The Yotvingians or Yatvingians, (Latvian: Jātvingi, Lithuanian: Jotvingiai, Polish: Jaćwingowie) are one of the extinct Baltic tribes. Yotvingian culture and language (called Yotvingian or Sudovian) is closest to Prussian. They lived in the areas of Prussia in Sudovia and Jaćwież (in German: Sudauen, Polish language; Sūduva, Jotva in Lithuanian) to the left of Neman river, between Hrodna and western turn of Neman. Today this area corresponds to the southwest territory of Lithuania with Marijampolė and the northeast Poland with Suwalki and Augustow. Ptolemy in the 2nd Century A.D. called the people Soudinoi.

From history, they are known for their retaliation raids into areas of Masovia and Lublin which were brought on by conquest attempts by Conrad of Masovia, from neighboring Poles as early as 997 AD and Danylo King of Rus. In the 13th century some of them took refuge in Lithuania and were partially assimilated by the Lithuanians and partially conquered and dispersed by the Teutonic Knights. During Reformation and Counter-Reformation times a number of earlier refugee Prussians including Sudauer Yotvingians returned from Lithuania to the dukedom of Prussia.

A number of Prussian historians have written numerous historical accounts in German or Latin over the centuries, but very little has been known in the English language until very recently.

After the Collapse of the Soviet Union, research into the ancient history of the territories was resumed.

Related article

Yotvingian language

External link

English-Sudovian (Yotvingian) dictionary