The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the
Teutonic Order
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
,
formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the
Livonian Confederation.
History
The order was formed from the remnants of the
Livonian Brothers of the Sword
The Livonian Brothers of the Sword ( la, Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae, german: Schwertbrüderorden) was a Catholic military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theoderi ...
after their defeat by
Samogitians
Samogitians ( Samogitian: ''žemaitē'', lt, žemaičiai, lv, žemaiši) are an ethnographic group of Lithuanians of the Samogitia region, an ethnographic region of Lithuania. Many speak the Samogitian language, which in Lithuania is mostly co ...
in 1236 at the
Battle of Schaulen (Saule). They were incorporated into the Teutonic Knights and became known as the Livonian Order in 1237. In the summer of that year, the Master of Prussia
Hermann Balk
Hermann Balk (died March 5, 1239, Würzburg), also known as Hermann von Balk or Hermann Balke, was a Knight-Brother of the Teutonic Order and its first '' Landmeister'', or Provincial Master, in both Prussia and Livonia. From 1219 to 1227, he serv ...
rode into Riga to install his men as castle commanders and administrators of Livonia.
In 1238, the Teutonic Knights of Livonia signed the Treaty of Stensby with the
Kingdom of Denmark. Under this agreement, Denmark would support the expansion ambitions of the order in exchange for northern maritime
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
.
In 1242, the Livonian Order tried to take the city of
Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...
. However, they were defeated by
Alexander Nevsky
Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; ; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Grand P ...
in the
Battle on the Ice
The Battle on the Ice (german: Schlacht auf dem Eise; russian: Ледовое побоище, ''Ledovoye poboishche''; et, Jäälahing), alternatively known as the Battle of Lake Peipus (german: Schlacht auf dem Peipussee), took place on 5 Apr ...
.
Fortresses as Paide in land ceded by Denmark in the Treaty of Stensby allowed the order to contain the threat of Russian troops. For that reason, the order focused on its southern borders and
Semigallia
Semigallia, also spelt Semigalia, ( lv, Zemgale; german: Semgallen; lt, Žiemgala; pl, Semigalia; liv, Zemgāl) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located in the south of the Daugava river and the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. ...
.
Semigallia was a strategic territory for the Livonian Order. Lithuanians passed through Semigallia to raid settlements in Livonia, and they took advantage of the winter ice pack in the Gulf of Riga to reach Oesel Island. Also, this territory kept the Livonian Branch of the Teutonic Order separated from the Prussian Branch.
Between 1237 and 1290, the Livonian Order conquered all of
Courland
Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...
,
Livonia
Livonia ( liv, Līvõmō, et, Liivimaa, fi, Liivinmaa, German and Scandinavian languages: ', archaic German: ''Liefland'', nl, Lijfland, Latvian and lt, Livonija, pl, Inflanty, archaic English: ''Livland'', ''Liwlandia''; russian: Ли ...
, and
Semigallia
Semigallia, also spelt Semigalia, ( lv, Zemgale; german: Semgallen; lt, Žiemgala; pl, Semigalia; liv, Zemgāl) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located in the south of the Daugava river and the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. ...
. In 1298, Lithuanians took Karkus Castle north of Riga, and defeated the order in the
Battle of Turaida
The Battle of Turaida or Treiden (also known as the ''Battle on Aa'') was fought on June 1, 1298, on the banks of the Gauja River (german: Livländische Aa) near the Turaida Castle (). The Livonian Order was decisively defeated by the resident ...
, killing Livonian Land Master Bruno and 22 knights. In 1346, the order bought the
Duchy of Estonia from King
Valdemar IV of Denmark
Valdemar IV Atterdag (the epithet meaning "Return of the Day"), or Waldemar (132024 October 1375) was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375. He is mostly known for his reunion of Denmark after the bankruptcy and mortgaging of the country to finance ...
. Life within the order's territory is described in the ''
Chronicle of Balthasar Russow'' (''Chronica der Provinz Lyfflandt'').
The Teutonic Order fell into decline following its defeat in the
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respec ...
in 1410 and the secularization of its Prussian territories by
Albert of Brandenburg in 1525, while the Livonian Order managed to maintain an independent existence.
