House of Mindaugas

Historians have to make considerable assumptions trying to reconstruct the full family tree because of extremely scarce written sources about the early history of Lithuania.

The matter is further complicated by the 16–17th century genealogies, most famously the Bychowiec Chronicle, that mixed legends and facts into one.

[2] The legends about Palemonids, a noble family from the Roman Empire who settled in Lithuania and gave rise to the Duchy, are quite popular and widespread in these genealogies.

The real historical data comes from the Old East Slavic and Livonian chronicles, most important of these being the Hypatian Codex.

[3] However, no written sources of the period talk about their father, except the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle, which mentions in passing that he was a powerful Grand Duke (ein kunic grôß).

Chronicles written in the 16–17th centuries gave him the name of Ryngold (Lithuanian: Rimgaudas) and made him part of the Palemonids' legends.

[9] Vaišvilkas became such a devoted Orthodox that he voluntarily gave up the title of Grand Duke of Lithuania in favor of his brother-in-law Shvarn and died heirless.

According to one source, after Shvarn's death his brother Lev of Galicia married the childless widow Ramona to his ally count Hujd.

This cruel act motivated Daumantas to become an ally of Treniota and assassinate Mindaugas with two of his sons.