Influence of the Golden Horde on early coins of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) in 1380-1400

ENThis article was inspired by some of the theories circulating in the Lithuanian numismatic community and its’ literature, in particular interpretations of early heraldic symbols depicted on GDL coins (especially lion / leopard, «intertwined hearts» / knot, «Gediminas’ Columns»), which I find difficult to agree with. A clear example of such interpretation is the idea of the Lion as the first coat of arms of Lithuania, later subdued by Vytis and the Polish Eagle, presented in the works of E. Ivanauskas and E. Remecas which found resonance even in the popular Lithuanian press {Marcinkevičius A., 2017; Remecas E., 2013). Looking more closely at this, I could not help noticing that there are many aspects that are not fully revealed or where only the surface is scratched, which cast doubt on the interpretations of the heraldic signs presented so far. In this article, I will try to present somewhat different versions of the origin of these symbols. As we shall see, in doing so I will attach special importance to the Khan Toqtamish of the Golden Horde - and his jarlyks to Jogaila from 1381-1382 and 1393, Toqtamish relations with the Grand Duke Vytautas during 1395-1399 period and the meaning of‘braids’/ knot of happiness symbol.