Upytė is the open farming land of the Nevėžis valley north of Kaunas, with the later towns of Kėdainiai and Panevėžys, between Samogitia to the west, Deltuva to the south-east and the Semigallian and Selonian plains to the north.
It is the Lithuanian land nearest the Semigallians.
Who holds it
- Title
- dukes or elders of Upytė
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
Upytė is named in the 13th century; nothing is known of its rulers in 1200.
How things stand that morning
Self-governing under its dukes or elders; its northern edge against the Semigallians is a raiding frontier in the 13th century.
Wealth
Grain farming on the plain, cattle and horses.
Military
Hillforts and levies; no detail known.
Customs and assemblies
The land's dukes (kunigaikščiai), the heads of its kindreds and the free farmers decide war and peace among themselves; the dukes lead in war, judge disputes and keep the hillforts with the labour of the land. No written law and no town assembly is recorded; the pagan priesthood and sacred groves bind the community. Several lands' dukes join for great raids.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Named in the 13th century; extent inferred.
On the map: Baltic lands were clusters of settlement round hillforts divided by forest and bog; the outline is a convention traced along rivers and later boundaries.
Primary sources for Lithuanians
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Chronicle of Novgorod (kept year by year; the Synodal manuscript written in the 13th and 14th centuries). Novgorod's own record, kept at St Sophia. Read online
- The Livonian Chronicle of Henry, Henry of Livonia (1225 to 1227). The chief source for the Baltic mission. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.