One of the strongest castles in the Šiauliai region stood here in the 13th century. It played an important role in the fight against crusaders. The Dubysa Castle (German: Dobitzen) is repeatedly mentioned in German chronicles. The castle was made of wood, surrounded by a 5-6-meter-high wall of wooden logs reinforced with stones. It is believed that the garrison of the castle may have consisted of 50 – 70 armed men. In the summer of 1236, the Livonian order defeated in the Battle of Saule tried unsuccessfully to capture Dubysa Castle. The stubborn resistance of the garrison of the castle helped Bulioniai dukes to catch up with and completely defeat the enemies at the Mūša River. Dubysa Castle was burned by a large army of the Order in 1348. The castle was quickly rebuilt but burned down again during an attack in 1358. Livonian chronicles record that during this storming of the castle one hundred of its defenders and two brothers of the Order were killed.