Ugandi ( Latin : Ungannia or Ugaunia ; Latvian : Ugaunija ; Low German : Uggn ) was an independent county between the east coast of Lake Võrtsjärv and west coast of Lake Pskov , bordered by Vaiga , Mõhu , Nurmekund , Sakala , Tālava , and The Principality of Pskov . Ugandi had an area of approximately 3000 hides . Ugandi corresponded roughly to the present Estonia 's territory of Võru County , Põlva County and half of Tartu County and Valga County , as well as Petseri County .
56-663: The county was first mentioned in print by Henry of Livonia After the Northern crusades it became the Bishopric of Dorpat . In Latvian , Igaunija ( Ugaunija is the Latvian name for the Ugaunia county) is still the modern national name for Estonia . The name Ugandi is derived by associating "Ugaunia" with the name of Uandimägi Hill near Otepää . An alternate theory proposes that the name "Ugaunia" could have been derived from
112-461: A Cistercian abbot of Loccum arrived with a large contingent of crusaders in 1198. Shortly afterwards, while riding ahead of his troops in battle, Berthold was surrounded and killed, and his forces were defeated by Livonians. To avenge Berthold's defeat, Pope Innocent III issued a bull declaring a crusade against the Livonians. Albert von Buxthoeven , consecrated as a bishop in 1199, arrived
168-630: A clerical point of view, that the history of the Church was the essential history of Livonia. The Chronicles may have originated as a report to the papal legate , William of Modena , to whom he was assigned as interpreter 1225 through 1227. The legate, one of the papacy's most able diplomats, was in Livonia to mediate an internal church dispute between the Livonian Brothers of the Sword , and
224-506: A German family and consistently referring to Germans as "we", although it is also possible that he came from Livonia . He had a thoroughly German and Catholic education and as a youth was attached to the household of the Prince-Bishop Albert of Buxhoeveden (c.1165 – 17 January 1229), was ordained a priest in 1208, founded a parish and lived out his life in peace. Henry's Chronicles , compiled around 1229, are written from
280-680: A Swedish army led by the king John I of Sweden and the bishop Karl of Linköping captured Lihula in Rotalia in Western Estonia. The Oeselians attacked the Swedish stronghold later the same year and killed the entire 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
336-576: A Swedish presence in the province of Wiek , but his troops were defeated by the Oeselians in the Battle of Lihula in 1220. Revelia, Harrien , and Vironia , the whole of northern Estonia, fell to Danish control. During the uprising of 1223, all Christian strongholds in Estonia save Tallinn fell into Estonian hands, with their defenders killed. By 1224 all of the larger fortresses were reconquered by
392-597: A centralised state. They were led by Lembitu of Lehola , the elder of Sackalia , who by 1211 had come to the attention of German chroniclers as the central figure of the Estonian resistance. The Livonian leader Caupo was killed in the Battle of St. Matthew's Day near Viljandi (Fellin) on 21 September 1217, but Lembitu was also killed, and the battle was a crushing defeat for the Estonians. The Christian kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden were also eager for expansion on
448-480: A folk song from Viljandi calls for speeding up the harvest work because Ugaunians might attack. "Ugalane" has also been used as a disparaging word for an unsophisticated country person. Rulers of Novgorod Republic and Principality of Pskov made frequent raids against Ugaunians in the 12th century but never succeeded to subjugate them. Fort Bear's Head was conquered in 1116 and 1193, Tarbatu in 1134 and 1192. Ugaunians themselves made several raids against Pskov. At
504-490: A new delegation to Ugaunia and returned with Ugaunian envoys. Ugaunians were offered "eternal peace" if they accept Christianity and return everything they had robbed from Germans and Letts. Ugaunians refused and left, threatening the Letts with "very sharp lances". The crusaders and Letts went to war against Ugaunians. They burned Otepää and returned with captives and booty. Ugaunians and Sackalians retaliated, raided territories of
560-544: A number of neighboring provinces would henceforth be considered reichsfrei , that is, subordinate directly to the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire only, as opposed to being under the jurisdiction of local rulers. At the end of the year Pope Honorius III announced the appointment of Bishop William of Modena as papal legate for Livonia, Prussia, and other countries. In 1224
616-581: A strong garrison. The stronghold was besieged and surrendered within five days, the Danish garrison returning to Revel while leaving Bishop Albert of Riga 's brother Theodoric and others behind as hostages for peace. The castle was leveled by the Oeselians. In 1227, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, the town of Riga, and the Bishop of Riga organized a combined attack against Saaremaa. After
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#1732790678503672-714: A subject of the Holy See . After the success of the crusade, the Teutonic - and Danish-occupied territory was divided into six feudal principalities by William of Modena . By the time German traders began to arrive in the second half of the 12th century to trade along the ancient trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks , some natives had already been baptized. Saint Meinhard of Segeberg arrived in Ikšķile in 1184 with
728-500: Is Estonian word for pelts). The same summer Ugaunians of Otepää surrendered to crusader commander Bertold of Wenden . Ugaunians continued to raid Lettish territories. Wars between Ugaunians and Letts lasted the whole decade. The elders of Ugaunians and Letts had deep personal feuds. When Ugaunians captured Tālivaldis of Trikāta in 1215 and burned him alive, his sons burned alive all Ugaunian men they could catch to avenge. They also tortured Ugaunians to force them to show hiding places in
784-519: Is modern day Tartu . Kievan rule of Tartu/Tarbatu may have lasted 30 years until 1061, when, according to Old East Slavic chronicles, Yuryev was burned down by Sosols (probably Sackalians , Oeselians or Harionenses ). In modern Estonian literature, the province of Ugaunia is called Ugandi or Ugala . In Latvian , the country of Estonia is still called Igaunija after Ugaunians, their ancient warlike neighbors. In Estonian folklore , Ugaunians ( ugalased ) are enemy warriors and robbers. For example,
840-600: The Livonian Chronicle of Henry which describes the evangelization of the regions which are now part of Estonia and Latvia during the Northern Crusades . The chronicles say that Henry was a Roman Catholic priest who witnessed most of events described. Henry is thought to have been born in 1187 in Magdeburg . Henry was probably German , but many historians consider him a Latvian , brought up in
896-748: The Aizkraukle hillfort. In 1236, Semigallians attacked crusaders retreating to Riga after the Battle of Saule , killing many of them. After regular attacks, the Livonian Order partly subdued the Semigallians in 1254. In 1270, the Lithuanian Grand Duke Traidenis , together with Semigallians, attacked Livonia and Saaremaa . During the Battle of Karuse on the frozen Gulf of Riga , the Livonian Order
952-777: The Archbishopric of Riga , and received back a portion of it as a fief. Tālava, weakened in wars with Estonians and Russians, became a vassal state of the Archbishopric of Riga in 1214, and in 1224 was finally divided between the Archbishopric and the Order. By 1208 the Crusaders were strong enough to begin operations against the Estonians , who were at that time divided into eight major and seven smaller Counties , led by elders, with limited co-operation between them. With
1008-400: The Battle on Lake Peipus in 1242. Ugaunia became subsequently known as the Bishopric of Dorpat . Henry of Livonia Henry of Latvia ( Latin : Henricus de Lettis ; German : Heinrich von Lettland ; Latvian : Latviešu Indriķis ; Estonian : Läti Henrik ; 1187 – c. 1259 ), also known as Henry of Livonia , was a priest , missionary and historian . He wrote
1064-576: The Republic of Novgorod serving variously as allies of both crusaders and Estonians. Hill forts , which were the key centers of Estonian counties, were besieged, captured, and re-captured a number of times. A truce between the war-weary sides was established for three years (1213–1215). It 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
1120-494: The Slavic language word "Ug", meaning "South" (cf. Yugoslavia ). The power center of Ugandi is believed to have been in the fortified stronghold of Otepää ( Ugaunian for "bear's head"; Latin : Caput Ursi , Russian : Medvezh'ya Golova ) in present-day Linnamägi Hill in the town of Otepää. The hill is indeed shaped like a head of a bear, thought to have been a holy animal for Ugaunians . Another important Ugaunian stronghold
1176-646: The Curonians preferred to try to make peace with the Christian conquerors, inviting the monks into their country thereby escaping attacks by the Scandinavian nations. In 1230 the Curonians in the northern part of Courland, under their ruler ( rex ) Lammekinus [ lv ; lt ] , signed a peace treaty with the Germans, and the lands they inhabited thus became known as Vredecuronia or Peace Courland . The southern Curonians, however, continued to resist
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#17327906785031232-523: 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. The Oeselians retaliated by raiding German-held territories in Latvia the following spring. In 1220,
1288-730: The Germans. Sackalians sent bloody swords with which they had killed Germans to Ugaunians of Tarbatu and Otepää. In Tarbatu they decided by lot whether to sacrifice to the gods an ox or their priest Hartwig, who was equally fat. Luckily for the priest, the lot fell upon the ox . Ugaunians decided to side with Novgorodians. Russian princes of Pskov, Novgorod and Suzdal sent huge troops of 20,000 men to Ugaunia. The people of Tarbatu sent them large gifts and Otepää welcomed them too. The Russians left Vetseke as their prince to rule Ugaunians and any other Estonian province around he could gathered tax from. In 1224 crusaders retook all provinces in mainland Estonia. After casting lot, bishop Hermann of Buxhoeveden
1344-647: The Knights and that allowed the Samogitians to gain victory over the Livonian Order . It was a heavy defeat for the Order and uprisings against the crusaders soon afterwards broke out in the Curonian and Prussian lands. Curonian resistance was finally subdued in 1266 when the whole of Courland was partitioned between the Livonian Order and the Archbishop of Riga . The Curonian nobles, among them 40 clans of
1400-737: The Latvians Campaign against the Lithuanians North Atlantic Africa Asia Caribbean The Livonian crusade consists of the various military Christianisation campaigns in medieval Livonia – modern Latvia and Estonia – during the Papal -sanctioned Northern Crusades in the 12th–13th century. The Livonian crusade was conducted mostly by the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Denmark . It ended with
1456-461: The Letts and burned their worst enemies alive. The Livonians and the Bishop of Riga wanted peace and sent the priest Alabrand to Otepää to negotiate. Alabrand used the gathering of Ugaunians to preach the Christianity to them. Some pagan Ugaunians wanted to kill him because of his preaching, but his status as the messenger of the bishop protected him. Ugaunians made peace with the Bishop of Riga,
1512-514: The Livonian Brothers of the Sword established their headquarters at Fellin (Viljandi) in Sackalia, where the walls of the Master's castle are still standing. Other strongholds included Wenden (Cēsis) , Segewold (Sigulda) , and Ascheraden (Aizkraukle) . The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia , one of the greatest medieval narratives, was written probably as a report for William of Modena, giving him
1568-533: The Livonians were declared to be converted. Caupo subsequently remained an ally of the crusaders until his death in the Battle of St. Matthew's Day in 1217. By 1208 the important Daugava trading posts of Salaspils (Holme), Koknese (Kokenhusen) and Sēlpils Castle (Selburg) had been taken over as a result of Albert's energetic campaigning. In the same year, the rulers of the Latgalian counties Tālava , Satekle , and Autine established military alliances with
1624-622: The Low Germans ( Saxons ) to be useful allies. The first prominent Livonian to be converted was their leader Caupo of Turaida , who was baptized around 1189. Pope Celestine III had called for a crusade against pagans in Northern Europe in 1193. When peaceful means of conversion failed to produce results, the impatient Meinhard plotted to convert Livonians forcibly but was thwarted. He died in 1196, having failed in his mission. His appointed replacement, bishop Berthold of Hanover ,
1680-412: The Oeselians arose yet again, killing all the Germans on the island, drowning all the clerics, and besieging the Livonian Order 's castle at Pöide. After the garrison surrendered the Oeselians massacred the defenders and destroyed the castle. 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
1736-415: The Oeselians once more 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 , and Danish Estonia , including mainland Estonians and Latvians, defeated the Oeselians by capturing their stronghold at Kaarma. Soon thereafter, the Livonian Order established a stone fort at Pöide . On 24 July 1343
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1792-538: The Order, and construction began on both Cēsis Castle and a stone Koknese Castle , where the Daugava and Pērse rivers meet, replacing the wooden castle of Latgalians. In 1209 Albert, leading the forces of the Order, captured the capital of the Latgalian Principality of Jersika , and took the wife of the ruler Visvaldis captive. Visvaldis was forced to submit his kingdom to Albert as a grant to
1848-468: The beginning of the 13th century, a new powerful enemy appeared. German crusaders had established a foothold at the mouth of the Daugava river and started to expand and christen local tribes. The Ugaunians' southern neighbors, the Latgalians (or Letts ), saw the crusaders as potential allies against their traditional adversaries. The Ugaunians wanted to continue the truce with their new neighbors, but
1904-721: The christened Livonian chief Caupo conquer back his Turaida Castle from pagan rebels. In 1219, the Semigallian–German alliance was cancelled after a crusader invasion in Semigallia. Duke Viestards promptly formed an alliance with Lithuanians and Curonians. In 1228, Semigallians and Curonians attacked the Daugavgrīva monastery, the main crusader stronghold at the Daugava river delta. The crusaders took revenge and invaded Semigallia. The Semigallians in turn pillaged land around
1960-561: The city, they destroyed a monastery in Daugavgriva and killed all the monks. After the defeat of Estonians and Osilians in 1227, the Curonians were confronted by Lithuanian enemies in the east and south, and harassed by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword from the north; in the west, on the sea-shore, their arch-enemies, the Danes and Swedes, were lurking, waiting for an opportunity. In this hopeless situation, further aggravated by famine,
2016-527: The creation of Terra Mariana and the Danish duchy of Estonia . The lands on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea were one of the last parts of Europe to be Christianised . The available information is largely based on Livonian Chronicle of Henry . On 2 February 1207, in the territories conquered, an ecclesiastical state called Terra Mariana was established as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire , and proclaimed by Pope Innocent III in 1215 as
2072-461: The crusaders had a list of preconditions. They demanded that the Ugaunians pay reparation for an old incident. Many years ago the Ugaunians, upon the advice of the Livonians, had robbed a caravan of German merchants by the Daugava river. In 1207 the crusaders sent a priest called Alabrand to Ugaunia to demand compensation, but did not receive an answer. Next year the Letts and Teutonic Knights sent
2128-668: The crusaders, except for Tharbata , which was defended by a determined Estonian garrison and 200 Russian mercenaries. The leader of the Russian troops was Vyachko , to whom the Novgorod Republic had promised the fortress and its surrounding lands "if he could conquer them for himself". Tharbata was finally captured by the crusaders in August 1224 and all its defenders were killed. Early in 1224 Emperor Frederick II had announced at Catania that Livonia, Prussia , Sambia and
2184-569: The descendants of the Curonian Kings , who lived in the town of Kuldīga , preserved personal freedom and some of their privileges. According to the Livonian Chronicle of Henry , Semigallians formed an alliance with bishop Albert of Riga against rebellious Livonians before 1203, and received military support to hold back Lithuanian attacks in 1205. In 1207, the Semigallian duke Viestards ( Latin : dux Semigallorum ) helped
2240-422: The destruction of Muhu Stronghold and the surrender of Valjala Stronghold , the Oeselians formally accepted Christianity. After the defeat of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in the Battle of Saule in 1236 fighting again broke out on Saaremaa. In 1241 the Oeselians once again accepted Christianity by signing treaties with the Livonian Order 's Master Andreas de Velven and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek . This
2296-604: The early spring of 1345, the next campaign of the Livonian Order ended with a treaty mentioned in the Chronicle of Hermann von Wartberge and the Novgorod First Chronicle . Saaremaa remained the vassal of the master of the Livonian Order and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek until 1559. Following the defeat of the Estonians, the crusade moved against Curonians and Semigallians , Baltic tribes living to
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2352-613: The eastern shores of the Baltic. In 1218 Albert asked King Valdemar II of Denmark for assistance, but Valdemar instead arranged a deal with the Order. The king was victorious in the Battle of Lindanise in Revelia in 1219, to which the origin of the Flag of Denmark is attributed. He subsequently founded the fortress Castrum Danorum , which was unsuccessfully besieged by the Estonians in 1220 and 1223. King John I of Sweden tried to establish
2408-466: The following year with a large force, and established Riga as the seat of his Bishopric of Riga in 1201. In 1202, he formed the Livonian Brothers of the Sword to aid in the conversion of the pagans to Christianity and, more importantly, to protect German trade and secure German control over commerce. As the German grip tightened, the Livonians and their christened chief rebelled against the crusaders. Caupo's forces were defeated at Turaida in 1206, and
2464-552: The help of the newly converted local tribes of Livs and Latgalians , the crusaders initiated raids into Sakala and Ugaunia in Southern Estonia. The Estonian tribes fiercely resisted the attacks from Riga and occasionally sacked territories controlled by the crusaders. In 1208–27, war parties of the different sides rampaged through Livonia , Latgalia, and other Estonian counties, with the Livs, Latgalians and Russians of
2520-462: The history of the Church in Livonia up to his time. It relates how in 1226, in the stronghold Tarwanpe , William of Modena successfully mediated a peace between the Germans, the Danes and the Vironians . The last Estonian county to hold out against the invaders was the island country of Saaremaa (Ösel) , whose war fleets had continued to raid Denmark and Sweden during the years of fighting against
2576-416: The invaders. In 1260, the Curonians were involved in the Battle of Durbe , one of the biggest battles in Livonia in the 13th century. They were forced to fight on the crusader side. When the battle started, the Curonians abandoned the knights. Peter von Dusburg alleged that the Curonians even attacked the Knights from the rear. The Estonians and other local people soon followed the Curonians and abandoned
