Unsolved Mystery Detective: Wasn’t Mindaugas crowned on July 6?

When celebrating the state day of July 6 (i.e. the coronation day of Grand Duke Mindaugas), many do not consider it to be just a predictable date, in other words, a contractual date. This is exactly what many historians interviewed by Delphi say, since there is no clear evidence that Mindaugas was crowned King of Lithuania on this day.

Due to the lack of historical data, determining the date of Mindaugas’ coronation is like a confusing detective story. It seems impossible to determine the objective truth, and possible conclusions are only hypotheses.

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“There is no such date in historical sources, it was hypothetically calculated by Professor Edvardas Gudavicius. The first mention of it in the book was in 1989. July 6 Happy Coronation and National Day It was hastily published in the 1990s,” said Dr. Tomasz Baranouskas, a researcher at the Lithuanian Institute of History.

What did the professor with a great memory, E. Gudavičius, do to determine that Mindaugas was crowned on July 6, 1253?

The scientist noted in his book “Lithuania’s Path to Europe” that the sources only indicated July, but not a specific date. Assuming that the coronation could only take place on Sunday, Gudavicius simply predicted the date after making a preliminary estimate of how long it would take to travel to Italy, where the pope resides.

“In the donation deed of Zemaitia, which is said to have taken place during the coronation of Mindaugas, July is indicated, but the day is not recorded. The form requires that the coronation take place on a Sunday. The Sundays in July 1253 were the 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th.

In 1253, Pope Innocent IV approved the donation of Mindaugas (Zemaitia and other lands – ed.) to the Livonian Order. August 21. At that time it took 5 weeks to get from the Baltic to Italy, and a few more days from Lithuania to Riga. Therefore, the coronation could only take place on July 6 (or at least on the 13th),” says Prof. E. Gudavicius.

Historian Dr. T. Baranauskas speculates that Mindaugas’ coronation took place not on July 6, but earlier, perhaps in June. According to him, the solemn ceremony was not held in Vilnius, as is generally believed, but at one of his residences, Latava Manor.

Historians generally refer to the donation of some lands to the Livonian Order, signed in July 1253, as an extremely important historical source and a reference point when trying to calculate the possible date of Mindaugas’ coronation.

According to historian T. Baranauskas, this is how Mindaugas rewarded the German knights for their help in fighting various internal enemies, by donating certain lands in Zemaetia.

“Since no exact date is indicated, only July, it can be assumed that the coronation took place in 1253 and that this bill was prepared on the occasion of the coronation, especially since the list of witnesses includes people who were supposed to have been present at the coronation of Mindaugas.

However, this act should not have taken place at the same time as the coronation of Mindaugas. The time should have been when those who had attended the coronation had not yet dispersed, because they were called witnesses. They could have stayed in that place for as long as they wanted,” said Dr. T. Baranouskas.

Historians draw attention to another important circumstance: in the same year, on August 21, 1253, the Pope approved the act of the crowned King Mindaugas to donate part of Zemaetia and other lands to the Livonian Order.

Apparently, this act was transmitted by a courier to Italy, where the Pope lived. Professor E. Gudavičius said that it would take at least 5 weeks to overcome this path.

Historian T. Baranauskas speculates that the Italian trip may have actually lasted longer, since E. Gudavičius relied on calculations that applied to Prussia.

“It is a little shorter. And here, one had to go from Riga through Livonia, and, moreover, from the place of Mindaugas’ coronation in Lithuania. In short, according to calculations in the 19th century, it would have taken at least 2 months to cover this distance, and not 5 weeks. Moreover, historians have concluded that the Pope did not confirm the act of donation, but a preliminary decision, which was only formalized later through the act.

The donation itself was probably agreed upon on the occasion of Mindaugas’ coronation, no earlier than June. With the agreement, the crusader legates went to Rome and received confirmation from the Pope. Therefore, it is very likely that everything happened in June”, says Dr. T. Baranouskas.

Historians give a specific example: On July 13, 1260, the Knights suffered a catastrophe in the Battle of Durbe, where the Zemaite defeated the German army and the master of the Knights was killed. The Knights urgently asked the Pope for help, and after hearing the news on September 9, 1260, the Pope announced a crusade to support the Teutonic Knights.

“In this case, it was necessary to urgently contact the Pope for help. It was done in 8 weeks and 2 days. There is really no need to rush as far as the coronation is concerned,” said a researcher from the Lithuanian Institute of History.

