tribal confederation · Scandinavia and the Baltic

Natangians

800 CE – 1274 CE (approx.)

Prussian people of Natangia whose leader Herkus Monte led the Great Prussian Uprising against the Teutonic Order from 1260.

Origins

Natangia lay south of the Pregolya river in central Prussia, divided today between Russia's Kaliningrad region and Poland. Its people were Prussians organised in districts under nobles, known from Peter of Dusburg's chronicle.

Rule and society

The Natangians farmed fertile land and defended themselves from hillforts. The Teutonic Order first subdued them around 1240, but they kept their nobility and pagan beliefs under thin Christian rule. Herkus Monte, a Natangian noble educated in Magdeburg, became the most famous Prussian leader.

Decline and legacy

After the Order's defeat at Durbe in 1260, Herkus Monte led the Great Prussian Uprising, winning at Pokarwis in 1261. He was captured and hanged in 1273, and by 1274 the Natangians were defeated. Natangia became part of the Order's state and, later, of Ducal Prussia.

Connections (1)

More states of Scandinavia and the Baltic →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Natangians. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/natangians
MLA
“Natangians.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/natangians. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Natangians.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/natangians.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Natangians’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/natangians (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