Terra Mariana
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Livonia Terra Mariana la | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1207–1561 | |||||||||||||||
| Location of Livonia | |||||||||||||||
| Capital | Riga | ||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Latin, Low German, Estonian, Latvian, Livonian | ||||||||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||||||||
| Legislature | Landtag | ||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||||||||
• Livonian Crusade | 1208–27 | ||||||||||||||
• Established | 1207 1207 | ||||||||||||||
| 1248 | |||||||||||||||
• Reval joins Hanseatic League | late 13th century | ||||||||||||||
• Landtag formed | 1419 | ||||||||||||||
• Livonian War | 1558–82 | ||||||||||||||
• Wilno Pact | 1561 | ||||||||||||||
• Kingdom of Livonia | 1570–78 | ||||||||||||||
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Terra Mariana (Land of St. Mary) was the official name of medieval Livonia [1] that was formed in the aftermath of Livonian Crusade in the territories comprising the present day Estonia and Latvia.
It was established on February 2, 1207 [2]as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire[3] and proclaimed by pope Innocent III in 1215 as a subject to the Holy See.[4]
Terra Mariana was divided into six feodal principalities by Papal Legate William of Modena: Archbishopric of Riga, Bishopric of Courland, Bishopric of Dorpat, Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, the lands ruled by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and Dominum directum of King of Denmark, the Duchy of Estonia. In 1227 the Swordbrothers conquered all Danish territories in Estonia. After the Battle of Saule the surviving members of the Swordbrothers merged into the Teutonic Order of Prussia in 1237 and became known as Livonian Order. On June 7, 1238 by the Treaty of Stensby the Teutonic knights returned the Duchy of Estonia to Valdemar II until in 1346 the lands were sold back to the order and became part of the Ordenstaat.
In 1561 during Livonian war Terra Marina ceased to exist [1]. The northern parts were formed into Duchy of Estonia and ceded to Sweden and the southern territories became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania — and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as Duchy of Livonia and Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. The island of Saaremaa became part of Denmark
History
Livonian Crusade
The lands on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea were the last corners of Europe to be Christianized. Pope Celestine III called for a crusade against pagans in Northern Europe in 1193. At the beginning of the 13th century, German crusaders from the northern Holy Roman Empire established the stronghold of Riga (capital of modern Latvia) and formed the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. in 1218 Pope Honorius III gave Valdemar II free hands to annex as much land as he can conquer in Estonia, additionally Albert of Riga, the leader of Teutonic crusaders fighting the Estonians from the south paid visit to the king and asked to attack the Estonians from the North.[5] The last to be subjugated and christianised were Oeselian, Curonians and Semigallians
After the success of the crusade, the German- and Danish-occupied territory was divided into six feodal principalities by William of Modena.
Estabishment
This divisions of medieval Livonia were created by Papal Legate William of Modena in 1228 as a compromise between the church and the Swordbrothers, both factions led by Germans, after the German knights had conquered and subdued the territories of several indigenous tribes: Finnic-speaking Estonians and Livs, and Baltic-speaking Latgalians, Selonians, Semigallians and Curonians.
The medieval Livonia was rivalry ruled by the autonomic branch of Teutonic knights called Livonian Order and the Roman Catholic Church. By the mid 14th century, after buying Danish Estonia from Christopher II the Livonian Order controlled about 67,000 square kilometers of the Old Livonia and the Church about 41000 km2. The lands of the order were divided into about 40 districts governed by a Vogt. The largest ecclesiastical state was Archbishopric of Riga (18,000 km2) followed by Bishopric of Courland (4500 km2), Bishopric of Dorpat, Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek and Bishopric of Reval. The nominal head of Terra Mariana as well as the city of Riga was the archbishop of Riga as the apex of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. [6]
Livonian Confederation
Livonian Confederation was established in 1418 [7] conflicts between the Order, the bishops, and the powerful Hanseatic cities were common throughout the existence of the Confederation. To solve internal disputes, the Livonian Diet or Landtag was formed in 1419. The city of Walk was chosen as the site of the Diet. The Diet was composed of members of the Livonian Order, Livonian Bishops, vassals and city representatives. The states of the Livonian Confederation ceased to exist during the Livonian War (1558–82). In 1559 the Bishop of Ösel-Wiek sold his lands to King Frederick II of Denmark for 30,000 thalers. The Danish king gave the territory to his younger brother Duke Magnus of Holstein who landed on Saaremaa with an army in 1560. [8] In 1561 the Swedish army landed in Reval and gained control over the Northern part of Old Livonia. The Livonian Order was dissolved by the Wilno Pact in 1561. The following year, the Livonian Diet decided to ask protection from Sigismund II of Poland (Zygmunt II August) and the Grand Duke of Lithuania. With the end of government by the last Archbishop of Riga William of Brandenburg, Riga became a Free Imperial City and the rest of the territory was split between the Lithuanian vassal states Duchy of Courland and Semigallia and the Duchy of Livonia.
The territory of Medieval Livonia has been referred to by historians as Old Livonia. [9]
of Joann Portantius
See also
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References
- ^ a b "Terra Mariana". The Encyclopedia Americana. Americana Corp. 1967.
- ^ Bilmanis, Alfreds (1944). Latvian-Russian Relations: Documents. The Latvian legation.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Herbermann, Charles George (1907). The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Bilmanis, Alfreds (1945). The Church in Latvia. Drauga vēsts.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Christiansen, Eric (1997). The Northern Crusades. Penguin. ISBN 0140266534.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ The Latvians: A Short History By Andrejs Plakans ISBN 0817993029; p. 19
- ^ The History of the Baltic States By Kevin O'Connor; ISBN 0313323550; p. 23
- ^ Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Lands, and Culture By Richard C. Frucht; ISBN 1576078000; p.70
- ^ Endre Bojtár. Foreword to the Past: A Cultural History of the Baltic People. Central European University Press, 1999, p. 169 ISBN 9639116424