Selonia ( lv, Sēlija; lt, Sėla), also known as Augšzeme (the "Highland"), is one of the Historical Latvian Lands encompassing the eastern part of the historical region of Semigallia ( lv, Zemgale) as well as a portion of northeastern

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. Its main city and cultural center is Jēkabpils. The Selonian language has become extinct, though some of the inhabitants still speak a Latgalian dialect.

History

The territory of Selonia is defined by Latvian law as follows: the part of Aizkraukle city on the left bank of the Daugava, Daudzese Parish,

Jaunjelgava Parish Jaunjelgava Parish ( lv, Jaunjelgavas pagasts) is an administrative unit of Aizkraukle Municipality, Latvia. Until 2021, it was part of the former Jaunjelgava Municipality. Jaunjelgava Parish was created in 2010 from the countryside territory of ...

, Jaunjelgava city,

Mazzalve Parish Mazzalve Parish ( lv, Mazzalves pagasts) is an administrative unit of Aizkraukle Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia. Towns, villages and settlements of Mazzalve Parish * Ērberģe * Lielmēmele Parishes of Latvia Aizkraukle M ...

, Pilskalne Parish,

Sece Parish Sece Parish ( lv, Seces pagasts) is an administrative unit of Aizkraukle Municipality, Latvia. From 2009 until 2021 it was part of the former Jaunjelgava Municipality. Prior to the 2009 administrative reforms it was part of the Aizkraukle Distri ...

Sērene Parish Sērene Parish ( lv, Sērenes pagasts) is an administrative unit of Aizkraukle Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia. Towns, villages and settlements of Sērene Parish * Dīķi * Krolīši * Talsiņa * Sērene Parishes of Latv ...

Staburags Parish Staburags Parish ( lv, Staburaga pagasts) is an administrative unit of Aizkraukle Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas ...

Sunākste Parish Sunākste Parish ( lv, Sunākstes pagasts) is an administrative unit of Aizkraukle Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas ...

Zalve Parish Zalve Parish ( lv, Zalves pagasts) is an administrative unit of Aizkraukle Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia. Towns, villages and settlements of Zalve Parish * Cīruļkalns * Kalnamuiža * Pētermuiža * Salas * Sierotava * Sm ...

, Bebrene Parish,

Demene Parish Demene Parish ( lv, Demenes pagasts) is an administrative unit of Augšdaugava Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia. Towns, villages and settlements of Demene Parish * Demene Parishes of Latvia Augšdaugava Municipality Selon ...

, Dviete Parish, Eglaine Parish, Ilūkste city, Kalkūne Parish,

Laucesa Parish Laucesa Parish ( lv, Laucesas pagasts) is an administrative unit of Augšdaugava Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia. The administrative centre is the village of Mirnijs. Parishes of Latvia Selonia {{Latvia-geo-stub ...

Medumi Parish Medumi Parish ( lv, Medumu pagasts) is an administrative unit of Augšdaugava Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia. Towns, villages and settlements of Medumi Parish * Medumi Parishes of Latvia Selonia {{Latvia-geo-stu ...

, Pilskalne Parish,

Prode Parish Prode parish is an administrative unit of Augšdaugava Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia (From 2009 until 2021, it was part of the former Ilūkste Municipality Ilūkste Municipality ( lv, Ilūkstes novads) was a municipality in S ...

Saliena Parish Saliena Parish ( lv, Salienas pagasts) is an administrative unit of Augšdaugava Municipality in the Selonia
Latviešu vēsturisko ze ...

Skrudaliena Parish Skrudaliena Parish ( lv, Skrudalienas pagasts) is an administrative unit of Augšdaugava Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia. Towns, villages and settlements of Skrudaliena Parish * Skrudaliena Parishes of Latvia Selonia

Subate Subate (; lt, Subačius, german: Subbath) is a town in Augšdaugava Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia, near the border with Lithuania. Subate is located 40 km west of Daugavpils. The population in 2020 was 596. In 1570 Gotthard K ...

city,

Svente Parish Svente Parish ( lv, Sventes pagasts) is an administrative unit of Augšdaugava Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia. In 2011, the Polish-speaking minority formed the largest ethnic group in the parish, but by 2020 the proportion of ethni ...

