Oeselians or Osilians is a historical name for the people who prior to the Northern Crusades in the 13th century lived in the Estonian island of Saaremaa ( Ösel ) – the Baltic Sea island was also referred as Oeselia or Osilia in written records dating from around that time. In Viking Age literature, the inhabitants were often included under the name "Vikings from Estonia", as written by Saxo Grammaticus in the late 12th century. The earliest known use of the word in the ( Latinised ) form of "Oeselians" in writing was by Henry of Livonia in the 13th century. The inhabitants of Saaremaa (Ösel) are also mentioned in a number of historic written sources dating from the Estonian Viking Age .
74-628: On the eve of Northern Crusades , the people then residing in Saaremaa were described in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle : "The Oeselians , neighbors to the Kurs ( Curonians ), are surrounded by the sea and never fear strong armies as their strength is in their ships. In summers when they can travel across the sea they oppress the surrounding lands by raiding both Christians and pagans." The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia describes
148-572: A crusade against the Baltic pagans in 1195, which was reiterated by Pope Innocent III , and a crusading expedition led by Meinhard's successor, Bishop Berthold of Hanover , landed in Livonia (part of present-day Latvia, surrounding the Gulf of Riga ) in 1198. Although the crusaders won their first battle, Bishop Berthold was mortally wounded and the crusaders were repelled. In 1199, Albert of Buxhoeveden
222-598: A fleet of sixteen ships and five hundred Oeselians ravaging the area that is now southern Sweden , then belonging to Denmark . In the XIVth book of Gesta Danorum , Saxo Grammaticus describes a battle on Öland in 1170 in which the Danish king Valdemar I mobilised his entire fleet to curb the incursions of Couronian and Estonian pirates. The Livonian Rhymed Chronicle describes the Oeselians as using two kinds of ships,
296-684: A major victory over the Finns. The two next known crusades were made in 1191 and in 1202. The latter one was led by the Bishop of Lund, Anders Sunesen , with his brother. By the 12th century, the peoples inhabiting the lands now known as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania formed a pagan wedge between increasingly powerful rival Christian states – the Orthodox Church to their east and the Catholic Church to their west. The difference in creeds
370-824: A new campaign. Volkwin targeted Samogitia , planning to conquer the coast of the Baltic Sea and connect with the Teutonic Knights in Prussia . The Sword-Brothers wanted to keep expanding along the Daugava River and were reluctant to march against Samogitia. In the fall of 1236, a party of crusaders from Holstein arrived in Riga and demanded to be led into a battle. Volkwin gathered a large war party, which included troops from Pskov Republic , Livonians , Latgallians , Curonians , and Estonians . Crossing
444-631: A rationale for the growth and expansion of the Teutonic Order of German crusading knights which had been founded in Palestine at the end of the 12th century. Duke Konrad I of Masovia in west-central Poland appealed to the Knights to defend his borders and subdue the pagan Old Prussians in 1226. Already in 1234, a great expedition began, in which the Polish forces of Konrad of Mazovia and
518-416: A stone fortress housing a strong garrison. The Danish stronghold was besieged and surrendered within five days, the Danish garrison returned to Revel , leaving bishop Albert of Riga 's brother Theodoric, and few others, behind as hostages for peace. The castle was razed to the ground by the Oeselians. A 20,000 strong army under Papal legate William of Modena crossed the frozen sea while the Saaremaa fleet
592-434: A tributary of Valdemar II of Denmark , had been reluctant to conduct a large scale campaign against them. After Albert's death in 1229, the crusaders secured the peaceful submission of Vanemane (a county with a mixed Livonian, Oselian , and Curonian population in the northeastern part of Courland) by treaty in 1230. In the same year, the papal vice-legate Baldouin of Alnea annulled this agreement and concluded an agreement with
666-561: Is associated with the Scandinavian god Thor . The story of Tharapita's or Taara's flight from Vironia to Saaremaa has been associated with a major meteor disaster estimated to have happened in 660 ± 85 B.C. that formed Kaali crater in Saaremaa. Henry of Livonia wrote about an encounter between the Oeselian pagans and a captured Christian missionary , Frederick of Zelle, during the 13th century. The Oeselians are quoted using
