Maria of Vitebsk

Maria of Vitebsk (died before 1349) was the first wife of Algirdas, future Grand Duke of Lithuania (marriage took place around 1318).

## Life

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Very little is known about her life. The only child of a Russian prince Yaroslav,[1] Maria was the only heir to the Principality of Vitebsk.[2] After her father's death c. 1345, Vitebsk fell permanently under control of Algirdas and other Gediminids.[3]

Maria gave birth to five sons, all of whom grew up while Algirdas was still only a regional duke in Christianized lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.[4] All five sons were baptized in Orthodox rite and ruled Russian lands giving rise to prominent clans of Russian dukes (Trubetskoy family from Demetrius I Starshy, Czartoryski family from Constantine, Sanguszko family from Fiodor, Belsky and Olelkovich families from Vladimir).[4]

After Maria's death, Algirdas married another Russian princess, Uliana of Tver.[5] After Algirdas' death, the eldest sons of Maria and Uliana battled over succession rights.

## References

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1. ^ Shatskikh, Aleksandra Semenovna; Katherine Foshko Tsan (2007). Vitebsk: the Life of Art. Yale University Press. p. 2\. ISBN 978-0-300-10108-9.
2. ^ (in Lithuanian) Ivinskis, Zenonas (1978). Lietuvos istorija iki Vytauto Didžiojo mirties. Rome: Lietuvių katalikų mokslo akademija. p. 239\. LCCN 79346776.
3. ^ Rowell, S. C. (1994). Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295–1345. Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series. Cambridge University Press. p. 84\. ISBN 978-0-521-45011-9.
4. ^ a b (in Lithuanian) Ivinskis, Zenonas (1978). Lietuvos istorija iki Vytauto Didžiojo mirties. Rome: Lietuvių katalikų mokslo akademija. p. 259\. LCCN 79346776.
5. ^ Meyendorff, John (24 June 2010). Byzantium and the Rise of Russia: A Study of Byzantino-Russian Relations in the Fourteenth Century. Cambridge University Press. p. 145\. ISBN 978-0-521-13533-7.

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Royal consorts of Lithuania

Kingdom of Lithuania|

| House of Mindaugas (1236–1263)|

* Morta

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Grand Duchy of Lithuania|

| House of Gediminids (1285–1440)|

* Jaunė
* Maria of Vitebsk
* Uliana of Tver
* Jadwiga of Poland
* Birutė
* Anna
* Uliana Olshanska
* Anna of Tver

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House of Jagiellon (1440–1569)|

* Elizabeth of Austria
* Helena of Moscow
* Barbara Zápolya
* Bona Sforza
* Elizabeth of Austria
* Barbara Radziwiłł
* Catherine of Austria

Polish–Lithuanian
Commonwealth|

| Elected (1569–1795)|

* Louise of Lorraine
* Anne of Austria
* Constance of Austria
* Cecilia Renata of Austria
* Marie Louise Gonzaga
* Eleonore of Austria
* Marie Casimire Louise de La Grange d'Arquien
* Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
* Catherine Opalińska
* Maria Josepha of Austria

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