Gediminas's Cap (Lithuanian:Gedimino kepurė) was the most importantregalia of theLithuanian monarchs who ruled theGrand Duchy of Lithuania until theUnion of Lublin in 1569.^[1][2] During theinaugurations of Lithuanian monarchs, Gediminas's Cap was placed on the monarch's heads by theBishop of Vilnius inVilnius Cathedral.^[1][2][3]

Its name comes from Grand DukeGediminas (c. 1275–1341), the founder of theGediminids dynasty andpatrilinealancestor of Lithuanian rulers from theKęstutaičiai andJagiellonian dynasties,^[1][4][5][6] and symbolized the dynasty's continuity.^[7] The cap is mentioned in 16th-century sources and was kept in theVilnius Castle treasury.^[1] It is depicted as a round unsegmented headdress in anarmorial compiled forPaweł Holszański.^[1] Since 1547 Gediminas's Cap was minted on Lithuanian coins above thecoat of arms of Lithuania.^[8] Gediminas's Cap lost its significance following the Union of Lublin in 1569 which abolished a separate inauguration of the Lithuanian monarchs in Vilnius Cathedral.^[1][2]

In the 20th century, following theAct of Independence of Lithuania,Lithuanian litas banknotes were issued with a portrait of Vytautas the Great wearing Gediminas's Cap to commemorate his 500th death anniversary in 1930.^[9] In 1936, new design 10 litas coins were minted also with a portrait of Vytautas the Great wearing Gediminas's Cap.^[10][11]

Following the recognition byPope Innocent IV,Mindaugas was crowned asKing of Lithuania in July 1253 with a crown manufactured inRiga and provided by Andreas von Stirland, the master of theLivonian Order.^[12][13] Moreover,Pope Alexander IV granted a right to crownMindaugas' son.^[14] In the fall of 1263, Mindaugas and his sons Ruklys and Rupeikis were killed and the fate of his royal crown remains unknown.^[15]

Subsequent Lithuanian monarchs initially were titled askings when communicating withWestern countries and asGrand Dukes in communications withRuthenia andtatars.^[16][17]Gediminas titled himself as King of Lithuania andRuthenians, Duke ofSemigallia whilePope John XXII referred to Gediminas as King of Lithuania and many Ruthenians.^[18]

Since 1377,Jogaila titled himself as King of Lithuania, however in 1385 he agreed in theUnion of Krewo that the Lithuanian monarchs would be titled only as theGrand Dukes of Lithuania.^[19][16] The title of the Grand Duke of Lithuania mostly came into force during the reign of Grand DukeVytautas the Great, who concluded theOstrów Agreement with his cousin Jogaila in 1392 and the agreement was confirmed in thePact of Vilnius and Radom in 1401. Since then Jogaila was titled the Supreme Duke of Lithuania.^[16][20][21] Vytautas the Great gained the factual rule of Lithuania, which was recognized by the treaties.^[20] In 1398, theLithuanian nobility declared Vytautas the Great as the King of Lithuania and, following theCongress of Lutsk in 1430, the crowning was sanctioned bySigismund, Holy Roman Emperor. However, Vytautas died before the crown arrived.^[2][22][23]

Jogaila's brotherŠvitrigaila also sought to be crowned as King of Lithuania and Emperor Sigismund planned to arrive at Švitrigaila's crowning inPrussia, but theLithuanian Civil War (1432–1438) broke out in which Švitrigaila and his supporters were defeated.^[24][2][25]

Jogaila's sonWładysław III also titled himself as the Supreme Duke of Lithuania.^[21]John I Albert unilaterally declared himself as the Supreme Duke of Lithuania in 1492, but this title was rejected by theLithuanian Council of Lords.^[21]

In 1544–1548Sigismund I the Old expressed his supreme monarchical authority in Lithuania by again using the Supreme Duke of Lithuania title when his sonSigismund II Augustus was hisvicegerent in Lithuania.^[21][26]

