Prince Olgerd - a famous Lithuanian nobleman, brother of Keistut and son of Gediminas. He ruled from 1345 to 1377, having managed to significantly expand the borders of his state. His predecessor was Prince Evnutiy, and his successor was Jagiello.
Where did the name come from
There are two main versions of the origin of the name of Prince Olgerd. According to the most common of them, it originates from two Lithuanian words, which in exact translation mean "rumor" and "reward". Literally, the name translates as "famous for rewards".
There is another version according to which the name comes from an ancient Germanic root meaning "spear". In this case, it should be translated as "noble spear".
At present, there is no common position among domestic scientists and researchers even on the question of where the emphasis falls in the name of Prince Olgerd. In Polish, it traditionally falls on the penultimate syllable. But in Russian-language literature, it is customary to put emphasis on the second. For example, in this form, the name of Prince Olgerdfound in Alexander Pushkin.
In the most authoritative dictionaries and encyclopedias, the stress is also placed on the second syllable. At the same time, in modern editions of encyclopedias, it has already been transferred to the first one.
Ascension to the Throne
The future Lithuanian Prince Olgerd was born in 1296. When he was 22 years old, he married Maria Yaroslavovna, daughter of the Vitebsk prince. They settled in Usvyaty, now it is an urban-type settlement in the Pskov region.
In 1341, together with his brother Kuistut, the people of Pskov were invited to protect their lands from the Livonian knights. At the same time, Olgerd refused to rule in this city, appointing his son Andrei as governor. He himself remained in charge of Kreva (the territory of the modern Grodno region), as well as the lands up to the Berezina River. When his father-in-law Yaroslav died, he began to reign in Vitebsk.
After the death of the nobleman, the Principality of Lithuania was divided between his children and brother. The youngest of the sons - Evnutiy - ruled in Vilna. According to the authoritative historian Vladimir Antonovich, he himself was not considered a Grand Duke. Apparently, the children of Gediminas ruled independently, so none of them was considered senior over the others.
In 1345 Keistut, in collusion with Olgerd, occupied Vilna. The brothers gave Zaslavl to Yevnutiy, which was three days away from here.
City Development
In the biography of Prince Olgerd, an important place was occupied by the first years of the city's rule, when he contributed to the active construction of Orthodox churches. For example, the temple of St. Nicholas, which today remains the oldest in Vilna. In the early 1340s, there was a monastery on this site, where Sister Gedimina spent a lot of time.
1345 is considered the year when the Pyatnitskaya church was founded, and the next year they began to build Prechistenskaya. After the meeting of the Orthodox community with the Lithuanian prince Olgerd, the Holy Trinity was erected.
Keystut and brother signed an agreement between themselves, according to which they agreed to remain in the union, and to share all acquisitions equally. It is noteworthy that none of the specific princes began to oppose this order, only Narimunt and Evnutiy tried to find support abroad.
Mostly the crusaders were opposed by Keistut. Olgerd directed his main efforts to expanding the boundaries of his state at the expense of neighboring regions. He sought to increase his influence in Pskov, Novgorod and Smolensk. Novgorodians and Pskovians tried in every possible way to maneuver between Lithuania, Livonia and the Horde. But as a result, an influential Livonian party appeared there, which, in its significance, was significantly inferior to the Moscow one, but still represented a certain advantage.
Success in Smolensk
But some success was achieved in Smolensk. Olgerd spoke in defense of Prince Ivan Alexandrovich, agreeing to act together.
His son Svyatoslav found himself in a position of complete dependence on the Lithuanian prince, for example, he had to accompany him on campaigns, and also provide Smolensk soldiers for battlesagainst the crusaders. Any non-compliance by Svyatoslav with these duties threatened Olgerd's campaign against Smolensk and its devastation.
In 1350, the hero of our article married again, now to the daughter of Alexander Mikhailovich, who ruled in Tver. He himself was killed in the Horde. The new wife of Grand Duke Olgerd was called Ulyana. This happened during a dispute over the reign in Tver between the Kashin ruler Vasily Mikhailovich and Vsevolod Kholmsky, who was his own nephew. The first was supported by the Moscow prince Dmitry, and the second - by Olgerd. Then for the first time there was a confrontation between them.
