History of Mazury

russia and the conversion of Albert of Prussia to Lutheranism in 1525 brought Masuria to Protestantism. The Polish language predominated due to the many immigrants from Mazovia, who additionally settled the eastern, till then virgin part of Masuria in the 16th century. While the countryside was inhabited by Polish-speakers, the cities constituted German mixed with Polish population. The ancient Old Prussian language survived in parts of the countryside until the early 18th century. Areas that had many Polish language speakers were known as the Polish Departments.

In 1656, during the Battle of Prostki, the forces of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including 2,000 Tatar raiders, beat the allied Swedish and Brandenburg army capturing Bogusław Radziwiłł. The war resulted in the destruction of most towns, 249 villages and settlements and 37 churches were destroyed. Over 50% of the population of southern Prussia (later Masuria) died within the years 1656–1657, 23,000 killed, another 80,000 died of diseases and famine, 3,400 people were enslaved. From 1709–1711, in all of East Prussia between 200,000 and 245,000 out of 600,000 inhabitants died from the Black Death. in Masuria the death toll varied regionally, while 6,789 people died in the district of Rhein (Rhyn) only 677 died in Seehesten (Szestno). In Lötzen (Giżycko) 800 out of 919 people died. Losses in population were compensated by migration of Protestant settlers or refugees from Scotland, Salzburg (expulsion of Protestants 1731), France (Huguenot refugees after the Edict of Fontainebleau in 1685), and especially from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including Polish brethren expelled from Poland in 1657. The last group of refugees to emigrate to Masuria were the Russian Philipons in 1830, when King Frederick William III of Prussia granted them asylum.

Kingdom of Prussia

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