- This article is about the ethnographic region of Lithuania. For info about the historical Samogitian Eldership/Duchy, see Eldership of Samogitia. A duchy is a territory fief, or domain ruled by a Duke or Duchess. The Duchy of Samogitia (Žemaičių seniūnija Księstwo żmudzkie had been the administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1219 (and from 1569 a part of the
Samogitia (Lithuanian: Žemaitija, literally lowlands) is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Ethnography ( Greek ethnos = people and graphein = writing is a genre of writing that uses Fieldwork to provide a descriptive Lithuania can be divided into historical and cultural regions (called Ethnographic regions
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Geography
The region is located in western Lithuania in the territories of Palanga city municipality, Rietavas municipality, Tauragė district municipality, Šilalė district municipality, Skuodas district municipality, Jurbarkas district municipality, Mažeikiai district municipality, Kretinga district municipality, Plungė district municipality, Telšiai district municipality, Akmenė district municipality, Kelmė district municipality, Šiauliai district municipality, Raseiniai district municipality, eastern parts of Klaipėda district municipality and Šilutė district municipality, western part of Joniškis district municipality, also the Šiauliai city municipality. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Rietavas municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Tauragė district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Šilalė district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Skuodas district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Jurbarkas district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Mažeikiai district municipality ( Lithuanian: Mažeikių rajono savivaldybė, Samogitian: Mažėikiu rajuona savivaldībė) is in north-west Kretinga district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Plungė district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Telšiai district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania, containing the city of Telšiai. Akmenė district municipality (Akmenės rajono savivaldybė is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Kelmė district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania, located in western part of Lithuania Šiauliai district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Raseiniai district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Klaipėda district municipality (Lithuanian Klaipėdos rajono savivaldybė) is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Šilutė district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Joniškis district municipality ( Joniškio rajono savivaldybė) is a territorial unit of Lithuania with a population of about 30000 The largest city is Šiauliai, or Klaipėda if the latter is considered in the region. Šiauliai ( ʃoʊˈleı Samogitian: Šiaulē, Latvian: Saule (historic and Šauļi (modern German: Schaulen Klaipėda ( ˈklaɪpɛdə Memel is a City in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Curonian Lagoon where it flows into the Baltic Sea Telšiai is the capital, although Medininkai (now Varniai) was once the capital of the Eldership of Samogitia. Telšiai ( Samogitian: Telšē) is a City in Lithuania with about 35000 inhabitants Varniai ( Wornie is a city in the Telšiai County, western Lithuania. The Duchy of Samogitia (Žemaičių seniūnija Księstwo żmudzkie had been the administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1219 (and from 1569 a part of the The largest cities (those with over 20,000 inhabitants) are (Samogitian name, if different, is provided after slash):
- Šiauliai/Šiaulē (133,883 inhabitants)
- Mažeikiai/Mažeikē (42,675 inhabitants)
- Telšiai/Telšē (31,460 inhabitants) - considered capital
- Tauragė (29,124 inhabitants)
- Plungė (23,436 inhabitants)
- Kretinga (21,423 inhabitants)
Demographics and language
The people of Samogitia speak Samogitian, a dialect of Lithuanian that was previously considered one of 3 main dialects (modern linguists have determined that it is one of two dialects, the other being Aukštaitian, and that both of these dialects have 3 subdialects each). Samogitian (Samogitian Žemaitiu ruoda, Žemaičių tarmė is a dialect (considered as an independent Baltic language by some people outside academic literature Šiauliai ( ʃoʊˈleı Samogitian: Šiaulē, Latvian: Saule (historic and Šauļi (modern German: Schaulen Mažeikiai ( Samogitian: Mažeikē) is a City in the north-western Lithuania, on the Venta River. Telšiai ( Samogitian: Telšē) is a City in Lithuania with about 35000 inhabitants Tauragė ( known also by alternate foreign names) is an industrial City in Lithuania, and the capital of Tauragė County. Plungė ( is a city in Lithuania with 23246 inhabitants It has a Crabstick factory which exports to many countries in Europe. Kretinga ( Krottingen is a city in the Klaipėda County, Lithuania. Samogitian (Samogitian Žemaitiu