, Šēdere Parish,

Tabore Parish Tabore Parish ( lv, Tabores pagasts) is an administrative unit of Augšdaugava Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia. Towns, villages and settlements of Tabore Parish * Tabore Parishes of Latvia Selonia {{Latvia-geo- ...

Vecsaliena Parish Vecsaliena Parish ( lv, Vecsalienas pagasts) is an administrative unit of Augšdaugava Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latv ...

, the part of

Daugavpils Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the c ...

city on the left bank of the Daugava,

Aknīste Parish Aknīste (; lt, Aknysta; pl, Oknista) is a town in Jēkabpils Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia, near the Lithuanian border. The town is located near the river Dienvidsusēja. Prior to the 2009 administrative reforms it was part of ...

Aknīste Aknīste (; lt, Aknysta; pl, Oknista) is a town in Jēkabpils Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia, near the Lithuanian border. The town is located near the river Dienvidsusēja. Prior to the 2009 administrative reforms it was part ...

city, Asare Parish,

Ābeļi Parish Ābeļi Parish ( lv, Ābeļu pagasts) is an administrative unit of Jēkabpils Municipality, Latvia. History In the territory of present-day Ābeļi Parish, there was historically an Abelhof manor ('' Gut Abelhof'', Ābeļu), Janopol manor ('' Gu ...

Dignāja Parish Dignāja parish ( lv, Dignājas pagasts) is an administrative unit of Jēkabpils Municipality, Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg ...

, Dunava Parish, Elkšņi Parish, Gārsene Parish, the part of Jēkabpils city on the left bank of the Daugava,

Kalna Parish Kalna parish ( lv, Kalna pagasts) is an administrative unit of Jēkabpils Municipality Jēkabpils Municipality ( lv, Jēkabpils novads) is a municipality in Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging Ābeļi Parish, Dignāja Par ...

Leimaņi Parish Leimaņi parish ( lv, Leimaņu pagasts) is an administrative territorial entity of Jēkabpils Municipality, Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, l ...

Rite Parish Rite Parish ( lv, Rites pagasts) is an administrative territorial entity of Jēkabpils Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia. Prior to 2009, it was an administrative unit of the former Jēkabpils District Jēkabpils district ( lv, Jēk ...

Rubene Parish Rubene Parish ( lv, Rubenes pagasts) is an administrative territorial entity of Jēkabpils Municipality, Latvia. It was an administrative unit of the Jēkabpils District Jēkabpils district ( lv, Jēkabpils rajons) was an administrative divis ...

Sēlpils Parish Sēlpils is a village in Sēlpils Parish, Jēkabpils Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, L ...

, Sala Parish, Sauka Parish,

Viesīte Viesīte ( lt, Viesytė; german: Eckengrafen) is a town in the western part of Jēkabpils Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia. The population in 2020 was 1,500. Viesīte is a typical Selonia town located in the hills in the centre of ...

city,

Viesīte Parish Viesīte ( lt, Viesytė; german: Eckengrafen) is a town in the western part of Jēkabpils Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia. The population in 2020 was 1,500. Viesīte is a typical Selonia town located in the hills in the centre of the ...

Zasa Parish Zasa parish ( lv, Zasas pagasts) is an administrative unit of Jēkabpils Municipality, Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvej ...

, Kaplava Parish and the part of Krāslava city on the left bank of the Daugava.
Latviešu vēsturisko zemju likums The subjugation and baptism of the Selonians started in 1208, when Albert of Buxhoeveden captured

Sēlpils hillfort Sēlpils is a village in Sēlpils Parish, Jēkabpils Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, La ...

( la, castrum Selonum). The term "Selonians" is most probably the German adaptation of the Livonian name "Highlanders", which leads to the hypothesis that the Selonians and Aukštaitians belonged to the same ethnos. The Livonian Chronicle of Henry describes the Selonians as allies of the

Lithuanians Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Uni ...

. In 1218 the region formed a Selonian diocese, but in 1226 part of that diocese was joined to the

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

archbishopric and the

Bishopric of Semigalia In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

was formed. After 1561, Selonia became a part of

Duchy of Courland and Semigallia The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia ( la, Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; german: Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; lv, Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; lt, Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; pl, Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was ...

. Nowadays the region is mainly inhabited by Latvians with larger proportion of ethnic minorities of Russians,

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...

