Duchy of Trakai

Duchy of Trakai was a subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the 14th and early 15th centuries. The Duke of Trakai was an important position held either by the Grand Duke of Lithuania himself or his second-in-command.

Duchy of Trakai
Trakų Kunigaikštystė
Duchy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
1337–1413
Coat of arms
CapitalSenieji Trakai, later Trakai
History 
 Established by Kęstutis
1337
1413
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Duchy of Lithuania
Trakai Voivodeship

History

After the demise of Gediminas in December 1337, the Duchy of Lithuania was divided into two parts: Grand Duke Algirdas ruled Vilnius and the Eastern Aukštaitija while his brother Kęstutis received the Duchy of Trakai.

1381-1384

In 1382, during the Lithuanian Civil War, Kęstutis was imprisoned at the Kreva Castle and died. His nephew Skirgaila was named the new Duke of Trakai by his brother Grand Duke Jogaila.

1389-1392

Vytautas, son of Kęstutis, then waged a new Lithuanian Civil War to regain his patrimony in Trakai and seize power in Lithuania. The war was ended by the Ostrów Agreement on August 4, 1392. The agreement transferred the Duchy from Skirgaila to Vytautas.

Union of Horodło in 1413

On October 2, 1413, Vilnius and Trakai Voivodeships were created by the Union of Horodło from the Duchy of Trakai. The voivodeships were ruled by an appointed official and not by the dukes.

Geography

One could delineate the boundaries of the Duchy of Trakai by referring to the donative writ of Grand Duke Jogaila: from the Livonian border (Upytė) to Kobrynin (Masuria), and eastward from Podlesie to Pinsk. Naugardukas was still part of the Duchy of Trakai.

Dukes of Trakai

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Kęstutis(1297-01-01)1 January 1297 – 1 January 1382(1382-01-01) (aged 85)13371382First Duke of TrakaiGediminids
Skirgaila(1354-01-01)1 January 1354 – 11 January 1397(1397-01-11) (aged 43)13821392Speculated to have murdered Kęstutis. Skirgaila's death itself happened in unclear circumstances.Gediminids
Vytautas the Great(1350-01-01)1 January 1350 – 27 October 1430(1430-10-27) (aged 80)13921413Son of Kęstutis; cousin of SkirgailaGediminids

Bibliography

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