ruoda, Žemaičių tarmė is a dialect (considered as an independent Baltic language by some people outside academic literature A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Aukštaitian dialect ( Lithuanian: Aukštaičių tarmė) is one of the Dialects of the Lithuanian language, spoken in ethnographic regions Samogitian has northern and southern subdialects (which are further subdivided). A western subdialect once existed in the Klaipėda region, but it became extinct after World War II after its inhabitants fled the region, as a result of being expelled or persecuted by the Soviet authorities (since the 16th or even 15th century the Samogitians of the Klaipėda region called themselves "Lietuvininkai", and since the end of 19th century they called themselves "Prūsai"; after World War II the territory of the western subdialect was resettled mainly by northern and southern Samogitians, and by other Lithuanians also). The Klaipėda Region (Klaipėdos kraštas or Memel Territory (Memelland or Memelgebiet Territoire de Memel was defined by the Treaty of Versailles World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Klaipėda Region (Klaipėdos kraštas or Memel Territory (Memelland or Memelgebiet Territoire de Memel was defined by the Treaty of Versailles The term Prussian Lithuanians, Lietuwininkai (singular Lietuwininkas) Lietuvininkai refers to a Western Lithuanian ethnic group which did not form World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including
Samogitia is one of the most ethnically homogenous regions of the country, with an ethnic Lithuanian population exceeding 99. 5% in some districts; in the 1st part of 19th century it was a major center of Lithuanian culture (Samogitians traditionally tended to oppose any anti-Lithuanian restrictions). This article is about the administrative divisions of Lithuania. The region is predominantly Roman Catholic, although there are significant Lutheran minorities in the south. Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther
The use of the Samogitian dialect is decreasing as more people tend to use standard Lithuanian, although there have been some minor attempts by local councils, especially in Telšiai, to write certain roadside information in Samogitian as well. Samogitian (Samogitian Žemaitiu ruoda, Žemaičių tarmė is a dialect (considered as an independent Baltic language by some people outside academic literature Telšiai ( Samogitian: Telšē) is a City in Lithuania with about 35000 inhabitants
History
- Further information: Eldership of Samogitia
The modern concept of "dialectological" Samogitia appeared only by the end of 19th century. The Duchy of Samogitia (Žemaičių seniūnija Księstwo żmudzkie had been the administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1219 (and from 1569 a part of the Lithuanians are the Baltic Ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The territory of ancient Samogitia was much larger, than current ethnographic, or "dialectological" Samogitia, and embraced all of Central and Western Lithuania.
The very term "Samogitians" (Žemaičiai in Lithuanian) is a Latinized form of the ancient Lithuanian name for the region's lowlanders, who dwelt in Central Lithuania's lowlands. The original subethnic Samogitia, i. e. the Central Lithuania's flat burial grounds culture, was formed as early as the 5th-6th centuries, whereas the Western part of historical Samogitia became ethnically Lithuanian between the 13th-16th centuries, – before that time it was inhabited by southern Semigallians and southern Curonians. Semigallians ( Latvian Zemgaļi, also Zemgalians Semigalls Semigalians are one of the Baltic tribes that lived in Zemgale, in the southcentral The Kursenieki are also known as Curonians The Curonians ( Curonian: Kursi; Kuren Kurši Kuršiai Kuralased were The primal eastern boundary of historical Samogitia was the Šventoji River (a tributary of the Neris River), and from the end of the 13th century (approximately about that time the Lithuanian ruler Vytenis had expanded the territory of his domain in Aukštaitija at the expense of Samogitia) it ran along the Nevėžis River. Šventoji ( is the longest River which is completely in Lithuania. Neris ( Ві́лія or Вя́льля Vialla) is a river arising in Belarus, flowing through Vilnius ( Lithuania) and becoming a tributary Vytenis was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from c 1295 to c 1316 Aukštaitija (literary Highlands; oʊkʃteɪtɪˈjʌ is the name of one of five ethnographic Regions of Lithuania. Nevėžis River
Due to the fact, that in 13-16th centuries the Teutonic order and the Livonian order bordered Samogitia, it was always threatened by their expansionist aims. The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. Bishop Albert of Riga founded the Military order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae Schwertbrüderorden in 1202 As such, Samogitian territory was offered to these Orders, or exchanged in peace treaties, a number of times. Lithuania would regain Samogitia back again in subsequent conflicts.
