Battle of Ümera (), also known as the Battle of Imera (), was a battle during the

Livonian Crusade The Livonian crusade consists of the various military Crusade, Christianisation campaigns in medieval Livonia – modern Latvia and Estonia – during the Pope, Papal-sanctioned Northern Crusades in the 12th–13th century. Overview Historic ...

between the

Livonian Brothers of the Sword The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (; ) was a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (monastic society), military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert of Riga, Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theode ...

, their

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Livonian and Latgalian allies, and the

Estonians Estonians or Estonian people () are a Finnic ethnic group native to the Baltic Sea region in Northern Europe, primarily their nation state of Estonia. Estonians primarily speak the Estonian language, a language closely related to other Finni ...

. The Battle was fought near the Jumara, a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Gauja River in August or September 1210.

Battle

Order of Battle

The Crusaders were the led by the

, whose leader was ''Landmarschall'' Arnold.

Caupo of Turaida Caupo of Turaida, Kaupo or Kaupo Lieven, sometimes Kubbe (died 21 September 1217) was a leader of the Finnic-speaking Livonian people in the beginning of the 13th century, in what are now parts of Latvia and Estonia by the Gulf of Riga. He is so ...

was the leader of the Christian

Livonians The Livonians, or Livs, are a Balto-Finnic people indigenous to the Livonian Coast, in northwestern Latvia. Livonians historically spoke Livonian language, Livonian, a Uralic language closely related to Estonian language, Estonian and Finnish lan ...

, and the leader of the Christian

Latgalians Latgalians (, , modern ; variant translations also include Latgallians, Lettigalls or Lettigallians) were an ancient Baltic tribe. They likely spoke a variant of Latvian language, which probably became the ''lingua franca'' in present-day Latvia ...

is unknown. The military vanguard consisted entirely of members of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, and consisted of around twenty soldiers. Estonian leadership is entirely unknown.

Background

Following the Estonian retreat after their failed siege at

Cēsis Cēsis (; (, , , ) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river, overlooking the woods below. Cēsis was selected to b ...

, which was controlled by the

Wends Wends is a historical name for Slavs who inhabited present-day northeast Germany. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various people, tribes or groups depending on where and when it was used. In the modern day, communities identifying ...

and Brothers of the Sword.

and the Brothers of the Sword decided to mostly abandon the

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

and follow the retreating Estonian forces, who had crossed the Jumara. The Crusaders decided to wait for reinforcements before engaging the Estonians, however grew impatient and decided to attack. The Estonian forces had set up an ambush at its tributary and were hiding in the forests.

Battle

The Crusaders decided to cross the Jumara after having believed that the Estonians were fleeing in haste, however were either attacked, or were demanded to surrender by the Estonians after having been surrounded and encircled. The Brothers of the Sword attempted to break free from the encirclement by force, fighting their way out of the encirclement, the Christian Latgalians and Livonians followed suit, however around one-hundred of them were captured by the Estonians. The losses the Crusaders faced could have been much greater in reality than mentioned by

Henry of Latvia Henry of Latvia (; ; ; ; 1187 – ), also known as Henry of Livonia, was a priest, missionary and historian. He wrote the ''Livonian Chronicle of Henry'' which describes the evangelization of the regions which are now part of Estonia and Latvia ...

. The Estonian victory over the Crusaders was a significant morale boost, as messages were sent to all counties with a promise to be as "one heart and one soul against the Christian name". According to the

Livonian Chronicle Livonian Chronicle may refer to one of the following chronicles: *'' Livonian Rhymed Chronicle'' in poetic Middle High German **By anonymous (1180–1290) **By Bartholomäus Hoeneke (1340s) *''Livonian Chronicle of Henry The ''Livonian Chronic ...

, some of the prisoners were immediately executed, while others were burned alive and some had crosses carved on their backs with swords, before being executed as well.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Umera, Battle Of Battles of the Livonian Crusade Battles involving Estonia 1210 in Europe Battles involving Livs Battles involving Letts Battles involving the Livonian Brothers of the Sword Vidzeme Conflicts in 1210