Columns of Gediminas, symbol of the Gediminids. The Columns of Gediminas or Pillars of Gediminas (Gediminaičių stulpai are one of the earliest symbols of Lithuania and one of its historical coats of arms

The Gediminas (Lithuanian: Gediminaičiai, singular: Gediminaitis) were a dynasty of monarchs of the medieval Lithuania that reigned from the 14th to the 16th century. Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. A dynasty is a succession of rulers who belong to the same family for generations Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the They were rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which realm chiefly meant that of Lithuanians and Ruthenians, this area being at least half-Slavic. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje Lithuanians are the Baltic Ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million The term Ruthenians (Русини Rusyny) is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used One branch of this dynasty, known as the family of Jagiellons, reigned also in Poland, Hungary and Bohemia. The Jagiellons (Jogailaičiai Jagiellonowie were a royal Dynasty originating from Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Several other branches ranked among the leading aristocratic dynasties of Russia and Poland into recent times.

Their monarchical title in Lithuanian primarily was, by some folkloristic data, kunigų kunigas ("Duke of Dukes"), and later on, didysis kunigas ("Great/High Duke") or, in a simple manner, kunigaikštis. Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. In the 18th century the latter form was changed (maybe, by polonised clerks) into tautological didysis kunigaikštis, which nevertheless would be translated as "Grand Duke" (for its etymology, see Grand Prince). The Title Grand Prince or Great Prince (Magnus Princeps Russian and Ukrainian: Великий князь Velikiy knyaz; Вялíкий

Their origin

Genealogical tree of the Gediminid dynasty. Genealogy (from Greek: el γενεά el-Latn genea, "descent" and el λόγος el-Latn logos, "knowledge" is the study of

The origin of Gediminas himself is much debated. Gediminas (ca 1275 – winter 1341 was the Monarch of medieval Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the title lt didysis kunigaikštis (вялікі князь Some sources say he was Vytenis' ostler, others that he was of peasant stock, some historicians consider him as the son or grandson of Lithuanian or Yatvingian duke Skalmantas. Vytenis was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from c 1295 to c 1316 An hostler, pronounced (and occasionally spelled ostler, is an Archaic word for a groom or stableman i Yotvingians or Sudovians (also called Suduvians, Jatvians, or Jatvingians in English (Jotvingiai Sūduviai Jatvingi Jaćwingowie Яцьвягі Skomantas/Komantas is a name of Skomantas of Sudovia, last tribal leader and pagan priest of the Sudovians/Yotvingians Skalmantas (Gediminids Most scholars agree, however, that he was related to Vytenis, although it is a moot point whether he was Vytenis' son or brother (the parentage of Vytenis is explained differently in various fake genealogies, compiled from the 16th century onwards; according to the latest Polish research, his parentage cannot be established. Vytenis was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from c 1295 to c 1316 Vytenis was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from c 1295 to c 1316 ^[1]

List of (undoubted) Gediminids who ruled in Lithuania

• Gediminas
• Jaunutis
• Algirdas
• Jogaila
• Kęstutis
• Vytautas
• Švitrigaila
• Žygimantas Kęstutaitis
• Kazimieras Jogailaitis
• Aleksandras
• Žygimantas Senasis
• Žygimantas Augustas