740-645: The Finnish-Novgorodian Wars after receiving alarming information from the Archbishop of Uppsala . He authorized the Bishop of Finland to establish a trade embargo against the "barbarians" that threatened Christianity in Finland. The nationality of the "barbarians", presumably a citation from Archbishop's earlier letter, remains unknown, and was not necessarily known even by the Pope. However, as
814-601: The Lithuanians . The lack of strength was a result of internal conflicts with the Bishopric of Riga . Besides that, the Livonian Sword Brothers had still little knowledge of the lands lying south of the order's territory. Volkwin delayed starting military actions for an entire summer, hoping to escape a risky operation into unexplored lands. However, the insistence of Pope Gregory IX forced him to lead
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#1732765284822888-636: The Livonian Brothers of the Sword were founded in 1202. The founding by Bishop Albert of the market at Riga in 1201 attracted citizens from the Empire and economic prosperity ensued. At Albert's request, Pope Innocent III dedicated the Baltic countries to the Virgin Mary to popularize recruitment to his army and the name "Mary's Land" has survived up to modern times. This is noticeable in one of
962-620: The Livonian Order 's Master Andreas de Velven and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek in 1241, setting penalties for pagan rituals. The next treaty was signed in 1255 by the Master of the Order, Anno Sangerhausenn, and, on behalf of the Oeselians, by elders whose "names" (or declaration?) had been phonetically transcribed by Latin scribes as Ylle, Culle, Enu, Muntelene, Tappete, Yalde, Melete, and Cake. The treaty granted several extraordinary rights to
1036-435: The crusade bull Non parum animus noster , in 1171 or 1172. At the outset of the northern crusades, Christian monarchs across northern Europe commissioned forays into territories that comprise modern-day Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Russia. The indigenous populations of Pagans suffered forced baptisms and the ravages of military occupation. Spearheading, but by no means monopolizing these incursions,
1110-736: The piratica and the liburna . The former was a warship, the latter mainly a merchant ship. A piratica could carry approximately 30 men and had a high prow shaped like a dragon or a snakehead as well as a quadrangular sail. The superior god of Oeselians as described by Henry of Livonia was called Tharapita . According to the legend in the chronicle, Tharapita was born on a forested mountain in Virumaa ( Latin : Vironia ), mainland Estonia from where he flew to Oesel , Saaremaa. The name Taarapita has been interpreted as "Taara, help!" (Taara a(v)ita in Estonian) or "Taara keeper" (Taara pidaja). Taara
1184-641: The 11-year-old, female, king Jadwiga of Poland . However, even after the country was officially converted, the conflict continued up until the 1410 Battle of Grunwald , also known as the First Battle of Tannenberg , when the Lithuanians and Poles, helped by the Tatars , Moldovans and the Czechs , defeated the Teutonic Knights. In 1221, Pope Honorius III was again worried about the situation in
1258-514: The 16th century. The Swedish crusades were campaigns by Sweden against Finns , Tavastians and Karelians during the period from 1150 to 1293. The wars with the Eastern Orthodox Novgorod Republic also had a religious aspect. The Danes are known to have made at least three crusades to Finland. The first mention of these crusades is from 1187 when crusader Esbern Snare mentioned in his Christmas feast speech
1332-512: The Baltic heathens was of the same rank as participating in a crusade to the Holy Land . Although he landed in the mouth of the Daugava in 1200 with only 23 ships and 500 soldiers, the bishop's efforts ensured that a constant flow of recruits followed. The first crusaders usually arrived to fight during the spring and returned to their homes in the autumn. To ensure a permanent military presence,
1406-786: The Bishop of Riga and the Order of the Swordbearers , did Latgallian countries finally become the possession of German conquerors. The territory of the former Principality of Jersika was divided between the Bishop of Riga and the Livonian Order in 1239. By 1208, the Germans were strong enough to begin operations against the Estonians, who were at that time divided into eight major and several smaller counties led by elders with limited cooperation between them. In 1208–1227, war parties of
1480-908: The Bishopric of Riga and the Order of Livonia. In 1265 a stone castle was built at Jelgava , on the Lielupe, and became the main military base for crusader attacks against the Semigallians. In 1271 the capital hillfort of Tērvete was conquered, but Semigallians under the Duke Nameisis rebelled in 1279, and the Lithuanians under Traidenis defeated Livonian Order forces in the Battle of Aizkraukle . Duke Nameisis' warriors unsuccessfully attacked Riga in 1280, in response to which around 14,000 crusaders besieged Turaida castle in 1281. To conquer
