Vladislav II Jagiello. Little secrets of the big king

- (Jagiello; Lithuanian Jogaila, Polish Jagiello) (c. 1350 May 31/June 1, 1434, Grodek, near Lvov), Lithuanian Grand Duke in 1377 1392, King of Poland from 1386 as Władysław II Jagiello, founder of the Jagiellonian dynasty (see . JAGELLONS). Jagiello, son of the prince... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Or Jagiello, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. The son of the Orthodox Princess Juliana, he already professed Orthodoxy in his youth, according to some researchers; other historians prove that he remained a pagan until the very moment... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Jagiello- historian Belor. (1348? – 1434) Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, King of Poland, statesman on a European scale and founder of the Belarusian-Polish royal dynasty. Together, Vytautas and Jagiello stopped... Universal additional practical explanatory dictionary by I. Mostitsky

Jogaila (about 1350 1.6.1434), Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1377 92 (with a break), King of Poland (Władysław II Jagiellław Władysław II Jagiełło) from 1386, founder of the Jagiellonian dynasty (See Jagiellonians). Son of Olgerd. In the Great... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Or Jagiello, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. The son of the Orthodox Princess Julia, he already professed Orthodoxy in his youth, according to some researchers; other historians prove that he remained a pagan until the very moment... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron

Jogaila (ca. 1350 1.VI.1434), led. Prince of Lithuania in 1377 92 (with a break), King of Poland (under the name Wladyslaw II Jagiello Wladyslaw II Jagiello) from 1386, founder of the Jagiellon dynasty. Son of Olgerd, grandson of Gediminas. In 1380 he concluded... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

JAGAILLO- (or Jogaila; (c. 1350 1434) Grand Duke of Lithuania; meaning popular) You ask, who commands? Omnipotent god of details, Omnipotent god of love, Jagiello and Jadwig. P917 (I,167) ... Proper name in Russian poetry of the 20th century: dictionary of personal names

Jagiello- Jogaila (ca. 1350 1434), led. Lit. book (1377 99), Polish. king (under the name of Vladislav II Jagiello). Founder of the Jagiellonian dynasty. Son of Olgerd. In the Battle of Kulikovo (1380) he was a supporter of Mamai. In the Battle of Grunwald (1410) he leads... ... Dictionary of generals

Jagiello- the name of the human family, the origin of a historical person... Spelling dictionary of Ukrainian language

Jagiello V.- JAGILO, Jagiełło Vladislav (c. 13501434), Grand Duke of Lithuania in 137792, King of Poland from 1386. Founder of the Jagiellonian dynasty. Son of Olgerd, grandson of Gediminas. He was an ally of Mamai. In 1382 he won the internecine struggle for... ... Biographical Dictionary

Books

• Jagiello - Prince of Lithuania
• Jagiello - Prince of Lithuania, Gennady Levitsky. 1377 One of the co-rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Olgsrd, dies. In his last hour, he will transfer the grand ducal title to Vladislav Jagiels. Vladislav's uncle - Keistut...

JAGAILLO
GRAND DUKE OF LITHUANIAN (1377-1392)
KING OF POLISH(1385-1434)

After the death of Olgerd (1377), his son and successor Jagiello continued his father’s anti-Moscow line. In 1380, Jagiello entered into an alliance with Khan Mamai against Moscow. According to the agreement, Jagiello was supposed to meet with Mamai, moving from the north along the Oka. However, Mamaev's horde was defeated on the Kulikovo field before it managed to unite with Yagaila's army. The Grand Duke of Lithuania had no choice but to turn back from the place of the died down battle.

Under 1381, Russian chronicles report:

“There was a great rebellion in Lithuania and they stood up against themselves and killed the Grand Duke Keistut Gedeminovich and his boyars, and his son, Prince Vitovt, fled to the Germans and did a lot of evil to the land of Lithuania.”

