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... doubt. The Semigallian tribe had in fact been subject to Polotsk, however the tribe freed themselves in 1106, when they defeated the dukes of Polotsk. The Lettigallians did indeed pay tribute to Russia until the XIII century. Interestingly, the Jatvingian tribe was not named.
Possibly, they had again fallen under the influence of Poland, or they had already freed themselves. It is known that the Ruthanians (a Slavic ethnic group, primarily of Western Ukraine, Galicia, and Bucovina) had repeatedly attacked and defeated the Jatvingians in 1112. The dukedom of Polotsk began expressing separatist ambitions early. Because the Lithuanian tribe had been paying tribute to Polotsk, it was also influenced by such ambitions. 1128 brought the invasion of Polotsk by a huge coalition of dukes, which had been organised by Grand Duke Mstislav of Kiev. In 1130, Mstislav managed to exile two Polotsk dukes, both named Borisovich, and took Polotsk under his own direct rule. 1131 was the year, when Mstislav also arranged an invasion into Lithuanian territory. His coalition of dukes devastated the land by fire, and took numerous prisoners.
However, as the army was retreating, the Lithuanians were able to soundly beat the Kiev division, which had lagged behind. Though not a major victory, it did indicate that Lithuania was gaining strength. The battle did not alter the dependence on Polotsk, because the Lithuanians had merely dealt a blow to Mstislav, the enemy of Polotsk, and not to the dukes of Polotsk. In the meantime, the rule of Mstislav did not remain for long in Polotsk. 1140 was the date of the return of the two Dukes Borisovich from their exile in Byzantium. They were determined to regain their rule, and their efforts met with success in 1146. However, a battle erupted between the Borisoviches and the Gleboviches in 1151, which did not desist until 1167.
The Lithuanians entered into this war as well. The Lithuanians could have expected recompense for providing assistance to one or another group of the warring Polotsk dukes. Whereas the Lithuanians did extend military aid to the Polotsk dukes, they expected to receive assistance in kind. 1159 was the year that Polotsk Duke Rogvolod Borisovich forced Mstislav Gleboviches to concur with a treaty of peace. However, his brother, Volodar, refused to kiss the cross, because he was marching through the forests, being led by the Lithuanians. The participation of the Lithuanians in this military manoeuvre was conditional on their desire for military aid. By engaging the army of the Polotsk dukes in this manner, Lithuania was able to incorporate the remaining lands of the Upland Lithuanians into its own sphere of influence.
Thus, it became a natural centre for the political integration of Baltic territories. 1162 was the year, when the Lithuanians came to the assistance of Volodar. This same year, Rogvolod had surrounded Volodar in Gorodeco Castle at the border of Lithuania. Volodar refused to enter into the battle during the day, however, together with the Lithuanians, he attacked from the castle at night, and completely annihilated the forces of Rogvolod. Because he had lost such a large portion of the Polotsk army, Rogvolod did not dare return to Polotsk, and withdrew to Drugs instead.
The populace of Polotsk selected a new duke Vseslav Vasilkovich. Thus, Volodar had won nothing. It appeared that the Lithuanians immediately went to the side of the new Duke of Polotsk, and recognised him as their ruler. This may explain why a XVI century legend related that Duke Mingaila, who had been the ruler of the Lithuanians, became the Duke of Polotsk after the Battle of Gorodeco. In the meantime, Vseslav conclusively beat Volodar in 1167.
The battles between the Gleboviches and Borisoviches ended in a victory for Vasilkovich. 1180 was a time, when Lithuanians, together with the tribes of Livonia, who also paid tribute to Polotsk, participated in the march of the army of the Polotsk dukes, as a rather insignificant force. Thus, it would appear that Lithuania had no intentions of breaking their ties with Polotsk for some time, and continued to obey and pay tribute to its dukes. Nevertheless, once the situation had stabilised in the Dukedom of Polotsk, the old relationship ceased to be beneficial for Lithuania. Lithuania had also gained in strength and influence. Additionally, the situation had become threatening. The squabbles amongst the Russian dukes died down after 1180, and it appeared that Russia could again gain in strength.
By this time, Lithuania no longer wanted to remain dependent. Following the defeat of Henryk the Lion of Saxony by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa in 1180, Denmark became the hegemony of the southern Baltic seacoast. This indicated that significant changes were developing in the Baltic Sea region. The internal wars of Denmark, which had lasted for a quarter of a century, had come to an end in 1157. King Waldemar I the Great, who had begun a headlong expansion into the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, came into power. Sparse data has survived, regarding the attacks on the lands of the Balts.
However, later sources indicate that the Danes had seized the castle of the Curonians at Palanga. Archaeological data indicates that the power of the Curonians was broken during these attacks, and a period of demise in their material standing occurred. It is likely that the Samogitians also felt a threat to their security from Denmark, and this forced them to seek closer contacts with the Lithuanians. Right at this time, a turning point occurred in the historical events of Lithuania. In winter of 1183 - 1184, Lithuanians suddenly undertook the first large-scale invasion into the lands of Russia. They not only devastated the Dukedom of Polotsk, but managed to reach as far as Pskov, then a part of the lands of Novogrudok.
The Lithuanians did a great deal of damage there, as well. Because Yaroslav, the Duke of Novogrudok had been unable to stop the Lithuanians, he was driven out of the land by his own people in a few months. Many of the Dukes of Polotsk, having been taken by surprise by the attack, could not seem to bring themselves to an active resistance. Iziaslav, son of Vasilko, was the only one to have rattled his sharp sword on the helmets of the Lithuanians, darkening the glory of his elder, Vseslav, and took it for himself into his [death] bed, where he was laid under his red shield on the bloody grass by Lithuanian swordsmen, wrote the author of The Tale of Igor's Raid. In writing of these events, he also made mention of the tremendous sound of the Grodno (also known as Gardens) trumpets.
This may lead to surmise, that the Lithuanians had also attacked Grodno the same year. It is known, that a supposed bolt of lightening burned down an Orthodox Christian church in Grodno in 1183. What was the explanation for so sudden a rise in the military might of Lithuania, when it seemed so relatively insignificant, just a short while ago in 1180? Probably, Lithuania was finally able to make use of the fruits of influence, which it had been accumulating thus far, and forge an alliance among the many lands of the Balts (most likely the Upland Lithuanians and the Samogitians) into one country. Henceforth, Lithuanians engaged in large-scale military expeditions each year.
The intensity of such military maneuvers did not in essence change for two hundred years. Little is known about the internal structure of Lithuania of those times. However, historical sources, which became more plentiful 60 years later, testify that there were clear indications of statehood. The sources do not necessarily indicate that the state was forming during the time the information about Lithuania was becoming more plentiful.
A clear turning point in the ongoing historical events of Lithuania occurred at the time of the aforementioned beginning of large-scale military movements. Thus, these can be related to the formation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Albeit there may be comparatively little known about the Lithuanian military expeditions of the late XII century, nevertheless, the surviving data does indicate that Lithuania had gained great military power, and was frequently attacking neighboring lands. 1185 was marked by the devastation of Livonia by the Lithuanians. The frightened residents agreed to allow Meinhard, a German missionary, to build two brick castles in Livonia. At the same time, the Ikskile diocese, later to become the Riga diocese, was also established. These events marked the beginning of the Germanic take-over of Livonia.
In winter 1190, Duke Rurik of Kiev prepared to att...
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