1554-531: The Estonian town of Lindanisse (present-day Tallinn ) in 1219. After the Battle of Lindanise the Danes established a fortress, which was besieged by Estonians in 1220 and 1223 but held out. Eventually, the whole of northern Estonia came under Danish control . The last Estonian county to hold out against the invaders was the island county of Saaremaa (Ösel), whose war fleets had raided Denmark and Sweden during
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#17327652848221628-537: The Estonians, starting with missions dispatched by Adalbert , Archbishop of Bremen in 1045–1072. However, these peaceful efforts seem to have had limited success. Moving in the wake of German merchants who were now following the old trading routes of the Vikings , a monk named Meinhard landed at the mouth of the Daugava river in present-day Latvia in 1180 and was made bishop in 1186. Pope Celestine III proclaimed
1702-632: The German historian Friedrich Benninghoven proposed Jauniūnai village in Joniškis district , Lithuania as the battle site. The theory gained some academic support and in 2010 the Lithuanian government sponsored construction of the memorial in Jauniūnai – a 29-metre (95 ft) tall sundial , a pond, and a park of oaks. The village of Pamūšis , situated some 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Janiūnai on
1776-470: The Holy Land (1095–1291) Later Crusades (1291–1717) Northern (1147–1410) Against Christians (1209–1588) Popular (1096–1320) The Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades were Christianization campaigns undertaken by Catholic Christian military orders and kingdoms, primarily against the pagan Baltic , Finnic and West Slavic peoples around
1850-613: The Latvians Campaign against the Lithuanians The Battle of Saule ( Lithuanian : Saulės mūšis / Šiaulių mūšis ; German : Schlacht von Schaulen ; Latvian : Saules kauja ) was fought on 22 September 1236, between the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and pagan troops of Samogitians and Semigallians . Between 48 and 60 knights were killed, including the Livonian Master, Volkwin . It
1924-484: The Lithuanians felled them with long spears." The exact location where the battle took place is unknown. The Chronicum Livoniae by Hermann de Wartberge mentioned that the battle was fought in terram Sauleorum . Traditionally, this was identified with Šiauliai ( German : Schaulen , Latvian : Šauļi ) in Lithuania or with the small town of Vecsaule near Bauska in what is today southern Latvia . In 1965
1998-657: The Livonian Order, and one third to the Bishopric of Courland . At the Battle of Durbe in 1260 a force of Samogitians and Curonians overpowered the united forces of the Livonian and Teutonic Orders; over the following years, however, the Crusaders gradually subjugated the Curonians, and in 1267 concluded the peace treaty stipulating the obligations and the rights of their defeated rivals. The unconquered southern parts of their territories (Ceklis and Megava) were united under
2072-411: The Oeselians. The 1255 treaty included unique clauses concerning the ownership and inheritance of land, the social system, and exemption from certain restrictive religious observances. In 1261, warfare continued as the Oeselians had again renounced Christianity and killed all the Germans on the island. A peace treaty was signed after the united forces of the Livonian Order , the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek ,
2146-832: The Orders' master Villekin and at least 35 knights lost their lives. The new master of the Order Konrad von Hattstein organised the last campaigns against the Semigallians in 1289 and 1290; the hillforts of Dobele , Rakte and Sidabre were conquered and most of the Semigallian warriors joined the Samogitian and Lithuanian forces. From 1147 the Polish Duke of Mazovia, Boleslaw the Curly, led many expeditions against pagan Prussia, some of them were successful and resulted in
2220-697: The Republics of Pskov and Novgorod ), an enterprise endorsed by Pope Gregory IX , accompanied the Northern Crusades. One of the major blows for the idea of the conquest of Russia was the Battle of the Ice in 1242. With or without the Pope's blessing, Sweden also undertook several crusades against Orthodox Novgorod . Livonian missionary and crusade activity in Estonia caused conflicts with Novgorod , who had also attempted to subjugate, raid and convert
2294-725: The Roman Catholic monastic order of the Teutonic Knights to come to Prussia and suppress the Old Prussians. Campaigns against Yotvingians and Lithuanians were also conducted in the years 1248–1282 by princes Bolesław the Chaste and Leszek the Black. They defeated the forces of pagans invading Mazovia, Kujawy and the Lublin region. They also carried out several expeditions to Yotvingian territories. The Northern Crusades provided