Historians draw attention to another circumstance: instead of an ordinary Sunday, a church holiday was often chosen for the coronation, as Professor E. Gudavicius says. July, unlike June, did not have many holidays.

“From what I’ve researched about coronations that took place in the 13th century, they weren’t held on any Sunday, but were combined with some of the larger church festivals. And there were at least a few of those festivals in June, like St. John’s Day, Peter and Paul’s Day, and so on.

Yet any reference to the Coronation Day we mention is hypothetical. Either by the historian I am thinking of, or by other historians. “It is not a good idea to be hypothetical about such an important holiday,” mused Dr. T. Baranouskas.

Vytautas Magnus University (VDU) historian Dr. Rūstis Kamuntavičius mentioned that by decision of politicians, July 6 was declared the coronation day of Mindaugas, the first and last king of Lithuania, but on the other hand, it was not clear not only when, but also where the celebrations would take place.

“After the restoration of independence in the 1990s, Parliament discussed the date on which we could celebrate the National Day. On a political level, it was decided that it should not be Vytautas’ planned coronation day, nor February 16 or March 11, but Mindaugas’ coronation day – thus indicating that the principality was Lithuanian from the beginning.

However, a problem immediately arose – the date and place of the coronation were unknown and not recorded in the sources. But we needed a date. Then Professor Edvardas Gudavičius of Vilnius University proposed several options based on his research – July 6 or 13. He was not sure about his guess, but the parliament accepted the proposal and voted for July 6 as the fact.

Therefore, even today textbooks present this date as fact – few people know that it is only an assumption. There is no record of the place of the coronation either – it is not known whether it was in Vilnius, Kernav, Voluta or somewhere else. ” R. Kamontavičius.

The possible place of the coronation of Dr. Mindaugas, researcher of the Institute of Lithuanian History, T. Baranauskas, refers to the Latava Manor, which is generally believed to be located near Anykškiai on the Paratavis Hill, far from Vilnius.

Other historians also mention this version, which is based on the donation deed signed on the occasion of Mindaugas’ coronation, which reads “In Lettovia, our estate is donated” (Datum in Lettovia, in curia nostra).

The place name Letovyja mentioned in historical documents has two meanings: Lithuania and Ratava. The forged Deed of Donation of Mindaugas published in 1261, when describing the donated territory, mentions the Latinized Letovyja river, which marked the border of Sėla. A mound called Lettow is also mentioned in this way at the end of the description of the walls of Sėla in the 14th century.

“If we have two meanings, Lithuania or Latava, then Latava is more likely. This is a river in the Anyksciai district, near which there are the villages of Latava and Paratavi. In 1997, the Paratavis mound was discovered in the Paratavis village, and during the exploration of its surface, a metal detector dating from the 13th-14th centuries was found. Characteristic find.

Putting everything together, it is clear that in the time of Mindaugas there was such a place, a castle, called Leto or Letovia. We also have the location of Latvia listed in the deed, because documents from that era mention a specific location rather than a country.

Taking all the factors into consideration, we can conclude that it was in that place that the decree on the donation of lands to the Livonian Order was issued. As I mentioned, the issuance of this document does not necessarily coincide with the coronation, but the document mentions the same person who would have participated in the coronation. It is very likely that the decree was issued in the same place where Mindaugas was crowned. ” T. Baranouskas.

Historians agree that the announcement of the coronation day of Mindaugas on July 6 is not based on accurate sources, but only on preliminary professors. According to the calculations of E. Gudavičius, we can say – suppose, Dr. T. Baranauskas mentioned another date that can be mentioned.

Mindaugas was baptized in the spring of 1251 in order to form an alliance with the Livonian governor. On July 17 of the same year, Pope Innocent IV issued a bull accepting Mindaugas’ baptism, declaring the Grand Duchy of Lithuania the Catholic Kingdom of Lithuania, accepting its protection, and granting it the title of “Saint Petersburg”. Peter’s property rights.

This papal bull was significant not only because Pope Innocent IV commissioned the Bishop of Kulm to crown Mindaugas as King of Lithuania, but also because it meant the recognition of Lithuania as a state and part of the Western European political system.

“One can wonder what is more important: the permission to be crowned or the act of coronation itself. In this case, we only have one exact date – July 17, 1251.

Finally, the papal bull instructs Mindaugas to be crowned. It is a solemn document that can be read aloud without any shame, like the deed of donation of 1253, which is rather vague. ” T. Baranouskas.