Antavas

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**Antavas** was a renowned warrior and King of **Lithuania** between 775AD and 818AD noted among historians for his successful reformation of the ancient pagan **Romuva** faith into written text, the establishment of **Lithuania** as the main power in dark ages Eastern Europe and the establishment of the Antavaitis Dynasty. He is considered among modern Lithuanians to be the founder of the Lithuanian state and national identity.

## History

#### **Rise to Power**

Born to a lowborn family living in the tribe of Yatvingia it is believed Antavas overthrew his local tribal lord in a duel over honour to the death. A skilled fighter, Antavas was able to kill the lord before being appointed by his tribe as lord of the region. Within a year he had launched invaisons of neighbouring tribes, beginning with an attack on the Skalvan people before eventually subjecting the Pruthenians and Lithuanians to his rule.

#### **Kingdom of Lithuania**

Having established the largest realm in recorded memory in the Greater Lithuania Antavas was proclaimed the King of Lithuanians in 775AD by the local Romuva priests and his vassal lords, many of whom despised him at the time but feared him nonetheless. He quickly set his sights upon expanding the Kingdom northwards into the lands of the Estonians and Letigallians whom he subjected to his rule in a series of conquests between 776AD and 785AD. Local Estonian lords were expelled from the region, sacrificed or executed by Antavas and his ever expanding forces as he consolidated his realm and defeated challengers to his position.

Taking much pride in his fighting ability, Antavas participated in many duels throughout the period of his rule as King of Lithuania and often would be seen fighting on the frontlines within the centre of his forces in battle despite the risk to his life. Records found in excavations of ancient Lithuanian fortifications and towns created by the few literate Lithuanian citizens suggest he was was feared yet respected and revered by his people throughout his reign, many early scripts suggesting that few dared challenge his rule and those who did often were defeated in battle or in single combat by the warrior King himself.

Antavas was thought to be a very isolated and even introverted man, focusing a lot of attention on his own thoughts and plans rather than spending much time among his court or with his vassals. This is largely attributed to the death of his young wife Aldona in 776AD and the death of his youngest son not much later. He was nonetheless respected by his vassal chiefs, allowing him significant leeway to rule effectively by decree rather that rely on his council. The loss of close family is thought to have been a key factor however in his deep religious and theological studies which he dedicated most of his free time to throughout the latter half of his reign. He was a devout follower of the Romuva faith, and as the ruler of the only Romuva realm he felt obligated to protect the faith from outside aggressors. This drove him to launch an aggressive and major campaign in approx 800AD against his Slavic and Soumenusko neighbours, often attacking multiple neighbours and chieftains at one time and annexing vast swathes of land for his empire in Estonia, Pomerania and Poland.

#### **Romuva Reformation**

in 802AD, having successfully crushed his tribal neighbours and established a buffer region between the Romuva heartlands of Lithuania proper and his pagan neighbours, Antavas sought to establish a codified religious doctrine for the Romuva faith. His plans stemmed from a long-held belief that the faith was too sporadic, undocumented and vague to survive the annuals of history. For Antavas ensuring the longevity of his Kingdom, his people and their faith was his main priority and had been since taking power as a tribal chief, and thus he had spent extensive time documenting the annuals of his reign and attempting to improve literacy among his people. He aimed to establish a single doctrine of the Romuva faith that could be worshipped akin to the western Christian God according to a written text used as the sole church doctrine by representatives of the clergy in Lithuania. This, he believed, would ensure the faith would be capable of surviving what he envisioned to be a future attempt by the Christian and Islamic realms to convert and conquer the vast untamed lands of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Poland and Pannonia. Records suggests he was inspired by a personal belief that he had been sent as a prophet of the high-God Dievas to earth to save his faith and people by his later years after extensive religious study. This belief is what he used to justify to himself his personal military success, having been a lowborn tribesman only three decades prior to now ruling all of his known world with the exception of the wealthy legendary lands of Rome to the south and west. While some believed this delusion to be a trait of insanity and self-righteousness, few dared question his dedication to the Gods and his miraculous and unexplained success after centuries of division and internal conflict in Lithuania.

Using his vassal priests and his power over the various chieftains of the Kingdom in 802AD the now very aged Antavas was declared as the prophet and representative of the Gods on Earth, or First Vaidila of the Romuva Faith. This in essence established Antavas as the secular head of the Romuva church akin to the Islamic Caliph or the Pope, granting him and his heirs immense power and legitimacy among their people and vassal lords. Antavas would use his connection to the Gods as justification to launch countless invasions of his neighbours, starting first with the conquest of Minsk by the Lithuanians from the Kingdom of Ruthenia in the region's first 'holy war'. Conquests like this would continue throughout the remainder of Antavas' reign, focusing largely on Poland, Novgorod and Ruthenia.

#### **Death and Legacy**

One of the more remarkable facts about Antavas was his longevity. The Theologian and Warrior is thought to have lived to the age of 78 in sharp contrast to the average lifespan for people in the region and the era. However in his later years Antavas suffered what historians suggest was likely gout, a disease that would come to inhibit his combat ability and eventually take his life in 818AD. He would be succeeded by his sole surviving son Antavas II who would be elected by the Elders of Lithuania as per the country's traditions. To this day he is noted as the founding father of Lithuania, the conqueror who united a region believed by many to be uncontrollable and the theologian who while some may consider to have been subject to his own delusion is revered as the founder of the modern Romuva faith. He founded a dynasty that would rule Lithuania for \_\_\_\_ years and go on to conquer \_\_\_\_, a dynasty considered so vital to Lithuanian history that it's dynastic shield remains the shield of the modern Lithuanian state.

## Trivia

* Antavas Mineral Water, a Lithuanian mineral water brand, was named after Antavas.