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2368-651: The Sword and the bishop Theodorich joined forces and invaded Saaremaa over the frozen sea. In return the Oeselians raided the territories in Latvia that were under German rule the following spring. In 1220, the Swedish army led by king John I of Sweden and the bishop Karl of Linköping conquered Lihula in Rotalia in Western Estonia. Oeselians attacked the Swedish stronghold the same year, conquered it and killed
2442-654: The Sword-Brothers at the battle of Saule: "More heathens arrived. The next day the Christians thought to ride away early, but they had to fight the pagans though they did not want to. In the swamp, they could offer but weak resistance, and they were cut down like women. I lament the deaths of so many heroes who were so easily slain. The Master and his Brothers put up a heroic defense until their horses were slain and even then fought on foot and felled many men before they were vanquished. Finally, and with great difficulty,
2516-724: The Teutonic Knights defeated the Baltic Prussians in the battle on the Dzierzgoń river. After the subjugation of the Prussians, the Teutonic Knights fought against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . When the Livonian knights were crushed by Samogitians and Semigallians in the Battle of Saule in 1236, coinciding with a series of revolts in Estonia, the Livonian Order was inherited by the Teutonic Order, allowing
2590-428: The Teutonic Knights to exercise political control over large territories in the Baltic region. Mindaugas , the King of Lithuania, was baptised together with his wife after his coronation in 1253, hoping that this would help stop the Crusaders' attacks, which it did not. The Teutonic Knights failed to subdue Lithuania, which officially converted to (Catholic) Christianity in 1386 on the marriage of Grand Duke Jogaila to
2664-463: The already captured territory of Culmerland ( Chełmno Land ). Subjected to constant Prussian counter-raids, Konrad wanted to stabilize the north of the Duchy of Masovia in this fight over the border area of Chełmno Land. Masovia became part of Poland in the 10th century but native Prussians, Yotvingians , and Lithuanians were still living in the territories north of Masovia, where no settled borders existed. Konrad's military weakness led him in 1226 to ask
2738-489: The ascendant Teutonic Order profited immensely from the crusades, as did German merchants who fanned out along trading routes traversing the Baltic frontier. The official starting point for the Northern Crusades was Pope Celestine III 's call in 1195, but the Catholic kingdoms of Scandinavia , Poland and the Holy Roman Empire had begun moving to subjugate their pagan neighbors even earlier (see Christianization of Pomerania ). The non-Christian people who were objects of
2812-406: The campaigns at various dates included: Armed conflict between the Finnic peoples , Balts and Slavs who dwelt by the Baltic shores and their Saxon and Danish neighbors to the north and south had been common for several centuries before the crusade. The previous battles had largely been caused by attempts to destroy castles and sea trade routes to gain an economic advantage in the region, and
2886-425: The castle and killed all the defenders. In February 1344, Burchard von Dreileben led a campaign over the frozen sea to Saaremaa. The Oeselians' stronghold was conquered and their leader Vesse was hanged. In the early spring of 1345, the next campaign of the Livonian Order took place that ended with a treaty mentioned in the Chronicle of Hermann von Wartberge and the Novgorod First Chronicle . Saaremaa remained
2960-450: The conquest of parts of the Prussian territories. Konrad I , the Polish Duke of Masovia , unsuccessfully attempted to conquer pagan Prussia in crusades in 1219 and 1222. Taking the advice of the first Bishop of Prussia, Christian of Oliva , Konrad founded the crusading Order of Dobrzyń (or Dobrin ) in 1220. However, this order was largely ineffective, and Konrad's campaigns against the Old Prussians were answered by incursions into
3034-413: The crusade basically continued this pattern of conflict, albeit now inspired and prescribed by the Pope and undertaken by Papal knights and armed monks. The campaigns started with the 1147 Wendish Crusade against the Polabian Slavs (or " Wends ") of what is now northern and eastern Germany . The crusade occurred parallel to the Second Crusade to the Holy Land , and continued irregularly until
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3108-443: The defeat, the king of Jersika, Visvaldis , became the vassal of the Bishop of Livonia and received part of his country (southern Latgale ) as a fiefdom. The Selonian stronghold of Sēlpils was briefly the seat of a Selonian diocese (1218–1226), and then came under the rule of the Livonian Order (and eventually the stone castle of Selburg was built in its place). Only in 1224, with the division of Tālava and Adzele counties between
