Livonian Order

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Infobox military unit Template:History of Latvia The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order,<ref>Template:Cite bookTemplate:Dead link</ref> formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561, it was a member of the "Livonian Confederation".

Medieval Livonia in 1422

History

The Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order was formed from the remnants of the crusading order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (a.k.a. the Swordbrothers) after their defeat by Samogitians in 1236 at the Battle of Saule. In 1237, most of the former Swordbrothers became members of the Teutonic Order, thus forming its new regional branch in Livonia.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In the summer of that year, the Master of Prussia Hermann Balk rode into Riga to install his men as castle commanders and administrators of Livonia.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1238, the Teutonic Knights of Livonia signed the Treaty of Stensby with the Kingdom of Denmark. Under this agreement, Denmark would support the expansion ambitions of the order in exchange for northern maritime Estonia.<ref name=":0" />

In 1242, the Livonian Order tried to take the city of Novgorod. However, they were defeated by Alexander Nevsky in the Battle on the Ice.<ref name=":0" />

Fortresses as Paide in land ceded by Denmark in the Treaty of Stensby allowed the order to contain the threat of Russian troops. For that reason, the order focused on its southern borders and Semigallia.<ref name=":0" /> Semigallia was a strategic territory for the Livonian Order. Lithuanians passed through Semigallia to raid settlements in Livonia, and they took advantage of the winter ice pack in the Gulf of Riga to reach Oesel Island. Also, this territory kept the Livonian Branch of the Teutonic Order separated from the Prussian Branch.<ref name=":0" />

Between 1237 and 1290, the Livonian Order conquered all of Courland, Livonia and Semigallia. In 1298, Lithuanians took Karkus Castle north of Riga, and defeated the order in the Battle of Turaida, killing Livonian Land Master Bruno and 22 knights.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1346, the order bought the Duchy of Estonia from King Valdemar IV of Denmark. Life within the order's territory is described in the Chronicle of Balthasar Russow (Chronica der Provinz Lyfflandt).

The Teutonic Order fell into decline following its defeat in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 and the secularization of its Prussian territories by Albert of Brandenburg in 1525, while the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order managed to maintain an independent existence.

Livonian "confederation" agreement (1435)

The Teutonic Order's defeat in the Battle of Święta (Wiłkomierz) on September 1, 1435, which claimed the lives of the master and several high-ranking knights, brought the order closer to its neighbors in Medieval Livonia. "A friendly (confederation) agreement" (eiine fruntliche eyntracht) was signed in Walk on 4 December 1435, by the Archbishop of Riga, the bishops of Courland, Dorpat, Ösel-Wiek and Reval; the representatives of the Teutonic Order and vassals, and the deputies of Riga, Reval and Dorpat city municipal councils.<ref name="VLM">Template:Cite book</ref>

During the Livonian War, however, the order suffered a decisive defeat by troops of Muscovite Russia in the Battle of Ergeme in 1560. The Livonian Order then sought protection from Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, who had intervened in a war between Bishop William of Riga and the Brothers in 1557.

After coming to an agreement with Sigismund II, Augustus and his representatives (especially Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł), the last Livonian Master, Gotthard Kettler, secularized the order and converted to Lutheranism. In the southern part of the Brothers' lands he created the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia for his family. Most of the remaining lands were seized by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The north of Estonia was taken back by Denmark and Sweden.

From the 14th to the 16th centuries, Middle Low German as spoken in the towns of the Hanseatic League was the established language, but was subsequently succeeded by High German as official language in the course of the 16th and 17th centuries.<ref name=Koch59>Template:Cite book</ref>

Masters of the Livonian Order

The Livonian Master, like the grandmaster of the Teutonic Order, was elected by his fellow knights for a life term. The grandmaster exercised supervisory powers and his advice was considered equal to a command. The grandmaster of Teutonic knights did not limit local autonomy, he rarely visited Livonia or sent ambassadors for oversight.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesHermann Balk 1237–1238Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesDietrich von Grüningen 1238–1241Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesAndreas von Velven 1241-1242Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesDietrich von Grüningen 1242–1246Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesHeinrich von Heimburg 1246–1248Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesAndreas von Velven 1248-1253Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesAnno von Sangershausen 1254–1256Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesBurkhard von Hornhausen 1256–1260Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesWerner von Breithausen 1261–1263Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesKonrad von Mandern 1263–1266Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesOtto von Lutterberg 1266–1270Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesWalther von Nortecken 1270–1273Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesErnst von Rassburg 1273–1279Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesKonrad von Feuchtwangen 1279–1281Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesWilken von Endorp 1281–1287Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesKonrad von Herzogenstein 1288–1290Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesHalt von Hohembach –1293Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesHeinrich von Dinkelaghe 1295–1296Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesBruno 1296–1298Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesGottfried von Rogga 1298–1307Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesGerhard van Joeck 1309–1322Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesJohannes Ungenade 1322–1324Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesReimar Hane 1324–1328Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesEverhard von Monheim 1328–1340Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesBurchard von Dreileben 1340–1345Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesGoswin von Hercke 1345–1359Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesArnold von Vietinghof 1359–1364Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesWilhelm von Vrymersheim 1364–1385Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesRobin von Eltz 1385–1389Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesWennemar Hasenkamp von Brüggeneye 1389–1401Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesKonrad von Vietinghof 1401–1413Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesDiderick Tork 1413–1415Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesSiegfried Lander von Spanheim 1415–1424Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesZisse von Rutenberg 1424–1433Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesFranco Kerskorff 1433–1435Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesHeinrich von Bockenvorde 1435–1437Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesHeinrich Vinke von Overbergen 1438–1450Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesJohann Osthoff von Mengede 1450–1469Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesJohann Wolthuss von Herse 1470–1471Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesBernd von der Borch 1471–1483Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesJohann Freytag von Loringhoven 1483–1494Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesWolter von Plettenberg 1494–1535Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesHermann Hasenkamp von Brüggeneye 1535–1549Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesJohann von der Recke 1549–1551Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesHeinrich von Galen 1551–1557Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesJohann Wilhelm von Fürstenberg 1557–1559Template:Nowrap end
Template:SpacesTemplate:Nowrap beginTemplate:ColorTemplate:SpacesGodert (Gotthard) Kettler 1559–1561Template:Nowrap end

Commanderies of the Livonian Order

Across modern territory of Estonia and Latvia

Estonia

• Komturei Reval
• Komturei Pernau
• Komturei Jerwen
• Komturei Fellin
• Komturei Talkhof

Latvia

• Komturei Marienburg
• Landmarschall Segewold
• Ordensmeister (Komturei) Dünamünde
• Komturei Ascheraden
• Komturei Dünaburg
• Komturei Bauske
• Komturei Mitau
• Komturei Doblen
• Komturei Goldingen
• Komturei Windau