Sigismund Kęstutaitis
Sigismund Kęstutaitis ( Lithuanian Žygimantas Kęstutaitis , Polish Zygmunt Kejstutowicz ) (* around 1365 - March 20, 1440 in Trakai ) was Prince of Mosyr (1385–1401), Nowogrodek (1401–1406), Starodub (1406–1432) and Grand Duke (1406–1432) Lithuania (1432-1440).
Life
He was the youngest known son of Grand Duke Kęstutis and his wife Birutė . His year of birth is unknown.
During the power struggles between his brother Vytautas and his cousin Jogaila after the death of his father, he was a prisoner of 1382 Jogaila. In 1383 he was baptized. In 1384 he was a witness of Vytautas at the Treaty of Königsberg with the Teutonic Order , which was directed against Jogaila. In 1389 he negotiated on behalf of Vytautas with the order about a cooperation against Skirgaila . In 1398 he appeared as a witness to the Treaty of Salinwerder with Grand Master Konrad von Jungingen in Marienburg .
In 1399 Kęstutaitis took part in the Battle of the Worskla and in 1410 he was involved in the Battle of Tannenberg .
In 1411 he was a witness to the First Peace of Thorn , 1422 to the Peace of Lake Melno , and to the Union of 1431.
In 1432 Kęstutaitis fought on the side of Švitrigaila after the death of Vytautas against Poland, but soon afterwards took part in the fight against them. After his flight to Polotsk , he was appointed the new Grand Duke on September 1, 1432 with Polish support. His dominion included the principalities of Vilnius , Trakai , Rowno , Žemaiten , Grodno , Minsk , Nowogrodek , Brest . Švitrigaila ruled the rest of the Grand Duchy from Vitebsk .
In the same year the Union of Grodno with Poland under Jogaila was concluded. As a result, Lithuanian areas in Volhynia and Podolia went to Poland.
In 1432 he improved the rights of the Ruthenian Orthodox nobles. In 1434 Sigismund declared equal rights for nobles regardless of their denomination. Until then, these had only applied to Catholic nobles.
In 1435 he defeated Švitrigaila in the battle of Pabaiskas . Since 1437 he was the sole ruler in Lithuania.
Between 1438 and 1440 Sigismund tried to form a coalition with Albrecht of Hungary against Poland.
On March 20, 1440 Sigismund was killed in Trakai by supporters of Švitrigailas.
progeny
Sigismund was married to a daughter of Andrej Odincewicz . As the only son is known
- Michael Bolesław (around 1390–1452), Prince of Kiev , Starodub (1440–1441, 1448)
as a daughter
- Jadwiga
In 1416 he married a second time a wife whose name was unknown (before 1434).
Web links
literature
- Bronius Dundulis: Žygimantas I Kęstutaitis. In: Vytautas Spečiūnas (ed.): Lietuvos valdovai (XIII-XVIII a.): Enciklopedinis žinynas. Mokslo ir enciklopedijų Leidybos institutas Vilnius 2004, ISBN 5-420-01535-8 , pp. 94–96
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Švitrigaila |
Grand Duke of Lithuania 1432–1440 |
Casimir IV. Andrew |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sigismund Kęstutaitis |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Žygimantas Kęstutaitis; Zygmunt Kejstutowicz |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Grand Duke of Lithuania |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1365 |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 20, 1440 |
| Place of death | Trakai |