Chernihiv lands
Olgerd, who was a Christian, besides married first to a Vitebsk and then to a Tver princess, sought to direct his efforts towards the liberation of Russian lands from the Tatar-Mongol. At the same time, he wanted to increase his influence in his native lands.
In 1355, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Olgerd conquered Bryansk, then other settlements in the district, which included the Chernihiv-Seversky principality, also went to him. As a result, these lands were divided into several destinies. Trubchevsk and Chernigov went to his son Dmitry, Novgorod-Seversk and Bryansk - to the younger Dmitry Koribut, and he gave Starodub to his nephew Patrikey.
Confrontation with Kyiv
In 1362, the hero of our article defeated three Tatar princes at once on the banks of the Blue Waters. They tried to subdue the Podolsk lands, which were conquered by Olgerd's father, Gediminas.
As a result, the LithuanianThe prince had a significant influence over the lands throughout the district. Under his rule was the left half of the Dnieper River basin, the entire valley of the Southern Bug, the spaces up the Dnieper and local estuaries.
Lithuanian princes for a long time remained in possession of the Black Sea coast in the area of present-day Odessa. Olgerd's son Vladimir succeeded Fedor, who reigned in Kyiv from the 1320s. To take possession of Volhynia, the hero of our article had to confront the Polish king Casimir III. The dispute, which lasted for several years, was resolved in 1377, when Louis replaced Casimir.
With the direct mediation of Keistut, Ludovic and Olgerd signed an agreement. According to it, Lithuania received Vladimir, Beresteisky and Lutsk appanages, and Poland received Belz and Kholm regions.
Relations with Moscow
In 1368, Olgerd decided to attack the Moscow principality. First, he managed to defeat the advanced regiment led by the governor Dmitry Minin. The battle took place on the Trosna River. After that, Prince Olgerd began the siege of Moscow.
True, he stood at the Kremlin for only three days, and then returned. The result of this campaign was that for a while Moscow lost its influence on the Principality of Tver.
After that, Olgerd sent troops against the Odoevsky principality, defeating the Russian troops on the Holokholna River. From there, the hero of our article went to Kaluga. In Obolensk, he fought with the detachment of Prince Konstantin Ivanovich, killing him.
In 1370, the Lithuanian nobleman undertook anotherone attempt to oppose Moscow. This was done after the appeal of Mikhail Tverskoy, who was defeated by Dmitry Ivanovich. The Lithuanian prince unsuccessfully besieged Volokolamsk, then again stood at the walls of the Kremlin, but as a result he concluded a truce for six months and returned to his homeland. Moreover, the peace treaty was reinforced by a dynastic marriage. Olgerd married his daughter Elena to his cousin Dmitry Ivanovich, whose name was Vladimir Andreevich.
The next campaign in 1372 ended with a truce unfavorable for Lithuania. Under this agreement, Mikhail Tversky had to return to Dmitry all the Moscow cities that he had previously occupied. At the same time, Olgerd could not intercede for him, since the disputes were resolved by the court of the Horde. As a result, Lithuania almost completely lost its influence over Tver.
Death of the Prince
The reign of Prince Olgerd lasted from 1345 to 1377.
After his death, he left a will that sowed discord and confusion throughout Lithuania. He bequeathed his own part of the Grand Duchy not to his eldest son from his first wife Andrei, but to his son from his second wife, Jagiello.
Private life
There is no reliable information about Olgerd's personal life. According to the most common version, he had twelve sons and at least seven daughters from two wives.
At the same time, information about his first wife is very contradictory, there is not even exact information about her name.
The question of the seniority of Olgerd's children also remains controversial. Most likely, from his first marriage with Maria or Anna, he had five sons and two daughters, and in the second marriage - eightsons and eight daughters.
The image of the prince is present on the monument "Millennium of Russia", a monument to him was erected on the territory of Vitebsk.
