Margiris (died 1336) was a Duke of Samogitia

Eldership of Samogitia

The Duchy of Samogitia had been the administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1422 . Between 1422 to 1441 it was known as the Eldership of Samogitia...

, a medieval Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

n prince, mentioned in the chronicle

Chronicle

Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...

 of Wigand of Marburg

Wigand of Marburg

Wigand of Marburg was a German herald of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia and one of the notable chroniclers of the Middle Ages.Wigand expanded upon the earlier work of Nikolaus von Jeroschin...

 as the heroic defender of the Pilėnai

Pilenai

Pilėnai was a fortress in medieval Lithuania. It is well known in the Lithuanian history due to the heroic defense of the castle.-Defence:The defence, led by the Duke Margiris, took place on February 25, 1336, when the castle was besieged by the army of the Teutonic Knights...

 in Samogitia in 1336. Not able to defend the castle against the siege of the Teutonic Knights

Teutonic Knights

The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...

, Margiris and other defenders decided to commit suicide, burning the castle and leaving no loot for the enemy.

Margiris had a high position in Lithuanian society, as is evidenced by his duel

Duel

A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...

 with John of Luxemburg, King of Bohemia

Bohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

, who came to aid the Order in 1329. After the rules of the duel were broken, Margiris had to pay a ransom. He did so with coins minted by Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....

 stolen during a 1326 raid into the Margraviate of Brandenburg

Margraviate of Brandenburg

The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....

. If Margiris was not from the ruling class, the King of Bohemia would consider it degrading to fight with him, and Margiris would not have a share of the spoils of war

Spoils of War

Botín de guerra is a 2000 Argentine documentary film directed and written by David Blaustein with Luis Alberto Asurey. The film premiered on 11 April 2000 in Buenos Aires...

.

Regarding his family, chronicles mention only Margiris' son, who went to France after 1329 and whose wife was countess of Clermont of unknown name. Since the sources attest the high status and wealth of Margiris, historian Alvydas Nikžentaitis

Alvydas Nikžentaitis

Alvydas Nikžentaitis is a Lithuanian historian, senior research fellow of the Lithuanian Institute of History and president of Lithuanian National Historians Committee.-Biography:...

 tends to conclude that Margiris must have been a son of Butvydas

Butvydas

Butvydas was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1292 to 1295. His influence was strong during his brother Butigeidis' reign. This led some historians to believe, that they were co-rulers, much like the grandsons Algirdas and Kęstutis...

 and brother of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...

.

is also the title of a historic epic poem about the heroic prince, written by Władysław Syrokomla in 1855.