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57-528: There is evidence that during pre-Christian times a pagan shrine was located here. The suburb was founded in 1408, when Vytautas the Great granted the woods that stood here to the city of Kaunas. Until the 16th century it was called Svirbigala , derived from the rivulet Svirbė. The name Aleksotas was used from the 16th century on, and is thought to be derived from the word aleksotai (shipyards) since many Nemunas River transport operations were located there. After

114-481: A "global player". Algirdas Algirdas ( Belarusian : Альгерд , romanized :  Alhierd ; Ukrainian : Ольге́рд, О́льґерд , romanized :  Olherd, Olgerd , Polish : Olgierd ; c.  1296  – May 1377) was Grand Duke of Lithuania 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

171-523: A Catholic, receiving the name Alexander. In 1386 Vytautas paid homage to Jagiello, after his coronation as king of Poland. Jogaila left his brother Skirgaila as regent in Lithuania. However, Skirgaila was unpopular with the people and Vytautas saw an opportunity to become Grand Duke. In 1389, he attacked Vilnius but failed. In early 1390, Vytautas again allied with the Teutonic Order through

228-428: A decision was made, or with what we have offended Your Lordship so much that Your Lordship has deservedly been directed against us, creating hardship for us everywhere. First of all, you made and announced a decision about the land of Samogitia , which is our inheritance and our homeland from the legal succession of the ancestors and elders. We still own it, it is and has always been the same Lithuanian land, because there

285-514: A few months, and the dispute was brought to the Council of Constance . Even though the dispute was not resolved, the Samogitians had a chance to present their case to the leaders of Europe. It is seen as an important event in the diplomatic history of Lithuania. Several other mediation attempts failed, and yet another war with the Teutonic Order started in 1422. After several months of fighting,

342-485: A glass factory, an Aleksotas Funicular Railway , the first bridge across the Nemunas, and the international S. Darius and S. Girėnas airport . The Physics and Chemistry Institute of Vytautas Magnus University was located here before being destroyed during World War II . The area suffered much damage during World War II . Kaunas Botanical Garden is located in the elderate. The M. K. Čiurlionis Bridge and Vytautas

399-789: A part of the Crimea and built a castle there. Now Lithuania spanned from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea . A number of Tatar captives were brought to ethnic Lithuania . Continuing attempts on the part of Poland to subordinate Lithuania drove Vytautas for the third time into the arms of the Order, and by the Treaty of Salynas in October 1398, Vytautas, who now styled himself Supremus Dux Lithuaniae , ceded his ancestral province of Samogitia to

456-619: A reason. According to modern historians, "For Gediminas and Algirdas, retention of paganism provided a useful diplomatic tool and weapon ... that allowed them to use promises of conversion as a means of preserving their power and independence". Hermann von Wartberge and Jan Długosz described Algirdas as a pagan until his death in 1377. Contemporary Byzantine accounts support the Western sources; Patriarch Neilos described Algirdas as "fire-worshipping prince" and another patriarch, Philotheos, excommunicated all Ruthenian noblemen who helped

513-722: Is one language and the same inhabitants . But since the land of Samogitia is located lower than the land of Lithuania , it is called as Samogitia, because in Lithuanian it is called lower land [ Žemaitija ]. And the Samogitians call Lithuania as Aukštaitija , that is, from the Samogitian point of view, a higher land. Also, the people of Samogitia have long called themselves as Lithuanians and never as Samogitians, and because of such identity ( sic ) we do not write about Samogitia in our letter, because everything

570-489: Is one: one country and the same inhabitants." — Vytautas the Great , excerpt from his 11 March 1420 Latin letter sent to Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor , in which he described the core of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , composed from Žemaitija (lowlands) and Aukštaitija (highlands). Term Aukštaitija is known since the 13th century. In the Treaty of Salynas Vytautas had transferred Samogitia to

627-417: Is revered as a national hero and was an important figure in the national rebirth in the 19th century. Vytautas is a popular male given name in Lithuania . In commemoration of the 500-year anniversary of his death, Vytautas Magnus University was named after him. Monuments in his honour were built in many towns in independent Lithuania during the interwar period from 1918 to 1939 . Vytautas knew and spoke

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684-626: The Dubysa River . However, the treaty was never ratified and in summer 1383, the war between Jogaila and the Order resumed. Vytautas was baptised as a Catholic , receiving the name of Wigand (Lithuanian: Vygandas ). Vytautas participated in several raids against Jogaila. In January 1384, Vytautas promised to cede part of Samogitia to the Teutonic Order, up to the Nevėžis River , in return for recognition as Grand Duke of Lithuania. However, in July of

