Christmemel (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

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

Ordensburg ''Ordensburg'' (plural ''Ordensburgen'') is a German term meaning "castles/fortresses of (military) orders", and is used specifically for such fortified structures built by crusading German military orders during the Middle Ages. Medieval ...

'') of the

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

on the banks of the Neman River. 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 economic Christian colonization 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 1 ...

against pagan

Samogitia Samogitia or Žemaitija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

and

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

. 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 ( be, Віцень, Vicień; pl, Witenes) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from c. 1295 to c. 1316. He became the first of the Gediminid dynasty to rule for a considerable amount of time. In the early 14th century his reputation outshon ...

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 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 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. 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 water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is di ...

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 earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post- ...

near Skirsnemunė. 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.

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