20 Facts About Lithuania Minor

Lithuania Minor, or Prussian Lithuania, is a historical ethnographic region of Prussia, where Prussian Lithuanians lived, now located in Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia.

Lithuania Minor encompassed the northeastern part of the region and got its name from the territory's substantial Lithuanian-speaking population.

Since 1945, a small portion of Lithuania Minor has retained been within the borders of modern-day Lithuania and Poland while most of the territory is part of the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia, which was part of the Soviet Union until December 1991.

Term "Lithuania Minor" refers to the northernmost part of the former province of East Prussia .

The term Lithuania Minor was first applied during the 19th century and used more widely during the 20th century, mostly among historians and ethnographers.

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From 1773 to 1918, all of Lithuania Minor was part of the Kingdom of Prussia's province of East Prussia, the core of medieval Prussia.

Territory of western Lithuania Minor began to be threatened by the Livonian order from the north and Teutonic Knights from the south in the 13th century.

Lithuania Minor did not manage to retain Semigallian castles lying north from Lithuania Minor and the Semigallians fell under the Order finally during Gediminas's rule.

Lithuania Minor decided that the right side of Nemunas had to be left for Lithuania .

Lithuania Minor was part of the duchy until 1701, the Kingdom of Prussia until 1871, Germany until 1920, and afterwards it was divided.

Lithuania Minor submitted to the ultimatum and, in exchange for the right to use the new harbour facilities as a Free Port, ceded the disputed region to Germany in the late evening of 22 March 1939.

The remainder of Lithuania Minor came under occupation by the Soviet Union, then briefly became independent again in 1941 before being occupied entirely by Nazi Germany.

Lithuania Minor deduced that wildnis was that part of Lithuania which belonged to the Order juridically, by the grants of the popes and emperors of Holy Roman Empire, but was not subordinate to it due to the resistance of the residents.

The contacts between Nadruvian and Scalovian populations with those to the north and west, where the grand dukes of Lithuania Minor were ruling from the 13th or the 12th century, were probably close.

Territory known as the main part of Lithuania Minor had been distinguished in administrative terms first as Nadruvia and Scalovia, later the names Lithuanian counties, Lithuanian Province, Prussian Lithuania or Lithuania became predominant.

Southern limit of Lithuania Minor went by Sventapilis, Prusu Ylava, Bartenstein, Barciai, Lapgarbis, Meruniskai, Dubeninkai .

Nationality of the residents of the country of Lithuania Minor is best shown by the sources from the fourth decade of the 18th century.

The Germanization of Lithuania Minor accelerated in the second half of the 19th century, when German was made compulsory in the education system at all levels, although newspapers and books were freely published and church services were held in the Lithuanian language, even during the Nazi era.

Lithuania Minor was the home of Vydunas, philosopher and writer, and Kristijonas Donelaitis, pastor and poet and author of The Seasons, which mark the beginning of Lithuanian literature.

Lithuania Minor was an important center for Lithuanian culture, which was persecuted in Russian-controlled Lithuania proper.