741-566: The Lithuanian language with his cousin Jogaila . Vytautas' uncle Algirdas had been Grand Duke of Lithuania until his death in 1377. Algirdas and Vytautas' father Kęstutis had ruled jointly in the form of diarchy, with Algirdas governing the east and Kęstutis the west, primarily responsible for defense against the Teutonic Order . Algirdas was succeeded by his son Jogaila , and a struggle for power ensued. In 1380, Jogaila signed

798-670: The Southern Bug in 1362, which resulted in the breakup of the Kipchaks and compelled the khan to establish his headquarters in the Crimea . In a 1371 letter to Philotheus Kokkinos, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople , Algirdas titled himself as a Lithuanian King, demanded a separate metropolitan bishop (from Moscow ) for Kyiv , Smolensk, Tver , Little Russia , Novosil , and Nizhny Novgorod , and denied Muscovite complaints that he attacked Moscow without

855-646: The Teutonic Knights had no further basis for attacks against Lithuania. The campaign resulted in a crushing defeat at the Battle of the Vorskla River in 1399. Over twenty princes, including two brothers of Jogaila, were killed, and Vytautas himself barely escaped alive. This came as a shock to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland. A number of territories revolted against Vytautas, and Smolensk

912-573: The Treaty of Königsberg (1390) . Vytautas had to confirm his agreement of 1384, and cede Samogitia to the Order. His army now invaded Lithuania. Also, to gain more influence, Vytautas married his only daughter Sophia to Vasili I of Moscow in 1391. The Polish nobles were unhappy that their new king spent too much time on Lithuanian affairs. It was clear that the war could continue for years and would not benefit Poland. In 1392, Jogaila sent Henry of Masovia with an offer to make Vytautas regent instead of Skirgaila. Vytautas accepted and again broke with

969-625: The Treaty of Lake Melno was signed. Samogitia was returned to Lithuania in perpetuity, while the city of Memel (present-day Klaipėda ) and surrounding territories stayed with the Order. This border, as established by the treaty, remained stable for some 500 years until the Memel Territory dispute of 1923. With peace established, Vytautas could now concentrate on reforms and the relationship with Poland. In 1399 Jadwiga of Poland and her newborn died in childbirth . Jogaila 's power in Poland

1026-886: The Trubetzkoy , Czartoryski and Sanguszko families. Although Algirdas was said to have ordered the death of Anthony, John, and Eustathius of Vilnius , who were later glorified as martyrs of the Russian Orthodox Church , the 16th-century Bychowiec Chronicle and 17th-century Hustynska Chronicle maintain that he converted to Orthodox Christianity some time before his marriage to Maria of Vitebsk in 1318. Several Orthodox churches were built in Vilnius during his reign, but later assertions about his baptism are uncorroborated by contemporary sources. Despite contemporary accounts and modern studies, however, some Russian historians (such as Batiushikov) claim that Algirdas

1083-648: The kenesa in Vilnius . Born in 1350 in the castle of present-day Old Trakai ( Senieji Trakai ), Vytautas was the son of Kęstutis and his wife Birutė . Vytautas was a cousin and childhood friend of Jogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło), who became King of Poland in 1386. Around 1370, he married Anna , who gave birth to Sophia of Lithuania . Sophia was married to Vasily I , Grand Prince of Moscow , and mother and regent to their son Vasili II . After Anna's death in 1418, Vytautas married her niece Juliana Olshanska , daughter of Ivan Olshanski who outlived him. Because of

1140-598: The "impious" Algirdas. His pagan beliefs were also mentioned in 14th-century Byzantine historian Nicephorus Gregoras ' accounts. After his death, Algirdas was burned on a ceremonial pyre with 18 horses and many of his possessions in a forest near Maišiagala , probably in the Kukaveitis forest shrine located at 54°55′42″N 25°01′04″E  /  54.92833°N 25.01778°E  / 54.92833; 25.01778 . His alleged burial site has undergone archaeological research since 2009. Algirdas' descendants include

1197-562: The Black Sea. His principal efforts were directed toward securing the Slavic lands which were part of the former Kievan Rus' . Although Algirdas engineered the election of his son Andrius as Prince of Pskov and a powerful minority of Novgorod Republic citizens supported him against the Moscow principality, his rule in both commercial centres was (at best) precarious. Algirdas occupied