For more than two hundred years, Samogitia played a central role in Lithuania’s wars against the crusading order of the Teutonic Knights (Knights of the Cross and Knights of the Sword). Invasions started in Lithuania in 1229. Combined military forces undertook numerous campaigns against Samogitians and Aukstaitians. Saule (1236), Skuodas (1239), Durbe (1260), Lievarde (1261) are just a few of the battles that took place. Since Samogitia was the last pagan region in Europe left to be invaded and christened, Teutonic order set their sights on this last mission. Between 1345 and 1382, the Knights of the Cross attacked from Prussia some 70 times, while the Livonian Knights of the Sword made 30 military forays. Year after year fortresses were attacked, farms and crops were put to the torch, women and children enslaved and men killed. Despite all their effort, Samogitians managed to defend their lands until 1410 decisive battle of Grunwald, where united Samogitian-Lithuanian-Polish forces defeated Teutonic order and ended their crusading era. The Battle of Grunwald (or 1st Battle of Tannenberg) took place on 15 July 1410 with the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led by [1]
In the 15th century, Samogitia was the last region in Europe to be converted to Christianity. The Christianization of Lithuania (Lietuvos krikštas was the event that took place in 1387 initiated by the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland During the 15-18th centuries, it was known as the Duchy or Eldership of Samogitia, which included some territories of what is now considered Aukštaitija and Suvalkija as well. The Duchy of Samogitia (Žemaičių seniūnija Księstwo żmudzkie had been the administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1219 (and from 1569 a part of the The Duchy of Samogitia (Žemaičių seniūnija Księstwo żmudzkie had been the administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1219 (and from 1569 a part of the Aukštaitija (literary Highlands; oʊkʃteɪtɪˈjʌ is the name of one of five ethnographic Regions of Lithuania. This article discusses the Lithuanian part of the region For the Polish one see Suwałki Region. The Duchy, or the Eldership of Samogitia was an administrative unit similar to a voivodeship in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This article concerns both historical and contemporary voivodeships in various countries The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje
After the partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Samogitia was incorporated into the Russian Empire along with the rest of Lithuania. The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya
Samogitia was the main source of the Lithuanian cultural revival in the 19th century, and was a focal point for the smuggling of books printed in the banned Lithuanian language. Lithuanian National Revival, alternatively Lithuanian National Awakening (Lietuvių tautinis atgimimas was a period of the History of Lithuania in the 19th century The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Knygnešiai (singular knygnešys) a Lithuanian term that has no equivalent in other languages - approximately translation would be book Smugglers
After World War I, the region became a part of the newly re-established Lithuanian State. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Samogitians resisted the Bolsheviks, the Bermontians, and the Poles in 1919-1920, only to be occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction The West Russian Volunteer Army or Bermontians was a Counterrevolutionary army in the Baltic provinces of the former Russian Empire during the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991
In 1945, the Soviets denied the existence of the Lithuania Minor ethnographic region due to political concerns, declaring the Klaipėda region a part of Samogitia. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Lithuania Minor (Mažoji Lietuva Kleinlitauen Litwa Mniejsza Máлая Литвá or Prussian Lithuania (Prūsų Lietuva Preußisch-Litauen Litwa Pruska is a historical The Klaipėda Region (Klaipėdos kraštas or Memel Territory (Memelland or Memelgebiet Territoire de Memel was defined by the Treaty of Versailles
Tourism
Samogitia has a huge potential for tourism development, due to its nature's beauty, cultural and historical heritage. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic Samogitia is attractive for many local and international tourists. Most popular tourist destinations are Palanga, Kretinga and Žemaičių Kalvarija. Palanga ( is a seaside Resort town in western Lithuania, on the shore of the Baltic Sea. Kretinga ( Krottingen is a city in the Klaipėda County, Lithuania. Žemaičių Kalvarija - is small town in Plungė district municipality, Lithuania. Majority of the tourists come from Latvia, Poland, Germany, Spain, Finland and Sweden. Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation.
