Jaunutis
| Jaunutis | |
|---|---|
 Depiction of Jaunutis by Alaksandar Tarasievič (1675) | |
| Grand Duke of Lithuania | |
| Reign | 1341–1345 |
| Predecessor | Gediminas |
| Successor | Algirdas |
| Duke of Zaslawye | |
| Reign | 1350–1366 |
| Predecessor | Algirdas |
| Successor | Michael of Zaslawye |
| Born | c. 1300 |
| Died | after 1366 |
| House | Gediminid |
Jaunutis(Polish:Jawnuta;Belarusian:Яўнут;lit. 'young man';Christian name:Ioann;alsoJohnorIvan;c. 1300– after 1366) wasGrand Duke of Lithuaniaafter his fatherGediminasdied in 1341 until he was deposed by his elder brothersAlgirdasandKęstutisin 1345.[1]
Succession
[edit]According to Polish historian Jan Tęgowski, he was probably born between 1306 and 1309.[2]
Jaunutis was not mentioned in any written sources prior to Gediminas' death.[3]Before Gediminas' death, all his sons had been granted a domain of Lithuania. Only the second-youngest son, Jaunutis, had not received any domains but lived with his parents in Vilnius. When his father died, he automatically became the ruler of Vilnius and the nearby lands. In Gediminas' time, it was already customary to regard the Duke of Vilnius as the ruler of the wholeGrand Duchy of Lithuania.[4]There are many theories why Gediminas chose Jaunutis, a middle son, as his successor. Some suggested that he was an acceptable compromise betweenpagan(Algirdas and Kęstutis) andOrthodox(Narimantas, Karijotas, Liubartas)sons of Gediminas.[5]Others claimed that Jaunutis was the eldest son of Gediminas' second wife; thus the tradition that Gediminas was married twice: to a pagan and to an Orthodox duchess.[6]
Rule
[edit]Very little is known about the years when Jaunutis ruled. Those were quite peaceful years, as theTeutonic Knightswere led by the ineffectiveLudolf König.[3]His brothers were much more active: Algirdas attackedMozhaysk,Livonian Order,defendedPskov,Kęstutis was helpingLiubartasin succession disputes inGalicia–Volhynia.[5]
Seeing that Jaunutis hesitates to provide help with their military campaigns, his two elder brothers, Algirdas and Kęstutis, agreed to remove Jaunutis and take power into their own hands. Kęstutis, who ruled the nearbyDuchy of Trakai,unexpectedly captured Vilnius, he summoned Algirdas and let him rule the whole Duchy of Vilnius. As compensation, the brothers gave Jaunutis theDuchy of Zasłaŭje,but Jaunutis did not want to yield and refused the duchy.[4]
TheBychowiec Chroniclementions that Jaunutis was supported byJaunė,the presumed wife of Gediminas and mother of his children. She diedc. 1344soon after Jaunutis lost his throne. If he was indeed protected by his mother, then it would be an interesting example of influence held byqueen motherin pagan Lithuania.[3]However, a concrete stimulus might have been a majorreiseplanned by the Teutonic Knights in 1345.[5]
Later life
[edit]Jaunutis was supported by his brotherNarimantas,who traveled toJani Beg,Khan of theGolden Horde,to form an alliance against Algirdas and Kęstutis. Jaunutis was imprisoned inVilnius,but managed to escape and went to his Russian brother-in-lawSimeon of Moscow.There Jaunutis was baptized as Ioann, but failed to solicit help (possibly because his sisterAigusta,wife of Simeon, died the same year).[7]Both Jaunutis and Narimantas had to reconcile with Algirdas. Jaunutis became theDuke of Zasłaŭje.[6]The other brothers willingly recognised Vilnius for Algirdas.[4]
He is presumed to have diedc. 1366because he is mentioned for the last time in a treaty with Poland in 1366, and not mentioned in a treaty with Livonia in 1367.[6]He had three sons, Symeon Zaslawski, Grzegorz Słucki and Michal Zaslawski.[8]Michal ruled Zasłaŭje until his death on August 12, 1399 in theBattle of the Vorskla River.
References
[edit]- ^"Algirdas | grand duke of Lithuania".Encyclopedia Britannica.Retrieved25 June2021.
- ^Tęgowski, Jan (1999).Pierwsze pokolenia Giedyminowiczów.Poznań-Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Historyczne. p. 190.ISBN8391356310.
- ^abcRowell, S.C. (1994).Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295-1345.Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series. Cambridge University Press. pp. 280–287.ISBN978-0-521-45011-9.
- ^abcŠapoka, Adolfas (1989).Lietuvos istorija(5th ed.). Vilnius: Mokslas. p. 79.ISBN9785420006313.
- ^abcKiaupa, Zigmantas; Jūratė Kiaupienė; Albinas Kuncevičius (2000) [1995].The History of Lithuania Before 1795(English ed.). Vilnius: Lithuanian Institute of History. p. 118.ISBN9986-810-13-2.
- ^abcSimas Sužiedėlis, ed. (1970–1978). "Jaunutis".Encyclopedia Lituanica.Vol. II. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. p. 516.LCCN74-114275.
- ^Rowell, S. C. (Spring 1994). "Pious Princesses or Daughters of Belial: Pagan Lithuanian Dynastic Diplomacy, 1279–1423".Medieval Prosopography.15(1): 40.ISSN0198-9405.
- ^Tęgowski, Jan (1999).Pierwsze pokolenia Giedyminowiczów.Poznań-Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Historyczne. pp. 191–192.ISBN8391356310.
See also
[edit]- Family of Gediminas– family tree of Jaunutis
- Gediminids