The Livonian Order's defeat in the
Battle of Święta (Wiłkomierz) on September 1, 1435, which claimed the lives of the master and several high-ranking knights, brought the order closer to its neighbors in
Livonia
Livonia ( liv, Līvõmō, et, Liivimaa, fi, Liivinmaa, German and Scandinavian languages: ', archaic German: ''Liefland'', nl, Lijfland, Latvian and lt, Livonija, pl, Inflanty, archaic English: ''Livland'', ''Liwlandia''; russian: Ли ...
. The
Livonian Confederation agreement (''eiine fruntliche eyntracht'') was signed in
Walk
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...
on December 4, 1435, by the Archbishop of Riga, the
bishops of Courland,
Dorpat
Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...
,
Ösel-Wiek and
Reval
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ''m ...
; the representatives of the Livonian Order and vassals, and the deputies of Riga, Reval and Dorpat city municipal councils.
During the
Livonian War
The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pre ...
, however, the order suffered a decisive defeat by troops of
Muscovite Russia
The Grand Duchy of Moscow, Muscovite Russia, Muscovite Rus' or Grand Principality of Moscow (russian: Великое княжество Московское, Velikoye knyazhestvo Moskovskoye; also known in English simply as Muscovy from the Lati ...
in the
Battle of Ergeme
The Battle of Ērģeme (also Battle of Ermes) ( et, Härgmäe lahing; german: Schlacht bei Ermes; russian: italic=yes, сражение при Эрмесе; lv, Ērģemes kauja) was fought on 2 August 1560 in present-day Latvia (near Valga) ...
in 1560. The Livonian Order then sought protection from
Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler ...
,
King of Poland
Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16t ...
and
Grand Duke of Lithuania
The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Lithuania, which was established as an absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three ducal dynasties that managed to stay in power—House ...
, who had intervened in a war between Bishop
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
of Riga and the Brothers in 1557.
After coming to an
agreement Agreement may refer to:
Agreements between people and organizations
* Gentlemen's agreement, not enforceable by law
* Trade agreement, between countries
* Consensus, a decision-making process
* Contract, enforceable in a court of law
** Meeting o ...
with Sigismund II, Augustus and his representatives (especially
Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł), the last Livonian Master,
Gotthard Kettler
Gotthard Kettler, Duke of Courland (also ''Godert'', ''Ketteler'', german: Gotthard Kettler, Herzog von Kurland; 2 February 1517 – 17 May 1587) was the last Master of the Livonian Order and the first Duke of Courland and Semigallia.
Biography
...
, secularized the order and converted to
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
. In the southern part of the Brothers' lands he created the
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia for his family. Most of the remaining lands were seized by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The north of Estonia was taken back by
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
and
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
.
From the 14th to the 16th centuries,
Middle Low German
Middle Low German or Middle Saxon (autonym: ''Sassisch'', i.e. " Saxon", Standard High German: ', Modern Dutch: ') is a developmental stage of Low German. It developed from the Old Saxon language in the Middle Ages and has been documented i ...
as spoken in the towns of the
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
was the established language, but was subsequently succeeded by
High German
The High German dialects (german: hochdeutsche Mundarten), or simply High German (); not to be confused with Standard High German which is commonly also called ''High German'', comprise the varieties of German spoken south of the Benrath and ...
as official language in the course of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Masters of the Livonian Order
The Livonian Master, like the grandmaster of the Teutonic Order, was elected by his fellow knights for a life term. The grandmaster exercised supervisory powers and his advice was considered equal to a command. The grandmaster of Teutonic knights did not limit local autonomy, he rarely visited Livonia or sent ambassadors for oversight.
Hermann Balk
Hermann Balk (died March 5, 1239, Würzburg), also known as Hermann von Balk or Hermann Balke, was a Knight-Brother of the Teutonic Order and its first '' Landmeister'', or Provincial Master, in both Prussia and Livonia. From 1219 to 1227, he serv ...
1237–1238
Dietrich von Grüningen 1238–1242
Dietrich von Grüningen 1244–1246
Andreas von Stierland 1248–1253
Anno von Sangershausen 1253–1256
Burchard von Hornhausen
Burkhard von Hornhausen (* before 1252; † July 13 1260 in the Battle of Durbe) was from 1257 to 1260 Landmeister in Livonia of the Teutonic Order. He was the first commander and directed the construction of the Königsberg Castle.Walter James ...
