Because none of Gediminas' siblings had strong heirs, Gediminas and his children were in a favorable position to assume and consolidate power in the Grand Duchy. Gediminas had at least five daughters and seven sons, whose shrewd marriages helped to consolidate and expand the Grand Duchy's influence to areas east and west of Lithuania. Those marriages speak to Gediminas' diplomatic talent in building alliances with the neighboring states that shared his goals to destroy the Teutonic Order and contain the growing power of
Moscow and Poland. Dmitri was killed in 1325 and Maria never remarried. Maria's brother-in-law,
Alexander I, nevertheless maintained friendly relationships with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and his daughter
Uliana married
Algirdas, the son of Gediminas, who continued the Gediminid line. (an alliance foreshadowing the
Union of Krewo in 1385 and the
Union of Lublin in 1569, with the latter resulting in a stable and powerful new state, the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth). This preliminary coalition was short-lived, collapsing in about 1330, but there is no evidence of military conflict between Poland and Lithuania while Aldona was alive. Elisabeth's daughter,
Elizabeth of Pomerania, was the fourth wife of
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor. Gediminas' daughter Elzbieta married
Wacław of Płock, one of the
dukes of Masovia in modern-day eastern Poland. Her second name is recorded in writings by
Maciej Stryjkowski as
Danmila and
Teodor Narbutt as
Damila. It has been suggested these names are misread versions of
Danutė, a name derived from
Daniel. Another interpretation is that historians confused
Danutė of Lithuania, daughter of Kęstutis, with Elzbieta. As an alliance, the marriage was significant because passages to and from western Europe had to go through
Masovia; it can be seen as an attempt to revive Grand Duke
Traidenis' and his daughter
Gaudemunda's link with Masovia in the 1270s. Both parties agreed to install Bolesław, cousin of Władysław I and nephew of Gediminas' son-in-law Wacław of Płock, with the marriage to take place later. Bolesław at the time was fourteen years old. The marriage had great potential because Lithuania and Moscow were fierce rivals for supremacy in
Ruthenia, but conflicts broke out again in 1335, just two years after the marriage. Her brother
Jaunutis sought her help when he was deposed by Algirdas in 1345. Immediately before her death on 11 March 1345 Aigusta became a nun. She was buried within the
Moscow Kremlin at a monastic church whose construction she had sponsored. The existence of another daughter, or possibly another sister, has been hypothesized based on the list of
Metropolitan Theognostus' property published in 1916. The list contains a note describing Andrei Mstislavich, Duke of
Kozelsk (ruled ca. 1320 — 1339), as Gediminas' son-in-law. On the other hand, the
Ruthenian word ' (
зять) can mean either "son-in-law" or "sister's husband". Hence Andrei of Kozelsk could have been Gediminas' brother-in-law.
Sons n state during the 13th-15th centuries The chronicle of
John of Winterthur contains a reference to Gediminas' eight sons. Nikžentaitis further postulates that the name of the unknown son might have been Vytautas, as records mention a young and powerful Yuri, son of Vytautas and deputy of
Andrei, son of Algirdas. Yuri died in 1348. His high position in youth could easily be accounted for by being a grandson of Gediminas. It is unclear why, but
Jaunutis, a middle son not mentioned in any written sources before the ''
coup d'état'' accomplished by his brothers, was designated by Gediminas as his heir in
Vilnius and consequently became the Grand Duke. His brother
Kęstutis, Duke of Trakai, was assisting him in
Samogitia. Despite help from Narimantas, Jaunutis was deposed by his brothers
Algirdas and Kęstutis in 1345, just four years after Gediminas' death. Several sons of Gediminas continued his male line, but it was
Algirdas who continued the main Gediminid line. Before deposing his brother Jaunutis in 1345, he ruled
Kreva and, despite remaining pagan, married Maria, a daughter of the last prince of
Vitebsk. In 1350 Algirdas contracted a second marriage with
Uliana of Tver; he chose their son
Jogaila as the next Grand Duke. In 1385 Jogaila opened a new chapter in the
history of Lithuania by
converting the country to Christianity and signing a
personal union with Poland, becoming King of Poland. This
Polish–Lithuanian union, in various forms, survived until the
third partition of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795. Jogaila's branch of the Gediminids is known as the
Jagiellon dynasty. ) with a modern portrait of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377
Kęstutis, Duke of Trakai, despite exercising considerable autonomy while controlling the western provinces of the duchy, was loyal to Algirdas and acknowledged his superiority. Kęstutis was a devoted pagan and dedicated his life to defending Lithuania from the Teutonic Knights. A popular romantic legend arose about his marriage to the pagan priestess
Birutė of
Palanga. They had seven or eight children, including
Vytautas the Great. Vytautas continued his fight for supremacy, and the conflicts between the descendants of Algirdas and Kęstutis lasted well into the 15th century.
Manvydas was the eldest son of Gediminas and inherited the territories of
Kernavė and
Slonim from his father. He initiated a tradition of Lithuanian
mercenary service north of Novgorod on the Swedish border that lasted until Novgorod's fall to Moscow in 1477 and helped keep Moscow at bay. In 1345 Narimantas became the strongest supporter of his deposed brother Jaunutis and went to
Jani Beg, Khan of the
Golden Horde, to ask for support against Algirdas and Kęstutis. There are rumors that Narimantas married a Tatar princess, but they lack credibility.
Liubartas (baptized Dymitr) was Gediminas' youngest son. In the early 1320s he married a daughter of
Andrew of Galicia and ruled
Lutsk in eastern Volhynia. Liubartas died around 1385, having ruled Volhynia for roughly sixty years. He had three sons. == Graphic representation ==