Folk ballad, 16th c.
The music is folk according to the BNT Chrestomathy: Social Songs (Minsk, 1987). The lyrics are according to Alexander Rypiński's work 'Białoruś' (Paryż, 1840). Modern researchers think that the prototype of 'Baida the Knight' was the Hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Dzmitry Višniaviecki (Dmytro Vyshnevetsky).
According to the Polish Chronicles of Marсin Bielski historian (16 c.) Dzmitry Višniaviecki was famous for his military campaigns against the Turks in the 16th c. Later he was captured and martyred by the order of Turkish sultan – hooked through the flesh at the rib. Lija Salavej considers that these events inspired an unknown folk author to create ballade Baida the Knight (Non Ceremonial Poetry, Minsk, 2002).
There are several Ukrainian variants of the ballade that have similar plot with the Belarusian variants. An interesting thing is that in the Ukrainian variant the story begins in Belarusian place called 'Biarestačka' (Brest).
The fact, that the story is bound with the real historical person allows dating the ballade back to the 16th century.