Leičiai (, ; singular: ''leitis'', also spelled ''laičiai'') were a distinct social group of the
Lithuanian society in the early
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
subordinate to the
Lithuanian ruler or the state itself.
Leičiai were native to the
Lietuva Land and formed the core of the Lithuanian society in the pre-state era and during the
establishment of the state. Leičiai made up the majority of the military-economic staff of the state: they enforced state authority in the periphery, protected state borders, and performed various other war-related functions, such as breeding riding horses.
By the 15th and 16th centuries, leičiai were in decline, already losing some of their functions and prestige, and they disappeared as a social class after the implementation of the
Volok Reform.
According to the hypothesis brought forward by Lithuanian historian
Artūras Dubonis
Artūras Dubonis (born July 23, 1962 in Vilnius) is a Lithuanian historian and Doctorate, Doctor of Humanities who works at the Lithuanian Institute of History. His main research interests are: Lithuanian Metrica research and publishing, Lithuania ...
and linguist Simas Karaliūnas, the
name of Lithuania
The first known record of the name of Lithuania () was recorded in the Quedlinburg Chronicle (, written between 1008 and 1030) in a 9 March 1009 story of Bruno of Querfurt, Saint Bruno. The Chronicle recorded in the form ''Litua'' (in the phras ...
(''Lietuva'') derived from leičiai. Leičiai is an old
ethnonym
An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...
used by
Latvians
Latvians () are a Baltic ethnic group and nation native to Latvia and the immediate geographical region, the Baltics. They are occasionally also referred to as Letts, especially in older bibliography. Latvians share a common Latvian language ...
to denote the Lithuanians (''leiši'' in
Latvian) and was historically known to the
Germans
Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
in the same sense.
Opponents to the hypothesis which attempts to relate the words ''leitis'', ''leičiai'' and ''Lietuva'', claim that the form ''leičiai, leitis,'' with a diphthong -ei- instead of -ie-, is likely to be of
Western Baltic origin.
Leičiai service
Leičiai were war-like servants of a ruler, the staff enforcing his authority. Their duties were likely war-related, among which possibly were breeding riding horses, providing roadmen, protecting state borders. They were a possession of the monarch, that is, subordinates to the state and not to nobles. The first mention of them in written sources is known from 1407, when Grand Duke
Vytautas
Vytautas the Great (; 27 October 1430) was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was also the prince of Grodno (1370–1382), prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites.
In modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revere ...
granted an estate and its staff, including ''leytey'', to Manvydas, then an
elder of
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
. Later Grand Dukes
Alexander Jagiellon and
Sigismund I the Old
Sigismund I the Old (, ; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was List of Polish monarchs, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the son of Casimir IV of P ...
used to transfer royal estates to nobles for a temporary administration in exchange for cash, which was needed to finance
continuous wars with the
Grand Duchy of Moscow
The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...
. These contracts are the major
primary source
In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an Artifact (archaeology), artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was cre ...
on leičiai. Their name was rendered in various forms: leythey, leyty, leytten, litten, лейти, лейци, лейтеве, лойти, людей лейтъскихъ, etc.
These forms are considered to be the same as in у Лейтахъ – in Leičiai (administrative area).
By the 15th century, this social group and their services were in decline. For example, one leitis from
volost
Volost (; ; ) was a traditional administrative subdivision in Kievan Rus', the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and the Russian Empire.
History
The '' Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary'' (1890–1907) states that the origins of the concept is unc ...
of
Eišiškės, in a 1514 litigation against a minor landowner over his patrimonial plot, said that he was an "eternal leitis" (лейти звечный, ''leity zvechniy''). From other sources of the first half of the 16th century, it is known that new people could not become leičiai although they could be accepted to perform the same services. Leičiai, unlike
villeins, owned their patrimonial plots, had the right to relocate and return, and were accountable for performing their duties as brethren and not as households. After the
Wallach Reform, leičiai became equal to other villeins and this distinct social group disappeared.