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1254-580: The Great Bridge link the district to the centre and the old town . Vytautas the Great Vytautas (c. 1350 – 27 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great , 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

1311-524: The Karaim story of Vytautas and his magic horse, with voiceovers in several languages, including Karaim , Polish, English, and Lithuanian. In the video game Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition , Vytautas featured as a cavalry hero. Vytautas is also mentioned in Jonathan Franzen's fictitious novel " The Corrections ", which attributes his death in 1430 to Lithuania's gradual downfall as

1368-492: The Order. He burned three Teutonic castles and returned to Vilnius. Jogaila and Vytautas signed the Astrava Treaty in which Vytautas recovered all Kęstutis' lands, including Trakai, and was given more. Vytautas would rule Lithuania in the name of Jogaila. After Vytautas' death, all his lands and powers would revert to Jogaila. Vytautas continued Algirdas ' vision to control as many Ruthenian lands as possible. Much of

1425-565: The Polish nobility agreed not to elect a new king without consulting Vytautas. The unique feature of this union was that the Lithuanian nobility presented their own document: for the first time somebody other than dukes played a role in the state matters. Vytautas was one of the creators of the Union of Horodło with Poland in 1413. According to the act of the union, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

1482-514: The Polish throne, converted to Roman Catholicism and founded the dynasty which ruled Lithuania and Poland for nearly 200 years. Algirdas ( Belarusian : Альгерд , Alhierd ) is also widely honoured in Belarus as a unifier of all Belarusian lands within one state, a successful military commander and ruler of medieval Belarus. A monument to him has been erected in Vitsebsk in 2014, as part of

1539-618: The Polish-Lithuanian conflict with the Teutonic Order. He appears in the narrative poem Konrad Wallenrod by Adam Mickiewicz . He was portrayed by Józef Kostecki in Knights of the Teutonic Order , the 1960 adaptation of the famous novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz . In 2014, a short animation was produced by "Four Directions of Fairy Tales" (Cztery Strony Bajek) in association with the Association of Polish Karaims, portraying

1596-550: The Roman curia . As a result of the Peace of Thorn of 1411 , Vytautas received Samogitia for his lifetime. However, the parties could not agree on the border. Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor , agreed to mediate the dispute. In 1413, it was declared that the whole right bank of the Nemunas ( Neman River ) was Samogitia and therefore belonged to Lithuania. The Teutonic Knights disagreed and a new war started in 1414. The war lasted for just

1653-761: The Teutonic Knights. Samogitia was especially important for the Order because it separated the Teutonic Knights, based in Prussia , from the Livonian Order , based in Latvia . The two orders desired to unite and form a mighty force. However, the knights ruled Samogitia for only three years, because on 13 March 1401, the Samogitians, supported by Vytautas, rebelled and burned two castles. The knights received support from Švitrigaila , brother of Jogaila, who desired to take Vytautas' title. In 1404 Peace of Raciąż

1710-709: The Teutonic Order were stopped at the Polish-Lithuanian border in the autumn of 1430. Vytautas died in the Trakai Island Castle , ending the whole affair. He was buried in the Cathedral of Vilnius . The knowledge about his remains has been lost. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition , Vytautas "was certainly the most imposing personality of his day in Eastern Europe, and his martial valour

1767-535: The Theotokos in Vilnius under the monastic name Alexius. With Maria of Vitebsk: With Uliana of Tver: Through his son Vladimir, Algirdas is the fifth great-grandfather of Elizabeth Báthory . Algirdas balanced himself between Moscow principality and Poland, spoke Lithuanian and Ruthenian (among other languages) and followed the majority of his pagan and Orthodox subjects rather than to alienate them by promoting Roman Catholicism . His son Jogaila ascended

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1824-573: The celebration of the city's 1040th anniversary. Algirdas was Duke of Vitebsk for over 20 years before becoming Grand Duke of Lithuania. In December 2022, the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus issued a commemorative coin dedicated to the Battle of Blue Waters with a portrait of Algirdas. Algirdas features in the 2021 video game Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition in the Dawn of

1881-682: The difference between the Gregorian and Julian calendars ). It was a centre of Marijampolė Uyezd . In 1918, independent Lithuania was re-established and Aleksotas became an integral part of it. The suburb grew rapidly in the 1920s, after Kaunas became the temporary capital of Lithuania . In 1931 it officially became a part of the City of Kaunas. From 1920 to 1940 many houses, shops, sawmills, and flour mills were built in Aleksotas. Its commercial and industrial facilities included grain storage houses,

