- Vykintas
Vykintas (died ca. 1253) was Duke of
Samogitia and rival to futureKing of Lithuania Mindaugas . In 1236 he probably led Samogitian forces in theBattle of the Sun against theLivonian Order . The order suffered a great defeat, was on the brink of collapse, and was forced to become a branch of theTeutonic Knights .In 1248
Mindaugas sent him together withTautvilas andEdivydas to a military campaign inSmolensk . When they failed Mindaugas tried to capture their estates. The three men organized a vast coalition against Mindauges which included Tautvilas' brother-in-lawDaniel of Halych , Livonian Order, and Samogitians. The dukes ofHalych-Volhynia managed to gain control overBlack Ruthenia , an area ruled byVaišvilkas .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 ofLithuania . The attack failed and Tautvilas' forces retreated to defend themselves inTverai castle, in the present-dayRietavas 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.ee also
*
List of early Lithuanian dukes
*House of Mindaugas References
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