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Visvaldis Eglitis
Visvaldis was a Latgalians, Latgalian nobleman and the prince of Principality of Jersika, Jersika in the 13th century. In the ''Livonian Chronicle of Henry '', he is called king (''rex''). Biography Visvaldis's date of birth is unknown. His origins, too, are unclear: some scholars think that he was a son of Barys Davidavič, prince of Principality of Polotsk, Polotsk, and a Latgalian mother. The first written record of him dates from 1203 and tells of how he, together with the Lithuanians (tribe), Lithuanians attacked the newly established city of Riga. Although he was a vassal of Principality of Polotsk, he was married to a daughter of the Lithuanian duke Daugeruthe, Daugerutis and thus became also Lithuania's ally. Between 1203 and 1208, Visvaldis, together with the Lithuanians repeatedly raided Livonians, Livonian lands and tried to gain full control of the River Daugava River, Daugava. In 1209, Bishop Albert of Riga led German crusaders and the allied Livonian army agains ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Principality Of Jersika
The Principality of Jersika (; ; ) was a medieval Latgalians, Latgalian principality in the east of modern-day Latvia, and one of the largest medieval states in Latvia before the Northern Crusades. The capital of Jersika was located on a hill fort southeast of Riga. In documents dating to the 13th century, the western part of the principality was called ''Lettia'', and the eastern part by the Russian name ''Lotygola''. Territory Jersika's occupied territory includes a large territory of modern-day Latgale and Vidzeme. In the North bordering Tālava and Atzele, in the east bordering Principality of Polotsk, Polotsk, then in the south bordering Lithuania and Selonia and finally in the west bordering Principality of Koknese, Koknese and Livonian Daugava. According to Arveds Švābe the Principality consisted of five territories which in 1209 lost two called ″Autine″ and ″Cesvaine″ but kept three territories from Lotigola. Capital city The principality's capital city wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daugeruthe
Daugirutis or Dangerutis (''Dangeruthe'' or ''Daugeruthe'') was an early Lithuanian duke who committed suicide in 1213. He is the second (after Žvelgaitis) Lithuanian duke whose name is known from reliable sources. His life is recorded in the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia; even though no other sources mention his name, he is considered to be one of the most influential pre-Mindaugas Lithuanian nobles. Daugirutis attacked Latvian and Estonian lands many times. His domain or lands he ruled are unknown. His daughter was married to Visvaldis, Duke of Jersika (in the present-day Līvāni municipality). This marriage protected Visvaldis from attacks of Lithuanians, but he had to provide food and shelter for the troops of Daugirutis on their expeditions to plunder the Estonian or Russian lands. In 1213, Daugirutis traveled to Velikiy Novgorod to sign a peace treaty with Mstislav. The chronicles of Novgorod do not mention the treaty. While the purpose of the agreement is not explicitl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
13th-century Dukes In Europe
The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCI) through December 31, 1300 (MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched from Eastern Asia to Eastern Europe. The conquests of Hulagu Khan and other Mongol invasions changed the course of the Muslim world, most notably the Siege of Baghdad (1258) and the destruction of the House of Wisdom. Other Muslim powers such as the Mali Empire and Delhi Sultanate conquered large parts of West Africa and the Indian subcontinent, while Buddhism witnessed a decline through the conquest led by Bakhtiyar Khilji. The earliest Islamic states in Southeast Asia formed during this century, most notably Samudera Pasai. The Kingdoms of Sukhothai and Hanthawaddy would emerge and go on to dominate their surrounding territories. Europe entered the apex of the High Middle Ages, characterized by rapid legal, cultural, and religious ev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chronicle Of Henry Of Livonia
The ''Livonian Chronicle of Henry'' () is a Latin narrative of events in Livonia (roughly corresponding to today's Estonia and Latvia) and surrounding areas from 1180 to 1227. It was written by a priest named Henry. Apart from some references in ' – a patriotic work by the 12th-century Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus – and few mentions in the '' Primary Chronicle'' compiled in Kievan Rus', the Chronicle of Henry is the oldest known written document about the history of Estonia and Latvia. Background Papal calls for renewed holy war at the end of the twelfth century inspired the disastrous Fourth Crusade that sacked Constantinople in 1204, as well as a series of simultaneous "Northern Crusades" (that have been less covered in English-language popular history) which were more successful in the long run. Before the crusades, the region of medieval Livonia was a mixed outpost, a mostly "pagan" society where merchants from the Hanseatic League encountered merchants of Novgor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Livonian Brothers Of The Sword
The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (; ) was a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (monastic society), military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert of Riga, Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theoderich von Treydend). Pope Pope Innocent III, Innocent III sanctioned the establishment in 1204 for the second time. The membership of the Crusades, crusading Military order (religious society), order comprised warrior monk, warrior monks, mostly from northern Germany, who fought Baltic peoples, Baltic and Baltic Finnic peoples, Finnic Paganism, pagans in the area of modern-day Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Alternative names of the Order include Christ Knights, Swordbrothers, Sword Brethren, Order of the Brothers of the Sword, and The Militia of Christ of Livonia. The seal reads: ''+MAGISTRI ETFRM (et fratrum) MILICIE CRI (Christi) DE LIVONIA''. Following their defeat by the Samogitians and Semigallians in the Battle of Saule in 1236, the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Koknese
