Editing Grodno (section)

===Early history===
Before arrival of the [[East Slavs]] to the [[Grodno Region]] in the 10th–11th centuries, the area was inhabited by [[Balts|Baltic]] tribe [[Yotvingians]], who were heavily [[Lithuanization|Lithuanized]] in the 5th-7th centuries already and especially during the formation of the State of [[Lithuania]] in the 13th century, and subsequently for a long time Grodno and its area was a part of the [[Ethnographic Lithuania]] (e.g. even in the 19th century the Lithuanian-inhabited areas were still nearby the present-day suburbs of Grodno city).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vidugiris |first1=Aloyzas |title=Gardino sritis |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/gardino-sritis/ |website=[[Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija]] |access-date=22 June 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> The modern city of Grodno originated as a small fortress and a fortified trading outpost maintained by the [[Rurikid]] [[prince]]s on the border with the lands of the Baltic tribal union of the Yotvingians. The first reference to Grodno dates to 1005.<ref name="USSR/1965">[https://books.google.com/books?id=4HziAAAAMAAJ  ''Археографический ежегодник за 1964 год''.] The Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1965, pg. 271. The name derives from the [[Old East Slavic]] verb ''gorodit'', i.e., ''to enclose, to fence'' (see "[[Grad (geography)|grad]]" for details) or [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]] 'gardas', i.e., "a fence" (see [https://www.lietuviuzodynas.lt/zodynas/Gardas Lithuanian language dictionary] for details), both from an old [[Indo-European]] [https://etimologija.baltnexus.lt/?w=gardas word].</ref>

The official foundation year is 1128. In this year Grodno was mentioned in the ''[[Kievan Chronicle]]'' as '''Goroden''',{{sfn|Heinrich|1977|p=11}} and located at a crossing of numerous trading routes.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}} The same chronicle also reports in the year 1183: 'That same year all of Goroden burned, including all the stone churches, from a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder in a thunderstorm.'{{sfn|Heinrich|1977|p=401}} 

Grodno became part of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] in the 13th century, and the local stronghold was rebuilt by Lithuanians.{{sfn|Jodkowski|1923|p=4}} Prince [[Daniel of Galicia]] briefly captured the city in 1253 and once again attacked it in 1259.{{sfn|Jodkowski|1923|p=4}} In 1276, Duke [[Traidenis]] gave shelter in Grodno to Yotvingians fleeing the [[Teutonic Knights]]' massacre.{{sfn|Jodkowski|1923|p=4}} The city was unsuccessfully attacked by the Rus' princes and Tatars in 1277, then repeatedly attacked, with varying success, by the Teutonic Knights in 1283, 1296, 1306, 1311, 1312, 1328, 1361, 1363, 1373, 1375, 1377.{{sfn|Jodkowski|1923|pp=5–6}} In 1358 a convention took place in Grodno on border disputes between Lithuania and the Polish [[Duchy of Masovia]].{{sfn|Jodkowski|1923|p=6}}

Since 1385 Grodno formed part of the [[Polish–Lithuanian union]]. The famous Lithuanian Grand Duke [[Vytautas]] was the prince of Grodno from 1376 to 1392, and he stayed there during his preparations for the [[Battle of Grunwald]] (1410). During the [[Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392)|Lithuanian Civil War of 1389–1392]], the city was captured by [[Władysław II Jagiełło]] in 1390, and then by Vytautas in 1391, with Vytautas-allied [[Konrad von Wallenrode]] committing a massacre of 15 Polish prisoners-of-war.{{sfn|Jodkowski|1923|p=7}} After the [[Ostrów Agreement]] of 1392, Vytautas expelled the Teutonic Knights, who in revenge captured the city, burned the castle and took 3,000 prisoners.{{sfn|Jodkowski|1923|p=7}} The city was attacked one more time by the Teutonic Knights in 1402.{{sfn|Jodkowski|1923|p=8}} Since 1413, Grodno had been the administrative center of a [[powiat]] in [[Trakai Voivodeship]]. Polish King Władysław II Jagiełło often stopped in Grodno, including in 1414, 1416, 1418 and 1425.{{sfn|Jodkowski|1923|p=9}} In 1425, Polish-Teutonic talks concerning the borders took place there.{{sfn|Jodkowski|1923|p=9}}