Viten, Vitenis

Viten, Vitenis

 

Died about 1315. Lithuanian grand duke (from 1293), brother of Gedemin.

Maintaining Chernaia Rus’ within his sphere of influence and keeping control over Mazovia, Viten made use of a union with the Galician princes and organized a rebuff against attack by the German knights. He solidified the political unity of Lithuania. Great military campaigns into the lands of the Livonian Order were undertaken during his reign. Taking advantage of conflicts between the order and the archbishop of Riga, Viten concluded a peace treaty in 1298 with Riga. In 1307 he liberated Polotsk from the German knights.

REFERENCE

Pashuto, V. T. Obrazovanie Litovskogo gosudarstva. Moscow, 1959.