Antavas II Antavaiciai

Antavas Antavaiciai was King of Lithuania, First Vaidila of the Romuva faith from 818AD to November 832AD and the son of legendary Lithuanian conqueror Antavas. His reign is considered by historians to have been less significant than that of his fathers, but he is credited for various structural reforms to Lithuania that gave the country a competitive edge over it's neighbours. Lithuanians refer to him most commonly as Antavas the Younger to differentiate between the two successive rulers.

Early Life and Minor Titles
Born the eldest of two sons to Antavas, the younger Antavas was not always seen as the clear successor under his father's traditional elder based electoral system. Educated as a warrior he was introduced to his father's Band of Medeina at the age of twelve and was forced to prove himself a fighter worthy of membership, his skills in fighting in personal combat and in pitched battle soon became clear. At the age of 24 his father appointed him as the Chief of the tribe of Liw where he learned about administrative responsibilities and leadership. His appointment too was a significant shift in the constitutional nature of Lithuania as for the first time a ruler had essentially handed out territory to his children despite them holding little to no claim over the land. Liw was a formerly Polish territory his father had conquered and as such the younger Antavas found difficulty initially governing except through the sword, however by the end of his reign he was accepted as a renowned and popular leader among his tribe, and a capable Polish speaker. It is believed his ties to Liw would be a significant factor behind his cosmopolitan attitude towards the creation of the Lithuanian Empire in Eastern Europe. He too would be appointed the High Chief of Mazovia, another Polish region including elements of his father's lithuanian holdings from Yatvingia in 801AD which he would hold until his father's death in 819AD.

King of Lithuania
After his brother's untimely death aged 19 from what historians now assume to be leukaemia, Antavas the younger would become the only valid heir to the Kingdom his father had created which he inherited in 819AD following a long battle with gout that his father had suffered for decades. He was already in his 40's upon succession due to his father's long-life meaning few expected his reign to be long or especially productive for the realm. Unlike other examples of regional tribal kingdoms however Antavas had no problems following his succession, his father's unpopularity among some of the southern lords of the Kingdom ensured that he was seen a a positive change after his father's long reign. Furthermore his close friendship with the High Chief Yidvuti of Skalva helped secure his demesne lands from any potential internal struggles, though no High Chieftain challenged his position.

Lithuanian Holy Invasions
In an attempt to secure his position as the true heir to his father Antavas would launch his first major war in 821AD against the weakened Ruthenian Kingdom. Facing aggressive Hungarian attacks from the south, Ilmenia had essentially broken off as independent of their rulers in the Ruthenian capital Kozelsk however in doing so had weakened their own personal position. Antavas therefore declared, like his father had several times, that Ilmenia must be seized in honour of Dievas and invaded. His army vastly outmatched the Ilmenian forces who were crushed decisively at the battle of Lake Ilmen and surrendered following the capture of their leader Yevstafiy of House Dregovich. The region was annexed and placed under the control of an Estonian Bukantas iš Ledurga, the first Estonian to have been granted lands by a Lithuanian King, for his contribution to the conflict. Ruthenia, for it's contribution in the war, would then be invaded by the Hungarians under the Tarjan dynasty in 824AD leading to the fall of the Dregovich house from power and history and the settling of the Hungarian peoples in the Kiev-Etelkoz region after years of nomadic rule.

Having successfully defeated the Ruthenians Antavas turned his attention south, deciding to press on the powerful Lithuanians while they were still weakened following a long conflict with the Pannonians in which they were defeated. Lithuanian tribal forces flooded into the Kuyavia region but were met by vast forces of Pomeranians who refused to concede the region. The result was a month long series of skirmishes and battles in Lower Silesia often between thousands of Lithuanians and Pomeranians at any given time that eventually proved a decisive Lithuanian victory despite some near losses.

