Lithuanian Out Loud

Who are the Samogitians?  According to the Wikipedia page entitled, Samogitia, Samogitia or Žemaitija in Lithuanian, is one of five ethnographic regions in Lithuania.  It’s primarily the western third of Lithuania.  The Samogitians were a key factor during the Battle of the Sun. In 1236, the invading Livonian Brothers of the Sword, whose base of operations was Riga, in present day Latvia, rode south into present day Lithuania.  The Livonian Brothers were Christian Crusaders from Holstein in present day Germany.  Lithuania hadn’t been conquered by the Christian armies and they were willing to fight to keep the Christians out.  The Livonian knights left Riga, headed south, crossed into Lithuanian land and raided some Samogitian settlements.  After the Germans had their fill of raiding villages, they headed north towards home.  They came to a river crossing and a unit of Samogitian Lithuanians were blocking their path.  The Crusaders chose not to fight but to camp for the night.  Oops, that was a mistake. Early