'Švitrigaila' (alternative spellings: Śvidryhajła, Świdrygiełło, Svitrigaylo, Svidrigailo, Swidrigailo; ca
1370 –
10 February 1452) was the
Grand Duke of
Lithuania from
1430 to
1432. He was active in Lithuanian politics from the
1390s until his death.
Rebellion against Vytautas
He was born to
Algirdas and
Uliana of Tver.
He was baptized by his mother into
Eastern Orthodoxy. At the age of 11, he (together with his brother
Jogaila) was converted in
Kraków into
Roman Catholicism, changing his Christian name from Lev to Boleslaw.
At that time, the town of
Polotsk was the capital of his lands. In
1392, however, Švitrigaila made an ill-fated attempt to seize neighbouring
Vitebsk, but was ousted by his cousin
Vytautas of
Lithuania to
Prussia.
While living abroad, Švitrigaila sided with the
Teutonic Knights in their prolonged struggle against Vytautas. In
1400, he was allowed to return to
Lithuania, receiving
Podolia as his demesne. Four years later, he moved eastward to
Severia.
Defection to Moscow and its aftermath
It is believed that Švitrigaila sympathized with the
Russians, being born of a Russian mother (
Uliana of Tver) and married to a princess of
Tver. When the war broke out between
Vytautas and his
Muscovite son-in-law in
1408, Švitrigaila cast his lot with the latter, surrendering all the
Severian towns to the Russian army and defecting to
Moscow.
During his brief stay in
Muscovy, Švitrigaila was rewarded with
Volokolamsk and several other towns and put in charge of the Russian army operating against Vytautas. Lacking any military talent, he failed to win a single battle and, on hearing about the invasion of
Edigu, fled to Lithuania, pillaging
Serpukhov on his way.
Back in Lithuania, he was apprehended as an inveterate traitor and a dangerous pretender and imprisoned in the castle of
Kremenets for 9 years. Finally delivered by Prince Daniel of
Ostrog, he escaped to
Hungary. It was through mediation of the
Holy Roman Emperor and his brother
Jogaila that he was allowed to return to Lithuania as a sovereign ruler of
Severia in
1420.
Grand Duke of Lithuania
Upon
Vytautas's death in
1430, Švitrigaila immediately pressed his claim to the throne. He was supported by the Ruthenian and Orthodox population of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania, while the Lithuanian and Catholic population advanced
Žygimantas Kestutaitis as a rival candidate. At last Švitrigaila prevailed over his rivals, and was crowned the Grand Duke of Lithuania in
Vilnius.
Švitrigaila started his reign by proclaiming full independence of the Grand Duchy from
Poland and granting important privileges to his Orthodox subjects. That enraged Poland, which declared a war on Švitrigaila and occupied the
Podolian towns, notably the key castle of
Kamenets-Podolsky. Švitrigaila sought help in the West and instigated the
Teutonic Knights'
invasion of Poland. Despite the successful operations of his generals, he eschewed a decisive battle and signed an armistice in
Lutsk, obtaining from Poland full recognition of his claims.
Downfall and later years
In
1432, however,
Žygimantas Kęstutaitis raised a rebellion and, supported by ethnic Lithuanians and Poles, overran much of the Grand Duchy. Švitrigaila, constrained to leave the Lithuanian capital for
Vitebsk, was thoroughly defeated in the
Battle of Pabaiskas in
1435. Despite continued support from Ruthenians in
Kiev,
Podolia, and
Volhynia, he fled to
Kraków, suing for peace. After his proposals were dismissed, Švitrigaila had to leave the country for ignominious
exile in
Wallachia, where he was reported to have become a shepherd.
In
1440 Žygimantas was assassinated by nobles who supported Švitrigaila, and Švitrigaila returned to rule
Podolia and
Volhynia. At the age of 70 (or 85, according to some sources), he was too old to resume his endless struggle for the Lithuanian throne. Shortly before his death in
Lutsk in
1452, he bequeathed all his possessions in
Podolia and
Volynia to the Lithuanian state.
Titles
Prince of
Vitebsk 1392 –
1393,
1430 –
1436,
Podolia 1400 –
1402,
Novhorod-Siversky 1404 –
1408,
1420 –
1438,
Chernihiv 1419 –
1430,
Grand Prince of
Lithuania (
1430-
1432),
pan of
Volhynia 1437 –
1452.
Relatives
Mother
:
Uliana of Tver 1350 (ca
1325 –
1392)
Father
:
Algirdas (ca
1296 – end of May
1377), Grand Prince of
Lithuania 1345 –
1377
Brothers
:
Demetrius I Starszy (
1327 –
12 May 1399 Battle of the Worskla River), Prince of
Trubczewsk 1357 –
1399,
Briansk 1357 –
1379,
Starodub 1370 –
1399,
Druck 13?? – 13??
:
Andrzej (
14th century –
12 August 1399), Prince of
Polock 1342 –
1387,
Pskow 1341 –
1343, 134? –
1348,
1377 –
1379,
1394 –
1396
:
Konstanty (
14th century – before
30 October 1390), Prince of
Czartorysk
:
Wlodzimierz (
14th century – after October
1398), Prince of
Kiev,
Kopyl,
Slutsk
:
Fiodor (Theodore;
14th century –
1399), Prince of
Rylsk 1370 –
1399,
Ratnie 1387 –
1394,
Briansk 1393
:
Jogaila (ca
1351 –
1 June 1434 Grodek Jagiellonski), Grand Prince of Lithuania
1377 –
1381,
1382 –
1392,
King of
Poland 1386 –
1434
:
Skirgaila (Iwan; ca
1354 –
11 January 1397 Kiev), Prince of
Trakai 1382 –
1395,
Kiev 1395 –
1397,
regent of Lithuania
:
Korybut (Dymitr; after
1350 – after
1404), Prince of
Novgorod-Seversky 1386 –
1392/
93
:
Lengvenis (baptised - Simon;
14th century – after
19 June 1431), Prince of
Mstislavl, regent of
Great Novgorod
:
Korygiello (Kazimierz; after
1350 –
1390), Prince of
Mscislaw, regent
:
Vygandas (Aleksander; after
1350 –
28 June 1392), Prince of
Kernavė
Sisters
:
Fiedora (born
14th century)
:
Nowosielska (
14th century – ?)
:
Agrypina (Maria;
14th century –
1393)
:
Kenna (Joanna; ca
1350 –
27 April 1368),
Princess of
Słupsk
:
Helena (after
1350 –
15 September 1438), Princess of
Borowsko-Sierpuchowsk and third part of the
Principality of
Moscow, Princess of
Wolock and
Rzhev 1389 –
1405,
Horodeck and
Uglich 1405 –
1410
:
Maria (after
1350 - ?), Princess of
Lithuania
:
Wilheida (Katarzyna; after
1350 – after
4 April 1422), Princess of
Lithuania
:
Aleksandra (after
1350 –
19 June 1434), Princess of
Czersk,
Rawsk,
Sochaczewsk,
Plock,
Gostynin,
Plonsk,
Wisk,
Kujawy and
Belsk
:
Jadwiga (after
1350 – after
1407), Princess of
Oświęcim 1395/
96 –
1405
See also
:
Gediminids
:
List of Belarusian rulers
:
List of Lithuanian rulers
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