826AD Lithuanian Invasion of Smolensk
Overconfident as a result of his victories however Antavas soon turned his eyes on the new Tarjan Kingdom of Ruthenia to the east. Choosing to invade the Kingdom with the intention of breaking apart the northern, formerly Russian, vassals from their new Hungarian masters and solidify the Lithuanian domination of the northern slavic territories. The invasion however would be a logistical and organisational disaster, starting when the tribal forces of Antavas failed to successfully meet up and combine with those of Antavas' tribal vassals who launched offensive advances late on the scheduled plan. As a result Antavas and his personal forces alone faced down the Hungarian/Ruthenian army at Minsk in May of 826AD where his forces were faced for the first time with the tactics and fighting style of the steppe hordes. Two thousand Lithuanians were massacred in the battle which would seriously tarnish Antavas' reputation for years by the much more mobile horseback forces of the Hungarians who ran circles around the primarily light foot based Lithuanian army. The result would be an embarrassing withdrawal to Livonia while Antavas' confused vassal forces advanced into Ruthenia, unsure of where their King was.

Antavas' forces would return of course, but again would be attacked by Hungarian forces while advancing on Polotsk to meet up with the bulk of his nation's army where not only would he lose another thousand men to Hungarian attacks, but he personally would be captured by King Tarjan Antal of Ruthenia where he was forced to surrender and withdraw his armies back to Lithuania. For the various nations of the region this was a stunning defeat and a sign of Hungarian strength following their invasion of the weakened Ruthenian state that left their enemies doubting their power. This would be the last of Antavas' campaigns.

The Elders Crisis
During the period of peace Antavas chose to seclude himself and his country to he would be challenged several times by the elders of Lithuania over who his rightful heir should be. Initially his eldest son Songalia of Mazovia was intended to be his heir, however he would die in 830AD after a wound received in single combat became infected leaving a succession crisis between Antavas' younger sons Erdenis and Antavas as well as even briefly his daughter Kenna over who the rightful heir should be. Antavas personally preferred his elder son Erdenis, a warrior and diplomat, over his third son Antavas. Antavas III was a deep thinker, administrator and diplomat which irritated his war-like father but pleased the elders who believed a period of consolidation and development was needed following the loss of the Ruthenian war. Antavas however followed a different doctrine, believing instead that Lithuania had to expand or risk becoming crushed between the Hungarians, Pannonians and the Holy Roman Empire to the west. He never considered his daughter for the role due to his belief that warriors should rule the Lithuanians like his father had while his daughter knew little more than the art of diplomacy which she had learned while wife of the Chief of Greater Poland Vytenis iš Oliva. As a result he revoked the amendment to the succession law that his father Antavas had introduced to allow women to inherit the role in an attempt to ensure his daughter never saw the throne; it was successful. Antavas the younger spent a significant part of the end of his reign during his 60's convincing or murdering elders who disagreed with him, including several who had been elected elders despite their refusal to follow the true faith which led to Antavas' decision to banish all heretics from his court and the Kingdom in 832AD to limited success. His son Erdenis, in an attempt to prove his leadership credentials, was appointed High Chief of Mazovia like Antavas had been as a young man in 831AD following the death of Songalia as well as designated regent in case of Antavas' illness or incapability. This eventually managed to turn around opinion of the elders in the mid 830's however by late 832 the opinions of the Elders once more had shifted leaving the presumptive heir again as the younger son of Antavas the younger, Antavas III.

Death and Legacy
Antavas the Younger's death came as a surprise to many as he seemed capable and in good health up until days before death. Murals and documentation by the Romuva Church suggest he experienced a rapid decline of health attributed to his long standing battle with gout, much like his father, which soon left him bedridden and eventually led to his death sometime in November 832AD. His health is thought to have been further damaged by the stress of the later part of his reign, along with his severe alcoholism that earned him the nickname "the bottomless" among some of his vassal Chieftains. The loss of his wife in May of the same year too is pointed to as a possible last straw that broke the camels back.

For many Antavas is remembered as a warrior King who simply inherited too late in order to make much of his reign, he notably expanded the reach of his Kingdom and reformed some state structures, but his age and health problems meant his reign was short and largely peaceful towards the end, especially as a result of his failed campaign against the Hungarian Ruthenians. His untimely death led to the succession being passed on to his son Antavas III, his second youngest son, who would go on to reign as Antavas the Bloodaxe. His son and preferred heir Erdenis would die in battle in October 835AD.