Valdovo svainiai ir satrapų palikuonys: Lietuvos diduomenė krikšto išvakarėse

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Aristokratija; Didikai ir magnatai; Giminės; Kunigaikščiai; Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštija, XIV a. antra pusė; 14 amžius; Satrapų palikuonys; Valdovo svainiai; Viduramžiai; Aristocracy; Descendants of satraps; Dukes; Families; Grand Duchy of Lithuania, second half of 14th century; Lithuanian XIV c. history; Nobles; Ruler's brothers-in-law; The Middle Ages.

ENThe decade between the death of Grand Duke of Lithuania Algirdas in 1377 and Lithuania’s baptism in 1387 was a breakthrough period in Lithuanian history when the directions of the country’s further development were decided. In historiography, these events are usually associated with the rulers Jogaila and Skirgaila, Kęstutis and Vytautas. Yet in conjunction, the Lithuanian aristocracy also played an important role, as it was their patronage that determined whether one or another figure would become entrenched on the grand duke’s throne. The aristocracy’s approval was needed when fundamental matters in state affairs were being decided as well. Using a prosopographic (collective biography) research method, this article presents an attempt at understanding the Lithuanian aristocracy’s role in historical events at the time. Unfortunately, the activities of nobles are reflected in rather a fragmented way in sources, most of which were created by foreign authors. The names and titles of the aristocracy collected from various sources, as well as their name combinations and any interrelation between figures has proven to be the only means of reconstructing the history of this social group.In the 1380s, amid conflicts over power between Jogaila and Skirgaila on the one side, and Kęstutis and Vytautas on the other, a group of nobles appears in sources that are called the ruler’s brothers-in-law. These nobles (Vaidila, Sudimantas, Jonas Algimantaitis) are the main object of this research. Their origins can be traced to high-ranking Lithuanian nobles who were called satrapa by the Teutonic Order’s chroniclers. This term was used to describe nobles who had authority over larger territories entrusted to them by the grand duke, within the lands of the country’s political core. These ruler’s brothers-in-law and satrapa were the main supporters of the monarchs in ruling over a great-state and striving for new political goals. Testimony of their high noble status also lies in that they all had their own seals - these are the earliest known heraldic symbols of the Lithuanian aristocracy. [From the publication]