Natangen
Natangen , in Prussian Notangia ; Na: taŋən, lithuanian notangai is a historical region in the former East Prussia , located today on both sides of the Russian-Polish border.
Surname
The meaning is not clear. In 1231 the Gau is mentioned as Notangia , 1249 as Natania , 1263 as Natangen and 1284 as Notungia / Natangia in sources of the order. According to the fake legend devised by the pseudo-historian Simon Grunau , the name comes from Natango, the sixth son of an alleged king Widowuro , to whom the land between Pregolla ( Pregel ), Alla ( Alle ), Bassaro ( Passarge ) and the water Halibo ( Fresh Lagoon ) was allocated has been. Natango held court in his Honedo / Balga castle . Noyto Castle and the Crono River were given to his son Lucygo, “because he was a man who loved fishing. This was also the first to find the amber. "
Way of life
Natangen was one of the twelve tribal areas of the Prussians . Its inhabitants initially lived in hunting associations, the "gintas", in their traditional communities. They practiced agriculture, fishing, hunting and horse breeding. Reiks or Kunige were the noble ones who owned large estates and servants who were not free. They provided the protector in peacetime and the leaders in war. In times of war, ramparts or refuges were used to protect the community. In addition, ring-shaped "entanglements" made of tree trunks and thorny scrub protect the tribal area. Often several entanglements were placed around one another so that old people, women and children could be brought into the innermost ring, while enemies were let into the outermost ring wall, in order to be able to slaughter them after it had been closed after their entry. The Natangers were considered healthy, fit for work and hospitable. Intolerance in eating and drinking (as mentioned in some orders of the order) was not part of everyday life, but of festivities like weddings and funeral feasts. Equestrian tournaments were held on the occasion of the funeral ceremonies of nobles, with the inheritance being divided among the winners. These events lasted a few weeks, in which the preserved corpse, as faith dictated, could take part in lay out. Their pagan religion commanded them to be careful with nature.
geography
The border of Natangen coincides with the Pregel in the north , but excludes Königsberg , as this city belongs to the Samland and only later extended to the area of Natangen . In the east the Gau is limited by the Alle. In the south, Schippenbeil and Bartenstein belong to it; because according to a document from 1236 the forest belt Leudegudien, Lusinemedien and Laukemedien (place Lackmedien) is mentioned in the border, which stretched in a semicircle south around these two places. From Schippenbeil the border ran along the Alle to the sacred forest Suitomedien (southwest of Friedland and Wohnsdorf ). This was followed by the Curtmedien forest in the east ( Kortmedien place ). From here the border ran east of the Alle to near Wehlau . The southwest border must be drawn somewhat arbitrarily: from Bartenstein following the north-western depression in the direction of Preußisch Eylau , from Canditten to the north end of the Stablack (Prussian Steinacker ), to the Dalbenen forest (west of Creuzburg ), on to the Wundlacker valley, to the Frischings estuary near Brandenburg to end at the Frischen Haff. From then on, the Fresh Lagoon is the western border. The entire Gau Natangen was divided into four smaller districts: Lauthen in the north, Solidow ( Soldau ) in the northwest, Unsatrapis ( Insterburg ) in the east and Wore in the south.
landscape
The north of the landscape is characterized by the good arable soil of the fresh lowlands, while the south belongs to the Baltic ridge and is criss-crossed by hills, depressions and forest areas. The nature of the soil changed from glacial till, which is favorable for growing grain, to clay soil, which is impermeable to water and therefore requires drainage. Most of the drainage cooperatives were in the western and southern parts of the area. In addition to grain, vegetable and fodder crops grew, which also promoted cattle breeding (with its by-products milk, cheese and raw wool). Horse breeding was not neglected either.
history
Finds near Groß Steegen (bony lance tip, hoe made of reindeer antler), Wangnicken (hoe made of stag horn), Penken (bone harpoon), Domnau (bone dagger), Schönewiese and Topprienen (shaft-hole hoes made of stone in the shape of a snake's head) show that Natangen was already in the Middle Stone Age ( 10,000–7,000 BC) was settled. Several barrows from the following epochs of the Bronze Age are occupied with rich burial objects. During the Roman Empire, cremations with the addition of unburned horses are noticeable in the Samland-Natangian cultural group. In the graves of people of higher rank, there were very well-preserved iron objects: a narrow ax, sickle, carving knife, buckles, tweezers, spurs, silver fibulae, grindstone, daggers, a padlock, buckles, snaffles, scissors, a gold bracelet as well as glass and amber beads. Coins from the time of the Roman emperors Domitian , Trajan , Hadrian , Antoninus Pius , Alexander Severus and Gordian III were also found. When carting out a pond in Schönwiese near Petershagen , ten Arabic coins from the time of the caliph Hārūn ar-Raschīd (ruled 786–809) were discovered in the mud . Numerous weir systems, entrenchments and castle mountains were preferably built on plateau projections and mountain noses. Near the Pilzen Castle Hill , the town of Görken has a pagan cult site dedicated to Churcho , the god of harvest . The so-called "Devil's Stone" in Klein Dexen and the "Mannkesteen" in Skerwitten, which were about 1.50 m high and eight meters in circumference, were also of pagan origin . They were cut into the shape of a table and had a recess and a channel. The Mannkesteen showed a roughly chiseled face facing west and the body of a person with arms crossed over his chest in a praying position.
