Sasna

thumb|Sasna on an administrative map of Poland {{short description|Region of ancient Prussia}}'''Sasna''' or '''Sassen''' ({{langx|de|{{audio|De-Sassen.ogg|Sassen}}}}; {{langx|la|terra Sossinensis}}; {{langx|lt|Sasna}}; {{langx|pl|ziemia sasińska or Saska}}) was one of the regions of ancient Prussia. It is now located in northern Poland.

==Etymology==

Variations of the region's name include Sasna, Sassen, Sasno, Soysim, Sossen, Sassen, Szossen, and Czossin. Its name is traditionally derived from ''sasnis''<ref name="B158">Bojtár, p. 158</ref> the Old Prussian word for hare.

==History==

It is first mentioned as ''terra Soysim'' in a 1267 document written by King Ottokar II of Bohemia. It was a small and scarcely inhabited territory roughly between Galindia and Lubavia.<ref name="B158"/> Before the arrival of the Teutonic Knights, it was plundered by Masovians and its inhabitants moved northward. It was first governed from Dzierzgoń before its own administrative center was set up at Ostróda.

Sasna was included within the Duchy of Prussia in 1525 and later composed the ''Kreise'' Osterode and Neidenburg of East Prussia. In 1945, following World War II, the region became part of Poland.

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==References== * {{cite encyclopedia | editor=Simas Sužiedėlis | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Lituanica | title=Sasna | year=1970–1978 | publisher=Juozas Kapočius | volume=V | location=Boston, Massachusetts | pages=67| lccn=74-114275 }} * {{cite book |first=Endre |last=Bojtár |title=Foreword to the Past: A Cultural History of the Baltic People |publisher=CEU Press |location=Budapest |year=1999 |pages=158 |isbn=963-9116-42-4}} *{{cite book|last=Hermanowski|first=Georg|authorlink=Georg Harmanowski|title=Ostpreußen: Wegweiser durch ein unvergessenes Land|year=1996|publisher=Bechtermünz Verlag|location=Augsburg|pages=344|isbn=3-86047-182-1|language=de}}

{{Prussian clans}} Category:East Prussia Category:Geography of Prussia (region) Category:Historical regions in Poland