The Scalovians (; ), also known as the Skalvians, Schalwen and Schalmen, was a Baltic tribe belonging to Prussians. According to the Chronicon terrae Prussiae of Peter of Dusburg, the now extinct Scalovians inhabited the land of Scalovia south of the Curonians and Samogitians, by the lower Neman River ca. 1240.

Geography

This region is located at both sides of the river Memel north of Nadruvians and south of Samogitia. In the North-East it stretched to rivers Scheschupe, Ežeruona and Jūra. In the East it bordered on Sudovia, in the North-West on river Minge, in the West on the Curonian Lagoon and in the South-West on river Gilge/ Gilija. The center were the towns Ruß, Ragnit and Tilsit.

Name

The meaning is uncertain: „skalwa“: splinter (living spit off) or "skalauti": between waters.
According to Prussian legends, the tribe's name is derived from one of the sons of King Waidewuto named Schalauo.

History

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 Balts such as Curonians and more distantly to Eastern Balts such as Latvians and Lithuanians. Typical Scalovian sepulchral relics are found in Strewa, Skomanten, Jurgaiten, Nikeln, Paulaiten, Wilku Kampas, Weszaiten, Greyszönen, Lompönen and Wittgirren.

Ecclesiastical missions have been verified since 960. St. Adalbert-Vaitiekus (997) and St. Bonifaz-Bruno (1009) were martyred in Scalovia. It may be possible that the name of the Kingdom Rus derives from the Scalovian town of Ruß. The history of Scalovian Rusnė and Denmark are quite connected, Scalovia was ruled by Denmark at times. The Scalovian town Jomsberg , also called Jumpne, Iumne, Witlandie and Windland was mentioned between 974 and 1043 in the Danish “Annales Lundenses”. This disappeared town must have had a harbour at the Curonian Lagoon. Ragnit was the center of Scalovia. 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.

Scalovia was subjugated in 1277 by the Teutonic Knights. In the chronicles of the Knights were mentioned the nobles Sarecka (Sareikā), Surbantas, Svirdotas and Surdota. 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 in Pleikischken near Plaschken, 1312 and 1333 near Sasavo in the region between Laugßargen and Taurage, 1307 in Sintine near Tilsit, 1307 Gigen (Pagėgiai/Pogegen), 1309 Linkone, 1350 Linkonen (Linkuhnen) as well as Weinoten near Tilsit (Wainoto), Tusseinen near Ragnit (Tussinos) and Linkuhnen (Linko). Lithuanian immigrants were Sipe (1339) and the brothers Pogins and Skirgaila (1359). In 1411 a campaign of the Samogitians under their leader Rambautas against the castles of Ragnit, Tilsit and Splitter is testified. The last mention of the Scalovian tribe was between 1542 (castle of Ragnit) and 1563 (inhabitants of Splitter).

Literature

• Balys, Jonas: Grundzüge der Kleinlitauischen Volksdichtung, in Tolkemita-Texte „Lieder aus Schalauen“ Nr.53, Dieburg 1997

• Eckert, Rainer/ Bukevičiute, Elvire-Julia/ Hinze, Friedhelm: Die baltischen Sprachen, eine Einführung, Langenscheidt 1994, 5. Auflage 1998

• Lepa, Gerhard (Hrsg): Die Schalauer, Die Stämme der Prußen, Tolkemita-Texte 52, Dieburg 1997

• Matulaitis, K.A.: Die Schalauer des Altertums, Tauto praeitis II, 2, 1965, in Tolkemita Texte, Dieburg 1997

• Salemke, Gerhard: Lagepläne der Wallburganlagen von der ehemaligen Provinz Ostpreußen, Gütersloh, 2005

• Salys, Anatanas: Schalauen, Lietuviu Enciklopedija, 1962, Boston, Band 27, S. 536-541, aus dem Litauischen in Tolkemita-Texte 52, Dieburg 1997

• Salys, Anton: Die zemaitischen Mundarten, Teil 1: Geschichte des zemaitischen Sprachgebiets Tauta ir Zodis, Bd-VI Kaunas 1930 (= Diss.Leipzig 1930)

• Tettau, v.: Volkssagen Ostpreußens, Litthauens und Westpreußens, Berlin 1837, S.10

• Trautmann, Reinhold: Über die sprachliche Stellung der Schalwen. Streitberg Festgabe Leipzig 1924, S.355 ff