Christianization of Lithuania

The Christianization of Lithuania was the process by which the last major pagan state in Europe adopted Roman Catholic Christianity, beginning with Grand Duke Jogaila’s baptism in 1386 and a mass conversion campaign in 1387.

Baptism of Jogaila: The 1386 baptism of Lithuanian grand duke Jogaila, who took the Christian name Władysław. His baptism initiated the official conversion of Lithuania and helped secure his Polish crown.
Lithuanian Crusade: The long series of military campaigns by Catholic powers against pagan Lithuania from the thirteenth through early fifteenth centuries. Crusading pressure made Christian diplomacy and baptism strategically valuable to Lithuanian rulers.
Vytautas the Great: A Lithuanian ruler who governed the grand duchy during its expansion and consolidation. He helped establish Catholic institutions and extended conversion efforts into Samogitia.
Christianization of Samogitia: The adoption of Christianity in Samogitia, formally initiated by Vytautas and Jogaila in 1413. It extended the conversion beyond the regions reached by the 1387 campaign.
Union of Krewo: A 1385 agreement linking Lithuania and Poland through Jogaila’s marriage to Jadwiga and his conversion to Christianity. It tied Lithuania’s conversion to Jogaila’s accession to the Polish throne.
Teutonic Order: A Catholic religious-military order that built a state on the southeastern Baltic coast. Its campaigns against Lithuania shaped the security calculations behind the conversion.
Jadwiga of Poland: The queen of Poland whose marriage to Jogaila helped form the Polish–Lithuanian dynastic union. Her marriage to Jogaila was central to the political settlement accompanying his baptism.
Council of Constance: A church council held from 1414 to 1418 that addressed the Western Schism and other disputes. Lithuanian representatives challenged the Teutonic Order’s claims that Lithuania remained pagan.
Baptism of Lithuania: The mass baptism campaign conducted in Lithuania after the grand duke’s conversion. In 1387, clergy and rulers organized the first large-scale conversions among ethnic Lithuanians.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania: A medieval state that grew across much of eastern Europe under Lithuanian dynasties. The conversion transformed the religious identity of this diverse polity.

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