Misplaced Pages

#538461

41-500: Within the individual territories Old Livland the vassal genders joined forces to defend and maintain their rights and possessions into knighthoods. These corporate organizations were already provided with sovereign rights in the 14th century and were officially recognized. The privileges of the knighthood were each confirmed by changing sovereigns, so happened in 1561 by the King of Poland Sigismund II August , 1629 by Gustav II Adolf ,

82-440: A battle. Volkwin gathered a large war party, which included troops from Pskov Republic , Livonians , Latgallians , Curonians , and Estonians . Crossing 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

123-709: A constant struggle for superiority in the rule over the lands by the Church, the order, the secular nobles of German descent who ruled the fiefs and the citizens of the Hanseatic town of Riga. Two major civil wars were fought in 1296–1330, 1313–1330, and in 1343–1345 the Estonian revolt resulted in the annexation of the Danish Duchy of Estonia within the Teutonic Ordensstaat. The most important ally of

164-478: 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 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

205-764: A risky operation into unexplored lands. However, the insistence of Pope Gregory IX forced him to lead 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

246-667: The Bishopric of Courland (4,500 km , 1,700 sq mi), Bishopric of Dorpat , and Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek . The nominal head of Terra Mariana as well as the city of Riga was the Archbishop of Riga as the apex of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. In 1240, Valdemar II created the Bishopric of Reval in the Duchy of Estonia by reserving (contrary to canon law) the right to appoint the bishops of Reval to himself and his successor kings of Denmark. The decision to simply nominate to

287-852: The Bishopric of Dorpat ; the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek ; and territories under the military administration of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword . After the 1236 Battle of Saule , the surviving members of the Brothers merged in 1237 with the Teutonic Order of Prussia and became known as the Livonian Order . In 1346 the Livonian Order bought the Duchy of Estonia from Denmark. Throughout the existence of medieval Livonia there

328-653: The Livonian War , Terra Mariana ceased to exist. Its northern parts were ceded to the King of Sweden and formed into the Duchy of Estonia , its southern territories became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania  – and thus eventually of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth – as the Duchy of Livonia and the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia . The island of Saaremaa became part of Denmark . Since

369-810: 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 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

410-483: The 1230s under the leadership of Master Volkwin , the order was coping with strained financial resources, decreasing manpower, and an ill reputation. The order 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

451-878: The Conservatives and Reformers in the Livonian nobility, as well as in the Livonian provincial synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church . In the wake of the October Revolution in Russia in 1917 and the turmoil of World War I , Estonia declared its independence from Russia on February 24, 1918, and Latvia on November 18, 1918, as republics. Attempts by the German Empire to bring the Baltic politically under German sovereignty with

SECTION 10

#1732791650539

492-546: The German knights had conquered and subdued the territories of several indigenous tribes : Finnic -speaking Estonians and Livs , and Baltic -speaking Latgalians , Selonians , Semigallians and Curonians . Medieval Livonia was intermittently ruled first by the Brothers of the Sword, since 1237 by the semi-autonomous branch of Teutonic knights called Livonian Order and the Roman Catholic Church . By

533-814: The Holy Land of Jerusalem, the country of the Son, [...] so also you ought not to abandon Livonia, the land of the Mother [...] "Terra Mariana" appears as an achievement in the historical strategy video game Europa Universalis IV . Battle of Saule Samogitian and Semigalian victory Campaign against the Latvians Campaign against the Lithuanians The Battle of Saule ( Lithuanian : Saulės mūšis / Šiaulių mūšis ; German : Schlacht von Schaulen ; Latvian : Saules kauja )

574-530: The Livonian Order was the German nobility in the Danish Duchy of Estonia. In the beginning of the 14th century Denmark was no longer a powerful state and the local German nobility had effectively become the rulers of the territory. After the Estonians of Harju started a rebellion in 1343 ( St. George's Night Uprising ) the Teutonic order occupied the territories. The overthrow of Danish rule came two days after

615-606: The Order had defeated the Estonian revolt. The Danish viceroy was imprisoned in cooperation with the pro-German vassals. The castles in Reval and Wesenberg were handed over to the Order by the German nobility party on 16 May 1343 and the castle at Narva in 1345. In 1346, the Estonian territories (Harria and Vironia) were sold by the king of Denmark for 19,000 Köln marks to the Teutonic Order . The shift of sovereignty from Denmark to