3182-411: The different sides rampaged through the Livonian, Northern Latgallian, and Estonian counties, with Livonians and Latgallians normally as allies of the Crusaders, and the Principalities of Polotsk and Pskov appearing as allies of different sides at different times. Hillforts, which were the key centres of Estonian counties, were besieged and captured a number of times. A truce between the war-weary sides
3256-439: The entire Swedish garrison, including the Bishop of Linköping. In 1222, the Danish king Valdemar II attempted the second conquest of Saaremaa, this time establishing a stone fortress housing a strong garrison. The Danish stronghold was besieged and surrendered within five days, the Danish garrison returned to Reval , leaving bishop Albert of Riga ' brother Theodoric and few others behind hostages as pledges for peace. The castle
3330-416: The following spring. In 1220, the Swedish army led by king John I of Sweden and the bishop Karl of Linköping conquered Lihula in Rotalia in Western Estonia. Oeselians attacked the Swedish stronghold the same year, conquered it and killed the entire Swedish garrison including the Bishop of Linköping. In 1222, the Danish king Valdemar II attempted the second conquest of Saaremaa, this time establishing
3404-426: The forces of Danish Estonia including mainland Estonians and Latvians defeated the Oeselians by conquering the Kaarma stronghold. Soon thereafter, the Livonian Order established a stone fort at Pöide . On 24 July 1343, during St. George's Night Uprising , the Oeselians killed all the Germans on the island, drowned all the clerics and started to besiege the Livonian Order 's castle at Pöide. The Oeselians levelled
3478-430: The island. A peace treaty was signed after the united forces of the Livonian Order , the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek , and Danish Estonia , including mainland Estonians and Latvians, defeated the Oeselians by conquering their stronghold at Kaarma. Soon thereafter, the Livonian Order established a stone fort at Pöide . Although the Curonians had attacked Riga in 1201 and 1210, Albert of Buxhoeveden , considering Courland
3552-424: The knights to camp for the night. The next morning, on the day of Saint Maurice , the main pagan forces, possibly led by Duke Vykintas , arrived at the camp. The Lithuanian light cavalry flung javelins at short range, which were highly effective against the unwieldy Livonian heavy cavalry. The swampy terrain was advantageous for the lightly armed pagans. The slaughter of the Christian troops, including Volkwin, sowed
3626-438: The lands of Semigallians, which were not in the order's control, the crusaders marched southward into Samogitia, raiding and plundering local settlements. The locals had only a few days to gather troops for defense. On the knights' northward return, however, they encountered a determined group of Samogitians at a river crossing. Unwilling to risk losing their horses in the swampland, the Holsteiners refused to fight on foot, forcing
3700-458: The left bank of Daugava were reversed. To commemorate the battle, in 2000 the Lithuanian and Latvian parliaments declared 22 September to be the Baltic Unity Day . The Sword-Brothers were established in 1202 in Riga to conquer and convert pagan Baltic tribes to Christianity . By the 1230s under the leadership of Master Volkwin , the order was coping with strained financial resources, decreasing manpower, and an ill reputation. The order
3774-399: The mixed Livonian–Latgallian inhabited county of Idumea (now Straupe ) was converted to the Roman Catholic faith. The last battle against the Livonians was the siege of Satezele hillfort near to Sigulda in 1212. The Livonians, who had been paying tribute to the East Slavic Principality of Polotsk , had at first considered the Germans useful allies. The first prominent Livonian to be christened
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#17327652848223848-479: The most loyal ally of German crusaders against the Estonians, and he died a Catholic martyr in 1215. The war against the Latgallian and Selonian countries along the Daugava waterway started in 1208 by the occupation of the Orthodox Principality of Koknese and the Selonian Sēlpils hillfort . The campaign continued in 1209 with an attack on the Orthodox Principality of Jersika (known as Lettia ), accused by crusaders of being in alliance with Lithuanian pagans. After
3922-412: The names given to Livonia at the time, Terra Mariana (Land of Mary). In 1206, the crusaders subdued the Livonian stronghold in Turaida on the right bank of Gauja River, the ancient trading route to the Northwestern Rus . In order to gain control over the left bank of Gauja, the stone castle was built in Sigulda before 1210. By 1211, the Livonian province of Metsepole (now Limbaži district ) and
