Pre-dynasty Background
Gediminids (Lithuanian: Gediminaičiai), the immediate predecessors of the first Jagiellonian, were monarchs of the medieval Lithuania with the title didysis kunigaikštis which would be translated as Great King according to the contemporary perception. The later construct for its translation is Grand Duke (for its etymology, see Grand Prince). Their realm, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was chiefly inhabited by Lithuanians and Ruthenians.
Jogaila, the eponymous first ruler of the Jagiellonin dynasty, started as the Grand Duke of Lithuania. He then converted to Christianity and married the 11-year-old Jadwiga, the second of Poland's Angevin rulers, and thereby becoming himself King of Poland, founded the dynasty. At the time, he called himself King Ladislaus (Polish: Władysław), without an ordinal number, but later historians have referred to him as Ladislaus II (of Poland) or sometimes Ladislaus II Jagiello of Poland and Lithuania.
The rule of Piasts, the earlier Polish ruling house (c. 962–1370) had ended with the death of Casimir III.
Read more about this topic: Jagiellon Dynasty
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