Vilnius is first mentioned in written records in the letters of Grand Duke Gediminas of Lithuania, who in 1323 invited merchants and craftsmen from German towns to settle in his capital. According to a legend, Gediminas dreamed of an iron wolf howling on a hill, and a priest told him to build a great city on the spot. The city grew as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which in the later Middle Ages was one of the largest states in Europe, and was home to Lithuanians, Poles, Ruthenians and Jews, whose community earned it the name Jerusalem of the North. It later passed to the Russian Empire, was part of Poland between the wars, and since 1990 has been the capital of independent Lithuania.
Before and after
- from 1320 to 1413Tughlaq dynasty
- 1320The Divine Comedy
- from 1321 to 1328Byzantine Civil War of 1321–1328
- 14 September 1321Death of Dante Alighieri
- c. 1323Origins of Vilnius
- from 1324 to 1861Kingdom of Sardinia
- 1324Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca
- 8 January 1324Death of Marco Polo
- 1325Construction of Khotyn Fortress
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 622 CEConstruction of Prophet's Mosque
- from 800 CE to 1258Islamic Golden Age
- 1342Construction of Palace of Westminster
- from 1370 to 1789Construction of Bastille
- 1386Construction of Heidelberg University
- from 1438 to 1533Inca Empire
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 14th century.