3996-447: The pagan Estonians. The Estonians also sometimes attempted to ally with the Russians against the Crusaders. Wars between the two sides continued intermittently on several occasions, and halted the eastward expansion of the Teutonic Order, but Novgorodian attempt to take Estonia and Livonia also failed, and the area was firmly dominated by the Teutonic Order. Battle of Saule Samogitian and Semigalian victory Campaign against
4070-404: The remaining Semigallian hillforts the Order's master Villekin of Endorpe built a castle called Heiligenberg ( lit. ' Saints' Hill ' ) right next to the Tērvete castle in 1287. The same year the Semigallians made another attempt to conquer Riga, but again failed to take it. On their return home, Livonian knights attacked them, but were defeated at the Battle of Garoza , in which
4144-502: The remnants of the Sword Brothers were reorganized in 1237 as a subdivision of the Teutonic Order , and became known as the Livonian Order . In 1242, under the leadership of the master of the Livonian Order Andrew of Groningen , the crusaders began the military conquest of Courland. They defeated the Curonians as far south as Embūte , near the contemporary border with Lithuania, and founded their main fortress at Kuldīga . In 1245 Pope Innocent IV allotted two-thirds of conquered Courland to
4218-451: The rule of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . The conquest of Semigallian counties started in 1219 when crusaders from Riga occupied Mežotne , the major port on the Lielupe waterway, and founded the Bishopric of Semigallia . After several unsuccessful campaigns against the pagan Semigallian duke Viestards and his Samogitian kinsfolk, the Roman Curia decided in 1251 to abolish the Bishopric of Semigallia, and divided its territories between
4292-419: The ruler ( rex ) of Bandava in the central Courland Lammekinus , delivering his kingdom into the hands of the papacy. Baldouin became the popes's delegate in Courland and bishop of Semigallia; however, the Germans complained about him to the Roman Curia , and in 1234 Pope Gregory IX removed Baldouin as his delegate. After their decisive defeat in the Battle of Saule by the Samogitians and Semigallians,
4366-416: The seeds of confusion in the Livonian ranks. The lightly armed native forces under the command of the Brothers soon fled from the battle. Almost all members of the order, including Volkwin, died in the battle. Those crusaders and knights who tried to flee to Riga were allegedly killed by the Semigallians. Only every tenth Crusader reached Riga. The Livonian Rhymed Chronicle described the pagan's defeat of
4440-567: The southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea . The most notable campaigns were the Livonian and Prussian crusades. Some of these wars were called crusades during the Middle Ages, however others, including the 12th century First Swedish Crusade and several following military incursions by Scandinavian Christians against the then pagan Finns , were dubbed "crusades" only in the 19th century by romantic nationalist historians. However, crusades against Estonians and against "other pagans in those parts" were authorized by Pope Alexander III in
4514-436: The subjugation of the Livonians, the crusaders turned their attention to the Latgallian principalities to the east, along the Gauja and Daugava rivers. The military alliance in 1208 and later conversion from Greek Orthodoxy to Roman Catholicism of the Principality of Tālava was the only peaceful subjugation of the Baltic tribes during the Nordic crusades. The ruler of Tālava, Tālivaldis ( Talibaldus de Tolowa ), became
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#17327652848224588-529: The trade embargo was widened eight years later, it was specifically said to be against the Russians. Based on Papal letters from 1229, the Bishop of Finland requested the Pope enforce a trade embargo against Novgorodians on the Baltic Sea , at least in Visby , Riga and Lübeck . A few years later, the Pope also requested the Livonian Brothers of the Sword send troops to protect Finland. Whether any knights ever arrived remains unknown. The Teutonic Order's attempts to conquer Orthodox Russia (particularly
4662-459: The vassal of the master of the Livonian Order , and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek. In 1559, after the fall of the Livonian order in Livonian War , the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek sold Saaremaa to Frederick II of Denmark, who resigned the lands to his brother Duke Magnus of Holstein until the island was taken back to the direct administration of Denmark and in 1645 became a part of Sweden by the Treaty of Brömsebro . Northern Crusades In
