Sēlpils Castle ( lv, Sēlpils pils; la, Castrum Selonum) is an ancient castle in
Sēlpils Parish,
Jēkabpils Municipality
Jēkabpils Municipality ( lv, Jēkabpils novads) is a municipality in Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging Ābeļi Parish, Dignāja Parish, Dunava Parish, Kalna Parish, Leimaņi Parish, Rubene Parish and Zasa Parish. Dur ...
in the
Selonia region of
Latvia.
History
It was built in place of the ancient Sēlpils hillfort ( lv, Sēlpils pilskalns), a military and political center of ancient
Selonia, a land of the
Balts
The Balts or Baltic peoples ( lt, baltai, lv, balti) are an ethno-linguistic group of peoples who speak the Baltic languages of the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages.
One of the features of Baltic languages is the number ...
. When the
Livonian Order entered the land, they built a stone castle known as Selburg in German.
Today, the village of
Vecsēlpils ("old Sēlpils") is located nearby. The ruins of the hillfort were on the left bank of
Daugava
, be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna
, image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png
, image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava
, source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia
, mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic ...
near Vecsēlpils. After the construction of
Pļaviņas Hydroelectric Power Station and reservoir, the ruins are on an island.
Archeological findings
Archaeological evidence shows that Sēlpils, 17 km northwest of modern
Jēkabpils
Jēkabpils (; german: Jakobstadt; pl, Jakubów) is a state city in Jēkabpils Municipality in southeastern Latvia roughly halfway between Riga and Daugavpils and spanning the Daugava River. Historic Jēkabpils lies on the left bank, in Selonia ...
, was a major settlement between the 10th and 13th centuries. Used as a base for raids by the Selonians and their
Lithuanian allies into
Latgalian and
Livonian lands, Sēlpils was first mentioned in the
Chronicle of Henry of Livonia
The ''Livonian Chronicle of Henry'' ( la, Heinrici Cronicon Lyvoniae) offers a Latin narrative of events in Livonia (roughly corresponding to today's inland Estonia and the northern part of Latvia) and surrounding areas from 1180 to 1227. It was ...
, which describes its capture by the
Livonian Order and their
Christianized
Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
ethnic Livonian allies in 1208. Sēlpils was briefly the seat of a Selonian
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
(1218–1226), and then came under the rule of the Livonian Order, which constructed fortifications there for the Advocate (german: Vogt) of the Order. These were destroyed by the
Swedes in 1704, during the
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...
, and only traces of the foundations are visible at the site today.
Since the early 17th century, the ancient city of Sēlpils also existed.
[Das Inland : eine Wochenschrift für Liv-, Esth- und Curländische Geschichte, Geographie, Statistik und Litteratur. Jg. 1, Nr. 1 (1836)-Jg. 28, Nr. 52 (1863) Dorpat : C.A. Kluge, 1836-1863 nr. ; 25-32 cm. ISSN 1691-8428.] The importance of Sēlpils as a trading center on the Daugava declined after the military devastation of the early 18th century.
See also
*
Battle of Selburg
References
Further reading
*Arveds Švābe, ed.: ''Latvju enciklopēdija''. Stockholm: Trīs Zvaigznes, 1952-1953.
*Edgars Andersons, ed.: ''Latvju enciklopēdija 1962-1982''. Lincoln: American Latvian Association, 1983-1990. Entry "Sēlija" available a
historia.lv Retrieved 26 February 2006.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sēlpils Castle
Archaeological sites in Latvia
Castles of the Livonian Order
Jēkabpils Municipality
Friedrichstadt County
Selonia