Vykintas

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Vykintas (died ca. 1253) was Duke of Samogitia and rival to future King of Lithuania Mindaugas. In 1236 he probably led Samogitian forces in the Battle of the Sun against the Livonian Order. The order suffered a great defeat, was on the brink of collapse, and was forced to become a branch of the Teutonic Knights.

In 1248 Mindaugas sent him together with Tautvilas and Edivydas to a military campaign in Smolensk. When they failed Mindaugas tried to capture their estates. The three men organized a vast coalition against Mindauges which included Tautvilas' brother-in-law Daniel of Halych, Livonian Order, and Samogitians. The dukes of Halych-Volhynia managed to gain control over Black Ruthenia, an area ruled by Vaišvilkas.

In 1250, the Livonian Order organized two major raids, one against Nalša land and the other against the domains of Mindaugas and those parts of Samogitia that still supported him. However, Mindaugas succeeded in bribing Andreas von Stierland, the master of the order, who was still angry at Vykintas for the defeat in 1236. Mindaugas was to be baptised and crowned as King of Lithuania. In return he agreed to relinquish control over some lands in the western Lithuania. In 1252, Tautvilas and his remaining allies attacked Mindaugas in Voruta, sometimes considered to be the first capital of Lithuania. The attack failed and Tautvilas' forces retreated to defend themselves in Tverai castle, in the present-day Rietavas municipality. Vykintas died ca. 1253 and Tautvilas escaped to his brother-in-law to Halych-Volhynia. In 1253 Mindaugas was crowned as promised.

Vykintas' sister was married to Dausprungas, Mindaugas' brother.

[edit] See also

• List of early Lithuanian dukes
• House of Mindaugas

[edit] References

(Lithuanian) (2004) Lietuvos valdovai (XIII-XVIII a.): enciklopedinis žinynas, Vytautas Spečiūnas (compiler), Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas, 15-21. ISBN 5-420-01535-8.