About Dukedom of Cesīs
Our History
The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. It was later a member of the Livonian Confederation, from 1435 to 1561. Founded: 1237 Ceased operation: 1561 Headquarters: Viljandi, Estonia · Cēsis, The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Latin: Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae, German: Schwertbrüderorden, French: Ordre des Chevaliers Porte-Glaive) was a Catholic military order Founded: 1123 established by Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theoderich von Treyden), in 1202. Pope Innocent III sanctioned the establishment in 1204 for the second time. The membership of the order comprised German "warrior monks" who fought Baltic and Finnic pagans in the area of modern-day Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Alternative names of the Order include Christ Knights, Sword Brethren, and The Militia of Christ of Livonia. The seal reads: ILIDIECRI•DE•LIVONIA+*****ISTRI•*T*R*.
Later
During the 13th century the Livonian Order was the chief military force of the German feudal lords and the Catholic Church in the eastern Baltic. By order of the pope and Livonian bishops, it subjected the Latvian and Estonian peoples to the authority of the German feudal lords. The defeat at the Battle on the Ice of 1242 halted the movement of the Livonian Order to the east. At the end of the 13th century the order began to struggle against the Riga archbishops for political hegemony in the eastern Baltic. After winning this conflict in 1330, the Livonian Order became the feudal seigneur of Riga. However, the destruction of the Teutonic Order at the battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg) in 1410 undermined its political position. According to the terms of the Kirchholm (Salaspils) Treaty of 1452, Riga was placed under the authority of two feudal seigneurs, the archbishop and the Livonian Order, despite the opposition of the city and continuing conflict between the seigneurs. This arrangement continued until the 1560’s.
Becoming part of the Polish Kingdom
After the Order of German Knights broke up in 1466, West Prussia became a "class state" under the protection of the Polish King. This form of government worked by mutual agreement between the different levels of society: The nobility, church, the citizens, and the free landholders. In 1569 a large part of West Prussia came completely under Polish domination, until it was incorporated as a province in the expanding empire of Brandenburg Prussia in 1772, after the partition of Poland. Danzig and Thom remained Polish until 1793. The two regions of East and West Prussia were briefly united between 1824 and 1878.
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