Variations of the region's name include Sasna, Sassen, Sasno, Soysim, Sossen, Sassen, Szossen, and Czossin. Its name is traditionally derived from sasnis[1] 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.[1] 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.