Karigaila Appanage Lithuanian Prince Date of Birth: 01.01.1370 Country: Lithuania

1. Early Life and Conversion
2. The Battle of the Vikhra and the Siege of Smolensk
3. Civil War and Death
4. Legacy and Remembrance

Early Life and Conversion

Kaributas, or Kazimir (ca. 1350 - 1377), was the son of Grand Duke Algirdas of Lithuania and his second wife, Ulyana of Tver. As the son of Algirdas' second marriage, he was not expected to inherit the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Instead, he was given the town of Mstislavl as his fiefdom by his elder brother, Grand Duke Jagiełło. Initially baptized as Basil according to the Orthodox rite, Kaributas converted to Catholicism in 1386, taking the name Casimir.

The Battle of the Vikhra and the Siege of Smolensk

In 1386, a war erupted between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Principality of Smolensk, led by Prince Svyatoslav Ivanovich. Kaributas, as the prince of Mstislavl, was tasked with defending the town against Svyatoslav's siege. King Jagiełło sent a large Polish-Lithuanian force to reinforce his younger brother, led by Skirgaila, Korybut, Lubgen, and Vytautas.

In April 1386, the Lithuanian forces met Svyatoslav's army at the Battle of the Vikhra. The Lithuanians emerged victorious, killing Svyatoslav and capturing his sons, Gleb and Yuri, along with many other boyars. Skirgaila then besieged Smolensk, compelling its inhabitants to accept Yuri Svyatoslavich as their prince, who acknowledged vassalage to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Civil War and Death

In the ensuing civil war between Vytautas Kęstutaitis and Skirgaila (1389-1392), Kaributas supported the latter. During a Teutonic raid on Vilnius in 1390, he was tasked with defending the Crooked Castle. However, he was killed in the blaze that destroyed the castle. According to another account, he was captured and executed by order of the Teutonic Grand Master. His head was reportedly paraded on a spear to demoralize the city's defenders.

Legacy and Remembrance

In 1396, Vytautas donated three villages and a tithe to the Vilnius Cathedral of Saints Stanislaus and Vladislav in memory of Kaributas and his brother, Vygand. This gesture suggests that Kaributas was held in high esteem despite his untimely demise.