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On February 14, 1009 name of Lithuania was first mentioned in writing. The oldest known historical source to have noted Lithuania is the Quendlinburg year-books. Therein, the tragic end of the mission of St. Bruno of Querfurt was documented: St.
Bruno, an archbishop and monk, who was called Boniface, was struck in the head by Pagans during the 11 th year of his conversion at the Russian and Lithuanian border (in confined Russia et Little), and along with 18 of his followers, entered heaven on March 9 th (or February 14 th). The mission of St. Bruno had been organised by King Boleslav I the Brave of Poland, who had been seeking to extend his influence into Prussian lands. He had sent St. Adalbert (also known as Adalbert Wojciech) to Prussia as early as 997, however he had perished in Pomerania without having accomplished anything. When Archbishop Bruno of Querfurt decided he wanted to repeat the missions of St.
Adalbert, Boleslav sent him to the lands of the Jatvingian's, which were located at another end of Prussia. Boleslav was in competition with Russian Grand Duke Vladimir, who had forced the Jatvingian's to accept his rule as early as 983, for these lands. As soon as Bruno had stepped onto Jatvingians lands, he was immediately led to the estate of the local chieftain, Nethimer, whereupon he proceeded to begin preaching. When Nethimer refused to be christened, Bruno flung the deities of the chief into a fire.
Furious, Nethimer ordered Bruno to be burned on a stake. The missionary was seated on a spot for the bonfire, however the fire refused to light for a considerable time. Nethimer considered this to be a miracle, thus he released Bruno, and had himself, along with 300 men (apparently, a rural meeting had been taking place), baptised. Later, he went so far as to order his brother murdered, because he had not wanted to be baptised.
Nevertheless, further efforts of Bruno's mission had not proved successful. After arriving at another district, also under the rule of Nethimer, Bruno was apprehended by the local duke, named as Zebeden in later historical sources. By order of Duke Zebeden, the archbishop was beheaded, and his followers, hung. Later sources indicate that Bruno's head was tossed into a river, named the Alstra. This is likely to be the river, currently named Aitra (or Aitra in Lithuanian) at the Molchad tributary near Novogrudok, which then was at the edge of lands, settled by Lithuanians, Jatvingian's and Ruthanians (a Slavic ethnic group, primarily of Western Ukraine, Galicia, and Bucovina).
Certain historians considered Nethimer to be Lithuanian. Such an assumption was based on the fact that Bruno had died at the border of Lithuania, and furthermore, that Lithuania was being described in the name of Prussia in historical texts about Prussia. However, this explanation is not fully credible, because Bruno perished, only after he had left the estate of Nethimer. One source indicates that he died at the border of Russia and Lithuania, another at the border of Prussia and Russia, and yet a third at the border of Prussia, Lithuania and Russia.
All these sources had based their facts on Bruno's Log of Work, a book which has not survived the times. The last version is probably the most accurate, because it coincides with the location of the aforementioned Alstra-Aitra stream. In that case, Bruno died before entering Lithuania. Some time later, Boleslav I the Brave recovered the remains of the murdered martyrs, and had a church built in their memory. The mission of Bruno was not entirely without results. Poland was able to exert influence on the Jatvingian's, then ruled by Nethimer, for a time.
Jatvingians lands bordered Masovia, which was under Polish jurisdiction. The duke of Masovia was most likely responsible for the influence exerted. However, soon after the death of Boleslav I the Brave, internal battles erupted within Poland. 1038 was the year Meclav, the Duke of Masovia, went into battle with Polish Duke Casimir I the Reviver. He not only drew the Jatvingian's into the battle, but also the Lithuanians. The Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav took advantage of the situation. He offered his aid to Casimir I the Reviver, and attacked Jatvingia the same year of 1038. 1040 was the date Yaroslav organised a march into Lithuania.
In 1041 he invaded Masovia, and in 1044, apparently, he again attacked Lithuania. Finally, in 1047, Yaroslav prepared for a decisive march into Masovia, where Meclav was killed. Masovia again united with Poland, whereas Jatvingia and Lithuania became subject to Russia. Lithuania remained subject to Russia for nearly one hundred and fifty years. Lithuania had to pay tribute, collected by the Polotsk Dukes, because Polotsk bordered Lithuania. Thereby, the relationship between Lithuania and Russia, which had begun some time earlier, became more intensified.
Lithuania adopted some advances in agriculture and the crafts adopted in Russia. At the same, significant changes began taking place in the social and political structure of Lithuania. The first fortresses to be constructed of wood made their appearance during this time. The dukes began making them their place of residence.
Possibly, they evolved as a result of the need for defence against Russian expansion. A hierarchy amongst the dukes began being more pronounced. Over time, the dukes developed to be accomplished rulers, who were provided for by the public. In other words, the early structure of statehood began forming in Lithuania. Although it is difficult to find specific data to back this statement, such a conclusion can be made in the light of the later rise of Lithuania. Lithuania proved to be the only tribe of all the Balts, which succeeded at developing the structure of a mature country, and thus, was able to firmly institute statehood.
XI century Lithuanian territory included the eastern part of the present-day Lithuania, and the western part of the present-day Belarus. The only information available about other Upland Lithuania lands appears in XIII century sources. The same is true, regarding the Samogitian territories, which extended to the west. More information is available about the Semigallians, living in the northern part of Lithuania and central Latvia. The Scan-dinavians had been able to demand payment of tribute from these people during certain earlier periods. A Swedish military hero Indoor was able to again extract tribute payments at about 1035 - 1040.
The Semigallians are noted 4 separate times in the inscriptions on Swedish runes. Also, three rocks with rune inscriptions were erected in memory of the persons, who had traveled to Semigallians to trade. Furthermore, an XI century copper container for weights with an inscription, that it had been received from a Semigallians, has survived to this day. The evidence of these inscriptions indicates close trading contacts between the Semigallians and Swedes. XI century was prosperity period for the Curonians culture, which was settled in the area of the present-day western Lithuania.
Although these people were affluent, they did engage in pirating and did not indicate an appropriate appreciation of their property. Much of their goods would be buried with their deceased. The Curonian's lived at the Baltic Seashore, thus they frequently warred and traded with the Scandinavians, and at times, were forced to pay them tribute. The Danes had to frequently protect their shores from attacks by the Curonian's from the middle to the end of the XI century.
A prayer heard in Danish churches was: God, protect us from the Curonian's. Adam of Bremen had described the Curonian's as the most cruel tribe in 1075. However, he also noted that they were becoming widely renowned for their prophets, who were able to foretell the future. And that the Greek and the Spanish were coming to them for consultation.
The usual explanation of this statement is that Russians of the Greek Orthodox faith were being referred to as Greeks. The Spanish, he noted, was no more than an incorrectly transcribed phrase, which actually was his pagani's (these Pagans). Pirating Curonians dignitaries were difficult to control, thus the process of political integration was slow. In the meantime, Lithuania was successfully developing its political organization, thus the future was to belong to it. XII century In early XII century, a Russian writer of chronicles Nestor named the tribes which pay tribute to Russia in his work titled Russian Primary Chronicle.
Certain Baltic tribes were also named, among them the Lithuanians, Semigallians, Curonian's and Lettigallians. Probably, only the naming of the Curonian's could raise some...
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