Livonian Confederation
The Livonian Confederation was a loosely organized confederation in present day Estonia and Latvia ruled by the Order of Teutonic Knights of Livonia and which existed from 1228 to the 1560s. It contained five small states: the Livonian Order, Archbishopric of Riga, Bishopric of Dorpat, Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, and Bishopric of Courland. It was a defensive alliance to protect German ascendancy in the region against the threat of Russian expansion. The alliance was also intended to defend Roman Catholic Christianity against the encroachment of the Russian Orthodox Church.
History
This division was created by Papal Legate William of Modena in 1228 as a compromise between the church and the powerful Livonian Order, 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. In theory, one-third of the land was to be controlled by the Order and the remaining two-thirds by the church. But in reality, most of Livonia's territory was controlled by the Order, and 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 territory controlled by the Confederation was referred to as "Alt-Livland" (Old Livonia)."[1]
The Livonian Brothers of the Sword was originally a Crusading order, founded by Albert, bishop of Riga to bring the Baltic region into the Christian fold. It was formed in 1201 and approved by the Pope in 1204. It began to invade Estonia in 1208, forcing the people it subdued to accept baptism.[2] Later, after several defeats, the order sought the help of the Teutonic Knights more or less becoming their "Livonian branch."[3] After the Livonian Confederation was formed, trade flourished with string links with the cities of the Hanseatic League.
All five states of the Livonian Confederation ceased to exist during the Livonian War (1558–82). 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 knights themselves became the "landed gentility" of the Duchy.[4] The Confederacy began to weaken when many of the Knights converted to Lutheranism, which made cooperation with the Bishops problematic. Gotthard Kettler, the last Grand Master of the Livonian Order, became the first secular ruler of the Duchy. His dynasty "ruled until extinction in 1737."[5]
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In the Lovonian War, Russia, Sweden and Poland "battled for control of the Baltic" which ultimately went to Russia[6] although initially "Sweden appeared to be the winners of the struggle."[7] Having shaken off Mongol rule, Russia set out to unite Slav people elsewhere under her rule. The Baltic was regarded as properly Russian territory. In addition, Russia wanted access to the lucrative sea-trade that Baltic ports would provide.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Bojtár, Endre. 1999. Foreword to the past: a cultural history of the Baltic people. Budapest, Hungary: Central European University Press. ISBN 9789639116429.
- Frucht, Richard C. 2005. Eastern Europe: an introduction to the people, lands, and culture. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781576078006
- O'Connor, Kevin. 2003. The history of the Baltic States. The Greenwood histories of the modern nations. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313323553.
- O'Connor, Kevin. 2006. Culture and customs of the Baltic states. Culture and customs of Europe. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313331251.
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