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Lengvenis (13th Century)
Lengvenis (''Lengewin'', ''Langwinus'') was one of the local dukes in the early Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the reign of King Mindaugas (1230s–1263). First mentioned in 1242, Lengvenis was a nephew of Mindaugas (a son of his sister). Around 1245, Lengvenis led Mindaugas' armies against Volhynia and was injured near Mielnik. Dukes of neighboring lands, three brothers Gineika, Milgerinas (Milgrynas) and Tučė (Dučius), grew unhappy with expanding power of Mindaugas and his clan. Just after the Volhynian campaign, they allied with the Livonian Order invaded Lengvenis' estate (believed to be in Nalšia, northeastern Lithuania with the center in Ginučiai Hillfort). Lengvenis and his family was captured and taken to Riga. Lengvenis' younger brother attempted to rescue them ''en route'' to Livonia, but was killed. After a ransom of 500 half groschen was paid, Lengvenis returned to his devastated estate. Lengvenis retaliated around 1247, when he successfully led a military campai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mindaugas
Mindaugas (german: Myndowen, la, Mindowe, orv, Мендог, be, Міндоўг, pl, Mendog, c. 1203–1263) is the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only crowned King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or rise to power; he is mentioned in a 1219 treaty as an elder duke, and in 1236 as the leader of all the Lithuanians. The contemporary and modern sources discussing his ascent mention strategic marriages along with banishment or murder of his rivals. He extended his domain into regions southeast of Lithuania proper during the 1230s and 1240s. In 1250 or 1251, during the course of internal power struggles, he was baptised as a Roman Catholic; this action enabled him to establish an alliance with the Livonian Order, a long-standing antagonist of the Lithuanians. During the summer of 1253 he was crowned King of Lithuania, ruling between 300,000 and 400,000 subjects. While Mindaugas's ten-year reign as king was marked by many state-building acco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Algirdas
Algirdas ( be, Альгерд, Alhierd, uk, Ольгерд, Ольґерд, Olherd, Olgerd, pl, Olgierd; – May 1377) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania. He ruled the Lithuanians and Ruthenians from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his brother Kęstutis (who defended the western border of the Duchy) he created an empire stretching from the present Baltic states to the Black Sea and to within of Moscow. Background Algirdas was one of the seven sons of Grand Duke Gediminas. Before his death in 1341, Gediminas divided his domain, leaving his youngest son Jaunutis in possession of the capital, Vilnius. With the aid of his brother, Kęstutis, Algirdas drove out the incompetent Jaunutis and declared himself Grand Duke in 1345. He devoted the next thirty-two years to the development and expansion of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After becoming the ruler of Lithuania, Algirdas was titled the King of Lithuania ( la, rex Letwinorum) in the Livonian Chronicles instead of the Ruthe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grand Duchy Of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lithuanians, who were at the time a polytheistic nation born from several united Baltic tribes from Aukštaitija. The Grand Duchy expanded to include large portions of the former Kievan Rus' and other neighbouring states, including what is now Lithuania, Belarus and parts of Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, Russia and Moldova. At its greatest extent, in the 15th century, it was the largest state in Europe. It was a multi-ethnic and multiconfessional state, with great diversity in languages, religion, and cultural heritage. The consolidation of the Lithuanian lands began in the late 13th century. Mindaugas, the first ruler of the Grand Duchy, was crowned as Catholic King of Lithuania in 1253. The pagan state was targeted in a religious crusade by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Volhynia
Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but the territory that still carries the name is Volyn Oblast, in western Ukraine. Volhynia has changed hands numerous times throughout history and been divided among competing powers. For centuries it was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. After the Russian annexation, all of Volhynia was part of the Pale of Settlement designated by Imperial Russia on its south-western-most border. Important cities include Lutsk, Rivne, Volodymyr, Ostroh, Ustyluh, Iziaslav, Peresopnytsia, and Novohrad-Volynskyi (Zviahel). After the annexation of Volhynia by the Russian Empire as part of the Partitions of Poland, it also included the cities of Zhytomyr, Ovruch, Korosten. The city of Zviahel was r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mielnik
Mielnik ( be, Мельнік, uk, Мельник) is a village in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Mielnik. It lies approximately south-east of Siemiatycze and south of the regional capital Białystok. The village has a population of 980. Mielnik has a long and rich history. The area of the town was in c. 1018 captured by warriors of Bolesław Chrobry, and remained in Polish hands until c. 1050, when Kazimierz Odnowiciel handed it to Grand Prince of Kiev, Yaroslav the Wise, for his help in getting rid of Mieclaw. Since Mielnik was located near the settlement of the Yotvingians, its area was subject to frequent raids. In 1323-1324, Mielnik and nearby Drohiczyn were captured by Lithuanian Duke Gediminas, and remained part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania until 1569, except for the period 1391 - 1408, when it was governed by Mazoviad Duke Jan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Livonian Order
