Pirmoji Georgenburgo pilis

LTStraipsnis skirtas antrosios kryžiuočių pilies Lietuvos teritorijoje - Georgenburgo (1259-1260) - vietos nustatymui. Apie šių pilį vienalaikiai istoriniai šaltiniai pasako tik tiek, kad pilis buvo pastatyta Žemaitijoje, Karšuvos žemėje ant švento Jurgio kalvos. Istoriografijoje šis pirmasis Georgenburgas dažnai tapatinamas su antrųja Georgenburgo pilimi (1343-1403), davusia pradžių dabartiniam Jurbarkui. Tokiu tapatinimu nuo XX a. devintojo dešimtmečio pradėta abejoti, tačiau naujų argumentuotų pirmojo Georgenburgo lokalizacijų nepasiūlyta. Remiantis turima istorinių šaltinių medžiaga ir Žemaitijos piliakalnių analize galima teigti, kad pirmasis Georgenburgas stovėjo Vilkų Lauko (Šilalės r.) Kuplės piliakalnyje, jį blokavusi lietuvių pilis - Vilkų Lauko (Šilalės r.) Veringos piliakalnyje. Raktiniai žodžiai: kryžiuočių pilys, Georgenburgas, Karšuva, piliakalniai.

ENOf the 13 Medieval Teutonic Knight castles that stood in the present-day territory of Lithuania, perhaps the greatest confusion is over the first Georgenburg Castle (1259-1260). At least four castles named on honour of St George existed on the eastern side of the Baltic Sea, most famously, the masonry castle that stood on Prussian territory. The first Georgenburg Castle in Lithuania began to be associated from the mid-19th century with Jurbarkas, which is beside the second Georgenburg Castle (1343-1403) that stood on Kalnėnai Hillfort. In the late 20th century, doubts arose concerning this identification, but clear arguments for new locations have not been presented. The first Georgenburg Castle was erected in the late spring of 1259 using joint funds from the Livonian and Prussian orders. The Lithuanians quickly built their own castle opposite it, thereby blocking the actions of the castles garrison. After the 13 July 1260 Battle of Durbe, which was disastrous for the Order, the castles garrison, due to the newly begun rebellion of the Curonians and Prussians and the inability to bring supplies to the castle, withdrew to Klaipėda. In locating the site of the first Georgenburg castle, three aspects, which are mentioned in the authentic written sources that speak about the castle, are important to consider: the castle’s location in Baltic territory, the specifics of its provisioning, and the nearby Lithuanian castle. Georgenburg was in the land of Karšuva, which was in the south of Samogitia. The castle’s ties with Klaipėda show that it was in the western part of this land. The nearby Lithuanian-built castle dictates a search for two contemporary hillforts near one another.Of the three such pairs, the Vilkų Laukas (Šilalė District) hillforts of Kuplė and Veringa best satisfy the conditions. The former, Kuplė, based on its size and appearance, is not characteristic of the Balts, the latter, Veringa, looks to have hastily erected fortifications. The chronologically closest analogy of two nearby castles erected by the two warring sides is in Semigallia (at Žagarė). The few attempts to search for Georgenburg at other locations have yielded sites that conflict with the available historical or archaeological material, the majority having been advanced due to their proximity to the Durbe battle site. The first Georgenburg was located on Vilkų Laukas I (Kuplė) Hillfort, which was blocked by a nameless Lithuanian castle on Vilkų Laukas II (Spraudaičiai, Veringa) Hillfort. Georgenburg was founded as the central castle of Order-controlled Samogitia, but the defeat at the Battle of Durbe destroyed these plans.