Daumantas of Lithuania

Who was Daumantas of Lithuania?

Daumantas or Dovmont was the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1282–1285. Daumantas is mentioned in chronicles only once and, in absence of any other evidence, he is presumed to be a short-ruled Grand Duke who inherited the title after Traidenis' death in 1281 or 1282. It is assumed that Daumantas was succeeded by Grand Duke Butegeidis. Relationships between Daumantas and Butegeidis or between Daumantas and Traidenis are unknown.

The period between 1281/1282 and 1289 is one of the most poorly documented periods in the history of Lithuania. The only recorded information about the Grand Duke of Lithuania during that time is a short note from 1285. Seven Russian chronicles—Laurentian, Simeon, Typographical, Nikon, Resurrection, Avraamki, Yermolin —record the same brief story that in March or August 1285 Lithuanians, led by Grand Duke Daumantas, attacked the domain of Tver's bishop Simeon, in particular the Oleshnya volost of the Principality of Tver.