Lithuanian legend tells about these events in more detail. After the murder of Keistut, the same fate apparently awaited Vytautas, who was taken prisoner by Jogaila along with his father. Vitovt's wife, Anna Svyatoslavna, saved her husband by dressing in a woman's dress, and Vitovt fled from the Krevo fortress to the Mazovian prince Janusz, his brother-in-law. Then Jagiello imprisoned Anna in Vilna.
Vitovt turned to the master for help Livonian Order. He took the opportunity to sow confusion in Lithuania and plunder its cities and villages. An internecine war broke out, and in 1384 Jagiello was forced to conclude a peace treaty with his cousin Vytautas.
Having made peace, Vytautas and Jagiello jointly struck at the Livonians. After a three-week siege, they took the Livonian fortress of Kovno. The Order suffered huge losses. However, Jagiello did not return Vytautas’s father’s Troka inheritance. Instead, Vitovt received part of the former Vladimir-Volyn principality and a number of other cities and possessions.

In 1384 Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy makes an attempt to get closer to the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello. Information about the Moscow-Lithuanian treaties of 1384 has been preserved. The content of the first is:

“The final letter of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich and his brother Prince Vladimir Andreevich with Grand Duke Jagiello with his brother and with Prince Skirigailo and Prince Koribut; and against this is another letter from Grand Duke Jogaila and his brothers Skirigailo and Karibut, how they finished and kissed the cross to Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich and his brother Prince Vladimir Andreevich and their children, in the summer of 6902.”

The second agreement was preliminary and provided for the marriage of Jogaila with the daughter of Dmitry Donskoy, subject to the subordination of the Prince of Lithuania to the supreme power of the Prince of Moscow and the recognition of Orthodoxy as the state religion of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Perhaps both of these agreements were drawn up with the assistance of Metropolitan Cyprian, who was in Lithuania at that time.

However, the preliminary agreements with Moscow were never implemented. Instead, on August 15, 1385, the Union of Krevo was signed in Krevo in Lithuania - an extremely important event that decisively changed the direction of the history of all of Eastern Europe. Perhaps if Cyprian had not had to leave for Constantinople at that moment, everything would have turned out differently.
More recently, there was a bloody struggle between Poland and Lithuania for possessions in Galicia. And suddenly this struggle ended in union, that is, the unification of Poland and Lithuania under the rule of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello, who took the Polish throne.

With the death of the childless Casimir III, the ancient Piast dynasty came to an end. In 1383, it came to an internecine war between the feudal houses, the Grzhalits and Nałęcs, which tore Poland apart. The Grzemalites seemed to have won, and Jadwiga Piast sat on the throne, who was not even eleven years old and whom the Gniezdinsk Archbishop crowned as king, since women did not have the right to occupy the Polish throne.
An eleven-year-old queen was dangerous. The state could break into a new civil war at any moment, and the Polish nobility developed a clever plan: to place an outsider on the Polish throne. The choice fell on the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello.
The grandson of Gediminas and the son of Olgerd was elected king of Poland and founded the Jagiellonian dynasty, which ruled for almost two hundred years in Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Jagiello agreed to all the conditions put forward by the Poles. He promised to baptize all unbaptized Lithuania into Catholicism and convert himself to the Latin faith (before that Jagiello was Orthodox), promised to use his own means to obtain the lands lost by Poland and - most importantly - promised “to forever annex his lands, Lithuanian and Russian, to the Polish crown " Jadwiga Piast was married to Jagiello, who was crowned under the name of Vladislav II. Having accomplished this, the Poles first of all regained the Galician lands disputed with Lithuania, and then began to wait for the fulfillment of Jagiello’s promises - the annexation of all Lithuanian and Russian lands to Poland.

