State
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Eastern European monarchical state that existed from 1236 to 1795
- This boundary
- 1236–1795
- Founded
- 1236
- Ended
- 1795
- Capital
- Vilnius, Kernavė, Trakai, Navahrudak
- Government
- monarchy, elective monarchy
- Religion
- Baltic mythology, Catholicism, Byzantine Catholic Churches, Eastern Orthodoxy
- Preceded by
- Period of Appanages
Overview
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 partitions of Poland–Lithuania. The state was founded by Lithuanians, who were at the time a polytheistic nation of several united Baltic tribes from Aukštaitija. By 1440 the grand duchy had become the largest European state, controlling an area from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south.
The grand duchy expanded to include large portions of the former Kievan Rus' and other neighbouring states, including what is now Lithuania, Belarus, most of Ukraine as well as parts of Latvia, Poland, Moldova and Russia. It was a multi-ethnic and multiconfessional state, with great diversity in languages, religion, and cultural heritage.
All rulers (16)
- Mindaugas1236–1253
- Treniota1263–1264
- Wojsiełk1264–1267
- Shvarn1267–1269
- Traidenis1269–1282
- Butigeidis1282–1292
- Butvydas1292–1296
- Vytenis1295–1316
- Jaunutis1341–1345
- Algirdas1345–1377
- Kęstutis1381–1382
- Vytautas1392–1430
- Švitrigaila / Svidrigiello1430–1432
- Sigismund Kęstutaitis1432–1440
- Casimir IV Jagiellon1440–1492
- Augustus III of Poland1734–1763
Records (51)
- 1200–1274 — Prussian CrusadeWar
- 1236 — Battle of SiauliaiBattle · Lithuania, Samogitians ▸ Sword Brethern, Holstein Crusaders
- 1245 — Alexander Nevsky's Lithuanian campaignCampaign
- 1283–1410 — Lithuanian CrusadeWar
- 1324 — Siege of KievBattle
- 1326–1332 — Polish–Teutonic War of 1327–1332War
- 1340–1392 — Galicia–Volhynia WarsWar
- 1362–1363 — Battle of Blue WatersBattle
- 1362 — Siege of KaunasSiege
- 1368–1372 — Muscovite–Lithuanian War of 1368-1372War
- 1372 — Treaty of LyubutskTreaty
- 1385 — Union of KrewoTreaty
- 1399 — Battle of the Vorskla RiverBattle
- 1399 — Battle of VorsklaBattle · Timurid Empire ▸ Lithuania, Poland, Teutonic Knights
- 1401 — Pact of Vilnius and RadomTreaty
- 1404 — Peace of RaciążTreaty
- 1409–1411 — Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic WarWar
- 1410 — Battle of GrunwaldBattle
- 1410 — Siege of MarienburgSiege
- 1413 — Union of HorodłoTreaty
- 1414 — Hunger WarWar
- 1415–1419 — Hungarian–Ottoman WarWar
- 1420–1432 — War of the South DanubeWar
- 1426 — Battle of AussigBattle
- 1426–1428 — Hungarian–Ottoman WarWar
- 1428 — Siege of GolubacSiege
- 1431 — Lutsk WarWar
- 1432–1438 — Lithuanian Civil War of 1432–1438War
- 1432 — Union of GrodnoTreaty
- 1435 — Battle of WilkomierzBattle · Poland ▸ Livonian Order
- 1437–1444 — Hungarian–Ottoman WarWar
- 1485–1503 — Polish-Ottoman War of 1485–1503War
- 1487–1494 — Muscovite-Lithuanian War of 1487-1494War
- 1497–1499 — Polish-Moldavian WarWar
- 1499 — Union of Kraków and VilnaTreaty
- 1500–1503 — Muscovite-Lithuanian War of 1500-1503War
- 1501 — Battle of MstislavlBattle
- 1502 — Siege of SmolenskBattle
- 1506 — Battle of KletskBattle
- 1507–1508 — Muscovite-Lithuanian War of 1507-1508War
- 1512–1522 — Muscovite-Lithuanian War of 1512-1522War
- 1514 — Siege of SmolenskSiege
- 1534–1537 — Muscovite-Lithuanian War of 1534-1537War
- 1558–1583 — Livonian WarWar
- 1561–1570 — Muscovite-Lithuanian War of 1561-1570War
- 1564 — Battle of UlaBattle
- 1569 — Union of LublinTreaty
- 1648–1650 — Davyd-Horodotsky UprisingRebellion
- 1655–1660 — DelugeWar
- 1661 — Mogilev uprising (1661)Rebellion
- 1697–1702 — Lithuanian Civil War of 1700War
Facts from Wikidata (CC0), HCED (CC0) and Cliopatria (CC BY 4.0); overview excerpted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).