Gediminids

The Gediminids (Lithuanian: Gediminai?iai, singular: Gediminaitis) were a dynasty of grand dukes of Lithuania that reigned from the 13th to the 16th century. One branch of this dynasty, known as the family of Jagiellons, reigned also in Poland, Hungary and Bohemia. Several other branches ranked among the leading aristocratic dynasties of Russia and Poland into recent times.

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The origin of Gediminas himself is much debated. Some sources say he was Vytenis' ostler, others that he was of peasant stock. Most scholars agree, however, that he was related to Vytenis, although it is a moot point whether he was Vytenis' son. The parentage of Vytenis is explained differently in various fake genealogies, compiled from the 16th century onwards. According to the latest Polish reaserch, his parentage cannot be established. For more information see Jan T?gowski, "Pierwsze pokolenia Gedyminowicz?w", 1999.

Lithuanian: The term Lithuanian can mean:...

Dynasty: A dynasty is a family or extended family which retains political power across generations, or more generally, any organization which extends dominance in its field even as its particular members change. See also: family dictatorship....

Lithuania: The Republic of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuva; full - Lietuvos Respublika) is a republic in northeastern Europe. One of the three Baltic States along the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland to the south, and the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia to th...