Livonian Brothers of the Sword
| Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae) | |
|---|---|
  1. Seal of the Swordbrothers 2.Goat of Arms of the Swordbrothers |
|
| Active | 1204–1237 |
| Garrison/HQ | Wenden (Cēsis), Fellin (Viljandi) |
| Battle honours | Livonian Crusade |
Bishop Albert of Riga founded the military order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Latin: Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae, German: Schwertbrüderorden) in 1202; Pope Innocent III sanctioned the establishment in 1204. The membership of the order comprised German "warrior monks". Alternative names of the order include the Christ Knights, Sword Brethren, and The Militia of Christ of Livonia.
Following their defeat by Samogitians in the Battle of Schaulen (Saule) in 1236, the surviving Brothers merged into the Teutonic Order as an autonomous branch and became known as the Livonian Order
Contents |
History
Albert, bishop of Riga (or Prince-Bishop of Livonia), founded the Brotherhood to aid the Bishopric of Riga in the conversion of the pagan Curonians, Livonians, Semigallians, and Latgalians living on the shores of the Gulf of Riga. From its foundation the undisciplined Order tended to ignore its supposed vassalage to the bishops. In 1218 Albert asked King Valdemar II of Denmark for assistance, but Valdemar instead arranged a deal with the Brotherhood and conquered the north of Estonia for Denmark.
The Brotherhood had its headquarters at Fellin (Viljandi) in present-day Estonia, where the walls of the Master's castle still stand. Other strongholds included Wenden (Cēsis), Segewold (Sigulda) and Ascheraden (Aizkraukle). The commanders of Fellin, Goldingen (Kuldīga), Marienburg (Alūksne), Reval (Tallinn), and the bailiff of Weißenstein (Paide) belonged to the five-member entourage of the Order's Master.
Pope Gregory IX asked the Brothers to defend Finland from the Novgorodian attacks in his letter of November 24, 1232;[1] however, no known information regarding the knights' possible activities in Finland has survived. (Sweden eventually took over Finland after the Second Swedish Crusade in 1249.)
In the Battle of Schaulen (Saule) in 1236 the Lithuanians and Semigallians decimated the Order. This disaster led the surviving Brothers to become incorporated into the Order of Teutonic Knights in the following year, and from that point on they became known as the Livonian Order. They continued, however, to function in all respects (rule, clothing and policy) as an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, headed by their own Master (himself de jure subject to the Teutonic Order's Grand Master).
Masters
- Wenno (von Rohrbach) 1204–1209
- Volquin (Schenk von Winterstein) 1209–1236
See also
- Livonian Crusade
- Northern Crusades
- Order of Dobrin
- Teutonic Knights
References
- ↑ Letter by Pope Gregory IX. In Latin. Hosted by the National Archive of Finland. See http://www.narc.fi/Arkistolaitos/sahkoiset/ and Diplomatarium Fennicum from the menu.