 The area was later made into an eldership, part of the Principality of Trakai.A document from 1556 states that Panevėžys, along with 57 other towns and 359 villages was part of this eldership.In the 16th century, Upytė began to lose its prominence when the defensive castle became obsolete, and Krekenava became the capital of the Upytė Eldership in 1548.