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Principality of Kukenois (Kukeinos) was a small independent landlocked country (principality) on the right bank of Daugava river. At the time in the beginning of the 13th century, when Low Germans led by Albert of Riga and the crusading Teutonic Knights began to occupy the shores of the Gulf of Riga, Vetseke ruled the fortress of Kukenois some 100 km southeast. According to other sources, it was indeed in return for protection against The Duchy of Samogitia and The Principality of Polatsk, that Vetseke gave half of his land to Albert of Riga in 1205. During one of the raids he was captured by Albert and delivered in chains to Riga, where a local Bishop set him free. Thereupon Vetseke burnt his capital and the fortress of Kes and retreated to Novgorod Republic. By 1209 Kukenois had been taken over by the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights and the sovereignty of Polatsk was finally revoked in 1215. The Teutonic Knights then controlled the town until its transferrance to The Archbishopric of Riga in 1238.
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