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 after their defeat by
Samogitians 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 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
The Danish Realm ( da, Danmarks Rige; fo, Danmarkar Ríki; kl, Danmarkip Naalagaaffik), officially the Kingdom of Denmark (; ; ), is a sovereign state located in Northern Europe and Northern North America. It consists of metropolitan Denma ...
. 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, and t ...
.
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 o ...
. However, they were defeated by
Alexander Nevsky in the
Battle on the Ice.
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 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,
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. In 1298, Lithuanians took Karkus Castle north of Riga, and defeated the order in the
Battle of Turaida, killing Livonian Land Master Bruno and 22 knights. In 1346, the order bought the
Duchy of Estonia from King
Valdemar IV of Denmark. 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 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 on December 4, 1435, by 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.
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 in the
Battle of Ergeme in 1560. The Livonian Order then sought protection from
Sigismund II Augustus,
King of Poland and
Grand Duke of Lithuania
The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Kingdom of Lithuania, Lithuania, which was established as an Absolute monarchy, absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three Duke, ducal D ...
, who had intervened in a war between Bishop
William 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 of ...
with Sigismund II, Augustus and his representatives (especially
Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł), the last Livonian Master,
Gotthard Kettler, 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 = Kingdom of Denmark
, establishe ...
and
Sweden.
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 in ...
as spoken in the towns of the
Hanseatic League 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 1237–1238
Dietrich von Grüningen Dietrich von Grüningen (or ''von Groeningen'') (* around 1210, † 3 September 1259) was a Knights Templar, Landmeister in Livonia and Landmeister of Prussia and Deutschmeister of the Teutonic Order. One of the most outstanding figures of the Teu ...
1238–1242
Dietrich von Grüningen Dietrich von Grüningen (or ''von Groeningen'') (* around 1210, † 3 September 1259) was a Knights Templar, Landmeister in Livonia and Landmeister of Prussia and Deutschmeister of the Teutonic Order. One of the most outstanding figures of the Teu ...
1244–1246
Andreas von Stierland
Andreas ( el, Ἀνδρέας) is a name usually given to males in Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Armenia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Finland, Flanders, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. The name ...
1248–1253
Anno von Sangershausen 1253–1256
Burchard von Hornhausen
Burkhard von Hornhausen (* before 1252; † July 13 1260 in the Battle of Durbe
The Battle of Durbe ( lv, Durbes kauja, lt, Durbės mūšis, german: Schlacht an der Durbe) was a medieval battle fought near Durbe, east of Liepāja, in pres ...
1256–1260
Werner von Breithausen 1261–1263
Konrad von Mandern
Konrad is a German (with variants ''Kunz'' and ''Kunze'') given name and surname that means "bold counselor" and may refer to:
People Given name
Surname
*Alexander Konrad (1890–1940), Russian explorer
*Antoine Konrad (born 1975), birth name o ...
1263–1266
Otto von Lutterberg
Otto von Lutterberg (died 16 February 1270) was the Landmeister of the Livonian Order of the Teutonic Knights from 1267 to 1270.
History
The Battle of Rakvere took place during his command of the Livonian Order, when on February 18, 1268 the c ...
1266–1270
Walther von Nortecken 1270–1273
Ernst von Rassburg 1273–1279
Konrad von Feuchtwangen 1279–1281
Wilken von Endorp 1281–1287
Konrad von Herzogenstein 1288–1290
Halt von Hohembach –1293
Heinrich von Dinkelaghe Heinrich may refer to:
People
* Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
*Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...
1295–1296
Bruno 1296–1298
Gottfried von Rogga 1298–1307
Gerhard van Joeck Gerhard is a name of Germanic origin and may refer to:
Given name
* Gerhard (bishop of Passau) (fl. 932–946), German prelate
* Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (1292–1340), German prince, regent of Denmark
* Gerhard Barkhorn (1919– ...
1309–1322
Johannes Ungenade
Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as " John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, '' Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' ...
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), Ameri ...
1328–1340
Burchard von Dreileben 1340–1345
Goswin von Hercke Goswin is a Germanic male given name originally meaning "friend (''win'') of the Goths (''gos'')"[Goswijn]
1345–1359
Arnold von Vietinghof 1359–1364
Wilhelm von Vrymersheim
Wilhelm may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm"
* Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
Other uses
* Mou ...
1364–1385
Robin von Eltz
Robin may refer to:
Animals
* Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae
* Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including:
** European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'')
**Bush-robin
** Forest ...
1385–1389
Wennemar Hasenkamp von Brüggeneye 1389–1401
Konrad von Vietinghof
Konrad is a German (with variants ''Kunz'' and ''Kunze'') given name and surname that means "bold counselor" and may refer to:
People Given name
Surname
* Alexander Konrad (1890–1940), Russian explorer
*Antoine Konrad (born 1975), birth name ...
1401–1413
Diderick Tork 1413–1415
Siegfried Lander von Spanheim
Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace".
The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid ...
1415–1424
Zisse von Rutenberg 1424–1433
Franco Kerskorff 1433–1435
Heinrich von Bockenvorde Heinrich may refer to:
People
* Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
*Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...
1435–1437
Heinrich Vinke von Overbergen Heinrich may refer to:
People
* Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
*Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of p ...
1438–1450
Johann Osthoff von Mengede 1450–1469
Johann Wolthuss von Herse
Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name ''Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...
1470–1471
Bernd von der Borch
Bernd is a Low German short form of the given name Bernhard (English Bernard).
List of persons with given name Bernd
The following people share the name Bernd.
*Bernd Brückler (born 1981), Austrian hockey player
*Bernd Eichinger (1949–2011), ...
1471–1483
Johann Freytag von Loringhoven
Johann Freitag von Loringhoven (c. 1430 - 26 May 1494), also known as Johann Freytag von Loringhoven, and Johann Fridach van Loringhoffe, was a knight of the Teutonic Knights and a member of the Freytag von Loringhoven family. Most notably, from 1 ...
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 Heinrich may refer to:
People
* Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
*Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...
1551–1557
Johann Wilhelm von Fürstenberg
Johann, typically a male given name, is the German language, German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin language, Latin form of the Greek language, Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew language, Hebrew name ''Johanan (name ...
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, and t ...
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
*
Komturei
Reval
*Komturei
Pernau
*Komturei
Jerwen
*Komturei
Fellin
*Komturei
Talkhof
Latvia
*Komturei
Marienburg
*Landmarschall
Segewold
*Ordensmeister (Komturei)
Dünamünde
*Komturei
Ascheraden
Aizkraukle (german: Ascheraden) is a town in Vidzeme region in Latvia, the administrative centre of Aizkraukle Municipality on the right bank of the Daugava River. The population in 2020 was 7,018.
History
In the second half of the 14th century ...
*Komturei
Dünaburg
*Komturei
Bauske
Bauska () is a town in Bauska Municipality, in the Zemgale region of southern Latvia.
Bauska is located from the Latvian capital Riga, 62 km (38.5 mi) from Jelgava and from the Lithuanian border on the busy European route E67. The ...
*Komturei
Mitau
*Komturei
Doblen
Dobele (; german: Doblen) is a town in the cultural region Zemgale in Latvia, and is located near the center of Latvia on the banks of the river Bērze. It received town rights in 1917 whilst being a part of the German occupied Courland Governo ...
*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 Esc ...
*Komturei
Windau
Ventspils (; german: Windau, ; see #Other names, other names) is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population ...
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