Rauna Castle ( sv, Rönneburg, german: Rownenborgh, Ronneburg) ruins are located in the village of

Rauna Rauna (german: Ronneburg) is a village in Rauna Parish, Smiltene Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is the administrative center of Rauna Parish Rauna Parish ( lv, Raunas pagasts) is an administrative unit of Smiltene Municipali ...

Rauna Parish Rauna Parish ( lv, Raunas pagasts) is an administrative unit of Smiltene Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia (Prior to 2009, it belonged to the former Cēsis District). The administrative center is the village of Rauna. Towns, villages ...

Smiltene Municipality Smiltene Municipality ( lv, Smiltenes novads) is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging the town of Smiltene with the rural parishes of Bilska, Blome, Branti, Grundzāle, Launkalne, Palsmane, Smilten ...

, in the

Vidzeme Vidzeme (; Old Latvian orthography: ''Widda-semme'', liv, Vidūmō) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. The capital of Latvia, Riga, is situated in the southwestern part of the region. Literally meaning "the Middle Land", it is situated in n ...

region of

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 ...

. The castle was the principal residence of the

Archbishopric of Riga The Archbishopric of Riga ( la, Archiepiscopatus Rigensis, nds, Erzbisdom Riga) was an archbishopric in Terra Mariana, Medieval Livonia, a subject to the Holy See. It was established in 1186 as the bishopric of Livonia at Ikšķile, then after ...

, and was visited each year by the Archbishop and his entourage. During the 16th century, it was greatly expanded and a settlement developed around the castle. It was first demolished in the 17th century, but the towers and parts of the castle still remain.

History

The first mention of Rauna Castle dates back to 1381, although historians agree that it may have been built here even earlier. Eighteenth-century sources mention the castle as being erected in 1262, following a proposal of

Albert Suerbeer Albert Suerbeer ( – 1273) was the first Archbishop of Riga in Livonia. Suerbeer was an aggressive supporter of papal power and tried to take over the whole eastern Baltic area for the Holy See. His efforts failed, however, and he was force ...

, Archbishop of Riga. It is noted that the castle was one of the most important centers of the archdiocese. The biggest reconstructions occurred under the reign of Archbishop

Jasper Linde Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> i ...

. One of the new towers built was named ''Garais Kaspars'' (Tall Jasper), after the archbishop, and a small settlement developed around the castle, which later became the village of Rauna. The devastation of the castle started in 1556 with attacks by the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, 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 the ...

, which lasted until the end of 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 ...

. The worst damage to the castle occurred from 1657 to 1658, during the

Second Northern War The Second Northern War (1655–60), (also First or Little Northern War) was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Tsardom of Russia (Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658), 1656–58), Brande ...

between the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

and the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually ta ...

. The castle was deserted after that and slowly turned to ruins. In 1683, the

king of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument o ...

ordered the destruction of anything that resembled a fortress around the castle, so all towers were demolished. Today, the Rauna Castle ruins are preserved. Many walls and even the bases of the towers remain. Rauna piiskopilinnuse müürid

References

External links

* {{Authority control Castles in Latvia Smiltene Municipality Demolished buildings and structures in Latvia Buildings and structures demolished in the 17th century Vidzeme

History

See also

References

External links