Skomantas of Sudovia
Skomand (* 1225, † around 1285 ) was a powerful tribal chief of the Old Prussian tribe of Sudovians. Other name variants are Skumand, Komants, Gomants and Koommat. In Lithuania, he is revered as Skomantas or Komantas and is regarded as identical with Skalmantas, the alleged tribal father of the dynasty Gediminas. His name prußischer Skomants has exuberant riches ( " skome, skomas ": dining table, good taste; " Mants ": rich, possessions, wealth ).
History
Skomand is mentioned in the chronicle of Dusburg Peters as one of the leaders of the attack on Kulm in 1263. During the Old Prussian battles against the Teutonic Order Sudauen initially remained largely undisturbed because of its inaccessible remoteness of the expansion plans of the Teutonic Order, participated but with the help of the Lithuanians at some forays into the territories of the Order. After the devastating incident into Kulmerland Skomand increasingly came to the attention of the knights. After 1276 the Commander Berthold of Nordhausen was replaced by the war experienced commander of Christburg Hermann von Schönberg, the Old Prussian incursions were repulsed sustainable.
Since smaller contingents not led to success, Skomand collected in the fall of 1277 a larger army of 4000 warriors and invited people to gain more Samogitian and Lithuanian. On October 21, his forces fell in Kulmerland a devastating and conquered the Graudenz, Marie Werder, Zantir castle over the Vistula River and Christchurch Castle. The incident had severe destruction result.
The Order Marshal Conrad of Thierberg decided after this event to attack the Sudovians and subdue this area as one of the last Old Prussian landscapes final. The company proved to be difficult, because Konrad had no support from the Reich. Also, he had hardly reserves of religious warriors. In addition Sudauen was territorially far greater than the other now conquered Old Prussian tribal areas and was crossed by dense forests, marshes, lakes and swamps. The core of the army Sudovians banns were tested warrior. It was to be expected with an army of about 6,000 men, superb horsemen, supplemented by numerous infantry.
1277 then took a religious army of 1500 horsemen and some footmen after Sudauen and devastated Kimenau. Many inhabitants were killed, about a thousand prisoners and large prey were carried away. On Spirdingsee to the army of the Order presented against approximately 3000 Sudovians. The meeting ended with the defeat of the Sudovians; about 2000 men alleged to have been killed or wounded.
After this success, the Order of Marshall gathered a stronger military power, with the aim Skomands castle to conquer the legendary silver treasure at Skomenten on the eastern shore of the Skomentsee and demoralize the people sudauische by would be deprived of its chief and the other leaders.
The inaccessibility of the terrain required repeated and grueling individual feuds with the support of the Order of overflowed with local knowledge of local spies, called Struter that crept, in small groups in summer in the country and marks translated. Were mentioned in particular the Kulm Martin Golin, the samländische Witing Konrad Tüvel, the bold Stobernel, the Sudovians Kudar and Nakeim the Pogesanier.
The year 1278 recorded brutal raids of Strutergruppen and countermoves of Sudovians. But could not the Knights during this time to compile an ordered larger army. The foreign bishops broke away from instead of warriors to send to the payment of money. The decisive factor for the later success of the Knights after long vacancies in 1279 was the appointment of Konrad of wet cheeks to the Order marshal and country champion. Since the meantime, the Order fell into Semgallen in distress, rested the campaign against Sudauen up to winter 1279, wet cheeks soon felt between his duties consumed, and left Prussia. Finally, the Königsberg Commander Mangold von Sternberg took over the task of subjugating the Sudovians. However, addition of the conquest he also pursued the goal to lead the country out of its unstable state by agriculture and industry would promote sustainable. This goal he saw only guaranteed in a pacified state, so that the conquest of the aggressive tribal areas of the Prussians were a priority.
The Sudovians their part, had interpreted this restructuring as a weakness of the Order. In 1280 they undertook, supported by Lithuanians, one Verheerungszug the Sambia. The campaign was ultimately unsuccessful because it had long been betrayed and religious officials had advised residents to take refuge in the strongholds. For 10 days devastated the Sudovians region of Tapiau, but then had to return home immediately, because they had received word that the Commander of Tapiau Ulrich Baier, in turn, invaded the Sudovians heartland, attacked the settlements there and had taken numerous hostages. The Commander, encouraged by the success, took further devastating forays until this unilateral him were banned from the country master.
Mangold von Sternberg collected in winter 1281 a strong army and broke on February 2 on for the final strike after Sudauen. Skomands castle was stormed and burned, Skomand himself had withdrawn and collected new people around. But they could not stand the fight, and Skomand fled with his entire household and his companions in the Lithuanian-Russian border region. Soon he made new attempts to reconquer his land. The countermeasures of the country master were finally resigned to Skomand. He let himself and his Christian baptism.
He then spent several years on the Order castle Balga and finally received by Konrad von Thierberg the Good Steinio ( Steyno, stones) in Steegen at Landsberg. Here Skomand lived with his sons Rukals, Gedetes and Galms from the proceeds of its agriculture. The descendant Dietrich Skomantin of stones sold the estate in 1366 and moved with his family after Dietrich village, district Gerdauen.