Alekna Sudimantaitis


Alekna Sudimantaitis was an influential Lithuanian noble of Trąby coat of arms, Grand Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Voivode of Vilnius.
Alekna is mentioned in written sources in 1446. He was royal cup-bearer and chamberlain. According to the Bychowiec Chronicle, Alekna led a Lithuanian squad in the 1454 Battle of Chojnice. During the battle Alekna was taken captive by the Teutonic Knights. He was also starosta of Hrodna and regent of Polatsk. After the death of Mykolas Kęsgaila in 1476, Alekna became Grand Chancellor and Voivode of Vilnius. He held those positions until his death in 1490 or 1491; the positions were taken over by Alekna's relative Mikalojus Radvila the Old. In 1482, a brevis from Pope Sixtus IV to launch a new crusade against the Ottoman Turks was addressed to Alekna and Martynas Goštautas, Voivode of Trakai.
He considered Hozhevo near Maladzyechna and Ratomas near Minsk as his patrimony. He also held territories near Hrodna and in Tureysk. Through his wife, Alekna inherited Dokshytsy. From Grand Duke Casimir, Alekna received Smalyavichy, Voupa, Ostroshitsy. He funded an altar inside a chapel of Vilnius Castle Complex, where his wife Jadvyga was buried. It is likely that he was buried there as well.

Family

Biased works of Jan Długosz claimed that Alekna was of "humble lot," when in fact Alekna hailed from an established noble family. He was a son of Sudimantas Dargaitis and second cousin of Mikalojus Radvila the Old. He married Jadvyga, daughter of Jonas Manvydas. They had five daughters: