Yotvingians in the colonization carried out by the order of Teutonic knights

The article treats about Yotvingians and their participation in the colonization carried out by the Order of Teutonic Knights in the 13th and 14th centuries. The author presents the directions of mass relocations of Yotvingians, the circumstances under which Sudovians were endowed with land as well as their villeinage towards the Order of Teutonic Knights. She tries to describe the farther fate of Yotvingian descendants. There is a correlation between the size and the conditions of endowed land and the political situation of the Order in the 13th -14th centuries. The conquest of Old Prussian tribes was going towards the end in the 13th century, whereas in the 14th century the Teutonic Knights were engaged in the war with pagan Lithuania. The literary sources suggest that the Yotvingian relocation took the fol lowing three directions: to Sambia, to the territories of Pasłęk and Pruska Iława. Most of the Yotvingians were endowed with land according to the Prussian law, except for the most distinguished who were endowed with land according to the Chełm law. The possessions given to Yotvingians were of the same size as those given to Old Prussians. Their size was based on the person’s service to the Order. Yotvingians were expected to serve in the army. The descendents of Yotvingians living in Sambia cultivated the customs and beliefs of their ancestors until the 16th century