Branches of the dynasty

The Eastern Orthodox branches of the family were mostly Ruthenian, which also was the one of the two main languages of their established state. Gediminas (ca 1275 – winter 1341 was the Monarch of medieval Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the title lt didysis kunigaikštis (вялікі князь Jaunutis (literally young man, Ruthenian: Jewnut, Polish: Jawnuta, Belarusian: Jaunut (Яўнут baptized Algirdas, (ɑlgərdɑːs known as Olgierd Альгерд Ольгерд b Jogaila, later Władysław II Jagiełło (b about 1362 d 1 June 1434 was Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. Kęstutis (kæsˈtuːtıs born ca 1297 died on August 3 or August 15, 1382 in Kreva) was Monarch of medieval Lithuania Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian:; Vitaŭt; Latin: Alexander Vitoldus; Witold Ruthenian: Vitovt; c Švitrigaila (ca 1370 – 10 February 1452) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432 For other nobles of the same name see Sigismund. Sigismund Kęstutaitis (Žygimantas I Kęstutaitis Zygmunt Kiejstutowicz born ca Casimir IV Jagiellon (Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk; Kazimieras Jogailaitis Kazimir Jahajłavič 30 November 1427 &ndash Alexander Jagiellon ( Lithuanian: Aleksandras Jogailaitis; Polish: Aleksander Jagiellończyk; 5 August 1461 – 19 August Sigismund I the Old (Zygmunt I Stary Žygimantas II Senasis 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) of the Jagiellon dynasty reigned as For other nobles of the same name please see Sigismund. Sigismund II Augustus I (Zygmunt II August The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Ruthenian (also Some of these families (e. g. , Czartoryski) later converted to Roman Catholicism and became thoroughly Polonized. Czartoryski ( Polish plural Czartoryscy) is the Surname of a Polish - Lithuanian Magnate family also known as the Familia Polonization (polonizacja is the acquisition or imposition Others (e. g. , Galitzine) moved to Muscovy and became thoroughly Russified. The Galitzines, more correctly the Golitsyns (Голи́цын are one of the largest and noblest Princely houses of Russia. The Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое княжество Московское was a medieval Russian polity centered on Moscow between 1340 and Russification (in Russian: русификация rusifikátsiya)is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attribute (whether voluntarily

Some of the noblest princely families of Russia and Poland belong to the Gediminid stock. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending In Belarusian the Gediminids are known as Гедзімінавічы (Giedziminavičy, sing. The Belarusian language, or Belorussian,(беларуская мова BGN/PCGN: byelaruskaya mova, Scientific: belaruskaja mova : Гедзімінавіч, Giedziminavič), in Polish — as Giedyminowicze (sing. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. : Giedyminowicz), in Ukrainian - as Гедиміновичі (Hedyminovychi, sing. Ukrainian (in Ukrainian украї́нська мо́ва ukrayins'ka mova,) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. Гедимінович Hedyminovych), and in Russian — as Gediminovichi (sing. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages : Гедиминович).

In Poland, most Gediminid families (such as Korecki, Olelkowicz-Słucki, Wiśniowiecki, Zbaraski, Jagiellons) are extinct, but at least three families survive to the present: Czartoryski, Sanguszko, and Koriatowicz-Kurcewicz. Wiśniowiecki (Вишневе́цький Višnioveckiai|} is the name of a family notable in the history of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Czartoryski ( Polish plural Czartoryscy) is the Surname of a Polish - Lithuanian Magnate family also known as the Familia Sanguszko ( Belarusian: Сангушка) is a Polish - Lithuanian noble family of the Ruthenian stock from Gediminid dynasty

The Russian Gediminid families include Bulgakov, Golitsin, Kurakin, Khovansky, Trubetskoy, Mstislavsky, Belsky, and Volynsky. Bulgakov (Булгаков is a common Russian Family name and may refer to Gediminid family of Princes Bulgakov Alexander The Galitzines, more correctly the Golitsyns (Голи́цын are one of the largest and noblest Princely houses of Russia. Kurakin (Куракин was a Gediminid Russian princely family and may refer to Alexander Kurakin (senator (1697-1749 a Russian diplomat Trubetskoy ( English) Трубецкой ( Russian) Trubiacki ( Belarusian Belsky (Бельский, pl Бельские also spelled Bielski, was the name of two long-extinct princely families of Muscovite Russia. Artemy Petrovich Volynsky ( Арте́мий Петро́вич Волы́нский in Russian) (1689 &ndash 1740 was a Russian Statesman and

See also

• House of Gediminas
• List of Belarusian rulers
• List of Lithuanian rulers
• Columns of Gediminas
• Galitzine family
• Palemonids

Notes

External links

• Genealogy of the House of Gediminas