Živinbudas was one of the five senior Lithuanian dukes mentioned in the treaty with Halych-Volhynia in 1219. The treaty lists a total of 21 dukes, five of them being elder or superior. Since Živinbudas is mentioned first in the list, it is presumed that he was the supreme ruler of Lithuania. He is not mentioned in any other sources and the mention in the treaty is the only bit of information available about him. However, some historians argue he was ancestor of Traidenis, Grand Duke of Lithuania ca. 1270-1282. That is probably the influence of the Palemonids legends popularized by fake 16th century genealogies that connected a mythical Palemon, a prince of Venice who settled in Lithuania in the 10th century, to the Gediminids, an established dynasty.
The Russian Gustinskaya Chronicle mentions Živibundas under the year 1218.
References
- Baranauskas, Tomas. "Živinbudas". Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- Kiaupa, Zigmantas; Jūratė Kiaupienė; Albinas Kuncevičius (2000) . The History of Lithuania Before 1795 (English ed.). Vilnius: Lithuanian Institute of History. pp. 50–51. ISBN 9986-810-13-2.
- Rowell, C. S. (1994). Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295-1345. Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series. Cambridge University Press. xxxiii. ISBN 978-0-521-45011-9.
- For example, family tree in Urban, William (1994). The Baltic Crusade (2nd ed.). Chicago, Illinois: Lithuanian Research and Studies Center. p. 344. ISBN 0-929700-10-4. lists a number of people known only from 16th century sources like the Bychowiec Chronicle.
 | This biographical article about a member of the Lithuanian nobility is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |