Family
It is uncertain how many wives Gediminas had. The Bychowiec Chronicle mentions three wives: Vida from Courland; Olga from Smolensk; and Jaunė from Polotsk, who was Eastern Orthodox and died in 1344 or 1345. Most modern historians and reference works say Gediminas' wife was Jewna, dismissing Vida and Olga as fictitious, since no sources other than this chronicle mention the other two wives.
An argument has been advanced that Gediminas had two wives, one pagan and another Orthodox. This case is supported only by the Jüngere Hochmeisterchronik, a late-15th century chronicle, mentioning Narimantas as half-brother to Algirdas. Other historians support this claim by arguing this would explain Gediminas' otherwise mysterious designation of a middle son, Jaunutis, as his succession would be understandable if Jaunutis were the first-born son of Gediminas and a second wife.
He is said to have left seven sons and six daughters including:
- Manvydas (ca. 1288–1348)
- Narimantas
- Karijotas
- Jaunutis initially ruled Vilnius after the death of his father
- Algirdas
- Kęstutis
- Vytautas the Great
- Maria, married Dmitry of Tver
- Aldona, married Casimir III of Poland
- Elzbieta, married Wenceslaus of Płock
- Eufemija, married Boleslaw-Yuri II of Galicia
- Liubartas
Read more about this topic: Gediminas
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