Fulfilling his obligations to the Poles, Jagiello began the baptism of Lithuania. Jagiello lured nobles into Catholicism with gifts, and ordinary people with force. Jogaila sought to eradicate not only paganism, but also Orthodoxy in the Lithuanian lands. Immediately after the wedding, Jagiello ordered the execution of two of his close associates for refusing to convert from Orthodoxy to Catholicism.
In 1387, the Catholic convert Jagiello gave privileges to feudal lords professing Catholicism. Their patrimonial rights were confirmed, they were released from part of their in-kind duties in favor of the Grand Duke. Catholics received the right to participate in the Sejm, have coats of arms, and hold government positions.
For the first time in the history of Lithuania, Orthodox and Catholics were placed in an unequal position, and this did not make the best impression on the Orthodox. Orthodox princes and boyars, even princes from the Lithuanian dynasty, who had settled in the Belarusian and Ukrainian lands and merged with local society, could no longer take part in political life if they did not want to leave their faith.
In cities, self-government was established according to the German model, as in Poland, according to the so-called Magdeburg law, but this right extended only to Catholics, so Orthodox Christians could not be elected to the city government, and sometimes were not even considered full citizens. Catholic bishoprics were founded in the main cities of Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine; they were provided with lands, which were often taken away from the Orthodox. The Orthodox Church, accustomed to living under the tutelage of the government, now felt abandoned and deprived.
It was especially difficult for the Orthodox clergy in those lands that were annexed directly to Poland (in Galicia, Kholmshchyna, Belz land). In these lands, Jagiello forbade the baptism according to the Orthodox rite of children from marriages between Orthodox Christians and Catholics, and ordered those already baptized to be rebaptized by force. In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, he had not yet decided to act so harshly, but various restrictions that were burdensome for Orthodox people were introduced one after another there.

The Lithuanian princes and boyars realized that they would now be ruled and controlled by the Krakow lords, after which discontent began in the Lithuanian and Russian lands. Vytautas, relying on the Lithuanian and Russian boyars, tried to obtain the Lithuanian grand-ducal throne, but Jagiello made his brother Skrigailo the Grand Duke of Lithuania.
Vytautas seemed to come to terms with this for a while. In 1386, he, together with other Lithuanian princes who recognized the power of Jagiello, took part in the war against Smolensk. But the peaceful coexistence of the Lithuanian princes did not last long. Soon Vytautas again turned to the Livonian Order for help, and civil war broke out again in Lithuania. Enmity with the mighty Vytautas could have cost Jogaila dearly: three-quarters of Lithuania followed Vytautas. In order not to be overthrown from the throne (and then no one would need him in Poland), Jagiello chose to reach an agreement and renounce part of the provisions of the Krevo Union.
In 1392, an agreement was signed in Ostrov, and in 1401 confirmed in Vilna, according to which Vytautas was recognized as the lifelong ruler of Lithuania (in fact, the Grand Duke). But only for life, without the right to transfer the title! Vytautas dies - and power in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania again passes to Jagiello. In the meantime, let the old order reign in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, without Catholicization and without incorporation into Poland.

On July 17, 1399, 18-year-old Queen Jadwiga Piast died, having outlived her newborn daughter by three weeks.

“Yagello had to marry a second time, and then a third and fourth. From his fourth wife, Sonka (Zofia) Golshanska, he fathered Wladyslaw (1424) and Kazimir (1427). Almost half Russian, they finally established their half-Russian dynasty on the Krakow throne.
If we consider that Olgerd-Algerdas, the son of Gediminas, reigned in Vitebsk for a long time, and Jagiello was born from the Tver princess Ulyana, then we have to admit: in 1386, the son of the Vitebsk prince and the Tver princess became the Polish king. A man in whom there was not a drop of Polish blood, but three-quarters Russian.”(Burovsky. “Russian Atlantis”)

In 1394 the offensive began Teutonic Order to Lithuania. The Germans approached Vilna and once again tried to take the city. In 1401, the Samogitians raised a new uprising against the order. Neither Vytautas nor Jogaila provided decisive assistance to the Samogitians and the uprising was drowned in blood.
The new, newly elected Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Ulrich von Jungingen, clearly led the matter towards war. When the Polish ambassadors came to congratulate Ulrich von Jungingen on his election, he defiantly left Malborg. On August 6, 1409, Master Ulrich von Jungingen officially declared war on Poland and Lithuania.
On July 3, 1410, Jagiello launched an attack on Marienburg. Ulrich von Jungingen also set out to the south, towards, and on July 15, 1410, the allied Polish-Lithuanian army met with the main forces of the order between the villages of Tannenberg (Stembark) and Grunwald.
Historians believe that there were about 27 thousand people on the side of the order. The Poles and Lithuanians fielded 32 thousand people. The order's troops were better trained and armed than the Polish-Lithuanian-Russian ones. In their ranks were French and English knights who had accumulated vast experience of war in the Near East.
The battle began with a volley of bombards, and the cannonballs did not reach the Poles and Lithuanians and did not cause any harm to anyone. Then Vitovt threw the Tatars and part of his cavalry at the enemy. The blow was aimed at the left flank of the order's army, on which the master was located. The knights counterattacked, starting their horses at a walk and gradually accelerating their movement. The blow was terrible. The roar of the colliding horsemen was heard for many miles, and Vytautas’s cavalry ran. Some of the knights galloped in pursuit.
Having repulsed the attack, the order's troops moved forward singing the victory anthem. The attackers also pushed back the Polish troops on the left flank. In the very center of the allied army and to the right of all on the Polish left flank, stood the Smolensk troops under the command of Prince Semyon Lingwen Olgerdovich. At the first moment, the brilliantly attacking Germans wedged themselves between the Smolensk regiments and the rest of the army.