Belarusians , native_name_lang = be , pop = 9.5–10 million , image = , caption = , popplace = 7.99 million , region1 = , pop1 = 600,000–768,000 , region2 = , pop2 ...

and

in the southeastern municipalities (

Ilūkste Municipality Ilūkste Municipality ( lv, Ilūkstes novads) was a municipality in Selonia, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2003 by merging Pilskalne Parish, Šēdere Parish, Bebrene Parish and Ilūkste town. In 2009 it absorbed Dviete parish, Eglain ...

and

Daugavpils Municipality Daugavpils Municipality ( lv, Daugavpils novads) was a municipality in Latgale, Latvia from 2009 to 2021. It was formed in 2009 by merging Ambeļi parish, Biķernieki parish, Demene parish, Dubna parish, Kalkūne parish, Kalupe parish, L ...

Historic boundaries

Among historical documents, the Mindaugas's Donation Act of 1261 is the one that best describes the transfer of the Selonian lands to the

Knights of the Sword german: Schwertbrüderordenfrench: Ordre des Chevaliers Porte-Glaive , image= , caption= , dates=1204–1237 , country= Terra Mariana , allegiance= Catholic Church , garrison= Wenden (Cēsis), Fellin (Viljandi), Segewold (Sigulda). Aschera ...

. Their boundary went from the Daugava at Naujene, near

castle, running along Kopkelis to

Luodis lake Luodis Lake is a lake situated in the Zarasai district municipality of Lithuania. It is the 6th largest lake in Lithuania. The town of Salakas Salakas is a town in northeastern Lithuania with a population of 519 inhabitants according to the 201 ...

and northwards along the Duseta river to lake

Sartai Sartai is a lake located in Rokiškis district municipality, Rokiškis and Zarasai district municipality, Zarasai municipalities, northeastern Lithuania. The lake's 79 km shoreline is the longest in Lithuania. There are six islands in the lak ...

and towards the source of the Šventoji. It stretched further to the Latuva,

Vašuoka Vašuoka is a river of Anykščiai district municipality, Utena County, northeastern Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

and Viešinta rivers, along the

Lėvuo The Lėvuo is a river in Northern Lithuania, a right tributary of the river Mūša.Mūša (Mūsa) and downstream, to the mouth of the Babīte (Būga, 1961, p. 273–274). Thus, the historical sources describing the Selonian boundaries in the second half of the 13th century are rather precise. The linguist Kazimieras Būga, basing himself on linguistic data alone, specifies the southern boundary of the Selonian territory as running approximately by the towns of

Salakas Salakas is a town in northeastern Lithuania with a population of 519 inhabitants according to the 2011 census. It is famous for the neo-romantic church of Lady of Sorrows. It was built in 1911. History The settlement of Salakas was first menti ...

, Tauragnai, Utena,

Svėdasai Svėdasai is a town in Utena County in the northern part of Lithuania, bearing a name from a nearby Lake Svėdasas. History The name according to Kazimieras Būga is of Selonians, Selonian origin.Subačius Subačius (; pl, Subocz) is a city in Panevėžys County, northwestern Lithuania. It is located on the banks of the Viešinta River about west of Kupiškis. History During World War II, the Jewish community was murdered in a mass execution per ...

Palėvenė Palėvenė is a small town in Panevėžys County, in northeastern Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of ...

, Pasvalys, and

Saločiai Saločiai is a small town in Panevėžys County, in northeastern Lithuania next to the border with Latvia. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 720 people. References

Towns in Lithuania Towns in Panevėžys Count ...

. Regional history museum of the Selonia region of Lithuania, founded in 1928 in

Biržai Castle Biržai Castle is a castle in Biržai, Lithuania. Construction of the earth bastion-type castle started in 1586 by the order of Krzysztof Mikołaj "the Lightning" Radziwiłł. In 1575, preparing for this construction, a dam was built on the Ag ...

References

Sources

* Arveds Švābe, ed.: ''Latvju enciklopēdija''. Stockholm: Trīs Zvaigznes, 1952-1953. * Edgars Andersons, ed.: ''Latvju enciklopēdija 1962-1982''. Lincoln: American Latvian Associatio

1983-1990. Entry "Sēlija" available a
historia.lv
Retrieved 25. II. 2006. * Vytautas Kazakevičius

Retrieved 25. II. 2006. {{authority control Historical regions in Latvia Historical regions in Lithuania Medieval Latvia Selonia