Vytautas the Great (/vɪˈtaʊtəs/;c. 1350 – 27 October 1430) was a ruler of theGrand Duchy of Lithuania.^[1][2][a] He was also the prince ofGrodno (1370–1382), prince ofLutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of theHussites.^[5]

Vytautas the Great
Duke of Trakai
Seal of Vytautas, depicting him withGediminas' Cap
Grand Duke of Lithuania
Reign	4 August 1392 – 27 October 1430
Predecessor	Jogaila Skirgaila (as regent)
Successor	Švitrigaila
Born	c. 1350 Senieji Trakai,Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Died	27 October 1430(1430-10-27) (aged 79–80) Trakai, Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Burial	Vilnius Cathedral,Vilnius
Spouse	Anna Uliana
Issue	Sophia
House	Kęstutis
Father	Kęstutis
Mother	Birutė

In modernLithuania, Vytautas is revered as anational hero and was an important figure in thenational rebirth in the 19th century.Vytautas is a popular male givenname in Lithuania. In commemoration of the 500-year anniversary of his death,Vytautas Magnus University was named after him. Monuments in his honour were built in many towns in independent Lithuania during theinterwar period from 1918 to 1939. Vytautas knew and spoke theLithuanian language with his cousinJogaila.^[6][7][8]

Vytautas' uncleAlgirdas had beenGrand Duke of Lithuania until his death in 1377. Algirdas and Vytautas' fatherKęstutis had ruled jointly in the form of diarchy, with Algirdas governing the east and Kęstutis the west, primarily responsible for defense against theTeutonic Order. Algirdas was succeeded by his sonJogaila, and a struggle for power ensued. In 1380, Jogaila signed the secretTreaty of Dovydiškės with the Teutonic Order against Kęstutis. When Kęstutis discovered this in 1381, he seizedVilnius, imprisoned Jogaila, and made himself Grand Duke. However, Jogaila escaped and raised an army against Kęstutis. The two sides confronted each other but never engaged in battle. Kęstutis was ready to negotiate, but he and Vytautas were arrested and transported toKreva Castle. One week later, Kęstutis was found dead. Whether he died of natural causes or was murdered is still a matter of debate.

In 1382, Vytautas escaped from Kreva and he sought help from the Teutonic Order, who were negotiating with Jogaila at the time. Jogaila and the Order agreed to theTreaty of Dubysa, by which Jogaila promised to accept Christianity, become an ally of the Order, and give the Order part ofSamogitia up to theDubysa River. However, the treaty was never ratified and in summer 1383, the war between Jogaila and the Order resumed. Vytautas was baptised as aCatholic, receiving the name of Wigand (Lithuanian:Vygandas). Vytautas participated in several raids against Jogaila. In January 1384, Vytautas promised to cede part of Samogitia to the Teutonic Order, up to theNevėžis River, in return for recognition as Grand Duke of Lithuania. However, in July of the same year, Vytautas broke with the Order and reconciled with Jogaila. He then burned three important Teutonic castles, and regained all Kęstutis' lands, except forTrakai.

In 1385,Jogaila concluded theUnion of Krewo withPoland, under which he marriedJadwiga of Poland and became King of Poland as Władysław II Jagiełło.Vytautas participated in the Union and in 1386 was rebaptised as a Catholic, receiving the name Alexander. In 1386, Vytautas paid homage to Jogaila after his coronation as king of Poland.^[9]

Jogaila left his brotherSkirgaila as regent in Lithuania. However, Skirgaila was unpopular with the people, and Vytautas saw an opportunity to become Grand Duke. In 1389, he attackedVilnius but failed. In early 1390, Vytautas again allied with the Teutonic Order through theTreaty of Königsberg (1390).^[10] Vytautas had to confirm his agreement of 1384, and cede Samogitia to the Order. His army now invaded Lithuania.^{[citation needed]} Also, to gain more influence, Vytautas married his only daughterSophia toVasili I of Moscow in 1391.^[10]

The Polish nobles were unhappy that their new king spent too much time on Lithuanian affairs. It was clear that the war could continue for years and would not benefit Poland. In 1392, Jogaila sentHenry of Masovia with an offer to make Vytautas regent instead of Skirgaila. Vytautas accepted and again broke with the Order. He burned three Teutonic castles and returned to Vilnius. Jogaila and Vytautas signed theAstrava Treaty in which Vytautas recovered all Kęstutis' lands, including Trakai, and was given more. Vytautas would rule Lithuania in the name of Jogaila. After Vytautas' death, all his lands and powers would revert to Jogaila.

Vytautas continuedAlgirdas' vision to control as manyRuthenian lands as possible. Much of the territory was already under the Grand Duke's rule, but the rest was controlled by theMongols.Tokhtamysh,Khan of theGolden Horde, sought help from Vytautas when he was removed from the throne in 1395 after his defeat byTimur. An agreement was reached that Vytautas would help Tokhtamysh to regain power, and the Horde would cede more lands to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in return. In 1398, Vytautas' army attacked a part of theCrimea and built a castle there. Now Lithuania spanned from theBaltic Sea to theBlack Sea. A number ofTatar captives were brought toethnic Lithuania.

