Lithuania annually celebrates Statehood Day on July 6.
The day commemorates coronation of Mindaugas in 1253, the first and the only King of Lithuania.
Sparse information is known about Mindaugas, his early life and rise to power.
He was born circa 1203 and was the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania.
During 1230s and 1240s he strengthened and established his power in Slavic and Baltic lands.
In 1251 he received baptism and relinquished control over some areas of present-day Lithuania in return for an acknowledgment by Pope Innocent IV as king.
Pope Innocent IV signed two papal bulls, one of which ordered Mindaugas to be crowned as King of Lithuania.
The exact date of his coronation is unknown, but it's considered to be July 6.
Statehood Day is officially celebrated in Lithuania since 1991.