4736-410: The words "Laula! Laula! Pappi!" (Sing! Sing! Priest!) when torturing the missionary. This Finnic expression has been suggested to support the identification of Oeselians as a Finnic language group at that time. In 1206, the Danish army led by king Valdemar II and Andreas, the Bishop of Lund landed on Saaremaa and attempted to establish a stronghold without success. In 1216 the Livonian Brothers of
4810-431: The years of fighting against the German crusaders. In 1206, a Danish army led by the king Valdemar II and Andreas, the Bishop of Lund landed on Saaremaa and attempted to establish a stronghold without success. In 1216 the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and the bishop Theodorich joined forces and invaded Saaremaa over the frozen sea. In return, the Oeselians raided the territories in Latvia that were under German rule
4884-445: Was also killed. Since 1211, his name had come to the attention of the German chroniclers as a notable Estonian elder, and he had become the central figure of the Estonian resistance. The Christian kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden were also greedy for conquests on the Eastern shores of the Baltic. While the Swedes made only one failed foray into western Estonia in 1220, the Danish Fleet headed by King Valdemar II of Denmark had landed at
4958-405: Was appointed by the Archbishop Hartwig II of Bremen to Christianise the Baltic countries. By the time Albert died 30 years later, the conquest and formal Christianisation of present-day Estonia and northern Latvia was complete. Albert began his task by touring the Empire, preaching a Crusade against the Baltic countries, and was assisted in this by a papal bull which declared that fighting against
5032-414: Was established for three years (1213–1215) and proved generally more favourable to the Germans, who consolidated their political position, while the Estonians were unable to develop their system of loose alliances into a centralised state. The Livonian leader Kaupo was killed in battle near Viljandi (Fellin) on 21 September 1217, but the battle was a crushing defeat for the Estonians, whose leader Lembitu
5106-401: Was icebound, in January 1227. After the surrender of two major Oeselian strongholds, Muhu and Valjala , the Oeselians formally accepted Christianity. In 1236, after the defeat of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in the Battle of Saule , military action on Saaremaa broke out again. In 1261, warfare continued as the Oeselians had once more renounced Christianity and killed all the Germans on
5180-419: Was in conflict with the papacy under Pope Gregory IX and the Holy Roman Emperor , two of its biggest supporters, over Estonia . However, on 19 February 1236, Pope Gregory IX issued a papal bull declaring a crusade against Lithuania . Volkwin was reluctant to launch offensive actions against Lithuanian lands. His reluctance was determined by understanding that the order lacked strength to wage war against
5254-495: Was leveled to the ground by Oeselians. In 1227, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, and Bishop Albert of Livonia organized a combined attack against Saaremaa. After the destruction of Muhu Stronghold and surrender of Valjala Stronghold , the Oeselians formally accepted Christianity. In 1236, after the defeat of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in the Battle of Saule , military action on Saaremaa broke out again. Oeselians accepted Christianity again by signing treaties with
5328-416: Was one of the reasons they were able to resist being forcibly converted to a different religion. During a period of more than 150 years leading up to the arrival of German crusaders in the region, Estonia was attacked thirteen times by Russian principalities, and by Denmark and Sweden as well. Estonians for their part made raids upon Denmark and Sweden. There were peaceful attempts by some Catholics to convert
5402-562: Was the earliest large-scale defeat suffered by the orders in Baltic lands. The Sword-Brothers, the first Catholic military order established in the Baltic lands , was soundly defeated and its remnants accepted incorporation into the Teutonic Order in 1237. The battle inspired rebellions among the Curonians , Semigallians , Selonians and Oeselians , tribes previously conquered by the Sword-Brothers. Some thirty years' worth of conquests on
5476-579: Was their leader Caupo of Turaida . As the German grip tightened, the Livonians rebelled against the crusaders and the christened chief but were put down. Caupo of Turaida remained an ally of the crusaders until his death in the Battle of St. Matthew's Day in 1217. The German crusaders enlisted newly baptised Livonian warriors to participate in their campaigns against Latgallians and Selonians (1208–1209), Estonians (1208–1227) and against Semigallians , Samogitians and Curonians (1219–1290). After
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