Otto von Lutterberg (died 16 February 1270) was the Landmeister of the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after thei ...

of the

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

from 1267 to 1270.

History

The Battle of Rakvere took place during his command of the Livonian Order, when on February 18, 1268, the combined forces of vassals of the Danish crown, Livonian knights and local

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

n militia fought the combined forces of

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

and

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

; the outcome of the battle is in dispute in the chronicles. However, according to the

Livonian Rhymed Chronicle The ''Livonian Rhymed Chronicle'' () is a chronicle written in Middle High German by an anonymous author. It covers the period 1180 to 1343 and contains a wealth of detail about Livonia (present-day south Estonia and Latvia). The Old Chronicle ...

Otto von Luttenberg was not present during the battle (being at that time in

Semigallia Semigallia is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located to the south of the Daugava and to the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. The territory is split between Latvia and Lithuania, previously inhabited by the Semigallian Baltic tri ...

) but in June of the following year led a Livonian retaliatory expedition to the lands of

, where the forces under his command burned the castle of

Izborsk Izborsk (; ; ) is a rural locality (village) in Pechorsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia. It contains one of the most ancient and impressive fortresses of Western Russia. The village lies to the west of Pskov and just to the east of the Ru ...

, the town around Pskov castle and laid siege to the castle itself. The siege ended with a truce after the defenders received reinforcements from

. Luttenberg then hastily traveled to Riga where he kidnapped and arrested the Archbishop of Riga Alfred Suerbeer, and thus solved the long-simmering power struggle with the Archbishop in favor of the Order, the bishop being released only after he promised not to appeal to the Pope or oppose the Order in the future. Otto von Luttenberg was killed on 16 February 1270 at the

Battle of Karuse The Battle of Karuse or Battle on the Ice was fought on 16 February 1270 between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Livonian Order on the frozen Baltic Sea between the island of Muhu and the mainland. The Lithuanians achieved a decisive vict ...

against the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

. He is buried in

Karuse Karuse is a village in Lääneranna Parish, Pärnu County, in western Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west ...

village church, in present-day Estonia.

References

Masters of the Livonian Order Christians of the Northern Crusades People from the State of the Teutonic Order Military personnel killed in action 13th-century people from the Holy Roman Empire 13th-century births 1270 deaths {{Germany-noble-stub