Samogitians: Difference between revisions

{{infoboxShort description|Lithuanian ethnic group|}}

'''Samogitians''' ([[Samogitian dialect|Samogitian]]: ''Žemaitēžemaitē'', {{lang-lt|Žemaičiaižemaičiai}}, [[Latvian language{{lang-lv|Latvian]]: ''Žemaiši''žemaiši}}) are athe subgroupinhabitants of [[Lithuanian people|LithuanianSamogitia]]s, thatan inhabit[[Ethnographic the regionregions of [[Samogitia]]Lithuania|ethnographic inregion of [[Lithuania]]. Many speak the [[Samogitian language]], sometimeswhich regardedin as[[Lithuania]] is mostly considered a [[Lithuanian language#Dialects|dialect of the [[Lithuanian language]] together with the [[Aukštaitian dialect]].<ref name="TrueLithuania">{{cite web |title=Samogitia (Northwest Lithuania) |url=http://www.truelithuania.com/samogitia-northwest-lithuania-241 |website=TrueLithuania.com |access-date=27 July 2021}}</ref> The Samogitian language differs the most from the standard Lithuanian language.<ref name="TrueLithuania"/>

Even thoughWhether Samogitians are politically not considered to be ana distinct ethnic group or merely a subset of [[Lithuanians]] varies. However, 2,169 people declared their ethnicity as Samogitian during the Lithuanian census of 2011, of whom 53.9% live in [[Telšiai County]].<ref>[http://www.stat.gov.lt/documents/10180/217110/Lietuviai_priskyre_save_zemaiciams.xls/df1bd36b-be99-4992-b4d5-51e2dc9bac8f Statistics (in Lithuania)].</ref> The political recognition and cultural understanding of the Samogitian ethnicity has, however, changed drastically throughout the last few centuries as 448,022 people declared themselves Samogitians, not Lithuanians, in the [[Russian Empire Census|1897 Russian Empire census]].<ref>[http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_lan_97.php 1897 Russian Empire Census]</ref>

{{see also|Eldership of Samogitia|Grand Duchy of Lithuania}}

On 13 July 1260, the Samogitians decisively defeated the joint forces of the [[Teutonic Knights]] from [[Prussia (region)|Prussia]] and [[Livonian Order]] from [[Livonia]] in the [[Battle of Durbe]]. Some 150 knights were killed, including [[Livonian Brothers of the Sword#Masters of Livonia (within the Teutonic Order)|Livonian Master]] [[Burchard von Hornhausen]] and Prussian Land Marshal [[:de:Heinrich Botel|Henrik Botel]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Zenonas |last=Ivinskis |author-link=Zenonas Ivinskis |title=Lietuvos istorija iki Vytauto Didžiojo mirties |year=1978 |location=Rome |publisher=Lietuvių katalikų mokslo akademija |idpages={{LCC|79346776}}184–188 |pageslccn=184–18879346776 |language=lt}}</ref>

Samogitians lived in western Lithuania and were closely related to [[Semigallians]] and [[Curonians]]. In 1413, they became the last group of Europeans to convert to Christianity. Samogitians werelived one ofin the three[[Duchy mainof nationsSamogitia]] ofwithin the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]], Ruthenia, and Samogitia. In 1857, there were 418,824 people of Samogitian roots and 444,921 persons declared the Samogitian dialectlanguage as their mother tongue in 1897 in [[Kovno Governorate]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Petrulis |first=Valdas |year=2005 |url=http://www.geo.lt/geo/uploads/media/163-175.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722150819/http://www.geo.lt/geo/uploads/media/163-175.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-07-22 |title=Žemaitijos etninės savimonės regiono erdvinė struktūra |journal=Geografijos metraštis |volume=38 |pages=163–175 |issn=0132-3156 }}</ref> Currently Lithuania does not allow for declaration of Samogitian nationality in passports as it is not a recognized ethnicity.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.lrytas.lt/?data=20070604&id=11809569051179205596&view=4 |title = Žemaičio tautybė - vos porai dienų |access-date = 2007-11-23

|author = lrytas.lt |date = 2007-06-04 |language = lt}}</ref> In list of [[Ethnic groups in Russia|ethnic groups of Russia]] there is one person who declared himself with "Zhemaijty".<ref>[http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/TOM_04_P1.doc Perepis.ru] (in [[Russian language|Russian]])</ref>

| [[Samogitian dialectlanguage|Samogitian]]

| Жемайтия, Жмудь

| жемайты, жмудины

==NotesReferences==

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