King of Lithuania, the title of rulers of
Lithuanian state recognised by the
Pope. The first of them was King
Mindaugas who founded the Christian
Kingdom of Lithuania; his successors, however, were known as
Grand Dukes, as Lithuania reverted to
paganism until the end of 14th century. Despite this, the rulers of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania referred to themselves as kings in
Latin as "
rex" (king), and
Gediminas of Lithuania used this title in his letters while trying to ease pressure of the
Teutonic Knights and negotiating the direct Christianisation of Lithuania from Rome rather than by neighbouring countries.
In 1429, the title of King of Lithuania was granted to Grand Duke
Vytautas, but his attempts to be crowned did not succeed. At this time, Lithuania had
already adopted Christianity.
The third and the last king of Lithuania was proclaimed in 1918, when Lithuania was occupied by
Germany and attempting to achieve independence. Lithuanians decided to elect German nobleman Wilhelm of Urach as king
Mindaugas II and hoped this would encourage Germany to allow Lithuania have real independence. However, after the Great War Lithuania's independence was as a republic.
See also
Category:Kings of Lithuaniaes:Rey de Lituaniahr:Kralj Litve
