:''This article is about the region in Europe. For other uses see
Livonia (disambiguation).''
'Livonia' (,
Latvian and ;
Estonian: ''Liivimaa'';
Finnish: ''Liivinmaa'';
German and
Swedish: ''Livland'';
Polish: ''Liwlandia''; ) was once the land of the
Finnic Livonians, but came in the Middle Ages to designate a much broader territory controlled by the
Livonian Order on the eastern coasts of the
Baltic Sea in present-day Latvia and Estonia. Its frontiers are the
Gulf of Riga and the
Gulf of Finland in the north-west,
Lake Peipus and
Russia to the east, and Lithuania to the south.
Livonia was inhabited by various
Baltic and
Finnic peoples, ruled by an upper class of
Baltic Germans. Over the course of time some nobles were
polonized into the Polish-Lithuanian nobility (''
Szlachta'') or
russified into the Russian nobility (''
Dvoryanstvo'').
History
Beginning in the 12th century Livonia was an area of economic and political expansion by
Danes and
Germans, particularly by the
Hanseatic League and the
Cistercian Order.
Around 1160 Hanseatic traders from
Lübeck established a trading post at the future site of
Riga, which
Albrecht von Buxthoeven founded in 1201. He ordered the construction of a cathedral and became the first
Prince-Bishop of Livonia.
Teutonic-Estonian War
Main articles: Teutonic-Estonian War
The
Chronicle of Henry of Livonia from the
1220s gives a firsthand account of the Christianization of Livonia, granted as a
fief by the
Hohenstaufen King of Germany
Philip of Swabia to bishop Albert of Buxthoeven, nephew of the
Archbishop of Bremen, who sailed with a convoy of ships filled with armed crusaders to carve out a Catholic territory in the East during the
Northern Crusades.
Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights & Livonian Order
Main articles: Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights,
Livonian Brothers of the Sword
Thus, from 1236 Livonia had these subdivisions - independent countries:
★ a state ruled by
Livonian Order founded by Albert in 1202, which joined in 1237 the
Teutonic Knights which were based in Prussia, and the spiritual territories including
★ the
Archbishopric of Riga,
★ the Bishoprics of
Courland,
Ösel-Wiek, and
Dorpat, where Albert's brother Hermann established himself as the prince-bishop (
Livonian Confederation). The conquest of Livonia by the Germans is described in the
Livonian Rhymed Chronicle.
Livonian Confederation
The different states in Livonia and present day Estonia were organized in the
Livonian Confederation from
1228 to the
1560s. The Livonian Confederation wasn't a
state but a
confederation of
independent countries. A Diet or
Landtag was formed in 1419. The city of
Walk was chosen as the site of the Diet.
Duchy of Livonia
Main articles: Duchy of Livonia
In 1561 during the
Livonian War Livonia fell to the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania[1][2][3] with vassal dependency from Lithuania.
Eight years later, in
1569, when Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland formed
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Livonia became a joint domain administered directly by the King and Grand Duke.
Kingdom of Livonia
Main articles: Kingdom of Livonia
Russia recognized
Polish-Lithuanian control of Livonia only in
1582. As of
1598 it was divided onto:
★
Wenden Voivodeship (''województwo wendeńskie'',
Cēsis / Wenden)
★
Dorpat Voivodeship (''województwo dorpackie'',
Tartu / Dorpat)
★
Parnawa Voivodeship (''województwo parnawskie'',
Pärnu / Pernau / Parnawa)
Swedish Livonia
Main articles: Swedish Livonia
Sweden gained control over the northern Estonian and central Latvian regions of Livonia, including Riga, after fighting the
Polish-Swedish War during the
1620s, and incorporated it into the Swedish realm as the
dominion Swedish Livonia.
Livonian Voivodeship
Main articles: Livonian Voivodeship
The Livonian Voivodeship (; ) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the
Duchy of Livonia, part of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, since it was formed in the
1620s out of the
Wenden Voivodeship till the
First Partition of Poland in
1772.
Inflanty
Main articles: Inflanty
The portion of Livonia remaining in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after the
Treaty of Oliva in
1660 was known as Polish Livonia, or ''
Inflanty''. It consisted mainly of the southern Latvian region
Latgale within the
Livonian Voivodeship with the capital of
Daugavpils, or ''Dyneburg''. This division of Livonia was codified in the Treaty of Oliva in 1660.
Riga Governorate
Main articles: Riga Governorate
The
Russian Empire conquered Swedish Livonia during the course of the
Great Northern War and acquired the province at the
Treaty of Nystad in 1721. Russia then added Polish Livonia in 1772 during the
Partitions of Poland.
Governorate of Livonia
In 1796 the Riga Governorate was renamed as the Governorate of Livonia (, ).
Governors-General of Estonia, Livonia, and Courland
From 1845 to 1876, the Baltic governorates of
Estonia, Livonia, and
Courland—an area roughly corresponding to the historical Livonian Confederation—were administratively subordinated to a common
Governor-General.
[8] Amongst the holders of this post were Count
Alexander Arkadyevich Suvorov[9] and Count
Pyotr Andreyevich Shuvalov.
United Baltic Duchy
Main articles: United Baltic Duchy
Livonia remained within the Russian Empire until the end of
World War I, when it was split between the newly independent states of Latvia and Estonia. In 1918–1920 both
Soviet troops and German
Freikorps fought against Latvian and Estonian troops for control over Livonia, but their attempts were defeated.
Vidzeme in Independent Latvia
In independent Latvia between the World Wars, southern Livonia became an administative region under the tradtionial Latvian name
Vidzeme, encompassing the then much larger counties of
Riga,
Cēsis,
Valmiera, and
Valka.
Ostland
Main articles: Reichskommissariat Ostland
Baltic countries
Main articles: Latvia,
Estonia,
Lithuania
The historical land of Livonia has been split between
Latvia and
Estonia ever since.
The native
Livonian language is still spoken in parts of
Latvia, but is understood to be fast approaching
extinction.
The anthem (probably unofficial) of Livonia was ''Min izāmō, min sindimō''.
Notes and references
::'In-line:'
1. Senosios Lietuvos istorija 1009 - 1795, Alfredas Bumblauskas, , , R. Paknio leidykla, 2005, ISBN 9986-830-89-3
2. Companion to Russian Studies: Volume 1 Vol 1 Introduction to Russian History, Robert Auty, , , Cambridge University Press, 1981, ISBN 0-521-28038-9
3. Foreword to the Past: a cultural history of the Baltic People, Szilvia Rédey, Endre Bojtár, , , Central European University Press, 1999, ISBN 963-9116-42-4
4. Europe: a History, Norman Davies, , , Oxford University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-19-820171-0
5. History, philosophically issustrated, from the fall of the Roman empire to the French revolution, George Miller, , , , 1832,
6.
7. The Counter-reformation, 1550-1600, Beresford James Kidd, , , Society for promoting Christian knowledge, 1933,
8. http://www.geocities.com/capitolHill/rotunda/2209/Baltic.html
9. http://www.encspb.ru/en/article.php?kod=2804024941
See also
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