the
Balts. 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, and on
June 29 or
July 6,
1253, he was crowned
King of Lithuania. However, in 1261 Mindaugas, along with the rest of the Lithuanian state, returned to
paganism, breaking Lithuania's peace with the
Teutonic Order for a very long time.
Rise to power
The first conclusive evidence that the Baltic tribes in the area were uniting is usually considered to be Lithuania's treaty with
Galicia-Volhynia, signed in 1219. The treaty's signatories include
21 Lithuanian dukes; it specifies that five of those were elder and thus took precedence over the remaining 16. Mindaugas, despite his youth, and men presumed to be his brothers are listed among the elder dukes, implying that they'd inherited their titles.
Duke Mindaugas, who primarily governed the
Duchy of Lithuania (eastern Lithuania), is referred to as the ruler of all Lithuania in the
Livonian Rhymed Chronicle in 1236. The means by which he managed to acquire this title are not well known. Ruthenian chronicles mention that he murdered or expelled various other dukes, including his relatives. In 1248, Mindaugas sent his nephews
Tautvilas and
Edivydas, the sons of his brother Dausprungas, along with
Vykintas, the Duke of
Samogitia, to conquer
Smolensk, but they were unsuccessful. In 1249, an internal war erupted as Mindaugas sought to seize his nephews' and Vykintas' lands. However, the exact date of the coronation isn't known; the scholarship of historian
Edvardas Gudavičius, who promulgated this date, is sometimes challenged. The location of the coronation remains unknown. However, as later events showed, Lithuanians were not prepared to accept Christianity, and Mindaugas' baptism had little impact on further developments.
Immediately after his coronation, Mindaugas transferred some western lands to the Livonian Order - portions of
Samogitia,
Nadruva, and
Dainava.
There has been much discussion among historians as to whether in later years (1255, 1257, and 1259) Mindaugas gave even more lands to the order. The deeds might have been falsified by the order
; the case for this scenario is bolstered by the fact that some of the documents mention lands that were not actually under the control of Mindaugas.
In any case, relative peace and stability were established for about eight years. Mindaugas used this opportunity to concentrate on expansion to the east, and to establish and organize state institutions. He strengthened his influence in
Black Ruthenia, in
Polatsk, a major center of commerce in the
Daugava River basin, and in
Pinsk.
He also negotiated a peace with Galicia-Volhynia, and married his daughter to
Svarn, the son of Daniel of Galicia, who would later become Grand Duke of Lithuania. Lithuanian relationships with western Europe and the
Holy See were reinforced. In 1255, Mindaugas received permission from
Pope Alexander IV to crown his son as King of Lithuania.
A
noble court, an administrative system, and a diplomatic service were initiated.
Assassination
The Livonian Order used this period to gain control over Samogitian lands. However, in 1259 it lost the
Battle of Skuodas, and in 1260 it lost the
Battle of Durbe. The first defeat encouraged a rebellion by the
Semigalians, and the later defeat spurred the
Prussians into an uprising, the
Great Prussian Rebellion, which lasted for 14 years.
Encouraged by these developments and by his nephew
Treniota, Mindaugas broke peace with the order. Some chronicles hint that he also relapsed into
his former pagan beliefs; this has been disputed,
but all the diplomatic achievements made after his coronation were lost.
Treniota led an army to
Cēsis and battled
Masovia, hoping to encourage all the conquered Baltic tribes to rise up against the Christian orders and unite under Lithuanian leadership. His personal influence grew while Mindaugas was concentrating on the conquest of Ruthenian lands, dispatching a large army to
Bryansk. Treniota and Mindaugas began to pursue different priorities.
In the midst of these events Mindaugas' wife
Morta died, and he expressed the wish to marry
Daumantas' wife.
In retaliation, Daumantas and Treniota assassinated Mindaugas and two of his sons in 1263.
Lithuania lapsed into years of internal disorder. Stability didn't return until the reign of
Traidenis, designated Grand Duke in 1268 or 1269. While most of the Lithuanian Grand Dukes from
Jogaila onward also reigned as Kings of Poland, the titles remained separate, and Mindaugas was the only crowned King of Lithuania.
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