Kaributas was a son of Algirdas

Algirdas

Algirdas was a monarch of medieval Lithuania. Algirdas ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377, which chiefly meant monarch of Lithuanians and Ruthenians...

, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and reigned in Severian Novgorod until 1393.

Kaributas was born some time after 1350 (exact date is unknown) to Algirdas of Lithuania and Uliana of Tver. Born a pagan

Lithuanian mythology

Lithuanian mythology is an example of Baltic mythology, developed by Lithuanians throughout the centuries.-History of scholarship:Surviving information about Baltic paganism in general is very sketchy and incomplete. As with most ancient Indo-European cultures Lithuanian mythology is an example of...

, around 1380 he was baptised in the Orthodox

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...

 rite and became the prince of Severian Novgorod. He adopted the Christian name of Dmitry and hence is sometimes referred to as Dmitry Korybut (a combination of his Slavicised

Slavic languages

The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...

 Lithuanian name

Lithuanian name

A personal name, like in most European cultures, consists of two main elements: the given name followed by family name . The usage of personal names in Lithuania is generally governed by three major factors: civil law, canon law, and tradition. Lithuanian names always follow the rules of the...

 Kaributas and his Christian name). He appeared in politics during the Lithuanian Civil War (1381–1384)

Lithuanian Civil War (1381–1384)

The Lithuanian Civil War of 1381–1384 was the first struggle for power between the cousins Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania and later King of Poland, and Vytautas the Great. It began after Jogaila signed the Treaty of Dovydiškės with the Teutonic Knights which was aimed against his uncle Kęstutis,...

 when he supported his brother Jogaila

Jogaila

Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...

 against his uncle Kęstutis

Kestutis

Kęstutis was monarch of medieval Lithuania. He was the Duke of Trakai and governed the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 1342–82, together with his brother Algirdas , and with his nephew Jogaila...

 and cousin Vytautas. In 1382 he began a rebellion in Severian Novgorod, engaging Kęstutis' forces so that Jogaila could attack and capture lightly guarded Vilnius

Vilnius

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...

, capital of the Grand Duchy. He also witnessed the Treaty of Dubysa

Treaty of Dubysa

The Treaty of Dubysa or Treaty of Dubissa consisted of three legal acts formulated on October 31, 1382 between Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania, with his brother Skirgaila and Konrad von Wallenrode, Marshal of the Teutonic Knights. During the Lithuanian Civil War , Teutonic Knights helped Jogaila...

 with the Teutonic Knights

Teutonic Knights

The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...

.

For his service, he was awarded possessions in Navahrudak and Lida

Lida

Lida is a city in western Belarus in Hrodna Voblast, situated 160 km west of Minsk. It is the fourteenth largest city in Belarus.- Etymology :...

. Kaributas continued to support Jogaila: he witnessed the Union of Krewo

Union of Krewo

In a strict sense, the Union of Krewo or Act of Krėva was a set of prenuptial promises made in the Kreva Castle on 14 August 1385 by Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania, in exchange for marriage to the underage reigning Queen Jadwiga of Poland...

 and fought in the Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392)

Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392)

The Lithuanian Civil War of 1389–1392 was the second civil conflict between Jogaila, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his cousin Vytautas the Great. At issue was control of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, then the largest state in Europe. Jogaila had been crowned King of Poland in...

. After the Ostrów Agreement

Ostrów Agreement

The Ostrów or Astrava Agreement was a treaty between Jogaila , King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his cousin Vytautas the Great, signed on August 4, 1392...

, he refused to recognize Vytautas' superiority and was defeated in a battle near Lida in early 1393. Kaributas was imprisoned and stripped of his possessions. However, he was soon released and given Zbarazh

Zbarazh

Zbarazh is a city in the Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zbarazh Raion , and is located in the historic region of Galicia....

, Bratslav

Bratslav

Bratslav |Breslov]] as the name of a Hasidic group, which originated from this town) is a townlet in Ukraine, located in the Nemyriv Raion of Vinnytsia Oblast, by the Southern Bug river. It is a medieval European city having dramatically lost its importance during 19th-20th centuries...

, and Vinnytsia

Vinnytsia

Vinnytsia is a city located on the banks of the Southern Bug, in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast.-Names:...

. Severian Novgorod was given to Fedor, son of Liubartas. Kaributas appeared last in written sources in 1404 during a military campaign waged by Vytautas against the Principality of Smolensk

Principality of Smolensk

The Principality of Smolensk was a Kievan Rus' lordship from the eleventh to the fifteenth century...

.

Kaributas married Princess Anastasia, daughter of Grand Prince Oleg of Ryazan, with whom he had three daughters and three sons. Among them were Helena (wife of Jan II, Duke of Racibórz

Duchy of Racibórz

Duchy of Racibórz was one of the duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Racibórz in Upper Silesia.-History:After Bolesław I the Tall and his younger brother Mieszko I Tanglefoot backed by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa had retained their Silesian heritage in 1163, the Duchy of Racibórz was formed in...

), Fedor of Nesvizh

Nesvizh

Nesvizh is a city in Belarus. It is the administrative center of the Nesvizh District of Minsk Province and location of the Nesvizh Castle World Heritage Site. Its 2009 population is 14,300 .-History:...

, Sigismund Korybut

Sigismund Korybut

Sigismund Korybut was a duke from the Gediminid dynasty, best known as a military commander of the Hussite army and a governor of Bohemia and Prague during the Hussite Wars....

 (a claimant to the Bohemian Crown), and Nastasia (wife of Fedor of Kashin). Kaributas' male-line descendants included Princes Zbaraski, Wiśniowiecki

Wisniowiecki

Wiśniowiecki is the name of a family notable in the history of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. They were powerful magnates in Ruthenia of Rurikid or Gediminids descent. The family traditions traces their descend to Gediminids, but modern historians believe there is more evidence for the Rurikid...

, Woroniecki, and Nieswicki. Polish king Michael Korybut Wiśniowiecki was named Korybut to foreground his agnatic descent from Kaributas.