What son of Grand Duke Lithuania Kęstutis went on to defeat Švitrigaila and his Livonian allies?
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Battle of Wilkomierz The Battle of Wilkomierz (see other names) took place on September 1, 1435 near Ukmergė in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. With the help of military units from the Kingdom of Poland, the forces of Grand Duke Sigismund Kęstutaitis soundly defeated Švitrigaila and his Livonian allies. The battle was a decisive engagement of the Lithuanian Civil War (1432–38). Švitrigaila lost most of his supporters and withdrew to southern Grand Duchy; he was slowly pushed out and eventually made peace. The damage inflicted upon the Livonian Order has been compared to the damage of Battle of Grunwald upon the Teutonic Order. It was fundamentally weakened and ceased to play a major role in Lithuanian affairs. The battle can be seen as the final engagement of the Lithuanian Crusade.
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Sigismund Kęstutaitis Sigismund Kęstutaitis (Lithuanian: "Žygimantas I Kęstutaitis" ; Polish: "Zygmunt Kiejstutowicz" ; c. 1365 – 20 March 1440) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1432 to 1440. Sigismund was his baptismal name; Sigismund's pagan Lithuanian birth name is unknown. He was the son of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Kęstutis and his wife Birutė.
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Treaty of Vilnius (1559) The Treaty of Vilnius or Vilna was concluded on 31 August 1559, during the Livonian War, between the Livonian Order and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at Vilnius (Vilna, Wilna, Wilno). Gotthard von Kettler put the lands of the order under protection of Polish king and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund II Augustus. The alliance was intended to neutralize the imminent threat of annexation of the order's lands by Russia, yet despite earning military support from Polish-Lithuanian chancellor Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł, Kettler was unable to prevent the occupation of most of Livonia by Russian forces. Thus, Kettler concluded a second treaty with Poland-Lithuania on 28 November 1561, transferring the remnants of the Teutonic Order State to the Polish Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, himself becoming a vassal of Sigismund II Augustus.
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Tautvilas Tautvilas (or Tautvila; died 1263) was Duke of Polatsk and one of the sons of Dausprungas and nephews of King of Lithuania Mindaugas. Tautvilas together with his brother Edivydas and uncle Vykintas waged a civil war against Mindaugas. The war resulted in coronation of Mindaugas.
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Battle of Ashmyany The Battle of Ashmiany was a medieval battle fought on 8 December 1432 at Ashmiany between the armies of Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis, two pretenders to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the Lithuanian Civil War (1432–1438).
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Litvin In historical context, Litvin (Belarusian: літвін, ліцвін , "litvin", "litsvin"; Russian: литвин , "litvin", Ukrainian: литвин , "lytvyn"; Polish: "Litwin" ) referred to Slavic people identifying themselves with the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
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Narimantas Narimantas or Narymunt (baptized "Gleb", born in 1277 or just before 1300 (according to Wasilewski 1992) – 2 February 1348) was the second eldest son of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. During various periods of his life, he ruled Pinsk and Polatsk. In 1333 he was invited by Novgorod's nobles to rule and protect territories in the north, Ladoga, Oreshek and Korela. He started the tradition of Lithuanian mercenary service north of Novgorod on the Swedish border that lasted until Novgorod's fall to Moscow in 1477.
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Names and titles of Władysław II Jagiełło Jogaila, or Władysław II Jagiełło (ca.1351/1361–1434), was a Grand Duke of Lithuania and from 1386 Queen Jadwiga's husband and "jure uxoris" King of Poland. In Lithuania, he held the title "Didysis Kunigaikštis", translated as Grand Duke or Grand Prince ("kunigaikštis" is a cognate of "König" and "king", and "didysis" magnifies it).
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Battle of Blue Waters The Battle of Blue Waters (Lithuanian: "Mūšis prie Mėlynųjų Vandenų" , Belarusian: Бітва на Сініх Водах , Ukrainian: Битва на Синіх Водах ) was a battle fought at some time in autumn 1362 or 1363 on the shores of the Synjucha River, left tributary of the Southern Bug, between the armies of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Golden Horde. The Lithuanians won a decisive victory and finalized their conquest of the Principality of Kiev.
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Duchy of Livonia The Duchy of Livonia (Polish: "Księstwo Inflanckie" ; Lithuanian: "Livonijos kunigaikštystė" ; Latin: "Ducatus Ultradunensis" ; Estonian: "Üleväina-Liivimaa hertsogkond" ; Latvian: "Pārdaugavas hercogiste" ; also referred to as Polish Livonia or Inflanty) was a territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania—and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth—that existed from 1561 to 1621. It corresponds to the present-day areas of northern Latvia and southern Estonia.
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Lithuania proper Lithuania proper (Latin: "Lithuania propria" , literally: "Genuine Lithuania"; Lithuanian: "Didžioji Lietuva" ; Yiddish: ליטע‎ , "Lite") refers to a region which existed within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and where the Lithuanian language was spoken. The primary meaning is identical to the Duchy of Lithuania, a land around which the Grand Duchy of Lithuania evolved. The territory can be traced by Catholic Christian parishes established in pagan Baltic lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania subsequent to the Christianization of Lithuania in 1387. They were quite distinguishable, since Ruthenian parts of the Duchy have been already baptised in an orthodox manner. The term in Latin was widely used during the Middle Ages and can be found in numerous historical maps until World War I.