“In this battle, only the Russian knights from the Smolensk land, formed by three separate regiments, steadfastly fought the enemies and did not take part in the flight. Thus they have earned immortal fame. And even if one of the regiments was brutally cut down and even its banner was bowed to the ground, then the other two regiments, fighting bravely, prevailed over all the men and knights with whom they fought hand-to-hand, until they united with the detachments of the Poles.”(Jan Dlugosz. “History of Poland”)

While the Russians from Smolensk fought, fettering the actions of the crusaders, the Polish banners reorganized and struck at the right flank of the order. At the same time, Vitovt struck on the left flank, on the knights returning after pursuing his retreating cavalry. The battered knights of Wallenrod, returning after pursuing the enemy, tried to attack, but were repulsed and destroyed.
The troops under the command of Liechtenstein found themselves sandwiched between the Polish and Lithuanian flanks, virtually surrounded, and then Master Ulrich von Jungingen personally led his reserve into battle. But the allies had more reserves: Jagiello brought into battle his 3rd line, which had not yet participated in the battle. Vytautas's horsemen, who had returned to the field, arrived in time. The crusaders were partly surrounded, partly retreated to Grunwald.
The winners killed most of the crusaders. Literally several hundred people were saved from the battlefield. Despite the prospect of a large ransom, very few prisoners were taken. It is difficult to say what the losses were on both sides. In any case, more than 600 girded knights and the leaders of the order, led by the Grand Master, died.

The bloody triumph of Poland and Lithuania meant an almost complete change not only in the course of the war, but also in the entire political situation in Eastern Europe. According to the Torun “eternal peace”, the order renounced its claims to the Dobrzyn land and paid a significant indemnity. According to the same treaty, Samogitia was reunited with the rest of Lithuania and never left its lands.

King Jagiello of Poland died in 1434 at the age of 82, outliving his cousin Vytautas by 4 years. The union of Poland and Lithuania and the joint victory over the Teutonic Order ultimately gave birth to the new state of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. And of course, Jagiello’s role in this important event for Europe was far from the last.

superstitious teetotaler, lover of cleanliness, stupid death and Columbus of the Jagiellonian family

The son and Tver princess Juliania had a son, who was named Jagiello. He inherited from his father the titles “Grand Duke of Lithuania” and “Prince of Vitebsk”, and February 2, 1386 During the general congress of the gentry, Jogaila was elected king of Poland under the name Vladislav II.

Many amazing facts are associated with Jagiello and his descendants. Not all of them claim to be authentic, but nevertheless they are quite interesting.

Fact 1. The Polish king Wladyslaw Jagiello reigned for 48 years and 4 months, which is considered a record among the kings of Poland.

Fact 2. Jagiello did not drink alcoholic beverages, including beer and wine. I didn’t like apples, couldn’t even stand the smell of them, but I always ate pears with pleasure. The king preferred to dress in simple clothes, refusing expensive furs and gold jewelry. Even in winter, Jagiello could be found in an ordinary sheepskin coat. The king was also very clean and took baths every day, which was very rare for medieval Europe.

