Samogitian nobility
Samogitian nobility was nobility originating in the Lithuanian region of Samogitia. Samogitian nobility was an integral part of Lithuanian nobility. Historically, the local gentry was formed of people of various ethnic backgrounds, including Lithuanian, Polish, Tartar, German and Ruthenian. As the Duchy of Samogitia maintained a certain level of autonomy within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, its nobility was considered a separate subject of the laws, on par with the nobility of other Commonwealth lands. Samogitian nobility, especially its lower class, preserved knowledge of the Lithuanian language and the Samogitian dialect very well.