The inaugurations of the Lithuanian monarchs were held inVilnius Cathedral and consisted of the placement of Gediminas' Cap on theLithuanian ruler's head and the presentation of asword.^[1][16] The cap was placed on the head by the Bishop of Vilnius and the sword was presented by theGrand Marshal of Lithuania.^[2][3] The regalia of Vytautas the Great consisted of Gediminas's Cap, sword, ring, flag, and seal.^[2]

The first inauguration ceremony of a Lithuanian Grand Duke about which there is reliable information is that ofCasimir IV Jagiellon, as reported byJan Długosz.^[27]Casimir IV was sent by his older brother King of Poland and Hungary, Supreme Duke of LithuaniaWładysław III, to Lithuania to rule in his name.^[28] But instead he was elected as Grand Duke upon his arrival toVilnius on June 29, 1440, with the ringing of church bells and the singing of theTe Deum laudamus.^[29][27] This was breaching the agreements of theUnion of Grodno (1432) and terminating thePolish–Lithuanian union.^[30][31] It manifested Lithuania as a sovereign state and its ruler Casimir IV Jagiellon stressed himself as a "free lord" (pan – dominus).^[31] According to historianEdvardas Gudavičius, Bishop of Vilnius put a Gediminas's Cap in the Vilnius Cathedral on his head, despite thePolish nobility's opposition.^[30][31]

Another documented inauguration is the enthronement ofAlexander Jagiellon in 1492. Alexander was appointed Grand Duke by his father, nevertheless, a formal election of the ruler was held as part of a general assembly, which was attended for the first time by representatives from all the lands of the Grand Duchy.^[32] The course of the ceremony was documented byMaciej Stryjkowski, who reported that after the election lords elevated Alexander in the cathedral. The newly elected ruler was dressed "in a ducal cap with pearls and precious stones set in it, also the usual robe that today theprinces of the Reich wear at theimperial coronation."^[33] Then Bishop of Vilnius Wojciech Tabor blessed him and held a pastoral exhortation over him. Then the Grand Marshal of LithuaniaPetras Jonaitis Mantigirdaitis handed Alexander a bare sword and a sceptre.^[34][35] Subsequently, the Poles considered electing Alexander Jagiellon as the King of Poland, however instead of himJohn I Albert was elected as the King of Poland in August 1492 and this led to another termination of the Polish–Lithuanian union.^[36]

Stryjkowski also relayed the election and inauguration of Sigismund I as Grand Duke of Lithuania on October 20, 1509. The ceremony was again attended by Bishop Wojciech Tabor, who this time not only blessed but also placed a cap on the ruler's head. In turn, Grand MarshalMichael Glinski presented him with a sword. Sigismund received the oath of the Lithuanian lords while sitting on the throne.^[37] According to Stryjkowski, the cap was: "of red velvet with gold spheres set with precious stones".^[38]

The last ceremony to elevate a grand duke took place on October 18, 1529, whenSigismund Augustus was elevated to this dignity during his father's lifetime. The ceremony occurred in the great hall of the newly builtlower castle, as the cathedral burned down that same year.^[39][40] The young Sigismund Augustus sat on the throne between his parents, surrounded by members of thecouncil of lords. The cap was placed on the ruler's head by the Bishop of Vilnius, while the Grand Marshal presented him with a sword.^[41]

Following theUnion of Lublin, which formed the federativePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, and the death of the last Gediminid rulerSigismund II Augustus in 1572, separate inaugurations in Vilnius Cathedral were abolished, therefore Gediminas's Cap lost its ceremonial significance.^[1][2][42] The insignias of the Lithuanian rulers were not preserved and following the Union of Lublin only the seal (kept by theGrand Chancellor of Lithuania) and the flag (carried near the ruler by the Grand Flag Bearer of Lithuania) remained.^[2]