656-618: The See of Reval was unique in the whole Catholic Church at the time and was disputed by bishops and the Pope. During this era, the election of bishops was never established in Reval, and the royal rights to the bishopric and to nominate the bishops were even included in the treaty when the territories were sold to the Teutonic Order in 1346. Throughout the existence of medieval Livonia there was

697-527: The Semigallians. Only every tenth Crusader reached Riga. The Livonian Rhymed Chronicle described the pagan's defeat of 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

738-463: The Teutonic Order took place on 1 November 1346. The Teutonic Order fell into decline after Poland and Lithuania defeated it in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410. The Livonian Order managed to maintain an independent existence, as it did not participate in the battle and suffered no casualties, having obtained a truce with Grand Duke Vytautas . In 1418, Pope Martin V nominated Johannes Ambundii to

779-610: The archbishop of Riga, the bishops of Courland, Dorpat, Ösel-Wiek and Reval; the representatives of the Livonian Order and vassals, and the deputies of Riga, Reval and Dorpat city municipal councils. The states of the Livonian Confederation ceased to exist during the Livonian War of 1558–1582. In 1559, the Bishop of Ösel-Wiek and Courland Johannes V von Münchhausen (1542–1560) sold his lands to King Frederick II of Denmark for 30,000 thalers . The Danish king gave

820-541: 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 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

861-516: The beginning of the 20th century Terra Mariana ( Estonian : Maarjamaa ) has been used as a poetic name or sobriquet for Estonia. In 1995 the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana , a state decoration , was instituted to honor the independence of Estonia. Terra Mariana ( Latvian : Māras zeme) is also used as a poetic name for Latgale region. The lands on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea were

SECTION 20

#1732791650539

902-935: The creation of the United Baltic Duchy failed in November 1918 finally. The Livonian Knighthood was subsequently dissolved as statutory corporation . In 1920, the Livonian Non-profit Association was founded in Riga, and the members of the Knights, who had emigrated to the German Reich , founded the Association of the Livonian Stammadel in Rostock. These associations continued the tradition of knighthood. In 1949,

943-657: The crusaders fighting the Estonians from the south, paid a visit to the German King Philip of Swabia and asked permission to attack the Estonians from the North. The last to be subjugated and Christianised were Oeselians , Curonians and Semigallians . This crusade differed from many other crusades because, in this case, the Pope allowed people intending to go on a crusade to the Holy Land to go instead to crusade in Livonia. Members of this crusade were made to wear

984-485: 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, 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

1025-400: The end of government by the last Archbishop of Riga, William of Brandenburg , Riga became a free imperial city and the rest of the territory was split between two Polish-Lithuanian vassal states : the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (Polish vassal) and the Duchy of Livonia (Lithuanian vassal). According to Henry of Livonia , Bishop Albert of Riga emphasized to Pope Innocent III

1066-489: The importance of his see as a crusading venue and its association with Mary , the Mother of Jesus when reporting to the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215: "Sicut", inquit, "pater sancte, terram sanctam Ierosolimitanum, que est terra filii, sanctitatis tue studio fovere non desinis, sic Lyvoniam, que est terra matris, [...] derelinquere non debes." "Holy Father", he said, "as you have not ceased to cherish

1107-498: The initials of King Sigismund II Augustus . From 1695 to 1710 there were "Landtag directors" and from 1783 to 1797 " Marshal of Nobility ". Livonian Confederation Terra Mariana ( Medieval Latin for 'Land of Mary ') was the formal name for Medieval Livonia or Old Livonia . It was formed in the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade , and its territories were composed of present-day Estonia and Latvia . It

1148-494: The insignia of the cross as well, which showed that they were legally bound to the crusade. After the success of the crusade, the German- and Danish-occupied territory was divided into feudal principalities by William of Modena. This division of medieval Livonia was created by Papal Legate William of Modena in 1228 as a compromise between the church and the Livonian Brothers of the Sword , both factions led by Germans, after

