Vykintas was Duke of Samogitia

Samogitia

Samogitia is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Šiauliai/Šiaulē. The region has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian dialect...

 and rival to future King of Lithuania Mindaugas

Mindaugas

Mindaugas was the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or rise to power; he is mentioned in a 1219 treaty as an elder duke, and in 1236 as the leader of all the Lithuanians...

. In 1236 he probably led Samogitian forces in the Battle of Saule against the Livonian Order

Livonian Order

The Livonian Order was an autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order and a member of the Livonian Confederation from 1435–1561. After being defeated by Samogitians in the 1236 Battle of Schaulen , the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword were incorporated into the Teutonic Knights...

. The order suffered a great defeat, was on the brink of collapse, and was forced to become a branch 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...

.

In 1248 Mindaugas

Mindaugas

Mindaugas was the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or rise to power; he is mentioned in a 1219 treaty as an elder duke, and in 1236 as the leader of all the Lithuanians...

 sent him together with Tautvilas

Tautvilas

Tautvilas was Duke of Polatsk and one of the sons of Dausprungas and nephews of King of Lithuania Mindaugas. Tautvilas together with his brother Edivydas and uncle Vykintas waged a civil war against Mindaugas...

 and Edivydas to a military campaign in Smolensk

Smolensk

Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...

. When they failed Mindaugas tried to capture their estates. The three men organized a vast coalition against Mindauges which included Tautvilas' brother-in-law Daniel of Halych

Daniel of Halych

Daniel I of Galicia or Daniel Romanovych or Danylo Halytskyi was a King of Galicia , Peremyshl , and Volodymyr...

, Livonian Order, and Samogitians. The dukes of Halych-Volhynia

Halych-Volhynia

The Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia or Kingdom of Rus or Galicia–Vladimir was a Ruthenian state in the regions of Galicia and Volhynia during 1199–1349. Along with Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal, it was one of the three most important powers to emerge from the collapse of Kievan Rus'...

 managed to gain control over Black Ruthenia

Black Ruthenia

Black Ruthenia, Black Rus or Black Russia are variant conventional terms used for a region around Navahrudak , in the western part of contemporary Belarus on the upper reaches of the Neman River for the time period between the 13th and 14th centuries...

, an area ruled by Vaišvilkas

Vaišvilkas

Vaišelga or Vaišvilkas was the Grand Duke of Lithuania...

.

In 1250, the Livonian Order organized two major raids, one against Nalša land and the other against the domains of Mindaugas and those parts of Samogitia that still supported him. However, Mindaugas succeeded in bribing Andreas von Stierland, the master of the order, who was still angry at Vykintas for the defeat in 1236. Mindaugas was to be baptised and crowned as King of Lithuania. In return he agreed to relinquish control over some lands in the western Lithuania. In 1252, Tautvilas and his remaining allies attacked Mindaugas in Voruta

Voruta

Voruta may have been the capital city of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Lithuania during the reign of king Mindaugas in the 13th century. Voruta is mentioned briefly only once in written sources and its exact location of Voruta is unknown...

, sometimes considered to be the first capital of 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...

. The attack failed and Tautvilas' forces retreated to defend themselves in Tverai

Tverai

Tverai is a small town in Rietavas municipality, Lithuania. It is situated on Aitra River, tributary to Jūra, about 17 km east from Rietavas and 14 km from Varniai. Tverai, with population of about 700, is a capital of an elderate....

 castle, in the present-day Rietavas municipality

Rietavas municipality

Rietavas municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania....

. Vykintas died ca. 1253 and Tautvilas escaped to his brother-in-law to Halych-Volhynia. In 1253 Mindaugas was crowned as promised.

Vykintas' sister was married to Dausprungas

Dausprungas

Dausprungas was older brother of Mindaugas, the first King of Lithuania. Dausprungas is mentioned only once in the peace treaty with Halych-Volhynia in 1219 among the 21 early dukes of Lithuania as one of the five elder dukes...

, Mindaugas' brother.