page_title: List of early Lithuanian dukes
section_title: Rulers recorded in historical sources
hierarchical_section_title: List of early Lithuanian dukes / Rulers recorded in historical sources
caption_attribution_description: en:Vykintas, Duke of Samogitia
context_page_description: Early dukes of Lithuania reigned before Lithuanians were unified by Mindaugas into a state, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. While the Palemonids legend provides genealogy from the 10th century, only few dukes were mentioned by contemporary historical sources. All of them were mentioned in written sources the 13th century. Data about them is extremely scarce and is usually limited to few brief sentences. The primary sources are the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia and Hypatian Codex.
context_section_description: Žvelgaitis (Svelgates) – earliest known duke. In 1205, he attacked Riga and was killed in the battle, led by ruler of Semigallia, Vester.
  Daugirutis (Dangerutis, Dangeruthe) – Livonians imprisoned this Lithuanian duke in 1213, where he killed himself.
  Stekšys (Stakys, Steksė) – another powerful duke, killed in 1214 near Lielvārde.
  Father of Mindaugas – several sources mention that he was a powerful duke, but do not give his name. 16th century genealogies gave him the name of Ryngold or Ringaudas.
  The following Lithuanian dukes signed a peace treaty with the rulers of Galicia–Volhynia in 1219:
  Duke elders
  Živinbudas (presumably the eldest duke)
  Daujotas
  Dausprungas
  Mindaugas (brother of Dausprungas)
  Vilikaila (brother of Daujotas)
  Rulers of Samogitia
  Erdvilas
  Vykintas
  Ruškaičiai family
  Kintibutas
  Vembutas
  Butautas
  Vyžeikis
  Velžys (son of Vyžeikis)
  Kitenis
  Plikienė (wife of Plikys, probably a widow)
  Bulionys family (three brothers, all of them killed by Mindaugas)
  Vismantas (his wife was taken by Mindaugas for himself)
  Gedvilas
  Sprudeikis
  Rulers of the duchy of Deltuva
  Juodikis
  Buteikis
  Bikšys
  Ligeikis
  Of the dukes who signed the peace treaty, only four are mentioned in other written sources: Mindaugas, who went on to become the Grand Duke of Lithuania and was crowned as King of Lithuania in 1253, Vykintas, leader of anti-Mindaugas coalition during the civil war in 1248–1251, Bikšys and Ligeikis, both identified as Mindaugas relatives and nobles, mentioned in a document, dated 1260 and sometimes considered a forgery.
caption: Vykintas, one of the early Samogitian dukes, as depicted by Alexander Guagnini
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