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The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 partitions of Poland–Lithuania.
Later, in the early 15th century, Grand Duke Vytautas the Great made the mounted knight on a red field the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Ever since, the Lithuanian rulers and nobles related to the ruling dynasty used the coat of arms.
The ruling Gediminid dynasty first adopted the horseback knight as a dynastical symbol which depicted them. Later, in the early 15th century, Grand Duke Vytautas the Great made the mounted knight on a red field the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
The late 14th century marks the beginning of the history of Vytis as the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Under the rule of Grand Duke Vytautas (1392–1430), the riding knight became the coat of arms of the vast country Vytautas ruled: the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Lithuanian coat of arms, known as the Vytis, depicts a mounted soldier with raised sword on a red field. Dating back to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania it is among the Europe's oldest emblems. Atypically its source is Grand duke's seal rather than a dynastic coat of arms.
Jan 15, 2023 · Coat of arms of Lithuania Vytis (Waykimas) with Double Cross of the Jagiellonian dynasty, depicted on a table exhibited in the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius.jpg 905 × 1,105; 213 KB
The symbol appears in the following form: Horizontal line at bottom, vertical lines extend up at both ends. The square at the middle of the horizontal line is about half as tall as the vertical lines. Another vertical line rises from the top center of the square, giving an overall appearance that is close to a trident.
