Vaidotas

Who is Vaidotas?

Vaidotas or Wojdat was a son of Kęstutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania. In reliable historical sources he is mentioned only twice.

According to the chronicles of Wigand of Marburg, he was the commander of the garrison of the newly-built Kaunas Castle during a three-week-long siege in April 1362. After strong resistance the castle was taken over and then destroyed. Vaidotas with 36 men tried to break through, but was taken prisoner. The defeat was one of the largest and important military victories of the Teutonic Knights in the 14th century against Lithuania.

From a document by his brother Vytautas the Great from 1401 it is known that Vaidotas and his brother Tautvilas Kęstutaitis were given to rule Navahrudak equally. His further fate is unknown.

Because of very limited historical sources, Vaidotas is sometimes confused with Vaidutis, son of Butautas and grandson of Kęstutis. Some historians also argue that Butautas and Vaidotas were the same person and their names are different because of a different dialect. Further confusion is introduced by Bychowiec Chronicle, an unreliable chronicle from the 16th century, which claims that Vaidotas died in his youth in Lithuania.