The demand of a separate inauguration ceremony of theGrand Duke of Lithuania was raised by the nobles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (e.g.Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł,Eustachy Wołłowicz,Jan Karol Chodkiewicz,Konstanty Ostrogski) during the negotiations of the Union of Lublin, however it was not officially included into it.^[43] On 20 April 1576 a congress of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania's nobles was held inGrodno which adopted an Universal, signed by the participating Lithuanian nobles, which announced that if the delegates of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania will feel pressure from the Poles in theElection sejm, the Lithuanians will not be obliged by an oath of theUnion of Lublin and will have the right to select a separate monarch.^[44] On 29 May 1580, bishopMerkelis Giedraitis in the Vilnius Cathedral presented Grand DukeStephen Báthory (King of Poland since 1 May 1576) aluxuriously decorated sword and a hat adorned with pearls (both were sanctified byPope Gregory XIII himself), while this ceremony manifested the sovereignty of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and had the meaning of elevation of the new Grand Duke of Lithuania, this way ignoring the stipulations of the Union of Lublin.^{[45][46][47][48]} Nevertheless, per Union of Lublin the rulers of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were elected in joint Polish–Lithuanianelection sejms until theThird Partition in 1795 and received separate titles of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.^[49][3] During thecoronations ofjoint Polish–Lithuanian monarchs, thePolish crown was also announced as a property of both the Polish and Lithuanian nobles.^[2]

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  Vytenis with Gediminas's Cap, painted in 1709
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  Algirdas with Gediminas's Cap, painted in 1578
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  Sigismund Kęstutaitis with Gediminas's Cap, painted in the 19th century
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  Vytautas the Great with Gediminas's Cap, painted in circa 1555^[1]
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  Vytautas the Great with Gediminas's Cap, painted in the 18th century
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  Saint Casimir with Gediminas's Cap, painted in circa 1594
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  Dome of theChurch of St. Casimir in Vilnius
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  Tapestry with the coat of arms of Grand DukeSigismund II Augustus, crowned with Gediminas's Cap, circa 1548
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  A 1568 Lithuanian coin of Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus with the coat of arms of Lithuania, Gediminas's Cap andColumns of Gediminas
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  Ennoblement Act granted bySigismund III Vasa (1588)
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  A fragment from the early 17th-centuryRadziwiłł map with Gediminas's Cap depicted above Vilnius
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  Administrative map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania featuring Gediminas's Cap above the coat of arms of Lithuania in 1695
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  Title page ofKurier Litewski featuring Gediminas's Cap above the coat of arms of Lithuania, published in 1760 in Vilnius
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  Front view of the reconstructed Gediminas's Cap, exhibited in thePalace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania inVilnius
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  Coat of arms of Lithuania crowned with Gediminas's Cap in one of the rooms of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius
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  Stained-glass window with Vytautas the Great wearing Gediminas's Cap (left) in theChurch of Vytautas the Great inKaunas
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  Gediminas's Cap depicted on the bronze doors of theVilnius University Central Campus
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  1848 Allegory of Lithuania byWincenty Dmochowski. The Gediminas's Cap is depicted in the middle of anOak tree
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  In the modern day the Gediminas's Cap is used on the coat of arms of theSeimas of Lithuania

• Polish crown jewels, used by joint Polish–Lithuanian monarchs following the Union of Lublin in 1569
• Cap of maintenance, a similar royal insignia of theBritish sovereign
• Gediminas' Tower

• Frost, Robert (2015).The Oxford History of Poland-Lithuania. The Making of the Polish-Lithuanian Union, 1385—1569. Oxford.ISBN 978-0-19-820869-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Kosman, Marceli (1989). ""Podniesienie" książąt litewskich" ["Elevation" of the Lithuanian princes].Litwa pierwotna. Mity, legendy, fakty. pp. 244–282.
• Piech, Zenon (1987). "Mitra książęca w świetle przekazów ikonograficznych od czasów rozbicia dzielnicowego do końca epoki jagiellońskiej" [Ducal mitre in the light of iconographic records from the time of the fragmentation to the end of the Jagiellonian era].Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej.39 (1).

• History of Lithuania (1219–1569)
• Lithuanian monarchy
• Individual crowns
• Cultural history of Lithuania
• Caps
• Headgear in heraldry
• State ritual and ceremonies
• Lost works of art

• CS1 Lithuanian-language sources (lt)
• CS1 Polish-language sources (pl)
• CS1 maint: location missing publisher
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles containing Lithuanian-language text