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Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Eastern European monarchical state that existed from 1236 to 1795

45 dated entries naming Grand Duchy of Lithuania, drawn from 40 separate years between 1251 CE and 1742 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

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13th century

  • 1251Mindaugas of Lithuania is baptized, in prelude to his crowning as King of Lithuania in 1253.source
  • 1260July 13 – Livonian Crusade: The Baltic Samogitians and Curonians of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania decisively defeat the Livonian Order in the Battle of Durbe. This leads the Estonians of Saaremaa Island to once again rebel against the Livonian Order.source
  • 1270February 16 – Livonian Crusade - Battle of Karuse: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order decisively, on the frozen surface of the Baltic Sea.source
  • 1298June 1 – Battle of Turaida: Forces of the Livonian Order are decisively defeated near Turaida Castle by the residents of Riga, allied with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania under Vytenis. After their defeat, the Livonians receive reinforcements from the Teutonic Order and defeat the residents of Riga and Lithuanians near Neuermühlen, on June 28. The knights proceed with their campaign, and besiege and capture Riga. In response, King Eric VI of Denmark ("Menved") threatens to invade Livonia, but a truce is reached and the conflict is mediated by Pope Boniface VIII.source

14th century

  • 1311April 7 – Battle of Woplauken: In Europe, the Teutonic Knights defeat the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.source
  • 1326February 10 – The Raid on Brandenburg begins as Polish-Lithuanian forces led by Władysław I Łokietek, "the elbow-high", King of Poland, and of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania under Gediminas, raid the territories of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (within the Holy Roman Empire), with the sanction of Pope John XXII. Władysław regards the Neumark (East Brandenburg) as Polish territory.source
  • 1329February 1 – King John of Bohemia (of the Teutonic Order) captures Medvėgalis, an important fortress of the pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and baptizes 6,000 of its defenders.source
  • 1348February 2 – Battle of Strėva: the Teutonic Order secure a victory over the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Sources tell of a blow to Lithuanian leadership, one that the Teutonic Order could not fully make use of due to the Black Death.source
  • 1362January 1 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania switches New Year to January 1, before any other country does.source
  • 1367Winter – Construction of a stone Moscow Kremlin Wall around the city is begun to resist invasion by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.source
  • 1370February 18 – The Battle of Rudau is fought between the Teutonic Knights and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania near Rudau village, north of Königsberg (now Melnikovo village in the Kaliningrad oblast). According to the Teutonic chronicler Wigand of Marburg and the Livonian chronicle of Hermann de Wartberge, the Lithuanians suffer a great defeat.source
  • 1370November 26 – Lithuanian–Muscovite War: In retaliation for the attack by the Grand Principality of Moscow on Tver and Bryansk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Principality of Tver begin a two-day siege of the Muscovite city of Volokolamsk. While the leader of Volokolamsk's defenses, Prince Vasily Ivanovich Berezuysky, is killed, the attackers end the siege without capturing the city, and then march toward Moscow.source
  • 1375December 2 – With the threat of the Russian Orthodox believers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania being converted to the Roman Catholic Church, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Philotheos Kokkinos, creates the Orthodox metropolis of Lithuania with the approval of the other bishops at the Council of Constantinople. Philotheos consecrates Cyprian as the first Orthodox Metropolitan of Lithuania and designates Cyprian will be the successor to Alexius II, Metropolitan of Kiev and all Russia.source
  • 1377May 24 – Władysław II Jagiełło succeeds his father, Algirdas, as Grand Duke of Lithuania. Jagiello initially shares power with his uncle, Kestutis Giedyminowicz, until 1381.source
  • 1381August – Kęstutis overthrows his nephew, Jogaila, as Grand Duke of Lithuania. Jogaila is allowed to remain as governor of eastern Lithuania. This marks the beginning of the Lithuanian Civil War (1381–84).source
  • 1382Kęstutis, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, is taken prisoner by former Grand Duke Jogaila, whilst meeting him to hold negotiations. Kęstutis is subsequently murdered, and Jogaila regains the rule of Lithuania.source
  • 1386March 4 – Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania is crowned Władysław II Jagiełło, King of Poland, beginning the Jagiellonian dynasty.source
  • 1395April 14 – Tokhtamysh–Timur war – At the Battle of the Terek River, the Mongol conqueror Timur defeats Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde at the Volga. The Golden Horde capital city, Sarai, is razed to the ground, and Timur installs a puppet ruler, Quyurchuq, on the Golden Horde throne. Tokhtamysh escapes to Lithuania.source

