Christmemel (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Christi Memela'', ''Kyrsmemel'', ''Kirsmomela'') was a frontier fortress (''

Ordensburg ''Ordensburg'' (plural ''Ordensburgen'') is a German language, German term meaning a "castle of a (military) order". It is used specifically for the fortified structures built by Crusades, crusading German Military order (religious society), m ...

'') of the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

on the banks of the

Neman River Neman, Nemunas or Niemen is a river in Europe that rises in central Belarus and flows through Lithuania then forms Lithuania–Russia border, the northern border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia's western exclave, which specifically follows its s ...

. It was constructed of wood and earth between April 8 and 22, 1313, by Grand Master Karl von Trier. Christmemel, manned by some 400 men, was to serve as a base for further attacks during the

Lithuanian Crusade The Lithuanian Crusade was a series of campaigns by the Teutonic Order and the Livonian Order under the pretext of forcibly Christianizing the pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Livonian Order occupied Riga in 1202 and in the 1230s they settled ...

against pagan

Samogitia Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian language, Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see Samogitia#Etymology and alternative names, below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five ...

and

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

. During the construction, the Knights used ships to build a bridge across the Neman River. After the construction, the Knights attacked a nearby Lithuanian fortress in Bisenė, but did not manage to take it. On September 15, 1315, Lithuanian grand duke

Vytenis Vytenis was Grand Duke of Lithuania from to . He became the first monarch of the Gediminid dynasty to sustain a long-lasting reign, establishing the dynasty’s continuity and long-term governance of Lithuania. In the early 14th century, his ...

laid siege of Christmemel. He used siege machines and employed Slavic archers. However, the 17-day siege was unsuccessful and was lifted a day before Teutonic reinforcements arrived. The Knights attacked a Lithuanian fortress in Junigėda instead and used captives to rebuild Christmemel. The siege was the last engagement of Vytenis, who probably died in 1316. In 1316, some 80 men from the Christmemel garrison attacked 80 Lithuanian men returning from Bisenė. All Lithuanians, except five, were killed. In July 1324, about 400 Lithuanians attempted to attack the fortress by surprise. However, a local resident alerted the garrison. The Lithuanians were trapped and defeated, their leader was killed, and they hastily retreated. German chronicler

Peter von Dusburg Peter of Dusburg (; ; died after 1326), also known as Peter of Duisburg, was a Priest-Brother and chronicler of the Teutonic Knights. He is known for writing the '' Chronicon terrae Prussiae'', which described the 13th and early 14th century Teutoni ...

recorded an act of pagan loyalty: when the Lithuanians returned to the castle to claim the corpse of their leader, they were met with volleys of Teutonic arrows. Despite heavy casualties, the pagans managed to take away the body. In 1328, Christmemel was abandoned and the garrison was transferred to the

Klaipėda Castle Klaipėda Castle (), also known as Memelburg or Memel Castle, is an archaeology, archeological site and museum housed in a Ordensburg, castle built by the Teutonic Knights in Klaipėda, Lithuania, near the Baltic Sea. The Teutons called the castl ...

. Peter von Dusburg claimed that the fortress was damaged by "shaking earth", which could be

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

or mudslide. The exact location of Christmemel is unknown. Most historians identify the fortress with a former

hill fort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

near

Skirsnemunė Skirsnemunė is a town in Jurbarkas district municipality, Tauragė County, Lithuania. It is situated on the Neman River about 9 km from Jurbarkas. According to the 2011 census, it had 772 residents. The town traces it history to Christmemel, a f ...

. This would place the fortress on the right bank of the Neman River – the Lithuanian side of the natural front line. Remains of that hill fort were washed away in 1946 during spring floods. Later the town of Skirsnemunė developed near the location, allowing it to claim Teutonic heritage. Other suggested locations included Mastaičiai ( Šakiai district) and

Panemunė Castle Panemunė Castle () is a historic castle situated on the banks of the Nemunas River, in the western part of Lithuania. The castle's origins stretch back to the medieval period, evolving through various phases of reconstruction. Early History T ...

References

{{coord, 55, 05, 07, N, 22, 54, 10, E, display=title, region:LT_type:landmark 1313 establishments in Europe 1320s disestablishments in Europe Castles of the Teutonic Knights Former castles in Lithuania 14th century in Lithuania 14th century in the State of the Teutonic Order