Mindaugas Gedgaudas

Correction:
I know that Lithuanians are an exceptional people - for example, it's been said that Columbus was Lithuanian - but not since Noah and Methuselah do we have much evidence of great leaders living longer than around 80 or 100 years, tops.    That Grand Duke Gediminas brought 380 Karaims to his castle in Trakai in the year 1390 or thereabouts is a rare feat, seeing that he purportedly was born in 1275 or so.    His castle in Trakai, by the way, was in the old  Trakai, and that Old Trakai Castle was destroyed in 1391 by our fine Christian neighbors from the West, while bringing love and peace to the pagan Lithuanians and additional tithes to the Pope, of course...    So, the poor Karaims, who had barely managed to settle down in the royal castle, had to move out and build their own living quarters, each house having three windows facing the street,  where they have remained to this day still following their old customs.    I just don't know if they have much of a record of Gediminas leading them from their ancient homelands to Old Trakai...

Mindaugas Gedgaudas