Everything about Birut totally explained
Birutė (died in
1382) was the second wife of
Kęstutis,
Grand Duke of Lithuania, and mother of
Vytautas the Great. There is very little known about Birutė's life but her cult was strong among
Lithuanians and
Samogitians.
Life
Marriage
Most likely she was born around
Palanga city to a
Samogitian or
Curonian magnate family. The story of her marriage with Kęstutis became a romantic legend in
Lithuania. Chronicles mention that Birutė was a priestess (
Lithuanian:
vaidilutė) and served
Pagan gods by guarding the sacred fire. When Kęstutis learned about her beauty, he visited the shire and asked her to marry him. She refused because she'd promised the gods to guard her virginity until her death. Kęstutis then took her by force to
Trakai and threw a big wedding. She and Kęstutis had three sons and three daughters.
Vytautas, their first son, was born around 1350. This suggests that the marriage took place in 1349 or a bit earlier.
Death
The circumstances surrounding her death are not entirely clear. In 1381-1382 her husband Kęstutis waged a war against his nephew
Jogaila who became the Grand Duke of Lithuania and signed a treaty with the
Teutonic Knights against Kęstutis. He was arrested and transported to the
Kreva castle. A week later Kęstutis was found dead and some chronicles hint that he was murdered. In such light, one chronicle written by the Teutonic Knights briefly mentions that Birutė for safety reasons moved to
Brest, Belarus and was drowned in fall of 1382 (likely in response to Vytautas escape from Kreva). However, no other sources confirm or refute this claim. Since Samogitian delegation to the
Council of Constance some 35 years later denied the murder, another legend sprang up that Birutė returned to the Palanga shrine and continued to serve the gods until her death in circa 1389.
It is believed that she was buried in Palanga at the bottom of a hill named in her honor.
Worship
Birutė's cult developed and was strong long after her death. She was considered to be a goddess or a pagan equivalent to saint by the local people. In 1989 archaeologists found evidence of a pagan sanctuary and observatory, which had existed on the top of
Birutė Hill in late 14th - early 15th century. Likely it was built in Birutė's honor. There are many historical accounts concerning people praying to Birutė, asking for good health or fortune. To prevent people from worshiping their pagan gods and Birutė's grave, a chapel for
Saint George was built on the top of the hill in 1506. In 1869 the chapel was re-built and survives till today. It is a popular destination for many tourists.
Birutė Hill is the highest dune at the seaside of Palanga about 150 meters from the
Baltic Sea shore, now a part of the Palanga Botanical Garden. Archeological research shows that there was a village at the bottom of the hill in the 10th century. In the 13th century, when the Teutonic Knights and
Livonian Order started attacking, the village built a defense system with a tower. After a defeat, the system was rebuilt even stronger: it had two towers, the top of the hill was surrounded by a wall. However, it was burned in the second half of the 14th century. A pagan shrine and observatory was built instead.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Birut'.
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