Koknese () is a town in Aizkraukle Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, on the right bank of the Daugava River. It has a population of nearly 3,000. According to the provisions of the 2021 Latvian administrative reform, Koknese gained city rights (town status) on 1 July 2021. History The site of Koknese was originally a Latgalian and Selonian settlement named Kukenois. By the late 12th century, the settlement of Koknese had fallen under the loose sovereignty of Principality of Polotsk as a tributary sub-principality. At the beginning of the 13th century, the crusading Livonian Brothers of the Sword led by Bishop Albert of Buxhoeveden of Riga began to occupy the shores of the Gulf of Riga. By 1205 in return for protection against Lithuanians and Polotsk, the Eastern Orthodox Church prince Vyachko (''Vetseka'') of Koknese gave half of his land to Albert. By 1209 Koknese had been taken over by the Order, whereupon Albert ordered the construction of a stone cast ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bishopric Of Riga
The Archbishopric of Riga (, ) was a Catholic diocese and civil government in Medieval Livonia, subject to the Holy See. It was established in 1186 and ended in 1561. History The diocese was established in 1186 as the Bishopric of Livonia at Ikšķile; after its seat was moved to Riga, it became the Bishopric of Riga in 1202 and was elevated to an archbishopric in 1255. The archbishops of Riga were also the secular rulers of Riga until 1561 when during the Reformation the territory converted from Catholicism to Lutheranism and all church territories were secularized. The see was restored as a diocese of the Catholic Church in 1918 and raised into an archdiocese in 1923. Bishops and Archbishops of Riga A new Bishopric of Livonia was established in Latgalia in 1621 during the Inflanty Voivodeship of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Coinage The Archbishops of Riga were innovators in the field of minting currency, reviving techniques abandoned since the co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding territories from Muslim rule. Beginning with the First Crusade, which culminated in the capture of Jerusalem in 1099, these expeditions spanned centuries and became a central aspect of European political, religious, and military history. In 1095, after a Byzantine request for aid,Helen J. Nicholson, ''The Crusades'', (Greenwood Publishing, 2004), 6. Pope Urban II proclaimed the first expedition at the Council of Clermont. He encouraged military support for Byzantine emperor AlexiosI Komnenos and called for an armed pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Across all social strata in Western Europe, there was an enthusiastic response. Participants came from all over Europe and had a variety of motivations. These included religious salvation, satisfying ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albert Of Riga
Albert of Riga or Albert of Livonia ( – 17 January 1229) was the third Catholic Bishop of Riga in Livonia. As the Bishop of Livonia, in 1201, he founded Riga, the modern capital city of Latvia, and the city was later made a bishopric. The building of the Riga Cathedral started during his tenure there in 1221. Albert headed the armed forces that forcibly converted the pagan indigenous population of the eastern Baltic region to Christianity as a result of the Northern Crusades. Early life Albert was born in Bexhövede, a part of Loxstedt, Lower Saxony, Germany. He and his brother Hermann were members of the powerful Buxhoeveden family from Bexhövede. Because of this he has also been known as Albert of Buxhoeveden (or ''Bexhövede'', ''Buxhövden'', ''Buxhöwde'', ''Buxthoeven'', ''Appeldern''). Albert was a canon in Bremen when his uncle Hartwig, Archbishop of Bremen and Hamburg, named him Bishop of Livonia, provided that he could conquer and hold it, and convince th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daugava River
The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of the Volga. It is in length, of which are in Latvia and in Russia. It is a westward-flowing river, tracing out a great south-bending curve as it passes through northern Belarus. The city of Ķekava is located 6 miles south of the west bank of the river. Latvia's capital, Riga, bridges the river's estuary four times. Built on both riverbanks, the city centre is from the river's mouth and is a significant port. Etymology According to Max Vasmer's ''Etymological Dictionary'', the toponym Dvina cannot stem from a Uralic language; instead, it possibly comes from an Indo-European word which used to mean 'river' or 'stream'. The name ''Dvina'' strongly resembles '' Danuvius'' which is itself derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''*dānu' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Livonians
The Livonians, or Livs, are a Balto-Finnic people indigenous to the Livonian Coast, in northwestern Latvia. Livonians historically spoke Livonian language, Livonian, a Uralic language closely related to Estonian language, Estonian and Finnish language, Finnish. It was believed that the last person to have learned and spoken Livonian as a First language, mother tongue, Grizelda Kristiņa, died in 2013. In 2020, however, it was reported that newborn Kuldi Medne had become the only living person who speaks Livonian as their first language. As of 2010, there were approximately 30 people who had learned it as a second language. Historical, social and economic factors, together with an ethnically dispersed population, have resulted in the decline of Livonian identity, with only a small group surviving in the 21st century. In 2011, there were 250 people who claimed Livonian ethnicity in Latvia. History Prehistory The exact date of migration of Livonians to the region has been disputed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planning Region, Riga metropolitan area, which stretches beyond the city limits, is estimated at 847,162 (as of 2025). The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava (river), Daugava river where it meets the Baltic Sea. Riga's territory covers and lies above sea level on a flat and sandy plain. Riga was founded in 1201, and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. Riga was the European Capital of Culture in 2014, along with Umeå in Sweden. Riga hosted the 2006 Riga summit, 2006 NATO Summit, the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, the 2013 World Women's Curling Championship, and the 2006 IIHF Wo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