Palanga is popular tourist destination among tourists from the United Kingdom, Germany and Russia. Palanga ( is a seaside Resort town in western Lithuania, on the shore of the Baltic Sea. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending
Žemaičių Kalvarija (or New Jerusalem as it used to be called) is very popular among pilgrims from all around the World, due to its annual The Great Žemaičių Kalvarija Church Festival (usually in June or July). Žemaičių Kalvarija - is small town in Plungė district municipality, Lithuania. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the
Politics
Samogitia historically was an autonomous region in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, although it lost this status once Lithuania was annexed by the Russian Empire following the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795 as a part of the Vilna Governorate. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the The Vilnа Governorate (1801-1840 often named Lithuania-Vilna Governorate) (Виленская губерния Vilenskaya guberniya, Vilniaus gubernija or In 1843, the region was incorporated into the Kovno Governorate, with a minor part of it being attached to the Courland Governorate. The Kovno Governorate (Ковенская губеpния or Kovenskaja Gubernija; Kauno gubernija or Government of Kovno was a governorate ( Guberniya The Governorate of Courland, also known as the Province of Courland, Governorate of Kurland (Kurzemes guberņa Курля́ндская губерния and Since then the region has not had a separate political status, although there have been some plans to administratively reform Lithuania into the traditional ethnocentric regions.
Currently Samogitia is represented by the Samogitian cultural society, a group interested in preserving Samogitian culture and language, and the Žemaitijos parlamentas (literally Parliament of Samogitia), which concerns itself with regional autonomy based on historical claims. These claims often include the Klaipėda region in the interwar and would claim Klaipėda rather than Telšiai as the capital. The Klaipėda Region (Klaipėdos kraštas or Memel Territory (Memelland or Memelgebiet Territoire de Memel was defined by the Treaty of Versailles Klaipėda ( ˈklaɪpɛdə Memel is a City in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Curonian Lagoon where it flows into the Baltic Sea Telšiai ( Samogitian: Telšē) is a City in Lithuania with about 35000 inhabitants The same group, led by Justinas Burba and having a small membership, has also published the controversial newspaper Žemaitijos parlamentas, which raised the idea that the European Union should repay Samogitia for its defense of Europe against the Mongols. Justinas Burba (born August 10 1955) is a Lithuanian politician. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in
Symbols
The coat of arms depicts a black bear with silver claws and collar on a red shield topped with a crown. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people
The flag of Samogitia depicts the coat of arms on a white background. It is a non-rectangular flag ending in two triangles, rather than the rectangular flag typically used. In Geometry, a rectangle is defined as a Quadrilateral where all four of its angles are Right angles A rectangle with vertices ABCD would be denoted as The only official non-rectangular flags are those of Nepal and of Ohio, USA. The national flag of Nepal is the only national flag in the world that is not a quadrilateral The Flag of Ohio was adopted in 1902 and designed by John Eisemann, for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.
Both symbols are assumed to have been in use for centuries, especially the coat of arms (differing claims assert it was first used in the 14th or 16th centuries). The symbols were used by the Eldership of Samogitia. The Duchy of Samogitia (Žemaičių seniūnija Księstwo żmudzkie had been the administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1219 (and from 1569 a part of the These are the oldest symbols of the Lithuanian ethnographic regions.
Because Samogitia does not correspond to any current administrative division of Lithuania, these symbols are not officially used. However, they might come back into use if Lithuania undergoes administrative reform in the future.
On 21 July 1994 these symbols were recognized by the government of the Lithuanian Republic. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar)
Notes and references
External links
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