Curonians

The Curonians or Kurs (Curonian: Kursi; German: Kuren; Latvian: kurši; Lithuanian: kuršiai; Estonian: kuralased; Polish: Kurowie) were a Baltic tribe living on the shores of the Baltic Sea in what are now the western parts of Latvia and Lithuania from the 5th to the 16th centuries, when they merged with other Baltic tribes. They gave their name to the region of Courland (Kurzeme), and they spoke the Old Curonian language. Curonian lands were conquered by the Livonian Order in 1266 and they eventually merged with other Baltic tribes participating in the ethnogenesis of Lithuanians and Latvians. Direct descendants of the Curonians include the Kuršininkai of the Curonian Spit and the so-called Curonian Kings of Courland.

Part of a series on the
History of Latvia
Ancient Latvia
  • Kunda culture
  • Narva culture
  • Corded Ware culture
  • Amber Road / Aesti
  • Baltic Finns (Livonians, Vends)
  • Latgalians
  • Curonians
  • Selonians
  • Semigallians
Middle Ages
  • Principality of Jersika
  • Principality of Koknese
  • Livonian Crusade
  • Livonian Brothers of the Sword
  • Livonian Order
  • Archbishopric of Riga
  • Bishopric of Courland
  • Terra Mariana
Early modern period
  • Livonian War
  • Kingdom of Livonia
  • Duchy of Livonia
  • Duchy of Courland and Semigallia
  • Polish–Swedish War
  • Second Northern War
  • Swedish Livonia
  • Inflanty Voivodeship
  • Great Northern War
  • Governorate of Livonia
  • Courland Governorate
Modern Latvia
  • Latvian National Awakening
  • New Current
  • German occupation
  • Latvian Riflemen
  • United Baltic Duchy
  • Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic
  • War of Independence
  • 1940 Soviet occuption
  • Nazi occupation
  • 1944 Soviet re-occupation
  • Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
  • Popular Front of Latvia
  • Singing Revolution
  • Independence restored
  • Republic of Latvia
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Read more about Curonians:  History, Geography