Person

Gediminas

c. 1275–1341 · 14th century · Also known as Gedimin

Gediminas was Grand Duke of Lithuania from about 1316 until his death and founder of the Gediminid dynasty. He made Vilnius his capital, expanded his realm deep into the lands of Rus' weakened by the Mongols, and in letters of 1323 invited Western merchants, craftsmen and clergy to settle. Though he stayed pagan, he tolerated Christians, and his sons Algirdas and Kęstutis continued his expansion.

Gediminas
Image: Alessandro Guagnini · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Grand Duchy of LithuaniaFoundation, Summary

Mentioned in 6 state histories

Principality of MinskPrincipality of VitebskPrincipality of Turov and PinskGrand Duchy of LithuaniaDuchy of TrakaiDuchy of Volhynia

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Gediminas. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gediminas
MLA
“Gediminas.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gediminas. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Gediminas.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gediminas.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Gediminas’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gediminas (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