Natangians
title: "Natangians" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["historical-baltic-peoples", "old-prussians", "people-from-prussia-(region)", "extinct-ethnic-groups", "history-of-kaliningrad-oblast", "history-of-warmian-masurian-voivodeship"] topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natangians" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox ethnic group"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| group | Natangians |
| population | Extinct in 17th–18th century |
| image | Prussian clans 13th century.png |
| image_caption | Natangians (in brown) and other Prussian clans in the 13th century |
| region1 | Natangia, Prussia (now Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia and Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland) |
| languages | Old Prussian, later also German |
| religions | Prussian mythology (Paganism) |
| related-c | Other Prussians and Balts |
| :: |
|group = Natangians |population = Extinct in 17th–18th century |image = Prussian clans 13th century.png |image_caption= Natangians (in brown) and other Prussian clans in the 13th century |region1 = Natangia, Prussia (now Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia and Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland) |languages = Old Prussian, later also German |religions = Prussian mythology (Paganism) |related-c = Other Prussians and Balts
Natangians or Notangians (; ; ; ) was a Prussian clan, which lived in the region of Natangia, an area that is now mostly part of the Russian exclave Kaliningrad Oblast, whereas the southern portion lies in the Polish Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.
In the 13th century, when the Teutonic Knights began their crusade against the Prussians, some 15,000 people might have lived in the area between the Pregolya and Łyna rivers. The Natangian lands bordered with Sambia in the north, Warmia in the west and south, and Bartia in the southeast. They likely spoke a West Baltic language, now extinct, similar to Old Prussian language.
History
Natangians are first mentioned in a 1238 treaty between the Knights and Duke Świętopełk II of Pomerania. But the victory was short-lived, the Knights regained their strength in just two years and continued their crusade. In 1255 they built Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) at the mouth of Pregolya river, right on the border between Natangia and Sambia.
During the Great Prussian Uprising (1260–1274), the Natangians elected Herkus Monte, who was educated in Germany, as their chief. At first he was successful and defeated the Knights in the Battle of Pokarwis and Battle of Löbau. However, the rebels were unable to capture the brick castles built by the Knights and were defeated. Herkus, who had been one of the most prominent leaders of the Prussians, was captured and hanged in 1273. The Natangian nobles submitted to the Germans, who promised privileges and undisturbed ownership of their estates. Natangians, led by Sabynas and Stanta, rebelled for the last time in 1295. After the subsequent Thirteen Years' War, the longest of all Polish–Teutonic wars, since 1466, it formed part of Poland as a fief held by the Teutonic Order, and after 1525 held by secular Ducal Prussia.
When German colonists settled in the area, the Natangians kept their local language and customs up until the 17th century. Later on, their identity disappeared by the end of the 17th century or the beginning of the 18th century as they merged with the German population, but the local populace still defined themselves as "Natangians" up to 1945 and even the local newspaper of Landsberg (Górowo Iławeckie) was called "Natanger Zeitung" after 1919.
References
References
- (1970–1978). "Notanga". Juozas Kapočius.
- . (1885). "Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom VI".
- Urban, William. (2000). "The Prussian Crusade". Lithuanian Research and Studies Center.
- Górski, p. 96–97, 214–215
- W. Reichermann, "Ut Noatange - Plattdütsche Spoasskes", Königsberg 1892, In Natangen - Ein Bildband, Kreisgemeinschaft Pr. Eylau, Verden 1986
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::