Montwiłł, Grand Duke of Samogitia

Montwiłł (born at an unknown time, died June 12, 1264) was the Grand Duke of Samogitia after 1219 – June 12, 1264, a prominent ruler. He inherited the Grand Duchy from his father Żywibund, who had ruled over Samogitia from 1214 to after 1219. Montwiłł was the half-brother of Mendog (Mindaugas), who was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1236 to 1253, and the King of Lithuania from 1253 until his death.

Montwiłł, the son of Żywibund, took over the lordship of Samogitia after his father's death. However, during Montwiłł's reign, an important event took place in the neighboring Ruthenian lands. In 1237, the peaceful era was disrupted when Batu Khan (Ögedei Khagan Batu) showed up and launched a campaign to conquer Ruthenian lands. Thereupon Batu Khan emerged as a mighty force, conquering and ravaging Ruthenian territories. Batu Khan divided his army into smaller units, wreaking havoc, burning and devastating Ruthenian areas, including plundering fourteen cities in northeastern Ruthenia: Rostów, Uglicz, Jarosławl, Kostroma, Kaszyn, Ksnjatin, Gorodiec, Galicz, Pieriesławl-Zalesskij , Jurjew-Polskij , Dmitrow, Wołokołamsk, Twer and Torżok. Chinese siege engines were used by the Mongols under Tolui to level the walls of Ruthenian cities. The most difficult town to take was the town of Kozielsk, whose young prince Vasily, the son of Titus, and the inhabitants resisted the Mongols for seven weeks, killing 4,000 people. As the story goes, at the news of the Mongol approach, the entire town of Kitież with all its inhabitants was submerged in the lake, where, as legend has it, it can be seen to this day. Qadan and Büri stormed the city in three days after joining Batu. The only major cities to escape destruction were Smoleńsk, which submitted to the Mongols and agreed to pay tribute, and Psków, which could not be reached by the Mongols due to its considerable distance and the intervening Polesie swamps. Major Ruthenian principalities and urban centers that suffered little to no damage from the Mongol invasion included Połock, Witebsk, and probably Rostow and Uglicz. The Mongols intended to advance on Wielikij Nowgorod, but the principality was spared the fate of its brethren by the decision to surrender pre-emptively.

In the summer of 1238, Batu Khan devastated the Crimea and pacified Mordowia and the Polovtsian-controlled steppe. In the winter of 1239, he sacked Czernihów and Perejasław. Batu even went as far as after several days of siege, the Mongols stormed Kijów, the capital city of Ruthenia, and burning it down in December 1240.

Despite fierce resistance by Daniel Halicki, Batu Khan managed to take the two principal capitals of his land, Halicz and Włodzimierz Wołyński. Ruthenian principalities became vassals of the Mongol Empire. The Mongol Tartars then resolved to "reach the ultimate sea", where they could proceed no further, and invaded Hungary (under Batu Khan) and Poland (under Baidar Khan and Kaidu).

News of the empty and war-torn Ruthenian lands reached Montwiłł, the Grand Duke of Samogitia, and son of Żywibund. In the wake of these events, Montwiłł, saw an opportunity to expand his own territories. Determined to seize the opportunity, Montwiłł gathered his troops, and provided them to his son Erdywił, Prince of Black Ruthenia (1175 – 1183), and sent them, along with the support of his nobles, to conquer the vacant, now-empty Ruthenian territories.

Upon learning of the devastation in the Ruthenian lands, Montwiłł saw an opportunity to expand his own domain. He sent an army led by his son Erdywił and several gentlemen, including Grumpia, Eyksza, and Graużę, to conquer the deserted territories. They crossed the river Wilia and Niemen, eventually finding a beautiful mountain four miles from the river Neman. They decided to settle there and built a city called Nowogródek, where Erdywił established himself as the Prince of Black Ruthenia.

Erdywił continued to conquer and expand his territory, cutting down the cities of Goroden (Grodno), Brest (Brześć), Beresteczko, Dorogiczin (Drohiczyn), and Melnik (Mielnik, województwo podlaskie), all of which had been devastated by Batu Khan’s invasion. Montwiłł remained the Grand Prince of Samogitia until his death, after which his son Wikinth took over the reign.

According to the Chronicle of Bychowiec, Montwiłł was satisfied with his homeland of Samogitia and had left Lithuania to his uncle Kiernus. Kiernus, who had no son, gave his daughter Pajauta (Poyata) in marriage to another Żywibund of Dziewałtów, the son of Dowsprunk Centaur who had come from Italy. As a dowry, Kiernus gave her Lithuania, which eventually led to the establishment of the country of Lithuanian.

Montwiłł was the son of Żywibund, the grandson of Kunoś and the great-grandson of Palemon. Montwiłł was a powerful Lithuanian lord and warrior, it means Wada, probably distinguished in some raiding expeditions, and most likely contributed no little to gaining the independence of Lithuania, beyond the right bank of lower Wilia, to save it from Ruthenian oppression. He was also the first to launch expeditions beyond the left bank of this river, where he stormed the nearest Ruthenian settlements in Lithuania, including Nowogródek (Nauenpille?), somewhere near Troki, as is clear from the Lithuanian chronicle, which is under Montwiłł's life and his, he leads his son Erdywił to these wars, with three brave commanders under him, Grumpia of the Kolumnów family, Ejxis of the Ursinów family and Graużę. Montwiłł's second son was Nemon, the third was Wikinth. We have no details about Nemon: his name is not even mentioned in our chronicle: we only added him to the genealogy, where he was also not in the autograph, following the reports of Julian Stryjkowski, who could have learned from other sources know.

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