Ventava (in written sources Wynda or Winda , Latvian . Ventava ) - the Curonian principality or land ( Latin : terra ), which occupied the territory in the lower Venta from the confluence of the Abava to the sea. Now it is part of the Ventspils region and a small part of the Kuldiga region in Latvia . Until 1223, Ventava was part of the state "land of Sagares" ( terra Saggara ), whose ruler was Lamekin .
| Historical state | ||
| Ventava Latin : Terra Saggara German : Wynda, Winda | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
XΙΙ century - 1253 | ||
| Capital | Sagare | |
| Languages) | Curonian , Libyan | |
| Religion | Baltic paganism | |
| Square | 600km² | |
| Population | Curonian , Vendian | |
| Form of government | military aristocracy | |
| King ( rex ) | ||
| • 1230 | Lamekin | |
| Story | ||
| • XΙΙ century | Courses expelled Wends | |
| • 1253 | Livonian Order and Courland Bishopric (divided among themselves) | |
Content
Title
The name Ventava comes from the name of the Venta River.
Central City
The main settlement as a control center was located in the Saggara in the lower reaches of Venta, therefore in the treaty of 1230 it was called the Sagara land ( terra Saggara ). The name "Sagar" denotes the mouth of the Venta, and is mentioned in the book of the Courses section in 1253.
It is believed that the residence of King Lamekin was located in the ancient settlement of Pabērzkalns in present-day Zlekas, the kuligunda Nurme in the 10th century ( Normen ab ultraque parte fluvii Winda , - "Nurma, on both sides of the Venta"). (Mugurēvičs, 1999, 2000). In the vicinity of Zlekas and Pridnieki there was the highest population density in Ventava, with archaeological finds not only of Finno-Ugric and Curonian, but also of Scandinavian origin. In Zlekas parish, as before, one of the farms is called “Lamiki” (A. Bielenstein, 1892; J. Endzelīns, 1925; J. PlāPis, 1936; A.Švābe, 1938). In the fourteenth century Zlekas lived one of the descendants of King Lamekin Lammike .
Population
Since ancient times, the Baltic-Finnish peoples , representatives of the culture of pitted-comb ceramics, have lived in Ventava. In the Viking Age, the waterways of Venta were used by merchants and robbers from Scandinavia . The Curonians conquered Ventava in the XΙ-XΙΙ century. Even before the start of the Livonian Crusade, the assimilation of the Vendian population began, and with this the disappearance of the Finno-Ugric names or their Baltization. In the chronicle of Livonia it is said that in Cesis the Wends living there, the Curonians drove out of the vicinity of "Venta, the river in Curonia". Still, the inhabitants of the lower reaches of Venta, who speak the Livonian or Livonian dialect of the Latvian language , are called gates.
Administrative Division
The territory of Ventava was divided into squads, which are called the Finno-Ugric word "Kiligund" ( Est. Kihelkond , Fin. Kihlakunta ). In turn, each swindler consisted of villages. In an agreement with the legate of the Pope , eight kiligands of Sagar land are listed:
- Targale ( Thargolae ) - present Targalsky volost ,
- Uzhava ( Osua ) - the northern part of the current Užava volost with its center in Uzhava ,
- Landze ( Langis ) - the current territory of the Pilten County and the southern part of Varves parish with centers in Landze,
- Sarnate ( Sarnitus ) - the southern part of the Užava volost with the center in Sarnate,
- Edole ( Edualia ) - the current Edola parish ,
- Wenzawa ( Venelis ) - the current Ziru parish with its center in Wenzawa, which corresponds to the name "Vense" in the contract of 1253. year,
- Nurme ( Normis ) - the current parish of Zleku ,
- Pigava ( Pygawas ) - the northern part of the current Padura parish ; perhaps the center of this kiligugda was in modern Tigas, which corresponds to the mentioned Tygwe (later Tigves estate) in 1253.
The last volost - Padurskaya, is located in the Kuldig region. The rest are in Ventspils region .
Runestone of Ventava
On the top of the ornate stone is a cross that curls down and ends in intertwined coils. The inscription says that the stone is dedicated to the Viking Ǽi ..... (name is broken), who died in Ventava ( Vindö - ui (t) au ) [1] . The deceased had two sisters and three brothers. Hróðvaldr (?), Hróðgautr, Hróðarr, þorsteinn . They were uncles.
Runic inscription in Latin letters (starts from the lower left corner and continues up):
- þina: eftir: a (i) ---: ---: --rþ: taupþr: a: ui (t) au:
systri R : [tua R ] ...- R : bryþr: þria: roþanþr: auk: roþkutr: roþar: auk: þorstain: þi R : i R u: faþur: bryþr
Transcription of the language of the ancient Scandinavians:
- Þenna œfti R Æi ... ... [va] rð dauðr a Vindau / Vindö. Systri R tva R ... brøðr þria. Hroðvaldr (?) Ok
Hroðgautr, Hroðarr ok Þorstœinn, þœi R e R u faðurbrøðr.
Ventava Section (1253)
Ventava was divided in the treaty of April 4, 1253, which was concluded by the bishop of Courland and the master of the Livonian Order. Two thirds in the northern part received the Livonian Order , one third in the southern part was subsequently ruled by the Courland bishopric .
Notes
- ↑ Pritsak, Omeljan. (1981). The origin of Rus'. Cambridge, Mass .: Distributed by Harvard University Press for the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. ISBN 0-674-64465-4