Skalvians

 ( Historical Baltic Peoples ) 

The Scalovians (; ), also known as the Skalvians, Schalwen and Schalmen, were a Balts related to the Old 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 , by the lower Neman River ca. 1240.

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Geography This region is located at both sides of the river Neman River north of Nadruvians and south of Samogitia. In the North-East it stretched to rivers Šešupė, Ežeruona and Jūra. In the East it bordered on Yotvingians, in the North-West on river Minija, in the West on the Curonian Lagoon and in the South-West on river Nemunas Delta.

(2025). 9781438129181, Infobase Publishing. . ISBN 9781438129181

The center were the towns of Rusnė, Ragainė and Tilžė.

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

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History Starting around the 1st century CE, a distinct ethnic region began to form in Scalvia, separate from the Prussians. Unlike the Prussians, the dead were buried uncremated, and graves lacked stone circles; instead, stones were placed on both sides of the deceased's head. Men were buried with their heads facing north, women – south. Horses were often buried alongside the deceased. From around the 5th–6th centuries, cremation became common, and the remains were placed in clay pots (urns). Skalvian graves are more similar to those of the Aukštaitians of Central Lithuania. Beginning in the 5th–6th centuries, and especially from the 7th century, the number of grave goods increased significantly. Many ornaments made of bronze and silver were produced.

From the middle of the first millennium, the Skalvians gradually Lithuanization into Lithuanian culture. Between the 10th century and the early 13th century, their archaeological culture was characterized by flat cemeteries containing both cremated and uncremated remains — such as those found in the Greižėnai, Sodėnai (also called Šilinė), Vidgiriai, Rubokai, Dauglaukis, and Vėluikiai cemeteries, located in the Pagėgiai and Tauragė regions. Important cultural and religious centers included the Rambynas and Paskalviai hillforts. Like the Sambians and Curonians, the Skalvians were among the wealthiest Baltic tribes. They were heavily involved in trade — using the Neman River and Curonian Lagoon, and facilitating the movement of foreign merchants between the Baltic Sea and inland regions via Skalvian territory. They also engaged in warfare. From the 9th to the 11th centuries, they maintained contacts with Vikings (also known as Normans). In the Linkūnai cemetery near Gastai, archaeologists discovered about 20 Scandinavian swords. In the mid-13th century, the Skalvians nominally recognized the authority of the Lithuanian ruler Mindaugas. They supported the Sudovians and Nadruvians in their fight against the invading Teutonic Order (TO). As a counterbalance to the Teutonic castle in Königsberg (Karaliaučius), these tribes jointly built Vėluva Castle in Nadruvia around the mid-1250s. In 1255, they attacked Sambia (Semba), and in 1274, they attacked Barta, as these and other Prussian lands had already been conquered by the Teutonic Order. One of the most famous Skalvian leaders from the north, Sareika (also known as Šereika), attempted around 1276 to capture the Teutonic commander of Klaipėda, but was killed during the attempt. The Skalvians fought unequal battles until 1278, when their leaders Surbantas, Surdeta, and Svirdeta surrendered to the Teutonic Order. In 1289, the Order built their own Ragnit Castle (Ragainė) on the site of the former Skalvian castle of Raganita. Ragnit would become one of the most important bases for attacks against Lithuania. It is believed that some Skalvians were relocated by the Teutonic Order to areas south of the Pregel River, into Prussian territory, while others fled into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The most well-known and compact Skalvian group within Lithuanian territory settled between Rodūnia and Skalva. In 1387, during the Christianization of Lithuania, the region was referred to as Scalva (Skolva). In the 17th–18th centuries, it was known as the Scalvian bailiwick (administrative district), and since the 15th century, it belonged to the Bartian district (elderate).

In the early 15th century, 154 Skalvian families were recorded living in the Ragnit and Tilsit areas. Some linguists consider the Skalvians to have been Prussians, but most likely they were an intermediate tribe between the Prussians and Lithuanians who gradually assimilated into the Lithuanian population. Most early German scholars, as well as many Lithuanian researchers, view the Skalvians as more closely related to Lithuanians. Their ancient culture and language contained features of Lithuanian, Yotvingian, and Old Prussian. Over the centuries — by the 16th century — the Scalvians, Nadruvians, and other closely related Baltic tribes, together with immigrants and war captives from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, formed the region of Minor Lithuania (Mažoji Lietuva) — the ethnoterritorial and ethnocultural core of the Lietuvininkai (Lithuanians of East Prussia). Some surnames derived from the Skalvian ethnonym have survived, such as Skalvys, Skalvis, Skalvaitis, and Skalweit.