15th century

  • 1401March 13 – The Samogitians, supported by Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania, rebel against the Teutonic knights and burn two castles. Vytautas is granted increased autonomy by King Jogaila of the Poland–Lithuania union.source
  • 1404Peace is declared between Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights, after they agree to exchange land and form an alliance against Muscovy.source
  • 1410July 15 – Battle of Grunwald (Žalgiris), also known as Battle of Tannenberg: Polish and Lithuanian forces under cousins Jogaila and Vytautas the Great decisively defeat the forces of the Teutonic Knights, whose power is broken.source
  • 1413October 2 – The Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania sign the Union of Horodło.source
  • 1414July – The Hunger War takes place between the allied Kingdom of Poland, and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, against the Teutonic Knights, who are severely weakened after the Battle of Grunwald four years prior. The war earned its name from destructive scorched earth tactics followed by both sides.source
  • 1422September 27 – The Teutonic Knights sign the Treaty of Melno with the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, after the brief Gollub War. The Prussian–Lithuanian border established by the treaty remains unchanged, until World War I.source
  • 1432August 31 – Sigismund Kęstutaitis attempts the capture or murder of Švitrigaila, his rival for the throne of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Švitrigaila manages to escape.source
  • 1432December 8 – Lithuanian Civil War (1432–1438): The first battle between the forces of Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis is fought near the town of Oszmiana (Ashmyany), launching the most active phase of the civil war in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.source
  • 1435December 31 – The Peace of Brześć Kujawski is signed by representatives of the State of the Teutonic Order to make peace with the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to end the Polish–Teutonic War, with the Teutonic Order agreeing to end its support of the former Grand Duke Svitrigaila and to not interfere further with Polish and Lithuanian affairs.source
  • 1435September 1 – In the Battle of Wiłkomierz, Grand Duke Sigismund Kęstutaitis decisively defeats his predecessor, Švitrigaila, in the decisive battle of the civil war in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.source
  • 1441With the help of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, governor Hacı I Giray declares his province independent of the Golden Horde and establishes the Crimean Khanate.source
  • 1494February 5 – The war between the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ends after almost seven years, with the Tsar Ivan III signing a "treaty of Eternal Peace" with Lithuania's Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon. Lithuania is guaranteed its independence in return for ceding its territories captured by Moscow.source
  • 1500July 14 – The Muscovites defeat the Lithuanians and the Poles in the Battle of Vedrosha.source

16th century

  • 1501August 27 – Battle of the Siritsa River: The Livonian Order, supporting the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Second Muscovite–Lithuanian War, and commanded by Wolter von Plettenberg, defeats an army of the Grand Duchy of Moscow and Pskov Republic.source
  • 1501November 4 – Second Muscovite–Lithuanian War: At the Battle of Mstislavl, Grand Prince Ivan's Southern Muscovite army defeats the forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.source
  • 1506August 6 – Battle of Kletsk: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Tatars of the Crimean Khanate.source
  • 1508February 2 – During the Glinski rebellion, Lithuanian noble Mykolas Glinskis attacks Grodno (now in Belarus) and decapitates Jan Zabrzeziński, the top ally of Grand Duke Alexander.source
  • 1514August 1 – Vasili III of Russia captured Smolensk from Grand Duchy of Lithuania.source
  • 1514September 8 – Forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland, backed by Belarusians, with 30,000 troops, defeat the larger Russian army of the Grand Duchy of Moscow (80,000 soldiers) in the Battle of Orsha.source
  • 1556August 15 – Work begins on the Peresopnytsia Gospel at the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and continues for the next five years.source
  • 1561November 28 – The Treaty of Vilnius is concluded during the Livonian War, between the Livonian Confederation and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. With the treaty, the non-Danish and non-Swedish part of Livonia, with the exception of the Free imperial city of Riga, subjects itself to Polish king and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund II Augustus with the Pacta subiectionis (Provisio ducalis). In turn, Sigismund grants protection from the Tsardom of Russia, and confirms the Livonian estates' traditional privileges, laid out in the Privilegium Sigismundi Augusti.source
  • 1564January 26 – Livonian War – Battle of Ula: A Lithuanian surprise attack results in a decisive defeat of the numerically superior Russian forces.source
  • 1569July 1 – The Union of Lublin unites the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania into a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, following votes in the Assemblies of three Lithuanian provinces (Volhynia, Ukraine and Podlasie) in favour of the incorporation.source
  • 1573April 5 – 1573 Polish–Lithuanian royal election: Polish and Lithuanian nobles gather at Warsaw to elect a successor to King Sigismund II Augustus, who had died the previous July 7. The vote comes down to four candidates, from France, the Holy Roman Empire, Sweden and Russia.source

17th century

  • 1655July 31 – Russo-Polish War (1654–67): The Russian army enters the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vilnius, which it holds for 6 years.source
  • 1696Polish replaces Ruthenian as an official language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.source

18th century

  • 1742March 29 – Acting in his capacity of Grand Duke of Lithuania, Poland's King Stanisław August Poniatowski issues a proclamation allowing Jews in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius to live anywhere except for two public streets, the Pilies street and the Galves Street.source

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