1189-592: The king of Sweden, and in 1710 by the Russian Tsar Peter I . Through the agricultural legislation of the years 1816 to 1819, the landowning nobility of the Baltic governorates were given the right and duty to set up elementary schools (also called "peasant schools") in the estate districts and villages belonging to them. For instance, issues of education of the rural population in the Livonian Knights' Landtag repeatedly gave rise to debates

1230-522: The last part of Europe to be Christianized by the Roman Catholic Church . In 1193 Pope Celestine III called for a crusade against the pagans in Northern Europe . This crusade is often compared to the crusade of the Franks and Charlemagne. However, this crusade was not officially announced until 1197 or 1198, but the first account of this crusade is in a letter by Pope Innocent III . At

1271-545: The mid 14th century, after buying the Duchy of Estonia from Christopher II , the Livonian Order controlled about 67,000 square kilometers of the Old Livonia and the Church about 41,000 km (16,000 sq mi). The lands of the Order were divided into about 40 districts governed by a Vogt . The largest ecclesiastical state was the Archbishopric of Riga (18,000 km , 6,900 sq mi) followed by

Livonian Knighthood - Misplaced Pages Continue

1312-465: The position of Archbishop of Riga . He became known as the organizer of the Livonian confederation. Conflict commonly occurred between the Order, the bishops, and the powerful Hanseatic cities throughout the existence of medieval Livonia. To solve internal disputes, the Livonian Diet or Landtag gathered in 1419 at the initiative of Archbishop Ambundii. The city of Walk was chosen as

1353-529: The present Association of Baltic Noble Corporations e.V. founded in which the Livonian knighthood is integrated together with its three sister Nobel communities. The coat of arms of the Livonian knighthood was awarded by the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1566 on the occasion of the real union between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Duchy of Livonia . It is the coat of arms of the Livonian administrator and commander Jan Hieronimowicz Chodkiewicz with

1394-593: The site of the Diet. The Diet comprised members of the Livonian Order, Livonian Bishops, vassals and city representatives. On 1 September 1435 the Livonian Order's defeat in the Battle of Wiłkomierz , claiming the lives of the Master and several high-ranking knights, brought the order closer to its Livonian neighbours. The Livonian confederation agreement ( eiine fruntliche eyntracht ) was signed in Walk on 4 December 1435, by

1435-650: The start of the 13th century, German crusaders from Gotland and the northern Holy Roman Empire conquered the Livonian and Latgallian lands along the Daugava and Gauja rivers. The stronghold of Riga (capital of modern Latvia) was established in 1201, and in 1202 the Livonian Brothers of the Sword was formed. In 1218 Pope Honorius III gave Valdemar II of Denmark free rein to annex as much land as he could conquer in Estonia. Additionally Albert of Riga , leader of

1476-476: The territory to his younger brother Duke Magnus of Holstein who in 1560 landed with an army on Ösel . In 1561, a Swedish army landed in Reval and gained control over the northern part of Old Livonia. The Livonian Order was dissolved by the Treaty of Vilnius in 1561. The following year, the Livonian Diet decided to ask protection from Sigismund II Augustus (King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ). With

1517-513: The unwieldy Livonian heavy cavalry. The swampy terrain was advantageous for the lightly armed pagans. The slaughter of the Christian troops, including Volkwin, sowed 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

1558-512: Was a constant struggle over supremacy, between the lands ruled by the Church, the Order, the secular German nobility, and the citizens of the Hanseatic towns of Riga and Reval . Following its defeat in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, the Teutonic Order and the State of the Teutonic Order fell into decline, but the Livonian Order managed to maintain its independent existence. In 1561, during

1599-534: Was established on 2 February 1207, as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire , and lost this status in 1215 when Pope Innocent III proclaimed it as directly subject to the Holy See . The papal legate William of Modena divided Terra Mariana into feudal principalities: the Duchy of Estonia ( dominum directum to the king of Denmark ); the Archbishopric of Riga ; the Bishopric of Courland ;

1640-567: 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 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

1681-474: Was reluctant to launch offensive actions against Lithuanian lands. His reluctance was determined by understanding that the order lacked strength to wage war against 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

Livonian Knighthood - Misplaced Pages Continue

#538461