Continuing attempts on the part of Poland to subordinate Lithuania drove Vytautas for the third time into the arms of the Order, and by theTreaty of Salynas in October 1398, Vytautas, who now styled himselfSupremus Dux Lithuaniae, ceded his ancestral province of Samogitia to the knights, formed an alliance with them for the conquest and partition ofPskov andNovgorod the Great.^[10]

Inspired by his successful campaign against Timur, Vytautas and Jogaila won support fromPopeBoniface IX for organising acrusade against the Mongols. This political move also demonstrated that Lithuania had fully accepted Christianity and was defending the faith on its own, and that theTeutonic Knights had no further basis for attacks against Lithuania. The campaign resulted in a crushing defeat at theBattle of the Vorskla River in 1399. Over twenty princes, including two brothers of Jogaila, were killed, and Vytautas himself barely escaped alive. This came as a shock to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland. A number of territories revolted against Vytautas, andSmolensk was retaken by its hereditary ruler,George of Smolensk, and not re-conquered by Lithuanians until 1404. Vytautas waged a war in 1406–1408 against his son-in-lawVasili I of Moscow andŠvitrigaila, a brother of Jogaila who with the support of the Teutonic Order had declared himself grand prince. A major stand-off between the two armies ended without a battle in the Treaty ofUgra, by whichVelikiy Novgorod was granted to Jogaila's brotherLengvenis, and the important city ofPskov to Jogaila's envoyJerzy Nos, the latter settlement a clear violation of the treaty of Raciąż.^[11][12] The war with Muscovy ended in December 1408, on terms that made further conflict with the Teutonic Order inevitable, despiteHermann II of Celje's attempt to negotiate a solution.^[13]

In theTreaty of Salynas Vytautas had transferredSamogitia to the Teutonic Knights. Samogitia was especially important for the Order because it separated the Teutonic Knights, based inPrussia, from theLivonian Order, based inLatvia. The two orders desired to unite and form a mighty force. However, the knights ruled Samogitia for only three years, because on 13 March 1401, the Samogitians, supported by Vytautas, rebelled and burned two castles. The knights received support fromŠvitrigaila, brother of Jogaila, who desired to take Vytautas' title. In 1404Peace of Raciąż was signed, which in essence repeated theTreaty of Salynas: Samogitia was transferred to the Teutonic Knights. Poland promised not to support Lithuania in case of another war. The knights promised to support Vytautas in the east and not to support anyGediminid who could have claims to the title ofGrand Duke of Lithuania. However, the treaty did not solve the problems, and all the parties prepared for war.

In 1408, Vytautas reached peace in the east and returned to Samogitian matters. In 1409 the secondSamogitian uprising against the Teutonic Knights began, as the rebels burnedSkirsnemunė castle. Both Poland and Lithuania supported the rebels. Vytautas gathered a large army from 18 lands under his control. The army joined Polish forces and advanced towards the Teutonic headquarters at the castle of Marienburg (present-dayMalbork). In 1410, Vytautas himself commanded the forces of the Grand Duchy in theBattle of Grunwald. The battle ended in a decisive Polish-Lithuanian victory. Even though the siege of Marienburg was unsuccessful, the Teutonic Knights never regained their strength and from then on posed a reduced threat to Poland-Lithuania. From now on, Poland-Lithuania began to be regarded in the west as a great power, and Vytautas stood in high favour with the Romancuria.^[10]

As a result of thePeace of Thorn of 1411, Vytautas received Samogitia for his lifetime. However, the parties could not agree on the border.Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, agreed to mediate the dispute. In 1413, it was declared that the whole right bank of the Nemunas (Neman River) was Samogitia and therefore belonged to Lithuania. The Teutonic Knights disagreed and a new war started in 1414. The war lasted for just a few months, and the dispute was brought to theCouncil of Constance. Even though the dispute was not resolved, the Samogitians had a chance to present their case to the leaders of Europe. It is seen as an important event in the diplomatic history of Lithuania. Several other mediation attempts failed, and yet another war with the Teutonic Order started in 1422. After several months of fighting, theTreaty of Lake Melno was signed. Samogitia was returned to Lithuania in perpetuity, while the city of Memel (present-dayKlaipėda) and surrounding territories stayed with the Order. This border, as established by the treaty, remained stable for some 500 years until theMemel Territory dispute of 1923. With peace established, Vytautas could now concentrate on reforms and the relationship with Poland.

