The Balts, an Indo-European ethnic group, started settling down in the present territory of Lithuania in the seventh century B.C. The formation of the Lithuanian State began in the 13th century, with the establishment of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by the first King of Lithuania, Mindaugas, crowned in 1253. In 1323, Vilnius, as the capital city, was mentioned for the first time in the official correspondence of Grand Duke Gediminas.