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Medvėgalis
Medvėgalis was a 14th-century hill fort in Samogitia, located in present-day Šilalė District Municipality, Lithuania. It was first mentioned in 1316 in written texts and was one of the most important and strongest Lithuanian forts in the area. It was attacked by the Teutonic Knights over 20 times throughout history, including the Siege of Medvėgalis The siege of Medvėgalis was a brief siege of Medvėgalis, a Lithuanian fortress in Samogitia, in February 1329 by the Teutonic Order reinforced by many guest crusaders, including King John of Bohemia. The 18,000-strong Teutonic army captured ... in 1329, when it fell to the Teutonic forces and its defenders were converted to Catholicism. The settlement at the hill fort complex lies to the southwest and northeast of the fort. It was renovated and adapted to tourists' needs in 2006 by the Varniai Regional Park and the Ministry of Environment. The fort was the subject of a poem by the poet Maironis. References Hill ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siege Of Medvėgalis
The siege of Medvėgalis was a brief siege of Medvėgalis, a Lithuanian fortress in Samogitia, in February 1329 by the Teutonic Order reinforced by many guest crusaders, including King John of Bohemia. The 18,000-strong Teutonic army captured four Lithuanian fortresses and besieged Medvėgalis. The fortress surrendered and as many as 6,000 locals were baptized in the Catholic rite. The campaign, which lasted a little more than a week, was cut short by a Polish attack on Prussia in the Polish–Teutonic War (1326–32). As soon as the Teutonic army returned to Prussia the Lithuanians returned to their pagan practices and beliefs. Background Medvėgalis was one of the strongest and most important Lithuanian fortresses in Samogitia. First mentioned in written sources in 1316, over the course of its history it was attacked about 20 times by the Teutonic Knights. After the victorious Battle of Medininkai in 1320, Lithuania concluded a truce with the Knights. The Teutons resumed mil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samogitia
Samogitia or Žemaitija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania alongside Lithuania proper. Žemaitija is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Šiauliai. Žemaitija has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian language. Etymology and alternative names Ruthenian sources mentioned the region as жемотьская земля, ''Žemot'skaja zemlja''; this gave rise to its Polish form, , and probably to the Middle High German . In Latin texts, the name is usually written as etc. The area has long been known to its residents and to other Lithuanians exclusively as Žemaitija (the name Samogitia is no longer in use within Lithuania and has not been used for at least two centuries); Žemaitija means "lowlands" in Lithuanian. The region is a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Šilalė District Municipality
Šilalė District Municipality ( lt, Šilalės rajono savivaldybė, Samogitian: ''Šėlalės rajuona savivaldībė'') is a municipality in Tauragė County, Lithuania. Seniūnijos (Elderships or Wards) The Šilalė district municipality contains 14 ''seniūnijos'' (in English: elderships or wards); the main town or village is listed for each. # – # – # – # – Kaltinėnai # – Kvėdarna # – Laukuva # – Pajūris # – # – Šilalė # – Šilalė # – Teneniai # – Šilalė # – Upyna # – Settlements The Šilalė district municipality contains: * 1 city (''miestas'') - Šilalė * 7 towns (''miesteliai'') - Kaltinėnai, Kvėdarna, Laukuva, Pajūris, Teneniai, Upyna, Žvingiai * 435 villages (''kaimai'') The largest settlements, with population as of 2001: * Šilalė Šilalė (, Samogitian: ''Šėlalė'', yi, שילעל ''Shilel'', pl, Szyłele) is a town in Western Lithuania, Samogitia, Tauragė County. It is locate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 shares land borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Russia to the southwest. It has a maritime border with Sweden to the west on the Baltic Sea. Lithuania covers an area of , with a population of 2.8 million. Its capital and largest city is Vilnius; other major cities are Kaunas and Klaipėda. Lithuanians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts and speak Lithuanian, one of only a few living Baltic languages. For millennia the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea were inhabited by various Baltic tribes. In the 1230s, Lithuanian lands were united by Mindaugas, becoming king and founding the Kingdom of Lithuania on 6 July 1253. In the 14th century, the Grand Duchy of Li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals. Its members have commonly been known as the Teutonic Knights, having a small voluntary and mercenary military membership, serving as a crusading military order for the protection of Christians in the Holy Land and the Baltics during the Middle Ages. Purely religious since 1810, the Teutonic Order still confers limited honorary knighthoods. The Bailiwick of Utrecht of the Teutonic Order, a Protestant chivalric order, is descended from the same medieval military order and also continues to award knighthoods and perform charitable work. Name The name of the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem is in german: Orden der Brüder vom Deutschen Haus der ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Varniai Regional Park
Varniai (; Samogitian: ''Varnē''; pl, Wornie) is a city in the Telšiai County, western Lithuania. In the Middle Ages the city was known as Medininkai ( Samogitian: ''Medėninkā''). It was established in the 14th century, on the bank of the Varnelė River, near an important Samogitian castle. It was the center of Samogitian Catholic church: after the baptism of Samogitia, the Samogitian Bishop resided in the town. Around 1414–1416 the first church was built, and c. 1464 the first cathedral. Varniai was the center of Samogitian episcopate until the middle of the 19th century, when authorities of the Russian Empire moved it to Kaunas. With support of Merkelis Giedraitis, Mikalojus Daukša translated and made ready for publication '' Katechizmas'', the first Lithuanian language book printed in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, then part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was also residence of Motiejus Valančius. Gallery 1539-Samogethia-and-Lituania.jpg, Var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maironis
Maironis (born Jonas Mačiulis, ; – 28 June 1932) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and the greatest and most-known Lithuanian poet, especially of the period of the Lithuanian press ban. He was called the Bard of Lithuanian National Revival (). Maironis was active in public life. However, the Lithuanian literary historian Juozas Brazaitis writes that Maironis was not. In his poetry, he expressed the national aspirations of the Lithuanian National Revival and was highly influential in Lithuanian society and poetry. The Maironian school in Lithuanian literature was named after him. Life Early years Jonas Mačiulis was born in manor, , , in Russian-occupied Lithuania on . Maironis' parents were free peasants who maintained close relations with the polonized Lithuanian nobility. Such a social environment formed the basis of Maironis' personality, leading to his deep religiosity and loyalty to tradition, free from atheistic or liberal influences. Socially, Maironis w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
