Fedor Vesna ( be, Фёдар Вясна, russian: Фёдор Весна pl, Fedor Wesna, Theodor Wiosna) was a famous 14th century Lithuanian falconer and ruler of

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...

from 1392 to 1393. Fedor's fame as a successful falconer introduced him to Jogaila, the

Grand Duke of Lithuania The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Lithuania, which was established as an absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three ducal dynasties that managed to stay in power—House ...

and

King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16t ...

, with whom he became great friends. When Fedor retired from falconry in the 1390s, Jogaila granted him the title of

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

and after the death of the last ruler of

Principality of Vitebsk The Principality of Vitebsk ( be, Віцебскае княства) was a Ruthenian principality centered on the city of Vitebsk in modern Belarus, that existed from its founding in 1101 until it was inherited into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in ...

Uliana of Tver Uliana Alexandrovna of Tver (russian: Юлиания Александровна Тверская; – 17 March 1391) was a daughter of Prince Alexander of Tver and Anastasia of Halych (daughter of Yuri I of Galicia). She was the second wif ...

in 1392, Jogaila abolished the principality and set Fedor to rule its lands. As Fedor Vesna was not a member of the

Gediminids Dynasty The House of Gediminid or simply the Gediminids ( lt, Gediminaičiai, sgs, Gedėmėnātē, be, Гедзімінавічы, pl, Giedyminowicze, uk, Гедиміновичі;) were a dynasty of monarchs in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that reig ...

and not even of noble birth, his exaltation was poorly received in the Grand Duchy and made him an obvious target for rival ambitions.

Švitrigaila Švitrigaila (before 1370 – 10 February 1452; sometimes spelled Svidrigiello) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432. He spent most of his life in largely unsuccessful dynastic struggles against his cousins Vytautas and Sigismund K� ...

, the younger brother of Jogaila and duke of

Polotsk Polotsk (russian: По́лоцк; be, По́лацк, translit=Polatsk (BGN/PCGN), Polack (official transliteration); lt, Polockas; pl, Połock) is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina River. It is the center of the Polotsk Dist ...

, briefly captured

in 1393. According to some Lithuanian chronicles, Švitrigaila killed Fedor Vesna upon the capture of Vitebsk.

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 ...

References

*Wolff J. Senatorowie i dygnitarze Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego: 1386–1795. Kraków, 1885. p. 85. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vesna, Fedor Year of birth missing 1393 deaths 14th-century Lithuanian nobility Vitebsk