Pilsāts (Pilsaten) is the smallest Curonian land, about 200 square kilometres round the mouth of the Danė where Klaipėda (Memel) stands later, at the head of the Curonian Lagoon.
South of it lies Lamata by the Neman delta, between the Curonians and the Prussians of Skalovia; it is not drawn apart. On 1 January 1200 it is free and pagan.
Who holds it
- Name
- None named for 1200
- Title
- the elders of Pilsāts
- Since
- not applicable
- Born
- not applicable
- Family
- No elder is named.
- Confidence
- low
Henry of Livonia (Brundage tr.); see sources.
What it holds
- The Danė mouth (town record Danė mouth)
How things stand that morning
Free and pagan.
Wealth
Fishing, the lagoon and the sea.
Military
Hillforts; levies and ships. No numbers.
Threats
- Swedish, Danish and Gotland expeditions
- Feuds with their neighbours
- The German mission once Riga stands (1201, later)
Law and courts
Elders of each land and fort with the assembled men; no written law. The 13th-century division documents list each land's villages.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- During 1200 (nothing dated for this land)No event in this land is recorded for 1200.
Places of note
- Klaipėda: Danė mouth
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Land name and rough position from Rimbert's Life of Ansgar and the 13th-century documents as summarised by en.wikipedia; bounds are reconstructions. Nothing is recorded for 1200.
On the map: Very approximate; Lamata to the south is left to the neighbours.
Primary sources for The Curonians
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Livonian Chronicle of Henry, Henry of Livonia (1225 to 1227). The chief source for the Baltic mission. Read online
- The law of the Gotlanders; The saga of the Gotlanders (Guta lag about 1220, Guta saga about 1220 to 1275; manuscript of about 1350). The law and the short history of the self-governing island. Read online
Sources and studies
- Curonians (en.wikipedia)
- Henry of Livonia, Chronicon Livoniae, tr. J. A. Brundage, The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia (1961): Books I-III, chapters I-IX read for this record
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.