This article is about the historical region of Samogitia. For the ethnographic region, see Samogitia.
The Duchy of Samogitia (Lithuanian: Žemaičių seniūnija, Samogitian: Žemaitėjės seniūnėjė, Polish: Księstwo żmudzkie)[1] was an administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1422 (and from 1569, a member country of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth). Between 1422 and 1441 it was known as the Eldership of Samogitia. The Grand Duke of Lithuania also held the title of Duke of Samogitia, although the actual ruler of the province, responsible to the Duke, was known as the General Elder (Seniūnas) of Samogitia.
Duchy of Samogitia
Duchy of Samogitia Žemaitėjės seniūnėjė Žemaičių seniūnija Księstwo żmudzkie
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 Žemaičiai, dial. Žemaitiai / Žemaitei.
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.
The Duchy of Samogitia had the size of approximately 25,700 square kilometers.[2]
History
The attacking Bear, the historical Coat of Arms of Samogitia
Samogitia in the 17th century
Map of Samogitia in 1753
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 the 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.
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 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. During the Christianization of Samogitia, none of the clergy, who came to Samogitia with Jogaila, were able to communicate with the natives, therefore Jogaila himself taught the Samogitians about the Catholicism, thus he was able to communicate in the Samogitian dialect of the Lithuanian language.[3]
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 (starost) 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.
As with most of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Samogitia suffered in the aftermath of the Swedish invasion of Commonwealth (the Deluge, mid-17th century). Its population dropped from close to 400,000 to about 250,000; only to return to 400,000 by the late 18th century.[4]
^Grzegorz Błaszczyk, Żmudź w XVII i XVIII wieku: zaludnienie i struktura społeczna, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, 1985, ISSN 0554-8217, p.1-2
^Grzegorz Błaszczyk, Żmudź w XVII i XVIII wieku: zaludnienie i struktura społeczna, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, 1985, ISSN 0554-8217, p.19
^Grzegorz Błaszczyk, Żmudź w XVII i XVIII wieku: zaludnienie i struktura społeczna, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, 1985, ISSN 0554-8217, p.70 and p.140
External links
Samogitia
January 17, 2023
duchy, samogitia, this, article, about, historical, region, samogitia, ethnographic, region, samogitia, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, . This article is about the historical region of Samogitia For the ethnographic region see Samogitia This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Duchy of Samogitia news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Duchy of Samogitia Lithuanian Zemaiciu seniunija Samogitian Zemaitejes seniuneje Polish Ksiestwo zmudzkie 1 was an administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1422 and from 1569 a member country of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth Between 1422 and 1441 it was known as the Eldership of Samogitia The Grand Duke of Lithuania also held the title of Duke of Samogitia although the actual ruler of the province responsible to the Duke was known as the General Elder Seniunas of Samogitia Duchy of SamogitiaDuchy of SamogitiaZemaitejes seniunejeZemaiciu seniunijaKsiestwo zmudzkieDuchy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania1219 1795Flag Coat of armsDuchy of Samogitia in red Its borders did not change after the Union of Lublin CapitalRaseiniaiArea 23 300 km2 9 000 sq mi HistoryHistory Established1219 Third partition of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth1795Political subdivisions28 tractsPreceded by Succeeded bySamogitia Russian EmpireCoordinates 55 45 N 21 50 E 55 750 N 21 833 E 55 750 21 833The Duchy was located in the western part of the present Republic of Lithuania Historically in the west it had access to the Baltic Sea in the north it bordered the Duchy of Courland and Ducal Prussia in the south During the Middle Ages and until the last partition in 1795 Samogitia had clearly defined borders as the Duchy of Samogitia Afterwards the area encompassed the Samogitian Diocese Today Samogitia is one