Medieval Malbork. Photo by Olga Vitebskaya

Fact 3. Despite the fact that Jagiello converted to Christianity, there is information that at heart he remained a pagan and observed some superstitious customs. For example, before leaving the house, the king broke a straw into three parts and spun around three times, and to wash his hands, he pulled out hair from his beard and wove it between his fingers, and only then proceeded to ablution.

At Malbork Castle. Photo by Olga Vitebskaya

Fact 4. King Jagiello was married 4 times. His wives were: Jadwiga, Anna Celskaya, Elzhbetta Granovskaya and Sofia Golshanskaya. , but Yadviga died early in childbirth. Only Sophia gave the king male heirs. The first-born - Vladislav - was born in 1424. The baptism of the long-awaited heir was so solemn that 25 people were immediately registered as the boy’s godfathers, including Pope Martin V.

Jagiello and Jadwiga. Sculpture by Oskar Sosnowski in Krakow. Photo rech-pospolita.ru

Fact 5. The second son Jagiello lived only a year and a half, but the third son, Casimir Andrei, was associated with a big scandal in the kingdom. There were rumors among those close to him that the king was too old to have children, and that the queen could give birth to her lover. Sophia's maids of honor were tortured, and under torture two of them named the name of their mistress's “lover” - knight Henryk. He and other knights who fell under suspicion were arrested. Despite the cruel torture, they all said before their death that the queen was faithful to the king.

The investigation lasted a year, and as a result, Sophia swore an oath of innocence during the Sejm in Grodno.

Fact 6. Jagiello was a passionate hunter. It is known, for example, that in the autumn-winter of 1409 Jagiello hunted in Belovezhskaya Pushcha to procure food for his army. During the hunt, the 100,000-strong Polish-Lithuanian army was provided with provisions, which then took the battle from the Teutonic Order. It’s hard to imagine how many animals were destroyed during the brutal hunt. Later, Jagiello forbade everyone except himself and his cousin to hunt in the Pushcha.

Hunting scenes are a favorite motif in medieval castles. Malbork. Photo by Olga Vitebskaya

Hunting scene at Malbork Castle. Photo by Olga Vitebskaya

Fact 7. On the female side, the son of Jagiello and the grandson of Olgerd - Casimir IV Jagiellon is the ancestor of all the great princes and kings in Europe. Casimir was able to become related to the ruling European dynasties due to the fact that he had seven daughters.

Fact 8. In 1419, Jogaila's royal carriage was struck by lightning, killing two courtiers, seven horses in the cortege, and four horses harnessed to the carriage. Jagiello survived, but partially lost his hearing.

Image of a medieval knight in Malbork Castle. Photo by Olga Vitebskaya

Fact 9. Portuguese historian Manuel Rosa in his book Columbus. The Never Told Story states that Columbus comes not from Genoa, Italy, but from the Jagiellonian family. According to the historian, the father of the discoverer of America was the son of Jagiello, Vladislav III, who allegedly did not die in the battle with the Turks, as described in history, but escaped and settled in Madeira. There Vladislav married a rich Portuguese woman and from their marriage Columbus was born.

Manuel Rosa cites two main facts as evidence. Firstly, that only a person of famous origin could marry a Portuguese aristocrat, permission for which was given by the Portuguese king himself. And, secondly, that the coat of arms of Columbus is similar to the coat of arms of Vladislav.

Only a comparative DNA analysis can prove or disprove this fantastic assumption, but it is doubtful that in Krakow they will meet the Portuguese historian halfway, because the sarcophagus of King Jagiello, unlike the tombs of most grand dukes and kings, has never been opened.

Fact 10. The death of King Jagiello looks stupid and at the same time a little mystical. One evening he heard a nightingale singing and went into the grove. Having listened to the sounds of nightingales, the king spent several hours in the forest on a cold autumn evening, and when he returned to his chambers, he began to have a fever, from which he never recovered. Just before his death, Jagiello allegedly saw the ghost of his uncle Keistut, who kissed him on the forehead and closed his eyes.

He bequeathed the throne not to his eldest son, but to his first son from his second marriage, Jagiello. Thus, he provoked civil strife that broke out between the brothers after his death. The older Olgerdovichs believed that they had more rights to the throne, but on Yagaila’s side there was a most authoritative man who was faithful to the promise he had once made. With the support of his uncle, Jagiello captured Polotsk (he fled to Moscow), but the brothers sitting in other cities were not going to obey him. Bryansk (patrimonial estate), Smolensk, Volyn, Podolia and Severshchina (patrimonial estate) were separated from Lithuania.

