Everything about Samogitian Eldership totally explained
The
Eldership of Samogitia had been the administrative unit of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania. From 1441 it was named as Duchy of Samogitia and the Duke of Samogitia was
Grand Duke of Lithuania.
The eldership was located in the western part of the present
Republic of Lithuania. Historically, its western border had been a Lithuanian border with the
Baltic Sea; in the north, it bordered the
Duchy of Courland and
Ducal Prussia in the south. During the Middle Ages and until 1795, Samogitia had clearly defined borders as Eldership of Samogitia, later the understanding of it changed slightly as it was associated with the
Samogitian Diocese. Nowadays
Samogitia is mainly associated with the
ethnographic region and isn't defined administratively.
Name
Samogitia is a Latinized version of the name
Žemaitija, meaning "the Lowlands" as opposed to
Aukštaitija for "the Highlands". In the
Middle Ages, the names
Samaiten,
Samaitae,
Zamaytae,
Samogitia,
Samattae,
Samethi were used in
German and
Latin sources. They, together with other variants
Schmudien,
Schamaiten (German) and
Żmudź (Polish), are all derived from the Lithuanian
Žemaitija.
Geography
The Duchy was located in what today is several counties (
apskritis) in Lithuania: a small part of
Kaunas County (Kauno Apskritis), the western part
Šiauliai County (Šiaulių Apskritis),
Tauragė County (Tauragės Apskritis),
Telšiai County (Telšių Apskritis), the northern part of
Klaipėda County (Klaipėdos Apskritis) and the northern part of
Marijampolė County (Marijampolės Apskritis).
The major part of Samogitia is located on Western Upland. Lowlands which are referred in its name are on the border between Samogitia and Eastern Lithuania, along the
Nevėžis River.
History
Before the formation of the Lithuanian state, Samogitia was ruled by its local noblemen. A chronicle mentions two
dukes from Samogitia in 1219 as signatories of the
Treaty with Volhynia.
Since the formation of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 13th century, Samogitia was its dependent territory, however sometimes the influence of the Lithuanian Grand Duke was very limited. During the rule of the first Lithuanian king,
Mindaugas, Samogitians pursued an independent foreign policy and continued fighting with the
Knights of the Sword even after King Mindaugas had signed a peace treaty with them.
Samogitia for 200 years played a crucial role in halting the expansion of the
Teutonic Order and several times successfully defeated the
Knights of the Sword in the
Battle of the Sun (1236), the
Battle of Skuodas (1259), and the
Battle of Durbe (1260).
In the atmosphere of fierce battles with the Teutonic Knights, the Lithuanian rulers
Jogaila and
Vytautas several times ceded Samogitia to the Teutonic Order in 1382, 1398 and 1404. However, the Teutonic Knights were not very successful in subjugating the land, and Samogitians revolted in 1401 and 1409. After the defeats in the
Battle of Grunwald (
1410) and following wars, in 1422 the
Teutonic Order ceded Samogitia to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania under the
Treaty of Melno.
Samogitians were the last in Europe to
accept Christianity in
1413.
The Grand Duke of Lithuania
Casimir Jagiellon acknowledged the autonomy of Samogitia in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and then issued a privilege to the Eldership of Samogitia to elects its own elder in 1441.
Because of its prolonged wars with the Teutonic Order, Samogitia had developed a social and political structure different from the rest of Lithuania. It had a larger proportion of free farmers and smaller estates than in Eastern Lithuania.
After the annexation of Lithuania by
Imperial Russia, Samogitia was included in the
Vilna Governorate; in 1843 it was transferred to a newly established
Kovno Governorate. At the beginning of the 19th century Samogitia was the center of Lithuanian revival, which stressed the importance of the
Lithuanian language and opposed
russification and
polonization attempts.
Elders of Samogitia
Related article
Samogitian languageFurther Information
Get more info on 'Samogitian Eldership'.
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