The Teutonic Knights had planned to advance against Samogitia after conquering Scalovia, but the outbreak of a new rebellion engineered by Skomantas, or Skalmantas, of the Sudovians had delayed the campaign.

Skomantas is first mentioned by Peter von Dusburg during the Great Prussian Uprising (1260–1274) as a leader of the 1263 raid on Chelmno, a stronghold of the Teutonic Knights.

He has also led campaigns against Pinsk and other Slavic territories and therefore could not fully support the uprising.

The Sudovians and Lithuanians have raided Culmerland in 1276-77 and burned settlements near the castles of Rehden, Marienwerder, Zantir, and Christburg.

Theodoric of Samland has been able to convince the Sambians not to rebel, and the Natangians and Warmians have followed suit.

The central Prussian tribes surrender to the crusaders by 1277.

Conrad von Thierberg the Elder leads fifteen hundred men into Kimenau in summer 1277, and crushes a Sudovian army of three thousand near the Winse forest.

Many Pogesanians flee to the Lithuanians and are resettled at Gardinas (in present Belarus), while the ones who remain in Prussia are resettled by the crusaders, probably near Marienburg (Malbork).

This new brick castle, built to replace Zantir, guards against further rebellions with Elbing and Christburg.