1256–1260
Werner von Breithausen 1261–1263
Konrad von Mandern 1263–1266
Otto von Lutterberg 1266–1270
Walther von Nortecken 1270–1273
Ernst von Rassburg 1273–1279
Konrad von Feuchtwangen
Konrad von Feuchtwangen ( en, Conrad of Feuchtwangen) (before 1230 – 4 July 1296 in Prague) was the 13th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights from 1290 to 1296.
Biography
He was probably descended from a ministerial family connected with th ...
1279–1281
Wilken von Endorp 1281–1287
Konrad von Herzogenstein 1288–1290
Halt von Hohembach
Halt may refer to:
* Halt (railway), a small railway station
* HLT (x86 instruction), aka "HALT"
* Highly accelerated life test, a product stress testing methodology
* ''The Halt'', a 2019 film
* Charles I. Halt (born 1939), United States Air Fo ...
–1293
Heinrich von Dinkelaghe 1295–1296
Bruno 1296–1298
Gottfried von Rogga 1298–1307
Gerhard van Joeck 1309–1322
Johannes Ungenade 1322–1324
Reimar Hane 1324–1328
Everhard von Monheim Everhard is both a surname and a masculine given name, a variant of Eberhard. People with the name include:
Surname:
* Erik Everhard (1976), stage name of Mitchell Hartwell, a Canadian pornographic actor and director
*Nancy Everhard (1957), Americ ...
1328–1340
Burchard von Dreileben Burchard (and all variant spellings) may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People
* Burchard (name), Burchard and all related spellings as a given name and surname
* Burckhardt, or (de) Bourcard, a family of the Basel patriciate
* Burchard-Bélaváry family, an a ...
1340–1345
Goswin von Hercke 1345–1359
Arnold von Vietinghof 1359–1364
Wilhelm von Vrymersheim 1364–1385
Robin von Eltz 1385–1389
Wennemar Hasenkamp von Brüggeneye 1389–1401
Konrad von Vietinghof 1401–1413
Diderick Tork 1413–1415
Siegfried Lander von Spanheim 1415–1424
Zisse von Rutenberg 1424–1433
Franco Kerskorff 1433–1435
Heinrich von Bockenvorde 1435–1437
Heinrich Vinke von Overbergen 1438–1450
Johann Osthoff von Mengede
Johann von Mengede (also Johann von Mengden, called Osthof) (c. 1400 — 15 August 1469) was a knight of the Teutonic Knights. Most notably, from 1442 to 1450, he was Komtur of Reval and then from 1450 to 1469 a Master (''Landmiester'') of the Li ...
1450–1469
Johann Wolthuss von Herse 1470–1471
Bernd von der Borch 1471–1483
Johann Freytag von Loringhoven 1483–1494
Wolter von Plettenberg
Wolter (or Walter) von Plettenberg (c. 1450 – February 28, 1535) was the Master (''Landmeister'') of the Livonian Order from 1494 to 1535 and one of the greatest leaders of the Teutonic knights. He was an important early Baltic German.
...
1494–1535
Hermann Hasenkamp von Brüggeneye 1535–1549
Johann von der Recke 1549–1551
Heinrich von Galen 1551–1557
Johann Wilhelm von Fürstenberg 1557–1559
Godert (Gotthard) Kettler 1559–1561
Commanderies of the Livonian Order
Across modern territory of
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
and
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
Estonia
*
Komtur
Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders.
The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...
ei
Reval
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ''m ...
*Komturei
Pernau
*Komturei
Jerwen
*Komturei
Fellin
Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tart ...
*Komturei
Talkhof
Latvia
*Komturei
Marienburg
*Landmarschall
Segewold
*Ordensmeister (Komturei)
Dünamünde
*Komturei
Ascheraden
*Komturei
Dünaburg
Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the ...
*Komturei
Bauske
*Komturei
Mitau
Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united ...
*Komturei
Doblen
*Komturei
Goldingen
Goldingen is a former municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the former municipalities of Goldingen and St. Gallenkappel merged into the municipality of E ...
*Komturei
Windau
References
{{Authority control
Livonian Confederation
Livonian Crusade
State of the Teutonic Order
Northern Crusades
1237 establishments in Europe
Establishments in the State of the Teutonic Order
13th-century establishments in Europe
1561 disestablishments in Europe
1560s disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire