Livonian Brothers of the Sword
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| Livonian Brothers of the Sword Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae (la) Schwertbrüderorden (de) | |
|---|---|
| Image:Cross livonia.png Insignia of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword | |
| Branches of service | |
| Leadership | |
| Headquarters: | Viljandi |
| Commander-in-Chief: | Master Wenno, Master Volquin |
| Personnel | |
| Industry | |
| History | |
Livonian Crusade | |
| Ranks and insignia | |
The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Latin: Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae, German: Schwertbrüderorden) was a military order established in 1202 by Albert of Buxhoeveden, sanctioned by Pope Innocent III in 1204. The order was composed of German "warrior monks". They were also known as the, Christ Knights, Sword Brethren, and The Militia of Christ of Livonia. Following their defeat by Lithuania in the Battle of Schaulen (Saule) in 1236, they were merged into the Teutonic Order as an autonomous branch and became known as the Livonian Order
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[edit] 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 along 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.
The Brotherhood's headquarters were at Fellin (Viljandi) in present day Estonia, where the walls of the master's castle are still standing. 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 requested the Brothers to defend Finland from the Novgorodian attacks in his letter in November 24, 1232.[1] However, no information survives if the knights ever had any activities in Finland. Finland was eventually taken over by Sweden after the Second Swedish Crusade in 1249.
The Brothers were all but annihilated by the Lithuanians and Semigallians at the Battle of Schaulen (Saule) in 1236, leading the surviving Brothers to be incorporated into the Order of Teutonic Knights the following year. From that point on they became known as the Livonian Order and were in all respects (rule, clothing and policy) an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, headed by their own Master (who was de jure subject to the Teutonic Order's Grand Master).
[edit] Masters
[edit] See also
- Livonian Confederation
- Courland
- Livonia
- Latvia
- Estonia
- Northern Crusades
- Order of Dobrin
- Teutonic Knights
- Conquest of Estonia
[edit] References
- ^ Letter by Pope Gregory IX. In Latin. Hosted by the National Archive of Finland. See [1] and Diplomatarium Fennicum from the menu.
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