Algirdas Lauritėnas

Algirdas Teodoras Lauritėnas (5 November 1932 – 7 August 2001) was a Lithuanian basketball player. He was a member of the Soviet team during the 1950s, and won a silver medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He was also part of the team that became European champion in 1953 and 1957 and won a bronze medal in 1955.

References

Algirdas

Algirdas (Belarusian: Альгерд', Russian: Ольгерд, Polish: Olgierd, name on his personal seal (Cyrillic Script) Олгер equals to Holger) (c. 1296 – May 1377) was a monarch of medieval Lithuania. He ruled the Lithuanians and Ruthenians from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his brother Kęstutis (who defended the western border of the Duchy) he created an empire stretching from the present Baltic states to the Black Sea and to within fifty miles of Moscow.

Background

Algirdas was one of the seven sons of Grand Prince Gediminas. Before his death in 1341, Gediminas divided his domain, leaving his youngest son Jaunutis in possession of the capital, Vilnius. With the aid of his brother, Kęstutis, Algirdas drove out the incompetent Jaunutis and declared himself Grand Prince in 1345. He devoted the next thirty-two years to the development and expansion of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Two factors are thought to have contributed to this result: the political sagacity of Algirdas and the devotion of Kęstutis. The division of their dominions is illustrated by the fact that Algirdas appears almost exclusively in East Slavic sources, while Western chronicles primarily describe Kęstutis. Lithuania was surrounded by enemies. The Teutonic Order in the northwest and the Golden Horde in the southwest sought Lithuanian territory, while Poland to the west and Muscovy to the east were generally hostile competitors.

Algirdas (name)

Algirdas is a Lithuanian male give name, derived from the Lithuanian terms al ("each, every") and gandas ("news, rumor"). Variants of the name include Algis and Elgirdas. Algirdas may refer to: