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Hello, I'm Dr. Eleanorianica and welcome to Gone Medieval from History Hit, the podcast that delves into the

greatest millennium in human history. We uncover the greatest mysteries, the gobsmacking

details, and the latest groundbreaking research from the Vikings to the Normans, from kings to

popes, to the Crusades. We delve into the rebellions, plots, and murders that tell us who we really were.

And how we got here.

In February 1387, Yogila, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, returned from a mission abroad.

He had just married the Polish queen Yadviga, making him the ruler of one of the largest and most powerful kingdoms in Europe.

But such important unions came at a price. And for Yogila and his subjects,

that price was their religion. At the end of the 14th century, Lithuania was home to some of the most

staunch and stalwart non-Christians in Europe.

Their capital Vilnius still boasted a roofless temple dedicated to the god Perkunis,

where a sacred fire was kept always burning, its smoke rising to the heavens.

Surrounding the city was a sacred forest, where animals, including grass snakes, said to be household guardians, were protected from harm.

...