Dirva = Field. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1915-current, 1944-12-01
(From The Current News on the
Lithuanian Situation)

ent-day East Prussia were the So
called Old Prussians, or Borussians.
They were of the same ethnic group
as the Lithuanians and the Lat
vians, racially distinct from their
neighbors the Germans and the
Poles. The Poles were the first to
try to. conquer this people, but
without success.
In 1890, the Teutonic Knights. of
the Order of the Cross began a
crusade against them, under the
pretext of bringing Christianity to
the heather Prussians. Only after
so years of struggle did the Knights
succeed in extending the boundaries
of this conquered territory to the,
River Nemunas, the lower part of
which is still known by the Prus-
sian name of Rusne. The Old Prus-
slams were almost exterminated,
and present-day East Prussia be-
came a colony Of the Teutonic Or
der. The Old Prussians were rob-
bed of everything, even of their
name, which was adopted by the
Teutonic Knights.
The knights made repeated in
cursions into Lithuania as well, but
they were crushingly defeated by
the United Lithuanian and Polish
forces under the leadership of the
Grand Duke Of Lithuania Vytautas,
later known as Vytautas the Great,
at the battle of Gruenwald near
Tannenberg (141O. AS a result
of this, defeat, one of the greatest
in medieval history, the German
Drang mach Osten was stopped for
a number of centuries.
Vytautas upheld the Lithuanian
claims to Prussian territory in the
negotiations between Lithuania and
the Order of the Cross in 1413, as
may be seen from his statement to
the Marshal of the Order: Prussia
is the land of my forefathers and
/ will claim it as far as the Ossa
River, because it is my heritage.
But what is the Orders heritage 2"
At that time present-day East
Prussia was thinly populated, and
rnostlyfby the surviving remnants of
the Lithuanian tribe, the old Prus-
slams (Borussians). That population
was increased in various ways, even
by adding prisoners of war taken
by the Teuton Knights in their
frequent incursions into Lithuania;
voluntary immigration from near
by Samogitia was still another
source of strengthening the Lithu-
anian element in the northern part
of East Prussia.
German COlOnisation
Lithuanian and Dol Prussian ma
mes offs numerous localities in La
biau, Gumbinnen, Tilsit, Kalipeda
(Memel), and other counties speak
for their origin.
More intense colonization by the
German element started only in
the sixteenth century. The Lithu-
anian- inhabited area of that period
extended northward to the Baltic
shores, reaching the city of Koen-
igsberg eastward along the Prege
River, through Darkehmen and Col
dapen on the left of the Pregel, uI
to the frontiers of present-day Lith.
uania. The line gradually moved
eastward; in 1719 the most wester.
ly line of this area, which was
known as Prussian Lithuania, OF
Lithuania Minor, shrank back from
Koenigsberg to Labguva (Labiau)
After the partition of the Lithu.
anian-Polish state at the end of the
eighteenth century the importation
of German colonists to East Prus.
sia was again intensified. How
ever, the tradition that it's north
eastern part should be considered
Lithuanian soil remained for some
time. Gordecius, photographer OF
the sixteenth century, noted that
the region Of Koenigsberg (knowr
as Karaliaucius in Lithuanian) was
in Samaida (Zemaitija- -Samogitia)
AS late as 1876 map by Homan-
miami Heredes entitled "Lithuania
Borussica", dedicated to King Fred
erick Wilhelm, contained a plan OF
the town of Gumbine (Gumbinnen
or Gabit), bearing the following in
scripton: "Plan Won der in Lithau-
en- neu angelegten Stadt Gumbin.
men, (plan of Gumbinnen. newly
founded town in Lithuania).
At the beginning of the nine.
teenth century Lithuanians were
still in the majority in the Klaipe-
da (MemeD, Silute (Neidekrug)
Tile (Tilsit), Ragaine (Ragnit)
Pilkalnis (Pilkallen), Gumbine (Ga.
bit), Stalupenai (Stalupoenen), Pa
kalnes (Niederung), Labguva (La.
biau) and Darkiemis (Darkehmen)
counties. In 1881 their number
|--L.J 1os an -. ~Lo,1% OF xa~