1938-498: The east and returned to Samogitian matters. In 1409 the second Samogitian uprising against the Teutonic Knights began, as the rebels burned Skirsnemunė castle. Both Poland and Lithuania supported the rebels. Vytautas gathered a large army from 18 lands under his control. The army joined Polish forces and advanced towards the Teutonic headquarters at the castle of Marienburg (present-day Malbork ). In 1410, Vytautas himself commanded

1995-718: The final Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795, Aleksotas, unlike most of Lithuania, became part of Prussia , until 1807 when Napoleon incorporated it into the Duchy of Warsaw . The village became part of the Kingdom of Poland in 1815. During November Uprising (1830–1831) the insurgent forces used Aleksota hill as artillery post to attack Kaunas, and eventually took the city. In December 1863, large January Uprising forces gathered here, hoping to be able to free Antanas Mackevičius , one of

2052-402: The forces of the Grand Duchy in the Battle of Grunwald . The battle ended in a decisive Polish-Lithuanian victory. Even though the siege of Marienburg was unsuccessful, the Teutonic Knights never regained their strength and from then on posed a reduced threat to Poland-Lithuania. From now on, Poland-Lithuania began to be regarded in the west as a great power, and Vytautas stood in high favour with

2109-525: The important principalities of Smolensk and Bryansk . Although his relationship with the grand dukes of Moscow principality was generally friendly (demonstrated by his marriages to two Orthodox Russian princesses), he besieged Moscow in 1368 and 1370 during the Lithuanian–Muscovite War (1368–1372) . An important feat by Algirdas was his victory over the Tatars in the Battle of Blue Waters at

2166-477: The influential Radvila ( Radziwiłł ) and Goštautas families began their rise. In 1398, Vytautas brought over families of the Karaim (388 families) and Tatar peoples. Their principal role was to guard the castle and the bridges, but they also served as translators, farmers, traders, and diplomats. He retains a very high reputation among them, with the anniversary of his death being officially celebrated in 1930 in

2223-459: The knights, formed an alliance with them for the conquest and partition of Pskov and Novgorod the Great . Inspired by his successful campaign against Timur, Vytautas and Jogaila won support from Pope Boniface IX for organising a crusade against the Mongols. This political move also demonstrated that Lithuania had fully accepted Christianity and was defending the faith on its own, and that

2280-521: 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 ( Latin : rex Letwinorum ) in the Livonian Chronicles instead of the terms knyaz (English: prince , duke ) or velikiy knyaz ( grand prince ). Two factors are thought to have contributed to this result:

2337-454: The nobles of Poland and of Lithuania. In January 1429, at the Congress of Lutsk it was proposed by Sigismund, king of Hungary , that Vytautas should be crowned King of Lithuania. It resulted in a great crisis between Vytautas, king Władysław and Polish nobles. The envoys who were transporting documents supporting Vytautas's coronation and proposing an alliance between Lithuania, Hungary and

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2394-525: The political sagacity of Algirdas and the devotion of Kęstutis. The division of their dominions is illustrated by the fact that Algirdas appears almost exclusively in East Slavic sources, while Western chronicles primarily describe Kęstutis. Lithuania was surrounded by enemies. The Teutonic Order in the northwest and the Golden Horde in the southeast sought Lithuanian territory, while Poland to

2451-431: The present Baltic states to the Black Sea and to within 80 kilometres (50 miles) of Moscow. 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

2508-691: The relationship between the two women, the Bishop of Vilnius was unwilling to perform the ceremony without a papal dispensation; however, Jan Kropidło did not have such scruples and married them on 13 November 1418. According to the 16th century Bychowiec Chronicle , his first wife was Maria Łukomska, however, this is not confirmed by other sources. A sculpture for Vytautas is display on the Millennium of Russia monument in Veliky Novgorod . Vytautas appears in several works of fiction dealing with

2565-457: The same year, Vytautas broke with the Order and reconciled with Jogaila. He then burned three important Teutonic castles, and regained all Kęstutis' lands, except for Trakai . In 1385, Jogaila concluded the Union of Krewo with Poland , under which he married Jadwiga of Poland and became King of Poland as Władysław II Jagiełło. Vytautas participated in the Union and in 1386 was re-baptised as