However, deep down in his soul, Jagiello probably envied and feared him. In addition, there were contradictions in foreign policy views between uncle and nephew: he sympathized with Moscow, and Jagiello sought an alliance with the Germans and Tatars. In February 1380, Jagiello secretly concluded a five-month truce with the Livonian Order, and on May 31 he signed the secret Davidishkov Treaty with the Teutonic Order. Jagiello and the crusaders agreed on non-aggression, while the Order retained the right to attack the lands, and Jagiello - to help it just enough so as not to arouse suspicion of betrayal. The Teutons also pledged to remain neutral in Jagiello's wars with the Russian princes. Having secured his western borders, Jagiello allied with the Golden Horde against the Grand Duchy of Moscow. In September 1380, Jagiello sent a Lithuanian army to the Kulikovo field to help Mamai, but did not have time for the battle. However, the Lithuanians attacked a Russian convoy with wounded returning to Moscow and took rich booty.

In February 1381, the Teutons invaded and plundered Samogitia. At this time, Komtur Ostroda, who was his godfather, informed him about Yagaila’s betrayal. Taking advantage of the fact that Jagiello was busy suppressing the uprising in Polotsk, he gathered an army and moved towards Prussia, but then unexpectedly turned to Vilna. On the way, he met Jagiello and arrested him, and proclaimed himself Grand Duke. Only intercession saved Jogaila. treated him quite gently and released him, returning his patrimonial possessions - Krevo and Vitebsk. Jagiello had to acknowledge his uncle's supremacy in writing. The rest of the Gediminovichs, except , were also formally recognized as the Grand Duke. But not all of them were happy with the current situation. In May 1382 he rebelled. went against him with a small detachment, but was defeated. Meanwhile, the Germans rebelled in Vilna, dissatisfied with the policies of the Grand Duke. There is no doubt that the uprising occurred with the knowledge of Jogaila. On June 12, he arrived in the capital and organized the defense of the city against the attacker. At the end of June, the crusaders from the north and Jagiello from the direction of Vilna went to Troki, where he settled. was forced to retreat to Grodno. On July 6, Jagiello concluded a truce with the crusaders for a month, making them undertake not to help. On July 20, Jagiello took Troki, installing him as governor.

The question of whether Władysław Jagiello became the Polish king remains controversial. Under his first letters there is a signature “lord and guardian of the Kingdom of Poland”, in later documents he titles himself “King of Poland, Supreme Prince of Lithuania and Patriarch of Russia”, but many letters are confirmed, and some, on the contrary, are signed and confirmed by Vladislav-Jagiello. Moreover, after his death, doubts were raised about the legitimacy of Władysław-Jagiello’s occupation of the Polish throne.

At first, Jagiello retained all power in Lithuania in his own hands, although he controlled it through a governor. He died in 1385. Jagiello lured his strongest vassal, the prince of Ostrog, to his side and took it away from Lutsk, which he got. However, he continued to hold Troki in his hands. And in general, the ambitious cousin Yagaila was not satisfied with the position of a serving prince.

It must be said that many in Lithuania were dissatisfied with the concluded union with Poland. found allies among the younger princes and began to prepare for war. He expected to capture the Vilna castle during the celebration of the wedding of his daughter Sophia with the Grand Duke of Moscow. But this plan was thwarted by a German spy. turned to the Teutons for help and confirmed the terms of the previously signed Treaty of Königsberg with a promise to give Samogitia. In addition to the Germans, many mercenaries from other European countries arrived in his camp, including the future king of England and Marshal of France Jean le Mengres. Jagiello also gathered troops. He captured several castles in Podlasie, placing Polish garrisons in them, and after a six-month siege, in April 1390, he took Grodno. At the end of the summer of the same year, he undertook a major campaign, but during the siege of Georgenburg, Grand Master Konrad Zöllner von Rothenstein died, and the crusaders lifted the siege. The siege of Vilna also ended in failure. The troops ran out of gunpowder, the service life of the mercenaries expired, the crusaders needed to elect a new master. The siege was lifted and coalition troops returned to Prussia.