Leičiai were replaced by
boyars
A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including First Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russian nobility, Russia), Boyars of Moldavia and Wallach ...
.
Hypothesis on etymology of Lietuva
Leičiai and Lietuva
The synonymy of the words leičiai and Lietuva is shown by the historical naming of one place near
Anykščiai
Anykščiai (; see #Name, other names) is a ski resort city in Lithuania, west of Utena, Lithuania, Utena. The Roman Catholic Church of St. Matthias in Anykščiai is the tallest church in Lithuania, with spires measuring in height. Anykščia ...
in the times of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
. Ten villages in Anykščiai
volost
Volost (; ; ) was a traditional administrative subdivision in Kievan Rus', the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and the Russian Empire.
History
The '' Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary'' (1890–1907) states that the origins of the concept is unc ...
was called ''Leičiai, Lietuva'', also possibly ''Leituva'': у Лейтахъ (1532; an example of Leičiai (as a place name) in writing); у войтовъстве Левътевскомъ (< Лейтевском; 1569), до Лейтовского рубежа (1545; possibly derived from Leituva); ''we … wojtowstwie Liejtowskim'' (1597); войтовъстве Летувъском (1595, 1597; derived from Lietuva or Lētuva).
Lithuanian -i.e.- was rendered as -и- or -е- in writing, or as -е- if it was -ē- instead of -i.e.-. A case of rendering
Karšuva place name as ''w Korszewie, Korszewska, Korszewski powiat'' (16th century) shows that Левътевскомъ (< Лейтевском) could be reconstructed as ''Leituva''. The variant ''Lietuva'' or ''Lētuva'' was also old, for example, the form of the name of the same place from the end of the 14th century: ''a Hilgebeke
..usque Borchwal, nomine Lettow'' (from
Šventoji River up to the castle, of a name Lithuania). The location of this castle has been determined to be the
Šeimyniškėliai hill fort. The word Lettow means Lithuania (compare, for example, an inscription of
Jogaila's seal: ''Yagal, Dey gracia rex in Lettow''; 1377–1386), the word 'castle' had maybe a meaning of the whole administrative area or
volost
Volost (; ; ) was a traditional administrative subdivision in Kievan Rus', the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and the Russian Empire.
History
The '' Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary'' (1890–1907) states that the origins of the concept is unc ...
.

The
ethnonym
An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...
ic meaning of leičiai, e.g. "
Lithuanians
Lithuanians () are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Americans, United Sta ...
", is known from several sources. This word is used by Latvians to name Lithuanians: leiši, sg. leitis. In
Samogitian dialect there were words ''leičiuoti'' (to speak in other than Samogitian, or to speak in
Aukštaitian dialect) and ''leičiukas, leičiūkas'' (person speaking in another dialect than Samogitian, has an accent). Compare, for example, with modern Lithuanian ''žemaičiuoti'' (to speak in the Samogitian dialect). In historical written sources, an important example is known from one participant of the
Conference of Lutsk in 1429. John Steinkeller, who was a member of a council of
Wrocław
Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
(Breslau), wrote in a letter addressed to his home town, that
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elect ...
, was going to grant
Vytautas
Vytautas the Great (; 27 October 1430) was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was also the prince of Grodno (1370–1382), prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites.
In modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revere ...
the title of the
King of Lithuanians: ''her wolde machen herczog Wytolten eynen konyng der Leytten.''
The word forms, which have meanings Lithuanian, Lithuanians, Lithuania and are most likely derived from the word ''leitis'', are constantly found in the historical sources from the 14th and 15th centuries. For example, Lithuania is rendered as in writing as ''czwicshen Lythen und Prewssen'' (1415); as ''das land Litten'' with a further clarification that it was
Aukštaitija in a narrative of a participant or witness of the
Battle of Strėva
The Battle of Strėva, Strebe, or Strawe was fought on 2 February 1348 between the Teutonic Order and the pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania on the banks of the Strėva River, a right tributary of the Neman River, near present-day Žiežmariai. Chro ...
