Voruta
Encyclopedia
Voruta may have been the capital city
of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
and the Kingdom of Lithuania
during the reign of king Mindaugas
in the 13th century. Voruta is mentioned briefly only once in written sources and its exact location of Voruta is unknown. Despite all the uncertainties, the concept of Voruta is well-known and popular in the Lithuanian imagination.
and Edivydas and Duke of Samogitia
Vykintas
in 1251. This information, taken from the Hypatian Chronicle, is the only recorded message about Voruta. A castle of Mindaugas was mentioned on two more occasions, but neither its name nor location was specified. It is unclear whether these brief mentions referred to the same location.
Nevertheless, some historians in 19th and 20th centuries called it "the first capital of Lithuania" and attempted to identify its location. In total there were about fourteen suggested locations of Voruta. Others argue that Voruta was not an actual city, but just a misinterpretation of a word that means capital. In opinion of Kazimieras Būga
, one of the prominent Lithuanian philologists, the word voruta simply means castle.
These sites were suggested by various historians in various times:
Since publication, some of the theories have been largely discredited.
Capital City
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of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
and the Kingdom of Lithuania
Kingdom of Lithuania
The Kingdom of Lithuania was a Lithuanian monarchy which existed from 1251 to roughly 1263. King Mindaugas was the first and only crowned king of Lithuania. The status of a kingdom was lost after Mindaugas' assassination in 1263. Other monarchs of Lithuania are referred to as Grand Dukes, even...
during the reign of king Mindaugas
Mindaugas
Mindaugas was the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or rise to power; he is mentioned in a 1219 treaty as an elder duke, and in 1236 as the leader of all the Lithuanians...
in the 13th century. Voruta is mentioned briefly only once in written sources and its exact location of Voruta is unknown. Despite all the uncertainties, the concept of Voruta is well-known and popular in the Lithuanian imagination.
Historiography
Mindaugas, the first and the only crowned Lithuanian king, defended himself in Voruta during an internal war against his nephews TautvilasTautvilas
Tautvilas was Duke of Polatsk and one of the sons of Dausprungas and nephews of King of Lithuania Mindaugas. Tautvilas together with his brother Edivydas and uncle Vykintas waged a civil war against Mindaugas...
and Edivydas and Duke of Samogitia
Samogitia
Samogitia is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Šiauliai/Šiaulē. The region has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian dialect...
Vykintas
Vykintas
thumb|200 px|Monument to Duke Vykintas in TveraiVykintas was Duke of Samogitia and rival to future King of Lithuania Mindaugas. In 1236 he probably led Samogitian forces in the Battle of Saule against the Livonian Order...
in 1251. This information, taken from the Hypatian Chronicle, is the only recorded message about Voruta. A castle of Mindaugas was mentioned on two more occasions, but neither its name nor location was specified. It is unclear whether these brief mentions referred to the same location.
Nevertheless, some historians in 19th and 20th centuries called it "the first capital of Lithuania" and attempted to identify its location. In total there were about fourteen suggested locations of Voruta. Others argue that Voruta was not an actual city, but just a misinterpretation of a word that means capital. In opinion of Kazimieras Būga
Kazimieras Buga
Kazimieras Būga was a Lithuanian linguist and philologist. He was a professor of linguistics, who mainly worked on the Lithuanian language.He was born at Pažiegė, near Dusetos, then part of the Russian Empire...
, one of the prominent Lithuanian philologists, the word voruta simply means castle.
List of suggested locations
- Berzgainiai in Ukmergė district by Petras Tarasenka
- Buteikiai in Anykščiai district by Kazimieras Žebrys
- GorodishcheNavahrudak CastleThe former castle in Navahrudak, Belarus was one of the key strongholds of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, cited by Maciej Stryjkowski as the location of Mindaugas's coronation as King of Lithuania as well as his likely burial place...
near Navahrudak by Teodor NarbuttTeodor NarbuttTeodor Narbutt was a Polish–Lithuanian writer, Romantic historian and military engineer... - KernavėKernaveKernavė was a medieval capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and today is a tourist attraction and an archeological site . It is located in the Širvintos district municipality located in southeast Lithuania...
by Fryderyk Papée - Karelich near Navahrudak by Mikola YermalovichMikola YermalovichMikola Yermalovich — Belarusian writer, historian. He graduated from Minsk Pedagogical Institute in 1947.-Bibliography:* Dear to Belarusians name...
- LiškiavaLiškiavaLiškiava is a historic village in the Varėna district municipality, Lithuania. It is situated on the bank of Neman River, near the Lake Liškiavis. In 2005 its population was 37....
by Jonas TotoraitisJonas TotoraitisJonas Totoraitis was a Roman Catholic priest and historian. Totoraitis studied at the Theological Seminary of Sejny. He went on to Freiburg University in Switzerland, where his doctoral dissertation on the life of King Mindaugas, Die Litauer unter dem König Mindowe bis zum Jahre 1263, the first... - Medininkai by Evaldas Gečiauskas
- Ročiškė in Raseiniai district by Ludwik KrzywickiLudwik KrzywickiLudwik Krzywicki was a Polish anthropologist, economist and sociologist. One of the early champions of sociology in Poland, he approached historical materialism from a sociological viewpoint...
- Šeimyniškėliai in Anykščiai district by Eduards Volters (supported by Tomas BaranauskasTomas BaranauskasTomas Baranauskas is a Lithuanian historian specializing in the history of medieval Lithuania. He is the author of the book "The Formation of the Lithuanian State"....
) - Ūturiai in Raseiniai district by Wojciech KętrzyńskiWojciech Ketrzynskithumb|Kętrzyński-Monument in [[Kętrzyn]].Wojciech Kętrzyński , born Adalbert von Winkler, was a historian and the director of the Ossolineum Library in Lwów, Austrian partition of Poland. He focused on Polish history in a time when no independent Polish state existed...
- Varniany in Hrodna VoblastHrodna VoblastHrodna Voblast or Grodno Oblast is a voblast in northwestern Belarus.The capital - Grodno is the biggest city of the province. It lies on the Neman River. Grodno's existence is attested to from 1127. Two castles dating from the 14th - 18th centuries are located here on the steep right bank of...
, Belarus by Juliusz Latkowski - VilniusVilniusVilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
by Romas Batūra - Area of DaugaiDaugaiDaugai is a small city in Alytus district municipality, Lithuania. It is situated some to east from Alytus on the shores of Lake Didžiulis. The city has the Church of Divine Providence dating from 1862, extant bazaar square, Daugai Vladas Mironas secondary school, art school, agricultural...
–VarėnaVarenaVarėna is a city in Dzūkija, Lithuania.-History:The town was founded in 1862 near the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway, south of Sena Varėna . At that time it was a small settlement, but following steady development it eventually became the center of the district in 1950. In the interbellum...
by Henryk Łowmiański - Area of Medvėgalis–VarniaiVarniaiVarniai , is a city in the Telšiai County, western Lithuania. In the Middle Ages the city was known as Medininkai. It was established in the 14th century, on the bank of the Varnelė River, near an important Samogitian castle. It was the center of Samogitian Catholic church: after the baptism of...
by Antanas Steponaitis
Since publication, some of the theories have been largely discredited.