The Duchy of Estonia ( da, Hertugdømmet Estland la, Ducatus Estoniae), also known as Danish Estonia, was a direct dominion ( la,

dominium directum ''Dominium directum et utile'' is a legal Latin term used to refer to the two separate estates in land that a fief was split into under feudal land tenure. This system is more commonly known as ''duplex dominium'' or double domain. This can be cont ...

) of the King of Denmark from 1219 until 1346 when it was sold to the

Teutonic Order The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

and became part of the '' Ordensstaat''. Denmark rose as a great military and mercantile power in the 12th century. It had an interest in ending the frequent Estonian attacks that threatened its Baltic trade. Danish fleets attacked Estonia in 1170, 1194, and 1197. In 1206, King Valdemar II and archbishop Andreas Sunonis led a raid on Ösel island (

Saaremaa Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring . The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and west of Muhu island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago. The capital of the isla ...

). The

Kings of Denmark This is a list of Danish monarchs, that is, the kings and queens regnant of Denmark. This includes: * The Kingdom of Denmark (up to 1397) ** Personal union of Denmark and Norway (1380–1397) * The Kalmar Union (1397–1536) ** Union of Denmark ...

claimed Estonia, and this was recognised by the

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. In 1219 the Danish fleet landed in the major harbor of Estonia and defeated the Estonians in the Battle of Lindanise that brought Northern Estonia under Danish rule until the Estonian uprising in 1343, when the territories were taken over by the

. They were sold by Denmark in 1346.

Danish conquest

During the

Livonian crusade The Livonian crusade refers to the various military Christianisation campaigns in medieval Livonia – in what is now Latvia and Estonia – during the Papal -sanctioned Northern Crusades in the 12–13th century. The Livonian crusade was cond ...

in 1218,

Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of impor ...

gave Valdemar II a free hand to annex as much land as he could conquer in Estonia. Besides,

Albert of Riga Albert of Riga or Albert of Livonia or Albrecht (german: Albert von Buxthoeven, lv, Alberts fon Buksthēvdens; c.1165 – 17 January 1229) was the third Bishop of Riga in Livonia. In 1201 he allegedly founded Riga, the modern capital of Latv ...

, the leader of the Teutonic crusaders fighting the Estonians from the south, visited the king and asked him to attack the Estonians from the north.Christiansen, pp.111 In 1219, Valdemar gathered his fleet, joined forces with the navy led by prince Wizlav of

Rügen Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where ...

, and landed on the northern coast of Estonia in the Lindanise (now Tallinn) harbor in the Estonian province of Revala. According to the legend, the national flag of Denmark ''Dannebrog'' was born at this time, falling from the sky during a critical moment in the fight and helping the Danes to win the Battle of Lindanise against the Estonians. The date of the battle, June 15, is to this day celebrated as ''Valdemarsdag'' (the national "flag day") in Denmark. The order of

Livonian Brothers of the Sword The Livonian Brothers of the Sword ( la, Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae, german: Schwertbrüderorden) was a Catholic military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theoderi ...

had conquered southern Estonia whilst Denmark had taken the North, and the two agreed to divide Estonia but quarreled over the exact borders. In 1220 the King of Denmark gave up his claim on the southern Estonian provinces of Sakala and

Ugaunia Ugandi (Latin: ''Ungannia'' or ''Ugaunia''; lv, Ugaunija; Low German: ''Uggn'') was an independent county between the east coast of Lake Võrtsjärv and west coast of Lake Pskov, bordered by Vaiga, Mõhu, Nurmekund, Sakala, Tālava, and Th ...

, which had already been conquered by Brothers of the Sword. Bishop Albert ceded to Denmark the Estonian provinces of

Harria Harjumaa, ( la, Harria) (1200 hides), was an ancient county in what would now be Estonia. Parishes *around Varbola *around Lohu *around Kose See also * Danish Estonia *Harju County *Rapla County *History of Estonia *Livonian Crusade *Rul ...

, Vironia and Jerwia. In 1227 the

conquered all Danish territories in Northern Estonia. After their defeat in the Battle of Saule, the surviving members of the order merged into the

of Prussia in 1237. On June 7, 1238, the Teutonic Order concluded the Treaty of Stensby at a royal fortress in the south of

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

with the Danish king, Valdemar II. Under the treaty, Jerwia stayed part of the Ordenstaat, while Harria and Vironia were ceded back to King of Denmark as his direct dominion, the Duchy of Estonia. The first Duke of Estonia had been appointed by Valdemar II in 1220, and the title was now resumed by the kings of Denmark starting in 1269. Due to its status as the king's personal possession, the Duchy of Estonia was included in a nationwide Danish taxation list ''

Liber Census Daniæ The Danish Census Book or the Danish book of land taxation ( la, Liber Census Daniæ), ( da, Kong Valdemars Jordebog) dates from the 13th century and consists of a number of separate manuscripts. The original manuscripts are now housed in the Da ...

'' ( da, Valdemar Sejrs Jordebog) (1220–41), an important geographic and historic document. The list contains about 500 Estonian place names and the names of 114 local vassals. The capital of Danish Estonia was

Reval Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ''m ...

