Empire · 1236–1795 · Europe
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Also known as Lithuania
Lithuania was the last pagan state in Europe. Facing the crusading Teutonic Knights, Baltic tribes united under Mindaugas in the 1230s; he was briefly crowned a Christian king in 1253.
Gediminas made Vilnius his capital in the early 14th century, and he and his son Algirdas expanded south-east into the lands of the former Kievan Rus, weakened by the Mongols, so that most of the grand duchy's subjects were Orthodox Slavs. In 1386 Grand Duke Jogaila became king of Poland and accepted Catholic baptism for Lithuania. His cousin Vytautas ruled Lithuania at its greatest extent, stretching to the Black Sea. Union with Poland deepened into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, which was partitioned by Russia, Prussia and Austria by 1795.
- Years
- 1236–1795
- Capital
- Vilnius
- Greatest extent
- 1430, about 930,000 km²
- Region
- Europe
Under Vytautas, from the Baltic almost to the Black Sea
Legacy
Lithuania built one of medieval Europe's largest states, and its multi-faith, multilingual tradition shaped modern Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.
Rulers
- Mindaugas c. 1236 – 1263
Unified Lithuania; crowned king in 1253
- Gediminas c. 1316 – 1341
Made Vilnius his capital and expanded into Rus lands
- Algirdas 1345 – 1377
Pushed the borders toward the Black Sea
- Jogaila 1377 – 1381, 1382 – 1392
Became king of Poland and Christianised Lithuania
- Vytautas the Great 1392 – 1430
Ruled Lithuania at its greatest extent
Realms on the map
- Grand Duchy of Lithuania 1220–1449