Fighting resumed the following year. The new master of the Teutonic Order, Konrad von Wallenrod, organized a crusade against Lithuania and continued to buy up Polish lands claimed by Jogaila. In a word, the war was unsuccessful both for Jagiello and for. The lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were being ruined more and more, and the Germans did not give a damn about the interests of their ally. Jagiello tried to replace his brother Wigand as governor in Lithuania, but he died under unclear circumstances on June 28, 1392. Then Jagiello decided to start peace negotiations with. On July 4, 1392, the cousins ​​met at the Ostrov estate near Lida and signed an agreement according to which he became the Grand Duke of Lithuania and received back his patrimony - the Principality of Troki. Jagiello received the title of Supreme Prince of Lithuania and became overlord. He also promised that after his death the lands of the Grand Duchy would become the property of the King of Poland. This commitment was confirmed by the Union of Vilna-Radom in 1401. Despite this, he pursued a fairly independent policy in Lithuania, and Vladislav Jagiello concentrated on Polish affairs.

Jagiello was born in the 1350s into the family of the Lithuanian prince Olgerd and the Tver princess Juliana. According to some reports, he was baptized in his youth. Olgerd significantly expanded the borders of his state: the prince annexed the Chernigov and Kyiv lands. In 1377, Olgerd died. For Lithuania, his death was marked by a series of civil strife; He bequeathed his part of the Grand Duchy not to the eldest heir, but to his beloved son from his second wife, Jogaila. In 1381, a bloody civil war began in the principality. Jogaila fought for the throne with his cousin Vytautas; it is known that he entered into a secret agreement with the Teutonic Order. By order of Jagiello, his uncle Keistut, who was pursuing a rapprochement with Moscow, was killed. Keistut's wife Biruta was also killed. After her death, the cult of Biruta developed in Lithuania, and sanctuaries were built in different parts of the principality in memory of the deceased. Vytautas managed to escape to the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.

Jagiello before the Madonna, fresco 1418

It is known that Jagiello planned to marry the daughter of Dmitry Donskoy, but later “reoriented” to an alliance with Poland. In 1385 the Union of Krevo was concluded. The agreement provided for the prince's marriage to the Polish Queen Jadwiga. Jagiello pledged to facilitate the return of lands lost to Poland, annex Russian territories and pay compensation to the Duke of Austria, who had previously been Jadwiga's fiancé. The Krevo Union operated for 184 years.

Jagiello's wife - Jadwiga

Jagiello pledged to accept the Catholic faith and baptize the inhabitants of Lithuania, as well as free the captured Poles. In a short time, about 30 thousand people were baptized. These events led to unrest in the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Vitovt stood at the head of the protesters. The Teutonic Order also opposed the accession of Jagiello to the Polish throne; Thus, Master Konrad Zellner argued that a pagan would lead Christians to destruction. In 1389, Prince Vitovt, with the support of the Order, tried to take possession of Vilna. The attempt ended in failure, but the following year Vitovt nevertheless captured the capital of the principality. More than 10 thousand Teutonic knights fought on his side. Vytautas achieved recognition as the Grand Duke of Lithuania under the supreme authority of Jagiello.

Polish knights at war

Contemporaries left scant information about Jogaila's lifestyle and character. It is known, however, that he was a passionate hunter. His favorite place for this activity was the Belovezhskaya Pushcha nature reserve; in accordance with the king's decree, only the ruling elite of Poland could hunt here. Jagiello announced that during the hunt the 100,000-strong Polish army would be provided with provisions. Numerous images in medieval castles tell the story of the king's pastime in Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

After the death of Jadwiga, the ruler became engaged to Anna, the granddaughter of King Casimir the Great of Poland (Jagiello was married 4 times in total). In 1409 he started a war with the Teutonic Order. Three years later he won, having achieved the payment of a significant indemnity. Jagiello ruled until his death in 1434. According to one version, he died as a result of complications from a cold. The Jagiellonian dynasty remained on the Polish throne until 1572.