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TheScalovians (Lithuanian:Skalviai;German:Schalauer), also known as theSkalvians,Schalwen andSchalmen, were aBaltic tribe related to thePrussians. According to theChronicon terrae Prussiae ofPeter of Dusburg, the now extinct Scalovians inhabited the land ofScalovia south of theCuronians andSamogitians, by the lowerNeman River ca. 1240.
This region is located at both sides of the riverMemel north ofNadruvians and south ofSamogitia. In the North-East it stretched to riversŠešupė,Ežeruona andJūra.[citation needed] In the East it bordered onSudovia, in the North-West on riverMinija, in the West on theCuronian Lagoon and in the South-West on riverGilija.[1][citation needed] The center were the towns ofRusnė,Ragainė andTilžė.[citation needed]
The meaning is uncertain:skalwa "splinter (living split off)" orskalauti "between waters". According toPrussian legends, the tribe's name is derived from one of the sons of KingWidewuto named Schalauo.
The inhabitants can be traced back to burial grounds with cremated remains and occasional graves of horses. Judging from the diggings, Scalovians are assumed to have been related to other Western Balts such asCuronians and more distantly toPrussians. Typical Scaloviansepulchral relics are found inStrewa,Skomanten,Jurgaiten,Nikeln,Paulaiten,Wilku Kampas,Weszaiten,Greyszönen,Lompönen andWittgirren.
The center of Scalovia was the castle ofRagnit.Peter von Dusburg told about a wooden castle which could not be conquered by force or starvation because the inhabitants of the stronghold had put in an artificial lake, stocked with fish. The conquerors had to burn down the castle.
In 1276–1277, Scalovia was subjugated by theTeutonic Knights. In the chronicles of the Knights were mentioned the noblesSarecka (Sareikā),Surbantas,Svirdotas andSurdota. In 1281,Jondele Schalwithe got the first "Landesprivileg," and in 1289 the castle of order Ragnit was built. Between 1281 and 1383, privileges were made out: 1338 inPleikischken near Plaschken, 1312 and 1333 nearSasavo in the region between Laugßargen andTauragė, 1307 inSintine near Tilsit, 1307Gigen (near present-dayPagėgiai), 1309Linkone, 1350Linkonen (Linkuhnen) as well asWeinoten near Tilsit,Tusseinen near Ragnit andLinkuhnen. Lithuanian immigrants wereSipe (1339) and the brothersPogins and Skirgaila (1359). In 1411, a campaign of theSamogitians under their leaderRumbaudas Valimantaitis against the castles of Ragnit, Tilsit and Splitter is testified.
The last mention of the Scalovians was between 1542 (inhabitants of the castle of Ragnit) and 1563 (inhabitants of Splitter).[citation needed]
| Skalvian | |
|---|---|
| Scalovian | |
| Region | Lithuania andKaliningrad |
| Ethnicity | Skalvians |
| Era | 13th century[citation needed] |
Indo-European
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | svx |
svx | |
| Glottolog | None |
 Former extent of West Baltic languages, including Skalvian. Sudovian † Skalvian † | |
Skalvian, or Scalovian, is the presumedWest Baltic language or dialect of the Skalvians.[2] It could also haven been a transitional language between Eastern and Western Baltic languages.[3]: 16