Making a Great Ruler: Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania

By Giedrė Mickūnaitė

Investigating the propaganda surrounding the grand duke, this study reveals that, in fact, there were two opposite images: that of a good ruler and that of a tyrant. The paradox is that frequently these opposites were based on the same features of the grand duke's character or episodes from his biography. The research is based on a wide array of written and visual sources as well as on records of oral tradition. Rich and diverse primary materials are analysed from the perspectives of political and social history, memorial culture, as well as iconography and rhetoric.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Central European University Press
• Release date: Sep 10, 2006
• ISBN: 9786155211072

Giedrė Mickūnaitė

Giedrė Mickūnaitė, PhD is Associate Professor at the Department of Art History and Theory of the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts in Lithuania. She investigates Lithuanian culture of the Middle Ages and the reception of medieval past in later periods. Her research pays special emphasis to visual sources and historical imagination. 

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