Birutė hill chapel at the end of the 19th century

A bronze sculpture of Birutė near her presumed grave

Birutė (died in 1382) was the second wife of Kęstutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and mother of Vytautas the Great. Kęstutis (kæsˈtuːtıs born ca 1297 died on August 3 or August 15, 1382 in Kreva) was Monarch of medieval Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian:; Vitaŭt; Latin: Alexander Vitoldus; Witold Ruthenian: Vitovt; c There is very little known about Birutė's life but her cult was strong among Lithuanians and Samogitians. Lithuanians are the Baltic Ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million Samogitians (Žemaičiai Samogitian: Žemaitē) are a Baltic ethnic group inhabiting the region of Samogitia in Lithuania.

Life

Marriage

Most likely she was born around Palanga city to a Samogitian or Curonian magnate family. Palanga ( is a seaside Resort town in western Lithuania, on the shore of the Baltic Sea. Samogitia ( Samogitian: Žemaitėjė, Žemaitija literally lowlands) is one of the five Ethnographic Regions of Lithuania. The Kursenieki are also known as Curonians The Curonians ( Curonian: Kursi; Kuren Kurši Kuršiai Kuralased were The story of her marriage with Kęstutis became a romantic legend in Lithuania. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Chronicles mention that Birutė was a priestess (Lithuanian: vaidilutė) and served Pagan gods by guarding the sacred fire. Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Lithuanian mythology is an example of pagan Mythology containing archaic elements developed by Lithuanians throughout the centuries When Kęstutis learned about her beauty, he visited the shire and asked her to marry him. She refused because she had promised the gods to guard her virginity until her death. Kęstutis then took her by force to Trakai and threw a big wedding. Senieji Trakai (literally "Old" Trakai is a historic Lithuanian village located 3 km east of Trakai, with 1500 inhabitants She and Kęstutis had three sons and three daughters. Vytautas, their first son, was born around 1350. Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian:; Vitaŭt; Latin: Alexander Vitoldus; Witold Ruthenian: Vitovt; c This suggests that the marriage took place in 1349 or a bit earlier.

Historian S. C. Rowell suggests that a marriage to a pagan duchess rather than to an Orthodox duchess from Slavic lands helped to win pagan Lithuanian support after Kęstutis and his brother Algirdas deposed of Jaunutis in 1345. Algirdas, (ɑlgərdɑːs known as Olgierd Альгерд Ольгерд b Jaunutis (literally young man, Ruthenian: Jewnut, Polish: Jawnuta, Belarusian: Jaunut (Яўнут baptized ^[1]

Death

The circumstances surrounding her death are not entirely clear. In 1381-1382 her husband Kęstutis waged a war against his nephew Jogaila who became the Grand Duke of Lithuania and signed a treaty with the Teutonic Knights against Kęstutis. Jogaila, later Władysław II Jagiełło (b about 1362 d 1 June 1434 was Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. He was arrested and transported to the Kreva castle. Kreva (Крэва 'krɛva Krėva Krevas Krewo is a township in Hrodna Voblast, Belarus. A week later Kęstutis was found dead and some chronicles hint that he was murdered. In such light, one chronicle written by the Teutonic Knights briefly mentions that Birutė for safety reasons moved to Brest, Belarus and was drowned in fall of 1382 (likely in response to Vytautas escape from Kreva). However, no other sources confirm or refute this claim. Since Samogitian delegation to the Council of Constance some 35 years later denied the murder, another legend sprang up that Birutė returned to the Palanga shrine and continued to serve the gods until her death in circa 1389. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Council of Constance is the 16th Ecumenical council.

It is believed that she was buried in Palanga at the bottom of a hill named in her honor.

Worship

A grotto at the bottom of Birutė Hill, designed by Édouard André

Birutė's cult developed and was strong long after her death. Édouard François André ( 17 July 1840 &ndash 25 October 1911) was a French Horticulturalist as well as a leading She was considered to be a goddess or a pagan equivalent to saint by the local people. In 1989 archaeologists found evidence of a pagan sanctuary and observatory, which had existed on the top of Birutė Hill in late 14th - early 15th century. Likely it was built in Birutė's honor. There are many historical accounts concerning people praying to Birutė, asking for good health or fortune. To prevent people from worshiping their pagan gods and Birutė's grave, a chapel for Saint George was built on the top of the hill in 1506. In Christian hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Anglican Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox In 1869 the chapel was re-built and survives till today. It is a popular destination for many tourists.

Birutė Hill is the highest dune at the seaside of Palanga about 150 meters from the Baltic Sea shore, now a part of the Palanga Botanical Garden. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. Archaeological research shows that there was a village at the bottom of the hill in the 10th century. In the 13th century, when the Teutonic Knights and Livonian Order started attacking, the village built a defense system with a tower. Bishop Albert of Riga founded the Military order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae Schwertbrüderorden in 1202 After a defeat, the system was rebuilt even stronger: it had two towers, the top of the hill was surrounded by a wall. However, it was burned in the second half of the 14th century. A pagan shrine and observatory was built instead.

Notes

References

• History: Birutė, from "Encyclopedia Lituanica," II, Boston, 1972, pages 361-362, Palanga Botanical Park, Lithuanian Art Museum. Accessed May 24, 2006.
• (Lithuanian) Vykintas Vaitkevičius, Rašytiniai Šaltiniai apie Birutės Kalną, Palanga Botanical Park, Lithuanian Art Museum. Accessed May 24, 2006.
• (Lithuanian) Dr. Libertas Klimka Birutės kalnas, Palanga Botanical Park, Lithuanian Art Museum. Accessed May 24, 2006.
• (Lithuanian) Vladas Žulkus, Palangos priešistorė ir viduramžiai archeologo akimis, part II, from Palangos istorija, Klaipėda: Libra Memelensis, 1999, Palanga Botanical Park, Lithuanian Art Museum. Accessed May 24, 2006.
• (Lithuanian) Inga Deidulė, Vytauto Didžiojo įvaizdžio genezės mįslė, - "ieškokite moterų", Birutės kultas, Vartiklis. Accessed May 24, 2006.