Pirmieji Vytauto dešimtmečiai didžiojoje politikoje

LTŽymiausias visų laikų Lietuvos valdovas didysis kunigaikštis Vytautas mūsų istorinėje savimonėje paliko neišdildomą pėdsaką. Šlovinga Žalgirio mūšio pergalė, Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės (toliau - LDK) sienų išplėtimas nuo Baltijos jūros ligi Juodosios jūros, ryžtingas karaliaus vainiko siekis ir „Didžiojo" valdovo statusas - bene žymiausi Vytauto pasiekimai, simbolizuojantys jo šlovės viršūnę. Vis dėlto iki jos kunigaikščiui teko nueiti sudėtingą ir toli gražu ne rožėm klotą kelią, stengiantis įsitvirtinti pirmiausia Gediminaičių dinastijos viršūnėje, vėliau - Lietuvos valdovo soste ir galiausiai Rytų Europos didžiosios politikos arenoje. Šiame straipsnyje apžvelgiami pirmieji Vytauto valdymo dešimtmečiai. [Iš straipsnio, p. 76]

ENVytautas, Lithuania’s most famous ruler of all time, has left a significant footprint in our historical self-consciousness. The glorious victory in the battle of Tannenberg, the expansion of Lithuanian territory from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, a decisive aspiration of the king’s crown, as well as the status of the 'grand' sovereign - these are perhaps the most prominent achievements of Vytautas that symbolize the peak of his glory. Yet to achieve all of this, he had to surmount a complex path in trying to establish himself at the apex of the Gediminid dynasty, then on the throne as the ruler of Lithuania, and ultimately in the great political arena of Eastern Europe. In 1392, after becoming the actual (but not yet official) Grand Duke of Lithuania, Vytautas did everything to strengthen his authority by leading constructive domestic and foreign policy. However, not all political ambitions of Vytautas were successfully implemented. Following the conclusion of the Act of Krewo in 1385, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was bound by a dynastic relationship with Poland.Therefore, Vytautas had to establish his power in Lithuania while retaining political balance with his cousin Jogaila, the King of Poland, whose supremacy was formally admittaed. Since the Polish nobility were not interested in the strengthening of the sovereignty of Lithuania’s ruler, Vytautas had to manoeuvre skillfully. It was also necessary to protect the country from hostile political and military attacks of the German Order. By expanding his influence in the Russian lands, Vytautas had to face the Great Duke of Moscow, who had his own interests there. Another competitor of Vytautas was his ambitious and rebellious cousin Švitrigaila, who was repeatedly seeking to take over the Grand Duke's throne by capitalizing upon the prevailing geopolitical circumstances. Thus, the first decades of Vytautas' reign, as the actual ruler of the GDL, were politically intense both domestically and abroad. [From the publication]

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