Natangen is mentioned for the first time in 1231, because it was in that year that the Danish King Waldemar had his Baltic possessions entered in his imperial camp book. The conquest of Natangen began from Elbing. Although the knights of the order had learned that the Prussian tribes of the Barta, Warmia and Notange had gathered around their leaders, the ships of the order "Pilgrim" and "Friedeland" were sent to the hitherto unknown Fresh Lagoon . The knights climbed ashore at Honeda Castle , but found themselves exposed to too much superiority. So they went inland and devastated some villages. There the carelessly scattered religious crowd was massacred by the pursuing Prussians. Only the ship's crews could save themselves. It was not until 1239 that the runner-up Berlewin armored again against Natangen. In the meantime the knights had been able to study the warfare of the Prussians, not least because of the Natang defector Pypso , and were thus able to take Honeda Castle. Since it was in a strategically important place, it was not destroyed, but provided with a strong crew. Honeda was surrounded by water on two sides, so that the supply from the water could not be cut off. The landsides were surrounded by a swamp belt. After the knights had established themselves in Balga and had built a stick dam through the swamps, they made forays into the interior and were also able to attract several powerful leaders to their side. However, this condition did not last long; because under the leadership of the nobles of the combined Glottiner Natang and laid Warmier a defensive ring around the castle, so the Knights were now completely enclosed. After the frost made the swamps accessible in winter and the ice in the lagoon excluded supplies, the distress of the castle crew became so great that at times it was considered to give up the castle and to leave it secretly. At the end of December 1239, Duke Otto von Braunschweig set out on a campaign to the east, and they set off for Balga. The traitor Pomande had been sent to the Prussian besiegers of the castle, reported he had fled and suggested that it was now time to defeat the weakened knights at the castle. There the Natanger encountered the combined forces of the Duke, the Crusaders and the Order. After a terrible fight, the knights were victorious and were also able to take and destroy the Partegal and Schrande fortifications .
Natangen was subjected to and Christianized by the Teutonic Order from Balga. Soon afterwards the settlement by Germans began, who had been attracted by discounts. Kreuzburg was founded in 1240. Because of this conquest of land by foreigners, the people were in a ferment, so that - in addition to the forced Christianization and other promises not kept, as well as the war of the knights with Duke Swantopolk II of Pomerania - one of the reasons for the first great uprising of the Prussians from 1242 to 1249 you can see. The new settlers did not have it easy; because they were so restricted by acts of violence that they could often only till their fields at night. In addition, their crops were stolen or burned. Only after Swantopolk had made peace with the order in 1248 did Prussian leaders join the negotiations and submit again. In the so-called Christburg Treaty of February 7, 1249, the converted Prussians (Pomesania, Warmia, Natangia) were obliged to build churches, deliver their tithe and take part in the Order's crusades . In return, they were assured freedom of person and property rights to movable and immovable goods. At the instigation of the order, Natangen was settled with German immigrants from Lower and Central Germany until the middle of the 14th century. During the Thirty Years' War the Natangen area was less affected than other regions. The trade continued undisturbed.
With the Prussian administrative reform of 1818, Natangen merged in the Kreuzburg district and later in the Preussisch Eylau district . The cities of Preussisch Eylau , Kreuzburg and Landsberg were among the larger localities . After the Second World War , the northern part came to Kaliningrad Oblast , while the south was assigned to the Polish Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship .
literature
- Wilhelm Gaerte: Prehistory of East Prussia . Gräfe and Unzer, Königsberg 1929.
- Georg Gerullis: The old Prussian place names . Berlin, Leipzig 1922.
- Leo Gimboth: Geography of the settlement of Natangen during the Prussian period , Ungedr. Dissertation, Königsberg 1923.
- Emil Johannes Guttzeit : Natangen. Landscape and history. Marburg / Lahn 1977.
- Emil Johannes Guttzeit: Popular legends from our native country. Collected and edited for the youth. Heiligenbeil 1934.
- Landsmannschaft East Prussia: Natangen , Leer 1983.
- Gerhard Salemke: Site plans of the ramparts of the former province of East Prussia, Gütersloh, 2005, maps 26 / 1-16.
- Horst Schultz: The Natanger District Preußisch-Eylau , Vol. 1, Cologne 1971.
- Wilhelm JA von Tettau: Folk tales of East Prussia, Litthauens and West Prussia . Berlin 1837.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gerullis, p. 109 (keyword Notangia )
- ↑ Mannkesteen (bildarchiv-ostpreussen.de)
