Mindaugas was the founder and the first Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He is considered the only King of Lithuania and the first Lithuanian ruler to become a Christian.
Background
Mindaugas was born in circa 1195 to a family of a powerful regional ruler possibly residing in Kernavė (today’s Lithuania). Of his family very little is known, except that he had an older brother named Dausprungas. His father was Ryngold or Rimgaudas, a mythological Grand Duke of Lithuania from the Palemonids legends.
Career
Little is known of his early life and rise to power. Mindaugas is first mentioned with his brother Dausprungas and 19 other Lithuanian dukes as the signers of a peace treaty with the rulers of Volhynia in the year 1219. This shows that regional rulers in Lithuania were already coordinating their actions for their common security and that some of the Lithuanian dukes were identified as being more senior and influential.
After the victory at Saulė and the death of his brother Dausprungas (ca. 1238), Mindaugas started to expand his rule in Lithuania and to extend it into neighboring lands. He successfully asserted himself over other leading Lithuanian nobles and tribal chiefs, including his brother and his nephews, in 1236 and became the leader of all the Lithuanians. He extended his domain into regions southeast of Lithuania proper during the 1230s and 1240s. The state thus formed under his leadership included Lithuania proper, Samogitia, and much of Belarus. In an attempt to annex the lands of the Cours, a Baltic tribe living along the Baltic Sea between the Nemunas and Daugava rivers, Mindaugas invaded Couronia in the winter of 1244-1245 and assaulted the Teutonic Knights' fortress at Embute. The assault failed to capture the fortress and frustrated Mindaugas' plans for Couronia. In 1246 Mindaugas moved against the allies of the Teutonic Knights and enemies of his sister's son Lengvenis in the northeastern Lithuanian region of Nalšia. In 1246 by Chronic of Gustynia he was baptized by Orthodox church in Navahrudak, but later because of political situation he was re-baptized by Catholic church.
In 1248-1249, Mindaugas moved to end the opposition to his rule in north Samogitia by his relatives - Tautvila and Gedvydas, the two sons of his brother Dausprungas, and Duke Vykintas of Samogitia, his brother-in-law. The trio, however, had a strong ally in Duke Danilo of Volhynia, who was married to Tautvila's and Gedvydas' sister and who was alarmed by Mindaugas' growing power. Their alliance against Mindaugas was soon joined by the Teutonic Knights. Duke Danilo started attacks against Mindaugas in the south capturing Slonim and Volkovysk, while Tautvila, Gedvydas, Vykintas, and the Teutonic Knights attacked, but failed to capture Mindaugas in his Voruta stronghold in 1249. In 1250, the Teutonic Knights devastated large areas of Lithuania. Tautvila was baptised in Riga and was nominated as the future monarch of Lithuania. Mindaugas needed to break up the strong alliance against him. He sent gifts to the Grandmaster Andrew von Stirland of the Teutonic Knights and sued for peace. Andrew required Mindaugas to convert to Christianity as the Order's condition for switching its support to him. Mindaugas, not seeing a better way out, agreed to convert.
In the winter of 1250 or 1251, Mindaugas, his wife Morta, and most nobles of his court were baptised as Roman Catholics at Voruta, thus easing western pressure against his state from the Teutonic and Livonian Knights and from Daniel of Halich-Volynia. A delegation with the news of Mindaugas' baptism was sent to Pope Innocent IV. They found the pope in Milan in July of 1251. On July 15, the pope sent a letter to the bishop of Culm about the conversion of Lithuanians and instructed him to take charge of the organization of the Lithuanian Roman Catholic Church and to be gentle in the collection of the Church's tithe. On July 17, the pope issued three bulls in Mindaugas' favor: 1. Mindaugas was declared to be the son of the Holy Roman Catholic Church; Mindaugas, his family, and his followers were now under the Church's protection; and all the lands Mindaugas now rules and the lands he will conquer from unbelievers are recognized as his property; 2. Livonian bishops of Oesel and Couronia were made the guarantors of the above privileges; 3. the bishop of Culm in Prussia was instructed to crown Mindaugas as king on the condition that he and his heirs recognize the Lithuanian State to be the property of Saint Peter's Throne. Having gained the protection of the Church, in 1251 Mindaugas led an armed force against his opponents in Samogitia. In a battle near Tverai, Duke Vykintas of Samogitia perished, Tautvila and Gedvydas fled to Volhynia, victorious Mindaugas was wounded and had to return to Voruta. After the battle at Tverai, Treniota became the new leader of the Samogitians. It is believed that Treniota was Vykintas' son.
Mindaugas was crowned on July 6, 1253 as the King of Lithuania with a crown supplied by the Pope and brought by the grandmaster of the Teutonic Knights. The ceremony was performed by the bishop of Culm. To support the new Roman Catholic bishopric which was established in Lithuania, Mindaugas donated the Samogitian towns of Raseiniai, Ariogala, and Laukuva. Additional Samogitian land was given the Teutonic Order as a reward for their help. These were areas that resisted Mindaugas' rule. It is fair to say that Mindaugas did not win any friends in Samogitia by his actions of becoming a Christian and donating their lands to the Knights. Samogitians continued their war with the Teutonic Knights: major battles were fought at Skuodas in 1259 and at Durbė in 1261.
Having made peace with the Teutonic Knights, Mindaugas decided to reclaim the territory lost to Duke Danilo of Volhynia. A Lithuanian armed force led by Mindaugas' oldest son Vaišvilkas (a.k.a. Vaišelga) invaded Danilo's lands, defeated him, and forced him to seek peace in 1255. The peace treaty was strengthened by the marriage of Mindaugas' daughter and Danilo's son Shvarno.Mindaugas made Danilo's other son Roman the ruler of Novgorodok and his own son Vaišvilkas the ruler of Slonim, Volkovysk, and other recaptured cities. Both Roman and Vaišvilkas had to recognize Mindaugas' supremacy and to rule as his vassals. As part of the same treaty, Mindaugas pardoned his enemies Tautvila and Gedvydas. Later Mindaugas made Tautvila the duke of Polotsk.
In 1262 Mindaugas' wife Morta died. As was the custom, Mindaugas invited her sister, the wife of Duke Daumantas of Nalšia, to come and mourn her sister's passing. After Morta's funeral, however, Mindaugas told her sister that she could not leave, because he had promised Morta to marry her, for Morta did not want her youngest children to be raised by anyone else. Daumantas was very offended and determined to seek revenge. Treniota, who had his own grievances against Mindaugas, joined Daumantas in the plot against Mindaugas.
An opportunity for the plotters came in September of 1263, when Mindaugas sent off his forces to fight in Bryansk and was visiting his domain with only a small escort. Daumantas and Treniota surprised Mindaugas and killed him and the two sons that were with him. Mindaugas' oldest son Vaišvilkas was away at that time and survived.
Mindaugas was born as a pagan but in 1246 by Chronic of Gustynia he was baptized by Orthodox church in Navahrudak. In 1250 or 1251, he, his wife Morta, and most nobles of his court were was re-baptized as Roman Catholics at Voruta, thus easing western pressure against his state from the Teutonic and Livonian Knights and from Daniel of Halich-Volynia.
Connections
His first wife is unknown. She gave birth to Mindaugas’ son Vaišvilkas. His second wife was Morta. They had 2 sons: Ruklys and Rupeikis. After Morta’s death, Mindaugas married her sister, the wife of Daumantas. In revenge, Daumantas allied with Treniota and assassinated Mindaugas and two of Morta's sons in 1263.