of several ethnographic regions and is not defined administratively Contents 1 Name 2 Geography 3 History 4 Elders of Samogitia 5 See also 6 Notes 7 External linksName EditSamogitia is a Latinized version of the name Zemaitija meaning the Lowlands as opposed to Aukstaitija 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 Zmudz Polish are all derived from the Lithuanian Zemaiciai dial Zemaitiai Zemaitei Geography Edit Duchy in the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth 1569 1795 The Duchy was located in what today is several counties apskritis in Lithuania a small part of Kaunas County Kauno Apskritis the western part Siauliai County Siauliu Apskritis Taurage County Taurages Apskritis Telsiai County Telsiu Apskritis the northern part of Klaipeda County Klaipedos Apskritis and the northern part of Marijampole County Marijampoles 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 Nevezis River The Duchy of Samogitia had the size of approximately 25 700 square kilometers 2 History Edit The attacking Bear the historical Coat of Arms of Samogitia Samogitia in the 17th century Map of Samogitia in 1753 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 the 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 defeated the Knights of the Sword in the Battle of Saule 1236 and the Livonian Order in 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 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 During the Christianization of Samogitia none of the clergy who came to Samogitia with Jogaila were able to communicate with the natives therefore Jogaila himself taught the Samogitians about the Catholicism thus he was able to communicate in the Samogitian dialect of the Lithuanian language 3 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 starost 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 As with most of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth Samogitia suffered in the aftermath of the Swedish invasion of Commonwealth the Deluge mid 17th century Its population dropped from close to 400 000 to about 250 000 only to return to 400 000 by the late 18th century 4 After the annexation of Lithuania by Imperial Russia Samogitia was included in the Vilna Governorate southern extreme was detached for New East Prussia and so on in 1843 it was transferred to a newly established Kovno Governorate At the beginning of the 19th century Samogitia was the center of the Lithuanian national revival which stressed the importance of the Lithuanian language and opposed russification and polonization attempts Elders of Samogitia EditThe General Starosts of Samogitia equivalents of voivodes included Rumbaudas Valimantaitis 1386 1413 Mykolas Kesgaila 1412 1432 1440 1441 1443 1450 Jonas Kesgaila 1451 1485 Stanislovas Kesgaila 1486 1527 Stanislovas Kesgaila 1527 1532 Jan Radziwill 1535 1542 Maciej Janowicz Kloczko 1542 1543 Jerzy Bilewicz 1543 1544 Hieronim Chodkiewicz 1545 1561 Jan Hieronim Chodkiewicz 1563 1579 Jan Kiszka 1579 1592 Jerzy Chodkiewicz 1590 1595 Stanislaw Radziwill 1595 1599 Jan Karol Chodkiewicz 1599 1616 Hieronim Walowicz 1619 1636 Jan Alfons Lacki 1643 1646 Jerzy Karol Hlebowicz 1653 1668 Aleksander Polubinski 1668 1669 Wiktoryn Konstanty Mleczko 1670 1679 Kazimierz Jan Sapieha 1681 1682 Piotr Michal Pac 1684 1696 Grzegorz Antoni Oginski 1698 1709 Kazimierz Jan Horbowski 1710 1729 Jozef Tyszkiewicz 1742 1754 Jan Mikolaj Chodkiewicz 1767 1781 Antoni Gielgud 1783 1795 Michal Gielgud 1795 1808 See also EditSamogitian diocese Samogitian languageNotes Edit Grzegorz Blaszczyk Zmudz w XVII i XVIII wieku zaludnienie i struktura spoleczna Uniwersytet im Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu 1985 ISSN 0554 8217 p 1 2 Grzegorz Blaszczyk Zmudz w XVII i XVIII wieku zaludnienie i struktura spoleczna Uniwersytet im Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu 1985 ISSN 0554 8217 p 19 Baronas Darius 2013 Zemaiciu krikstas tyrimai ir refleksija PDF in Lithuanian Vilnius Lithuanian Catholic Academy of Science pp 33 34 ISBN 978 9986 592 71 6 Retrieved 17 July 2021 Grzegorz Blaszczyk Zmudz w XVII i XVIII wieku zaludnienie i struktura spoleczna Uniwersytet im Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu 1985 ISSN 0554 8217 p 70 and p 140External links EditSamogitia Zmudz Samogitia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Duchy of Samogitia amp oldid 1096794860, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