2622-438: The secret Treaty of Dovydiškės with the Teutonic Order against Kęstutis. When Kęstutis discovered this in 1381, he seized Vilnius , imprisoned Jogaila, and made himself Grand Duke. However, Jogaila escaped and raised an army against Kęstutis. The two sides confronted each other but never engaged in battle. Kęstutis was ready to negotiate, but he and Vytautas were arrested and transported to Kreva Castle . One week later, Kęstutis

2679-598: The territory was already under the Grand Duke's rule, but the rest was controlled by the Mongols . Tokhtamysh , Khan of the Golden Horde , sought help from Vytautas when he was removed from the throne in 1395 after his defeat by Timur . An agreement was reached that Vytautas would help Tokhtamysh to regain power, and the Horde would cede more lands to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in return. In 1398, Vytautas' army attacked

2736-592: The uprising leaders in Lithuania, who was held imprisoned in Kaunas Old Town , although the attack never happened. In 1864, it became part of the Russian Empire . However, it retained its old laws (the Napoleonic code ) and persisted in using the Gregorian calendar . A popular joke at the time had it that the Aleksotas bridge was the longest in the world, because it took twelve days to cross (i.e.

2793-596: The west and the Moscow principality to the east were generally hostile competitors. "The entire Rus' should belong to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania " — Algirdas' messengers statement to the Teutonic Order Algirdas held his own, also acquiring influence and territory at the expense of the Moscow principality and the Golden Horde and extending the borders of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to

2850-460: Was an Orthodox ruler. The Kiev Monastery of the Caves ' commemorative book, underwritten by Algirdas' descendants, recorded his baptismal name as Demetrius during the 1460s. Algirdas married Uliana of Tver by 1350. Following Wojciech Wijuk Kojałowicz and Macarius I , Volodymyr Antonovych writes that Algirdas took monastic vows several days before his death and was interred at the Cathedral of

2907-415: Was combined with statesmanlike foresight." Vytautas backed the economic development of his state and introduced many reforms. Under his rule the Grand Duchy of Lithuania gradually became more centralised, as local princes with dynastic ties to the throne were replaced by the governors loyal to Vytautas. The governors were rich landowners who formed the basis for the Lithuanian nobility. During Vytautas' rule,

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2964-404: Was found dead. Whether he died of natural causes or was murdered is still a matter of debate. In 1382, Vytautas escaped from Kreva and he sought help from the Teutonic Order, who were negotiating with Jogaila at the time. Jogaila and the Order agreed to the Treaty of Dubysa , by which Jogaila promised to accept Christianity, become an ally of the Order, and give the Order part of Samogitia up to

3021-465: Was granted to Jogaila's brother Lengvenis , and the important city of Pskov to Jogaila's envoy Jerzy Nos , the latter settlement a clear violation of the treaty of Raciąż. The war with Muscovy ended in December 1408, on terms that made further conflict with the Teutonic Order inevitable, despite Hermann II of Celje 's attempt to negotiate a solution. "We do not know on whose merits or guilt such

3078-442: Was jeopardised as he was a foreigner king with no other ties to the throne but his wife. Also, the defeat at Vorskla forced a re-evaluation of the relationship between Poland and Lithuania. The result was the Union of Vilnius and Radom in 1401. Vytautas was granted wide autonomy, but after his death the title and powers of Grand Duke of Lithuania were to be transferred to the king of Poland. In case Jagiełło died first without an heir,

3135-471: Was retaken by its hereditary ruler, George of Smolensk , and not re-conquered by Lithuanians until 1404. Vytautas waged a war in 1406–1408 against his son-in-law Vasili I of Moscow and Švitrigaila , a brother of Jogaila who with the support of the Teutonic Order had declared himself grand prince. A major stand-off between the two armies ended without a battle in the Treaty of Ugra , by which Velikiy Novgorod

3192-454: Was signed, which in essence repeated the Treaty of Salynas : Samogitia was transferred to the Teutonic Knights. Poland promised not to support Lithuania in case of another war. The knights promised to support Vytautas in the east and not to support any Gediminid who could have claims to the title of Grand Duke of Lithuania . However, the treaty did not solve the problems, and all the parties prepared for war. In 1408, Vytautas reached peace in

3249-419: Was to retain a separate Grand Duke and its own parliament. At the same time both the Polish and Lithuanian Sejms were to discuss all the important matters jointly. This union was important culturally as well as politically because it granted Lithuanian Christian nobles the same rights as the Polish szlachta . This act did not include Orthodox nobles. This paved the way for more contacts and cooperation between

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