Did Skirgaila Joust? A Reconstruction of the Court Culture of Duke Skirgaila Algirdaitis through the Prism of Sigillographic Iconography and Archaeological Sources.

Did Skirgaila Joust? A Reconstruction of the Court Culture of Duke Skirgaila Algirdaitis through the Prism of Sigillographic Iconography and Archaeological Sources. Abstract: Duke Skirgaila Algirdaitis (c. 1354–1397) presents a striking image on his equestrian seals from 1382–1387. The red wax impressions, preserved in archival collections, depict a rider heavily stylized according to Western chivalric ideals. Equipped with a couched lance and a heater shield, the duke is captured in a dynamic pose characteristic of the hastiludium (tournament) culture. The primary aim of this paper is to confront this sigillographic imagery with the material realities of late fourteenth-century Lithuania, seeking to determine whether this depiction reflected actual court practices or served merely as a calculated visual projection. To address this problem, the study employs an interdisciplinary approach, triangulating iconographic analysis with archaeological data, specifically focusing on osteology and arms-and-armour studies. Biometric measurements of horse remains from the cemeteries at Marvelė and Obeliai reveal that local mounts (Žemaitukas type, measuring 130–145 cm at the withers) lacked the mass and biomechanical capacity required for a classic Western joust (tjost). Furthermore, the analysis of armour excavated at the Lower Castle in Vilnius demonstrates the dominance of lamellar protection. Devoid of the profiled "glancing surface" typical of Western plate armour, such equipment would have rendered participation in a heavy lance charge physically lethal. This stark contrast between the visual sign (the seal) and material constraints implies that Skirgaila’s "tournament" was an intentional iconographic construct rather than a physical reality. Consequently, the paper reconstructs the actual forms of otium cultivated by the duke’s elite. It argues that the "barbaric" excesses described by Jan Długosz and Wigand of Marburg - such as violent feasts and massive hunts; should be reinterpreted not as pathological behaviors, but as functional, traditional mechanisms for maintaining warband loyalty and internal diplomacy. Ultimately, Skirgaila emerges as a pragmatic ruler who projected a Western chivalric image on parchment to foreign audiences, while adhering to highly effective, traditional Baltic forms of military culture and courtly integration in his daily administration.