The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after their defeat by Samogitians in 1236 at the Battle of Saule, Battle of Schaulen (Saule). They were incorporated into the Teutonic Knights and became known as the Livonian Order in 1237. In the summer of that year, the Master of Prussia Hermann Balk rode into Riga to install his men as castle commanders and administrators of Livonia. In 1238, the Teutonic Knights of Livonia signed the Treaty of Stensby with the Denmark, Kingdom of Denmark. Under this agreement, Denmark would support the expansion ambitions of the order in exchange for northern maritime Estonia. In 1242, the Livonian Order tried to take the city of Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod. However, they were defeated by Alexander Nevsky in the Battle on the Ice. Fortresses as Paide in land ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nalšia
Nalšia or Nalšėnai (sometimes Nalsen, Nalse) was an ancient land (regional duchy, a subject of Polatsk) in the early stages of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is mentioned in written sources from 1229 to 1298. The references to it cease as it was fully incorporated into the Grand Duchy. While it is known that it was on the north-eastern border of Lithuania proper, the exact location is unknown and is debated among historians. It is believed that Nalšia was between Livonia and the Duchy of Lithuania and bordered Deltuva. Towns of Švenčionys and Utena are often identified as the most prominent settlements in the land. Several dukes of Nalšia are known. The most prominent of them was Daumantas of Pskov. Others were Lengvenis, nephew of Mindaugas, Suksė (Suxe), who defected to the Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ginučiai
Ginučiai is a village on the shore of the Lake Linkmenas in the Aukštaitija National Park, Ignalina district of Lithuania. According to the 2011 census, its population was 44. It is best known for its 19th-century watermill. It is one of the few mills in Lithuania that survive with the original mechanism. Ginučiai watermill is declared a monument of engineering. Ginučiai village is quite popular touring place in the Eastern Lithuania. References External linksPhoto essays from the village Villages in Utena County {{UtenaCounty-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Baltic Sea. Riga's territory covers and lies above sea level, on a flat and sandy plain. Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. Riga was the European Capital of Culture in 2014, along with Umeå in Sweden. Riga hosted the 2006 NATO Summit, the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, the 2006 IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, 2013 World Women's Curling Championship and the 2021 IIHF World Championship. It is home to the European Union's office of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). In 2017, it was named the European Region of Gastronomy. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Groschen
Groschen (; from la, grossus "thick", via Old Czech ') a (sometimes colloquial) name for various coins, especially a silver coin used in various states of the Holy Roman Empire and other parts of Europe. The word is borrowed from the late Latin description of a tornose, a ''grossus denarius Turnosus,'' in English the "thick denarius of Tours". Groschen was frequently abbreviated in old documents to ''gl'', whereby the second letter was not an '' l'' (12th letter of the alphabet), but an abbreviation symbol; later it was written as ''Gr'' or ''g''. Names and etymology The name was introduced in 13th-century France as ', lit. "thick penny", whence Old French ', Italian ', Middle High German ', Low German and Dutch ' and English '' groat''. In the 14th century, it appeared as Old Czech ', whence Modern German '. Names in other modern European languages include: * sq, grosh * Church Slavonic-derived languages: Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian and Serbo-Croatian ('), Ukrain ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Komtur
Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval military orders, such as the Knights Hospitaller, for a member senior to a Knight. Variations include Knight Commander, notably in English, sometimes used to denote an even higher rank than Commander. In some orders of chivalry, Commander ranks above (i.e. Officer), but below one or more ranks with a prefix meaning 'Great', e.g. in French, in German, (using an equivalent suffix) in Spanish, in Italian, and in Dutch (, 'Grand Commander'), Grand Cross. France History The rank of in the French orders comes from the Middle Ages military orders, in which low-level administrative houses were called and were governed by . In the Modern Age, the French Kings created chivalric orders which mimicked the military order's ranks. * The Order of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cēsis
Cēsis (), (german: Wenden, liv, Venden, et, Võnnu, pl, Kieś) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Vidzeme Upland, Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja, Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river overlooking the woods below. Cēsis was one of the candidate cities for the title of European Capital of Culture, European Capital of Culture 2014 (Riga was the Latvian city that won the title). Castle The oldest settlement in Cēsis is the hillfort on List of hillforts in Latvia, Riekstu hill, a fortified wooden castle built by a tribe known as the Vends. The mound with its partly preserved fortification system can still be seen in the Castle Park. This settlement was located near major trade routes from west to east and dominated the regional countryside. German crusaders known as the Livonian Brothers of the Sword began construction of a castle ''Wenden'' near the hill fort in 1209. When the castle was enlarged and f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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