Re: [tied] Samogitia / Lithuania

 

Mark Odegard wrote:

 
So. Curonia = Courland? I've heard of Courland. We are speaking not of Latvia but of Lithuania. Yeah. I'm interested in obscure romantic-sounding toponyms of Europe.  

From: Steve Woodson

Courland was that part of the lands of the Teutonic Order located in present day Latvia south of the Dvina (Duna) River.  Many German towns were located in this area.
                                                    Steve

  Mark,
    The Letts (Latvians) evidently lived north of the same river in present day northern Latvia.  The Samogitians and Cours (Kors, Courons) lived to the south.  I'm sure that their territory included northern Lithuania, in the modern sense.  The Courland of the Teut. Order was more of a provencial area named after a conquered people.  Whether the Cours occupied the whole area, or not, I'm not sure.  Most of my references show them doing just that.  Maybe others, except the Sams. have just been forgotten.  Since the Order never conquered Lithuania maybe the Cours living there were called Lithuanians, by the Germans, to differentiate between them.  If so then that IS how it would have come down to us.  The political division would have been more important than the various peoples living there.  I find this Baltic region very interesting.  Thanks again for the links, I checked them between posts.
                                                    Steve