2632-663: The leader of the Livonian Crusade . In 1210 the Novgorodian prince Mstislav the Bold and Vladimir [ ru ] the Prince of Polatsk , sent an army against Ugaunians. They besieged Otepää and fought there for eight days. Defenders of the fort suffered a shortage of food and water and were forced to ask for peace. Ugaunians had to accept Orthodox baptism and pay a tribute of 400 "nogata" marks. ( Nogat or nahad
2688-603: The mission of converting the pagan Livonians , and was consecrated as Bishop of Üxküll in 1186. In those days the riverside town was the center of the missionary activities in the Livonian area. The indigenous Livonians ( Līvi ), who had been paying tribute to the East Slavic Principality of Polotsk , and were often under attack by their southern neighbours the Semigallians , at first considered
2744-461: The parish of Papendorf ( dominus Hinricus plebanus de Papendorpe ). Livonian Crusade Crusaders Baltic and Finnic pagans ( indigenous peoples ) Grand Duchy of Lithuania In the Holy Land (1095–1291) Later Crusades (1291–1717) Northern (1147–1410) Against Christians (1209–1588) Popular (1096–1320) Campaign against
2800-419: The south and west of the Daugava river and closely allied with Samogitians . In July 1210 Curonians attacked Riga . After a day of fighting, the Curonians were unable to break through the city walls. They crossed to the other bank of the Daugava to burn their dead and mourn for three days. In 1228 Curonians together with Semigallians again attacked Riga. Although they were again unsuccessful in storming
2856-520: The territorial claims of the Catholic bishops of Livonia. He was mentioned in documents published in 1231 and 1259 as being a priest. Henry died after 1259 in Rubene, aged at least 72. He lived in Rubene until at least 1259, when he was questioned as a witness in a dispute over the boundaries of the archdiocese and the order at Lake Burtnieks and Salaca . During this time he was called Lord Indrica of
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#17327906785032912-1002: The woods. When all Ugaunian provinces were burnt down, the people still alive sent messengers to Riga, asking for peace and promised to receive baptism. They told that all who had been involved in the robbery of German merchants had already been killed. The priests Otto and Peter Kakuwalda were sent to baptize them. Hearing about that, prince Vladimir of Pskov attacked Ugaunians. Ugaunians and German crusaders fortified Otepää and avenged Russians, raiding lands of Pskov and Novgorod. After that Ugaunians went with crusaders, Livonians and Letts against Estonian pagan provinces Jerwia and Vironia . Prince Vladimir of Pskov [ ru ] sent messengers through all of Estonia to besiege Germans and Ugaunians at Otepää. Harrians and Oeselians came and even already baptized Sackalians. While troops of 20,000 of Novgorodians and Œselians attacked Otepää, Ugaunians along with crusaders made raids against Novgorod, Vironians and Votians . In 1220 Ugaunians rebelled against
2968-532: Was Tarbatu by the river Emajõgi (literally, "Mother River"). It was erected around 600 AD on the east side of Toome Hill (Toomemägi) in what is today Tartu . Due to its location, Ugandi always bore the brunt of East Slavs ' attacks against Chudes , as they called Finnic peoples around their North-Eastern boundaries. In 1030 Kievan Prince Yaroslav I the Wise organized a military campaign against Chuds , defeated them and established fort Yuryev (literally "Yury's" - Yury being Yaroslav's Christian name) in what
3024-401: Was defeated, and its master Otto von Lutterberg was killed. In 1287, around 1400 Semigallians attacked a crusader stronghold in Ikšķile and plundered nearby lands. As they returned to Semigallia they were caught by the Order's forces, and the great Battle of Garoza began near the Garoza river. The crusader forces were besieged and badly defeated. More than 40 knights were killed, including
3080-439: Was followed by a treaty signed in 1255 by the Master of the Order, Anno Sangerhausenn, and, on behalf of the Oeselians, elders whose names were phonetically transcribed by Latin scribes as Ylle, Culle, Enu, Muntelene, Tappete, Yalde, Melete, and Cake. The treaty granted the Oeselians several distinctive rights regarding the ownership and inheritance of land, the social order, and the practice of religion. Warfare erupted in 1261 as
3136-502: Was given rule over Ugaunia while Sackala was given to the order. Otepää was happy over the rule of bishop Hermann but Tarbatu was still ruled by Vetseke and his Ruthenians . Later that year however, Tarbatu was conquered and all its Ugaunian and Ruthenian defenders killed. Bishop Hermann started to fortify Otepää and Tarbatu. He chose Tarbatu/Dorpat to be his residence. Bishop Hermann and his Ugaunian subjects fought frequently against Novgorod and were defeated by prince Alexander Nevsky in
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