VYTAUTAS THE GREAT

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VYTAUTAS THE GREAT
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• Lithuanian Vytautas the Great, Polish Witold
  Wielki born 1350, Lithuania
• Died Oct. 27, 1430, Trakai, Lithuania.

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• Lithuanian national leader who consolidated his
  country's possessions, helped to build up
  national consciousness, and broke the power of
  the Teutonic Knights. He exercised great power
  over Poland.

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• Vytautas was the son of Kestutis, who for years
  had waged a struggle with his brother Algirdas
  for control of Lithuania.

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• The conflict between the two branches of the
  family continued into the next generation, as
  Vytautas vied with Algirdas' son Jogaila.

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• Both Vytautas and his father were captured by
  Jogaila in 1382 and Kestutis was murdered while a
  prisoner.

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• Vytautas, however, escaped and two years later
  was able to make peace with Jogaila, who returned
  to Vytautas the family lands seized earlier. In
  an effort to consolidate his position and widen
  his power, Jogaila married the 12-year-old Polish
  queen Jadwiga and was crowned king of Poland in
  Kraków on Feb. 15, 1386, as Wladyslaw II
  Jagiello.

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• Vytautas then waged an intermittent struggle for
  power with Jogaila and on occasion sought further
  assistance from the Teutonic Order.

Trakai castle
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• Vytautas' popularity grew until his cousin was
  forced to adopt a conciliatory position.
• Jogaila offered to make Vytautas his vice regent
  over all of Lithuania.
• The offer was accepted, and in August 1392 a
  formal compact was signed. As time was to show,
  Vytautas by this act became supreme ruler of
  Lithuania in fact if not in law.

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• Vytautas began his rule by subduing and banishing
  rebellious and ineffective nobles and trying to
  conquer the Mongols in the east. His forces,
  however, were defeated by the Mongols in the
  Battle of the Vorskla River in present-day Russia
  on Aug. 12, 1399.

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• In this same period, union between Poland and
  Lithuania was proclaimed in a treaty concluded at
  Vilnius in January 1401. Under the terms of the
  treaty, the Lithuanian boyars promised that in
  the event of Vytautas' death they would recognize
  Jogaila as grand prince of Lithuania, and the
  Polish nobility agreed that if Jogaila died they
  would not elect a new king without consulting
  Vytautas.

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• Vytautas and Jogaila then turned their attention
  westward, and there followed a series of wars
  with the Teutonic order, which recognized
  Svitrigaila (Swidrygiello), a brother of Jogaila,
  as grand prince of Lithuania.

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• Vytautas was able to drive Svitrigaila out of the
  country, but the Teutonic Order was able to
  retain control of a portion of Lithuania. Early
  in 1409 Vytautas concluded a treaty with Jogaila
  for a combined attack on the Order, and on June
  24, 1410, the Polish-Lithuanian forces crossed
  the Prussian frontier.

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• In the Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg) on July
  15, 1410, the Teutonic Knights suffered a blow
  from which they never recovered. German supremacy
  in the Baltic area was broken and
  Poland-Lithuania began to be regarded in the West
  as a great power.

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• In 1429 Vytautas revived his claim to the
  Lithuanian crown, and Jogaila reluctantly
  consented to his cousin's coronation as king, but
  before the ceremony could take place Vytautas
  died.