In 1399Jadwiga of Poland and her newborn died inchildbirth.Jogaila's power in Poland was jeopardised as he was a foreigner king with no other ties to the throne but his wife. Also, the defeat at Vorskla forced a re-evaluation of the relationship between Poland and Lithuania. The result was theUnion of Vilnius and Radom in 1401. Vytautas was granted wide autonomy, but after his death the title and powers of Grand Duke of Lithuania were to be transferred to the king of Poland. In case Jagiełło died first without an heir, the Polish nobility agreed not to elect a new king without consulting Vytautas. The unique feature of this union was that the Lithuanian nobility presented their own document: for the first time somebody other than dukes played a role in the state matters.

Vytautas was one of the creators of theUnion of Horodło with Poland in 1413. According to the act of the union, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was to retain a separate Grand Duke and its own parliament. At the same time both the Polish and Lithuanian Sejms were to discuss all the important matters jointly. This union was important culturally as well as politically because it granted LithuanianChristian nobles the same rights as the Polishszlachta. This act did not includeOrthodox nobles. This paved the way for more contacts and cooperation between the nobles of Poland and of Lithuania.

In January 1429, at theCongress of Lutsk it was proposed bySigismund, king of Hungary, that Vytautas should be crowned King of Lithuania. It resulted in a great crisis between Vytautas, king Władysław and Polish nobles. The envoys who were transporting documents supporting Vytautas's coronation and proposing an alliance between Lithuania, Hungary and the Teutonic Order were stopped at the Polish-Lithuanian border in the autumn of 1430.^[17] Vytautas died in theTrakai Island Castle, ending the whole affair. He was buried in theCathedral of Vilnius. The knowledge about his remains has been lost.

According to theEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, Vytautas "was certainly the most imposing personality of his day in Eastern Europe, and his martial valour was combined with statesmanlike foresight."

Vytautas backed the economic development of his state and introduced many reforms. Under his rule the Grand Duchy of Lithuania gradually became more centralised, as local princes with dynastic ties to the throne were replaced by the governors loyal to Vytautas. The governors were rich landowners who formed the basis for the Lithuanian nobility. During Vytautas' rule, the influential Radvila (Radziwiłł) andGoštautas families began their rise.

In 1398, Vytautas brought over families of theKaraim (388 families) andTatar peoples. Their principal role was to guard the castle and the bridges, but they also served as translators, farmers, traders, and diplomats. He retains a very high reputation among them, with the anniversary of his death being officially celebrated in 1930 in thekenesa inVilnius.^[18]

Born in 1350 in thecastle of present-day Old Trakai (Senieji Trakai), Vytautas was the son ofKęstutis and his wifeBirutė. Vytautas was a cousin and childhood friend ofJogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło), who became King of Poland in 1386. Around 1370, he marriedAnna, who gave birth toSophia of Lithuania. Sophia was married toVasily I,Grand Prince of Moscow, and mother and regent to their sonVasili II. After Anna's death in 1418, Vytautas married her nieceJuliana Olshanska, daughter ofIvan Olshanski who outlived him.^[19] Because of the relationship between the two women, the Bishop of Vilnius was unwilling to perform the ceremony without a papal dispensation; however,Jan Kropidło did not have such scruples and married them on 13 November 1418.^[20] According to the 16th centuryBychowiec Chronicle, his first wife was Maria Łukomska, however, this is not confirmed by other sources.^[20]

A sculpture for Vytautas is display on theMillennium of Russia monument inVeliky Novgorod.

Vytautas appears in several works of fiction dealing with the Polish-Lithuanian conflict with the Teutonic Order. He appears in the narrative poemKonrad Wallenrod byAdam Mickiewicz. He was portrayed byJózef Kostecki inKnights of the Teutonic Order, the 1960 adaptation of the famous novel byHenryk Sienkiewicz.

In 2014, a short animation was produced by "Four Directions of Fairy Tales" (Cztery Strony Bajek) in association with the Association of Polish Karaims, portraying the Karaim story of Vytautas and his magic horse, with voiceovers in several languages, includingKaraim, Polish, English, and Lithuanian.^[21]

In the video gameAge of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Vytautas featured as acavalry hero.

Vytautas is also mentioned in Jonathan Franzen's fictitious novel "The Corrections", which attributes his death in 1430 to Lithuania's gradual downfall as a "global player".^{[citation needed]}

• Gediminids
• House of Kęstutis – family tree of Vytautas
• Order of Vytautas the Great

• (in Lithuanian) Inga Deidulė,Vytauto Didžiojo įvaizdžio genezės mįslė, – "ieškokite moterų", Vartiklis. Accessed 20 May 2006.
• (in Lithuanian) Andrius Mingėla,Vytautas Lietuvos didysis kunigaikštis, Juventa high school. Accessed 20 May 2006.
• Oscar Halecki,Borderlands of Western Civilization: A History of East Central Europe, 2nd edition, Chapter 8, Simon Publications, July 2001,ISBN 0-9665734-8-X
• Vytautas and Karaims, Lithuanian Karaims Culture Community. Accessed 20 May 2006.