Daugirutis is the second Lithuanian duke known by name.
His daughter's marriage to Visvaldis of Jersika gave the Lithuanian war bands a friendly road and shelter on the Daugava on their way to the Estonian and Rus' lands. In 1213 he went to Novgorod to make peace with Prince Mstislav and on his way home was captured by the Germans; unable to pay his ransom, he took his own life at Wenden. Nothing places him in 1200.
Who he is
- Name
- Daugirutis
- Title
- duke
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- His daughter married Visvaldis (Vsevolod), the Rus' prince of Jersika on the Daugava; the date of the marriage is not pinned.
- Confidence
- low
Henry of Livonia names him in 1213: returning from a treaty with Novgorod he was taken by the Germans and died in captivity at Wenden (Cēsis). His land is unknown. His standing in 1200 is not pinned.
What it holds
- not pinned
Allies and rivals
Kinsman by marriage of Visvaldis of Jersika; enemy of the Germans of Riga in 1213; at peace with Novgorod in 1213.
How things stand that morning
Not pinned. If the Jersika marriage already existed in 1200, he was the Lithuanians' main friend on the Daugava.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1213 (later)Captured by the Germans after a peace with Novgorod; dies in captivity at Wenden.Depends on: German control of the Daugava routes by then Stopped by: any change in the German advance
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Known only from Henry of Livonia, 1213; the Novgorod chronicle does not record his treaty.
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
- Wikipedia, Daugirutis (after Henry of Livonia; Kiaupa 2000 pp. 50-51)
- Henry of Livonia, Chronicle (Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae), tr. J. A. Brundage, The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia (1961; Columbia University Press 2003)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.