(Tallinn), founded at the place of Lindanise after the invasion of 1219. The Danes built the fortress of Castrum Danorum at Toompea Hill. Estonians still call their capital "Tallinn", which, according to an urban legend, derives from ''Taani linna'' (Danish town or castle). Reval was granted Lübeck city rights (1248) and joined the Hanseatic League. Even today, Danish influence can be seen in heraldic symbols: the city of Tallinn's coat of arms features the Danish cross, while coat of arms of Estonia depicts three lions, similar to the coat of arms of Denmark. In 1240 Valdemar II created the Bishopric of Reval but, contrary to

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

, reserved the right to appoint the bishops of Reval to himself and his successors as king of Denmark. The decision to simply nominate the See of Reval was unique in the whole Catholic Church at the time and was disputed by bishops and the Pope. During this period, the election of bishops was never established in Reval, and royal rights over the bishopric and to nominate the bishops were even included in the treaty when the territories were sold to Teutonic Order in 1346. First mentioned in 1240, the duchy was locally governed by a

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

( la, capitaneus) appointed by the king and functioning as his plenipotentiary. The viceroy had administrative powers, he collected the taxes, and he commanded the vassals and the troops in case of war. Most of the viceroys were either of Danish or Danish-Estonian nationality. In Vironia, the main power centers were Wesenberg ( Rakvere) and Narva, built on the site of the old Estonian fortresses of ''Rakovor'' and ''Rugodiv''. Wesenberg was granted Lübeck city rights in 1302 by King Erik Menved. Narva received these rights in 1345. The vassals of the Danish king received

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

s per '' dominum utile'' in exchange for military and court services. The vassals' oath to a new king had to be sworn for a "year and a day". One researcher has estimated that 80% of the vassals were Germans from

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

, 18% were probably Danes, and only 2% had distinctly Estonian names (Clemens Esto, Otto Kivele, Odwardus Sorseferæ, etc.)Skyum-Nielsen pp. 118. The chronicler Ditleb Alnpeke (1290) complained that the king of Denmark was accepting Estonians as his vassals. Danish rule was more liberal in this respect than that of the Brothers of the Sword, in whose territories no natives were allowed to become lords of fiefs. In 1248, the vassals and burgers of Reval already had a local legislative body or ''ritterschaft''. The Danish army only visited the province occasionally. In 1240–42, Denmark went to war against Novgorod and tried to extend its rule to the land of

Votians Votians, also referred to as Votes, Vots and Vods ( vot, Vađđalaizõd, et, vadjalased) are a Finnic ethnic group native to historical Ingria, the part of modern-day northwestern Russia that is roughly southwest of Saint Petersburg and east ...

. King Valdemar sent his sons Abel and Canute to support his vassals' campaign, but they did not win any new territory. The Danish king Erik Plogpennig visited Estonia in 1249, and the Danish fleet sailed to Reval in 1268 and 1270 against Novgorodian and Lithuanian threats. In August 1332, King Christopher II of Denmark died and Denmark fell into political turmoil. The province in Estonia became split between a pro-Danish party led by bishop Olaf of Reval and the pro-German party led by captain Marquard Breide. After the Estonians of Harria rebelled in the St. George's Night Uprising of 1343, the

occupied the territories. The overthrow of the Danish government came two days after the Order had put down the Estonian revolt, and the Danish viceroy was imprisoned in cooperation with the pro-German vassals. The castles in Reval and Wesenberg were handed over to the Order by the pro-German party on May 16, 1343, and the castle at Narva in 1345. In 1346 Estonia (Harria and Vironia) was sold for 19,000 Cologne marks to the

, notwithstanding the promise by Christopher II in 1329 never to abandon or sell Denmark's Estonian territories. The king of Denmark even made a public statement repenting breaking that promise and asking forgiveness from the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. The shift of sovereignty from Denmark to the Teutonic Order took place on November 1, 1346.Skyum-Nielsen pp. 129 The title of " Duke of Estonia" which had previously been held by the Danish kings, fell into disuse during the Teutonic Order era and was not revived until 1456 by the Danish King

Christian I Christian I (February 1426 – 21 May 1481) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1448–1481), Norway (1450–1481) and Sweden (1457–1464). From 1460 to 1481, he was also duke of Schleswig (within ...

. The title was assumed by the Swedish kings after they gained control of Reval and northern Estonia in 1561. The title then transferred to the Russian emperors after their victory in the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...

(1700–1721) and continued to be a subsidiary title of Russian emperors until the

Romanov dynasty The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to ...

was overthrown in 1917.

List of Viceroys

* ? (1240–1248) * Saxo Aginsun (1248–49) * Stigot Agison (1249) * Saxo (1254–57) * Jakob Ramessun (1259) * Woghen Palissun (1266) * Siverith (1270) * Eilard von Oberch (1275–1279) * Odewart Lode (1279–1281) * Letgast (1285) * Friedrich Moltike (1287) * Johann Sialanzfar (1288) * Nils Axelsson (1296) * Nikolaus Ubbison (1298) * Johann Saxesson (1304) * Johannes Canne (1310) * Ago Saxisson (1312–1313) * Heinrich Bernauer (1313–1314) * Johannes Kanna (1323) * Heinrich Spliit (1329) * Marquard Breide (1332–1335) * Konrad Preen (1340 – May 1343) * Bertram von Parembeke (1343) * Stigot Andersson (1344–1346)

Danish governors of Øsel

* Heinrich Wulf (5 March 1562 – 1567) * Klaus von Ungern zu Dalby (May 1573 – August 1576) * Johann von Mentz (2 September 1576 – 1584) * Mathias Budde (1584–1587) * Claes Maltesen Sehested (2 February 1599 – 1612) * Nils Kraggen (1612–15) * Jakob Wacke (1615–35) * Anders Bille (1635–43) * Ebbe Ulfeld (1643–45)

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Duchy of Estonia (1219-1346) 1346 disestablishments in Europe States and territories established in 1219

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

Geographic history of Estonia Denmark–Estonia relations Medieval Estonia Former duchies Historical regions in Estonia