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Vladislaus II of Hungary Vladislaus II, also known as Vladislav II, Władysław II or Wladislas II (1 March 1456 – 13 March 1516; ; Hungarian: "II. Ulászló" ; Polish: "Władysław II Jagiellończyk" ; Croatian: "Vladislav II. Jagelović" ; Slovak: "Vladislav II. Jagelovský" ), was King of Bohemia from 1471 to 1516, and King of Hungary and Croatia from 1490 to 1516. As the eldest son of Casimir IV Jagiellon, he was expected to inherit Poland and Lithuania. George of Poděbrady, the Hussite ruler of Bohemia, offered to make Vladislaus his heir in 1468. Poděbrady needed Casimir IV's support against the rebellious Catholic noblemen and their ally, Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary. The Diet of Bohemia elected Vladislaus king after Poděbrady's death, but he could only rule Bohemia proper, because Matthias (whom the Catholic nobles had elected king) occupied Moravia, Silesia and Lusatia. Vladislaus tried to reconquer the three provinces with his father's assistance, but Matthias repelled them.
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Stanisław Leszczyński Stanisław I Leszczyński (] ; also Anglicized and Latinized as Stanislaus I, Lithuanian: "Stanislovas Leščinskis" , French: "Stanislas Leszczynski" ; 20 October 1677 – 23 February 1766) was King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Duke of Lorraine and a count of the Holy Roman Empire.
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Battle of Mstislavl The Battle of Mstislavl took place on 4 November 1501 between the forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the forces of the Grand Duchy of Moscow and Principality of Novgorod-Seversk. The Lithuanian forces were defeated.
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Magnus, Duke of Holstein Magnus of Holstein (5 September [O.S. 26 August] 1540 – 28 March [O.S. 18 March] 1583 ) was a Prince of Denmark and a member of the House of Oldenburg. As a vassal of Ivan IV of Russia, he was the titular King of Livonia from 1570 to 1578.
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Stanisław Kiszka Stanisław Piotrowicz Kiszka (Lithuanian: "Stanislovas Kiška" ; died in 1513 or 1514) was a noble from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He became the founder of the House of Kiszka. He was sent on diplomatic missions to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and Kingdom of Poland. During the Second Muscovite–Lithuanian War (1500–03), he successfully defended Smolensk and became Great Hetman (commander of the army). Shortly before his death, Kiszka also became Grand Marshal of Lithuania.
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Casimir V, Duke of Pomerania Duke Casimir V of Pomerania (or, counting differently, Casimir VI; before 1380 – 13 April 1435) was a member of the House of Griffins and a Duke of Pomerania. He ruled in Pomerania-Stettin together with his brother Otto II from 1413 to 1428. After 1428, he ruled Pomerania-Stettin alone.
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Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War The Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War or Great War occurred between 1409 and 1411, pitting the allied Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania against the Teutonic Knights. Inspired by the local Samogitian uprising, the war began by Teutonic invasion of Poland in August 1409. As neither side was ready for a full-scale war, Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia brokered a nine-month truce. After the truce expired in June 1410, the military-religious monks were decisively defeated in the Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg), one of the largest battles in medieval Europe. Most of the Teutonic leadership was killed or taken prisoner. While defeated, the Teutonic Knights withstood the siege on their capital in Marienburg (Malbork) and suffered only minimal territorial losses in the Peace of Thorn (1411). Territorial disputes lasted until the Peace of Melno of 1422. However, the Knights never recovered their former power and the financial burden of war reparations caused internal conflicts and economic decline in their lands. The war shifted the balance of power in Eastern Europe and marked the rise of the Polish–Lithuanian union as the dominant power in the region.
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Polish–Swedish War (1617–18) The Polish–Swedish War (1617–18) was a phase of the longer Polish–Swedish War of 1600 to 1629. It continued the war of 1600–11 and was an attempt by Sweden to take Polish pressure off Russia. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was then also fighting Tartars and (on the southern front) the Ottoman Empire. Russia and Sweden were at that stage allied, prior to the Ingrian War, part of the Polish–Muscovite Wars. The 1617–18 war's cause was a dispute over Livonia and Estonia, and a dispute between Sigismund III Vasa and Gustavus Adolphus over the Swedish throne.
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Maria of Vitebsk Maria of Vitebsk (died before 1349) was the first wife of Algirdas, future Grand Duke of Lithuania (marriage took place around 1318). Very little is known about her life. The only child of a Russian prince Yaroslav, Maria was the only heir to the Principality of Vitebsk. After her father's death ca. 1345, Vitebsk fell permanently under control of Algirdas and other Gediminids. Maria gave birth to five sons, all of whom grew up while Algirdas was still only a regional duke in Slavic lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. All five sons were baptized in Orthodox rite and ruled Russian lands giving rise to prominent clans of Russian dukes (Trubetskoy family from Demetrius I Starshy, Czartoryski family from Constantine, Sanguszko family from Fiodor, Belsky and Olelkovich families from Valdimir). After Maria's death, Algirdas married another Russian princess, Uliana of Tver. After Algirdas' death, eldest sons of Maria and Uliana battled over succession rights.
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Battle of Toropets The Battle of Toropets was fought during the Livonian War, between Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia in September 20, 1580. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth forces under the command of Janusz Zbaraski defeated the Russian forces commanded by Dimitrij Cheremisov and Grigorij Nashchokin.
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Ladislaus IV of Hungary Ladislaus the Cuman (Hungarian: "IV. (Kun) László" , Croatian: "Ladislav IV. Kumanac" , Slovak: "Ladislav IV. Kumánsky" ; 5 August 1262 – 10 July 1290), also known as Ladislas the Cuman, was king of Hungary and Croatia from 1272 to 1290. His mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of a chieftain from the pagan Cumans who had settled in Hungary. At the age of seven, he married Elisabeth (or Isabella), a daughter of King Charles I of Sicily. Ladislaus was only 10 when a rebellious lord, Joachim Gutkeled, kidnapped and imprisoned him.