Erdvilas (Erdywił, Ердивил, Erdiwił, Erdwil) was one of the
21 early dukes of Lithuania who signed a treaty with
Galicia–Volhynia in 1219.
He and
Vykintas
200 px, Monument to Duke Vykintas in Tverai
Vykintas (died ) was Duke of Samogitia and a rival to the future King of Lithuania, Mindaugas. In 1236 he probably led the Samogitian forces in the Battle of Saule against the Livonian Order. The Order ...
are the two dukes of
Samogitia
Samogitia or Žemaitija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
mentioned in the treaty.
This is supported by the fact that the eastern part of Samogitia supported
King of Lithuania
The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Kingdom of Lithuania, Lithuania, which was established as an Absolute monarchy, absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three Duke, ducal D ...
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 ...
, while the western part, ruled by Vykintas, was more hostile. That is the only mention of him in written sources. Few historians consider that
Treniota
Treniota ( be, Транята; ''Troniata''; c. 1210–1264) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania (1263–1264).
Treniota was the nephew of Mindaugas, the first and only king of Lithuania. While Mindaugas had converted to Christianity in order to di ...
, Mindaugas' nephew, was son of Erdvilas. However more prefer Vykintas as Treniota's father.
Bychowiec Chronicle
The
Bychowiec Chronicle The Bychowiec Chronicle (also spelled ''Bykhovets'', ''Bykovets'' or '' Bychovec'') is an anonymous 16th-century chronicle of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Although one of the least reliable sources of the epoch, it is considered the most extensive ...
presents a legendary version of Erdvilas' life.
He was a son of Samogitian Duke Mantvila, who sent him to conquer
Black Ruthenia. Erdvilas established his capital in
Navahradak
Novogrudok ( be, Навагрудак, Navahrudak; lt, Naugardukas; pl, Nowogródek; russian: Новогрудок, Novogrudok; yi, נאַוואַראַדאָק, Novhardok, Navaradok) is a town in the Grodno Region, Belarus.
In the Middle A ...
, founded
Hrodna
Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish b ...
, and helped to rebuild other cities plundered by the
Tatars
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different . Refusing to pay tribute, Erdvilas gathered a large army, whose leader was Grumpis Gostautas,
and defeated the Tatars on the banks of the
Dnieper River
}
The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine an ...
. According to this account Vykintas was Erdvilas' brother and ruled Samogitia. When Vykintas died without leaving an heir, Erdvilas inherited Samogitia.
This account has no historical basis and is part of the
Palemonids
The Palemonids were a legendary dynasty of Grand Dukes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The legend was born in the 15th or 16th century as proof that Lithuanians and the Grand Duchy are of Roman origins. Already Jan Długosz (1415–1480) wrote ...
legend.
Erdvilas would belong to the fifth generation of a noble family from the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...
who settled in the
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 Lit ...
and gave rise to the state.
See also
*
House of Mindaugas
The House of Mindaugas was the first royal family of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, centered on Mindaugas, the first known and undoubted sovereign of Lithuania. He was crowned as King of Lithuania in 1253 and assassinated ten years later. His known fa ...
*
List of early Lithuanian dukes
Early dukes of Lithuania (including Samogitia) reigned before Lithuanians were unified by Mindaugas into a state, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. While the Palemonids legend provides genealogy from the 10th century, only few dukes were mentioned by ...
References
* {{cite encyclopedia , last = Ivinskis , first = Zenonas , editor = Vaclovas Biržiška , encyclopedia = Lietuviškoji enciklopedija , title = Erdvilas , year = 1939 , publisher = Spaudos Fondas , volume = VII , location = Kaunas , pages = 994–995, language=lt
13th-century Lithuanian nobility