Skirgaila
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Skirgaila ( Polish Skirgiełło ; born around 1354; died January 11, 1397 in Kiev ), Orthodox baptismal name Iwan , Catholic baptismal name Kasimir , was Prince of Polotsk (1377-1381, 1387-1397), Trakai (1382-1392), regent of Lithuania (1386–1392), Prince of Minsk (1387–1397), Svislotsch (1387–1397) and Kiev (1393–1397).
Life
He was the son of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas and his second wife Ulyana of Tver . His year of birth is unknown. In 1374 he was first mentioned as a participant in a Lithuanian campaign against the Teutonic Order .
After his father's death in 1377, his brother Jogaila became Grand Duke of Lithuania. In the following power struggle with her uncle Kęstutis and his son Vytautas , Skirgaila was his brother's most important supporter. In 1377 they drove their half-brother Andrej from the Principality of Polotsk , Skirgaila became his successor.
In 1379 Skirgaila traveled on behalf of his brother to the Teutonic Order , to the Hungarian-Polish King Ludwig I and the German-Bohemian King Wenceslaus IV , possibly also to the Pope.
In 1380, as Prince of Polotsk, Skirgaila concluded a five-month peace treaty with the Livonian Order without the necessary consent of Kęstutis. After an uprising in Polotsk, Skirgaila was baptized Orthodox.
At the end of 1381 Kęstutis started a war against Jogaila. He captured the castle in Vilnius , captured Jogaila, drove Skirgaila from Polotsk and reinstated Andrei there. Skirgaila fled to Livonia .
In 1382 Jogaila was able to conquer the castle of Kęstutis in Trakai . He installed Skirgaila there as governor. In the following years they managed to capture Kęstutis and Vytautas. Kęstutis died after five days in custody. The rumor soon spread that he was murdered by Skirgaila.
Skirgaila was made Prince of Trakai, although Vytautas had granted the principality. Vytautas managed to take Trakai with the support of the Teutonic Order. In 1383 Jogaila and Skirgaila retook Trakai. In 1384 a peace was made between Jogaila and Vytautas.
In 1384 Skirgaila signed a peace treaty with the Grand Duchy of Moscow alongside Jogaila .
In 1385 Skirgaila traveled to Poland and there prepared Jogaila's wedding with Queen Hedwig . In 1386, after Jogaila's coronation, he became the Polish king, his representative in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. However, he did not act independently there, the Jogailas always appears in front of his name in documents.
In 1386 he conquered the Principality of Smolensk for Lithuania. In 1387 he drove Andrei from Polotsk and has since been Prince of Polotsk, Minsk and Swislotsch.
In 1392 he lost the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Trakai to Vytautas after the Treaty of Ostrowo . In 1393/95 he received the principality of Kiev and Zhytomyr as compensation .
Skirgaila died in Kiev in 1397. He is buried in the local cave monastery .
literature
- Skirgaila. In: Vytautas Spečiūnas (ed.): Lietuvos valdovai (XIII – XVIII a.): Enciklopedinis žinynas. Mokslo ir enciklopedijų Leidybos institutas Vilnius, 2004, ISBN 5-420-01535-8 , p. 54
- JB Koncius: Vytautas the Great, Grand Duke of Lithuania. Miami 1964, pp. 21ff.
- J. Pfitzner: Grand Duke Witold of Lithuania as a statesman. Prague, Brno 1930
- A. Gieysztor: The kingdom of Poland and the grand duchy of Lithuania 1370–1506. In: The New Cambridge Medieval History c.1415 – c.1500. Vol. 7, Cambridge University Press, 1998, ISBN 0521382963 , p. 731
Remarks
- ^ Engraving from Alessandro Guagnini : Descriptio Sarmatiae (1578)
- ↑ Барбашев, Александр Ипполитович: Очерки литовско-русской истории XV века. Витовт. Последние двадцать лет княжения (1410–1430) , С-Пб., 1891. p. 23 online
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Kęstutis |
Grand Duke of Lithuania 1386-1392 |
Vytautas |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Skirgaila |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Skirgiełło; Ivan |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Grand Duke of Lithuania |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1354 |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 11, 1397 |
| Place of death | Kiev |