Demetrius I Starshiy

Who was Demetrius I Starshiy?

Dmitry I Starshy or Dmitry of Bryansk was the second eldest son of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his first wife Maria of Vitebsk. He was Duke of Bryansk from 1356 to 1379 and from 1388 to 1399.

In 1356 Algirdas took region of Bryansk, which included Trubetsk and Starodub, from Principality of Smolensk and granted to his son Dmitry to govern it. The territory was in far north east from the heartlands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and bordered the Grand Duchy of Moscow. In 1370 Dmitri Donskoi, Grand Duke of Moscow, unsuccessfully attempted to conquer the territory. In 1372 Dmitry witnessed Treaty of Lyubutsk between Algirdas and Dmitri Donskoi.

After his father's death in 1377 Dmitry supported his elder brother Andrei of Polotsk against their younger half-brother Jogaila, who became the Grand Duke of Lithuania. Andrei, believing that he is the rightful heir to the throne, organized an anti-Lithuanian coalition, which included Polotsk, Pskov, Livonian Order, and Grand Duchy of Moscow. Dmitry took a more passive role in the coalition: he did not wage a direct war against Lithuania and did not defend his domain when it was attacked by Moscow's army in 1379.