. The ruler of Lithuanians was rendered as ''die Litischen konige'' in the chronicle of
Wigand von Marburg.
It seems that the presence of such forms with -ei- in Latvian (more known in a western part), German and Samogitian dialect itself has a high possibility that the forms could derive from Western Balts, but it is unclear why they have no suffix -uva / -ava.
Simas Karaliūnas claims that the word Lietuva had a meaning of bodyguard, retinue, attendant soldiery, troops. Such use is recorded, for example, in Russian sources: ''krestil knjazja Litovskago imenem Evnutija i ego družinu Litvu'' (baptized the duke of Lithuania
Jaunutis
Jaunutis (; ; ; Christian name: Ioann; also ''John'' or ''Ivan''; – after 1366) was List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania after his father Gediminas died in 1341 until he was deposed by his elder brothers Algirdas and Kęstutis ...
and his retinue Lithuania); ''I pšišed posol Totui i vydal
Korjadą i ego družinu Litvu knjazju velikomu
Semenu Ivanovičiu'' (and came an envoy Totui and handed Karijotas and his retinue Lithuania over to Grand Duke Semyon Ivanovich). Karaliūnas accepts the synonymy of the words leičiai and Lietuva as proven and supposes that the word leitis, leičiai (< *leitiai) derives from the form *leitā, a synonym of *lietuvā, *leitavā, which, as it is shown above, had the meaning of armed retinue.
Place names and surnames
According to the hypothesis proposing the relation between leičiai and Lietuva, the name of
Lietava, a small river which flows between
Neris
The river Neris () or Vilija (, ) rises in northern Belarus. It flows westward, passing through Vilnius (Lithuania's capital) and in the south-centre of that country it flows into the Nemunas (Neman) from the right bank, at Kaunas, as its ma ...
and
Šventoji and which is the leading explanation for the origin of the
name of Lithuania
The first known record of the name of Lithuania () was recorded in the Quedlinburg Chronicle (, written between 1008 and 1030) in a 9 March 1009 story of Bruno of Querfurt, Saint Bruno. The Chronicle recorded in the form ''Litua'' (in the phras ...
, should be an example of a
toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...
which was derived from leičiai. In the same area there is
Rukla town, maybe relating with the name Ruklys, son of King
Mindaugas
Mindaugas (, , , , ; c. 1203 – 12 September 1263) was the first known grand duke of Lithuania, 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 ...
, and it is thought that leičiai could have lived in an estate now known as Perelozai located by Lietava. Among place-names considered to be derived from the word leičiai are, for example, Leičiai / Laičiai, Leitiškės(/-iai), Laiteliai villages in
Aukštaitija, Leičiai, Lietuva / Lētuva, Leitava area near
Anykščiai
Anykščiai (; see #Name, other names) is a ski resort city in Lithuania, west of Utena, Lithuania, Utena. The Roman Catholic Church of St. Matthias in Anykščiai is the tallest church in Lithuania, with spires measuring in height. Anykščia ...
,
Leitkapiai (modern Mataitiškė, Nosaičiai), Laitikai (modern Laitekiai) placenames in
Samogitia, etc. There are also surnames possibly derived from the word: Leita, Leitis, Leitanis, Leitanas, Leitonas, Leitėnas, Leičiūnas.
Criticism
The hypothesis deriving Lietuva from leičiai was not accepted by linguist
Zigmas Zinkevičius, who claims that the diphthong -ei- shows a
Curonian origin of the word ''leičiai'' and that the word ''laičiai'' (place name) could not possibly be derived from *leičiai.
Dubonis' counterargument is that the use of such form is present in historical sources.
In popular culture
In the video game
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, the Leitis appears as the unique unit of the Lithuanian civilization as a cavalry unit whose attack ignores melee armor.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leiciai
History of Lithuania (1219–1569)