was Mezuotne, which was destroyed in 1220 by the Livonian Order. Six Semigallian lands were known in the first half of the 13th century: Duobė, Duobelė, Silenė, Sparnenė, Tervetė, Upmalė, Žagarė. Language The Semigallian language belongs to the Eastern Baltic language group. It was spoken in the northern part of Lithuania and the southern regions of Latvia. It is believed to have been extinct by the 16th century. Part of the Semigallians assimilated into the Latvians, and another part into the Lithuanians. History The name Semigallia was mentioned for the first time in Scandinavian sources. The Danish chronicle Annales Ryenses mentions that Danish Vikings conquered "the whole of Prussia, Semigallia and many other lands" around 870. The Yngvars saga, in the 11th century, mentions Semigallians (Seimgaler) as tribute payers. The Mervala stone in Sweden contains runic inscriptions which read: sirið · lit · ræisa · stæn · (þin)a · at · suæin · sinn · (b)unta · h(n) · uft · siklt · til · simkala · turu(m) · knæri · um · tumisnæs. Which, in English, translates as: Si(g)rid erected this stone for Swen, her husband; he often sailed to Semigallia (Simkala) on his precious ship, passing Dómisnes (Cape Kolka). In the first half of the 13th century, settlements along the Daugava river were quite often attacked by the Lithuanians. The Livonian Order, which had begun conquering eastern Semigallia around the same period, made an alliance with the Semigallians and the Latgalians against the Lithuanians. In the winter of 1205, an army of Semigallians led by Viestards attacked the forces of Lithuanian Duke Žvelgaitis, who was returning from a war against Estonia with booty and Estonian slaves. His troops were caught unaware while crossing waist-high snowdrifts. Žvelgaitis was killed by a javelin thrown by the German Theodore Schilling. 1,200 Lithuanian knights perished; the Estonian slaves were slaughtered as well, in retribution for "past crimes" against the Livonians. In 1208, Viestards led a united Semigallian and crusader army into Lithuania but was defeated. In 1220, Mezuotne, the centre of eastern Semigallia was destroyed by the Livonian Order. In 1236, Semigallians participated in the decisive Battle of Saule along with Lithuanians against the Livonian Order. In the same year, an uprising started in eastern Semigallia. For the Livonian Order, Semigallia was a strategic territory. Lithuanians passed through Semigallia to raid settlements in Livonia, and they took advantage of the winter ice