The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia (Latvian: Indriķa hronika, Latin: Heinrici Cronicon Lyvoniae, Estonian: Henriku Liivimaa kroonika) is a historic document describing the history of Latvia and Estonia from 1180 to 1227. Apart from the few references in the Russian Primary Chronicle compiled in Kiev in the twelfth century, it is the oldest known written document about the history of these countries. For many episodes in the early stages of Christianizing the peoples of the Eastern Baltic, Henry's chronicle is the major surviving evidence aside of The Livonian Rhymed Chronicle and The chronicle of Novgorod, 1016-1471. For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Events April 13 - Frederick Barbarossa issues the Gelnhausen Charter November 18 - France Emperor Antoku succeds Emperor Takakura as emperor of Japan Afonso I of Portugal is taken prisoner by Ferdinand II of Leon Artois is annexed by France Prince Mochihito amasses a large army and instigates the Genpei War between... January 11 first mention of city of Požega in a charter of Andrew II of Hungary March 19 - Pope Gregory IX succeeds Pope Honorius III as the 178th pope. ... The Primary Chronicle (Old-Slavonic: Повсть времяньныхъ лтъ; Russian: Повесть временных лет, Povest vremennykh let; Ukrainian: Повість времмених літ, Povist vremennykh lit; often translated into English as Tale of Bygone Years), is a history of the Ancient Rus from around 850 to 1110 originally compiled in Kiev about 1113. ... Map of Ukraine with Kiev highlighted Coordinates: , Country Ukraine Oblast Kiev City Municipality Raion Municipality Government  - Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi Elevation 179 m (587 ft) Population (2006)  - City 4,450,968  - Density 3,299/km² (8,544. ... St Francis Xavier converting the Paravas: a 19th-century image of the docile heathen The historical phenomenon of Christianization, the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once, also includes the practice of converting pagan practices, pagan religious imagery, pagan sites and the pagan calendar... Livlandische Reimchronik: The Old Livonian Rhymed Chronicle, written in Low German by an anonymous writer covers the period 1180 – 1290 and contains a wealth of detail about ‘strange’ Estonia. ...

Background

Papal calls for renewed holy war at the end of the twelfth century inspired not only the disastrous Fourth Crusade that sacked Constantinople in 1204, but also a series of simultaneous "Northern Crusades" that are less celebrated in English-language popular history, but which were more successful in the long run. Before the crusades, the region of Livonia (present-day Estonia and Latvia) was a mixed outpost, a pagan society where merchants from the Hanseatic League encountered merchants of Novgorod, and where Germanic, Scandinavian, and Russian trade, culture, and cults all mingled. Scandinavian rulers and German military knightly orders led by the Prince-Bishops conquered and settled the Baltic world and drew it into the Western orbit. This article is about the medieval crusades. ... The Entry of the Crusaders into Constantinople (Eugène Delacroix, 1840). ... This article is about the city before the Fall of Constantinople (1453). ... The Teutonic knights in Pskov in 1240. ... Baltic Tribes, ca 1200 CE This article is about the region in Europe. ... Carta marina of the Baltic Sea region (1539). ... Velikiy Novgorod (Russian: ) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia, situated on the M10(E95) federal highway connecting Moscow and St. ... In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings (scriptures), its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. ... Prince-Bishop was the title given bishops who held secular powers, beside their inherent clerical power. ...

Content

The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia provides eyewitness accounts of the events, with an invaluable and deeply human history. It provides insight, not into only military operations in the East during this tumultuous period, but also into the conflicted attitudes of an eyewitness; it reveals the complexities of religious motives enmeshed with political aims. The other famous early Livonian text, the Rhymed Chronicle has less historical value, as it was essentially intended as a patriotic and Christian courtly entertainment. The Livonian Rhymed Chronicle (German: ) was a chronicle written in Low German by an anonymous writer. ...

The chronicles consist of 4 books. The first two books, "On Livonia" and "On bishop Berthold", describe the arrival of the first two German bishops, Meynard and Berthold and their failed attempts to establish influence in Latvia. The third book, "On bishop Albert" describes the third bishop, Albert of Buxhoeveden, the foundation of the Christian knightly order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and the conquest of Livonia. The fourth book, "On Estonia", describes the conquest of Estonia by Albert and the Sword Brethren. Generally a chronicle (Latin chronica, from Greek Χρόνος) is historical account of facts and events in chronological order. ... The career of Albert of Buxhoeveden (ca 1165 - Riga, January 17, 1229) and his brother Hermann exemplify the double nature of power, ecclesiastical and secular, especially on the marches of Europe, where Roman Catholicism was pushing aggressively to the East. ... Map of the Livonian Confederation, showing the territories of the Order in 1260 Capital Fellin (Viljandi) Language(s) Low German Religion Roman Catholicism Government Principality Master of the Livonian Order  - 1204–09 Wenno von Rohrbach  - 1209–36 Volquin  - 1237–38 Hermann Balk¹  - 1559–61 Gotthard Kettler¹ Historical era Middle Ages... Baltic Tribes, ca 1200 CE This article is about the region in Europe. ...

The original manuscript of the chronicles has not been preserved. There are 16 different copies, dating from 14th to 19th century, the oldest of which is the Codex Zamoscianus. A manuscript (Latin manu scriptus, written by hand), strictly speaking, is any written document that is put down by hand, in contrast to being printed or reproduced some other way. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Codex Zamoscianus is the oldest known / preserved manuscript copy of the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, written on parchment and dating from the end of the 13th century. ...

English online material on the chronicle is rather scarce, though there are some excerpts [1] and the image of a page from one of the copies can also be viewed [2].

Author

The author of the chronicles is Henry (Latvian: Indrikis, Latin: Henricus Lettus, Estonian: Läti Henrik). The chronicles say that he was a Catholic priest who witnessed most of events described. Henry is thought to have been born between 1180 and 1188. It is unclear whether Henry was from Livonia or Germany but he had a thoroughly German and Catholic education and as a youth was attached to the household of the Prince-Bishop Albert of Buxhoeveden, was ordained a priest in 1208, founded a parish and lived out his life in peace. For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Events April 13 - Frederick Barbarossa issues the Gelnhausen Charter November 18 - France Emperor Antoku succeds Emperor Takakura as emperor of Japan Afonso I of Portugal is taken prisoner by Ferdinand II of Leon Artois is annexed by France Prince Mochihito amasses a large army and instigates the Genpei War between... Saladin unsuccessfully besieges the Hospitaller fortress of Krak des Chevaliers in modern Syria. ... Baltic Tribes, ca 1200 CE This article is about the region in Europe. ... Prince-Bishop was the title given bishops who held secular powers, beside their inherent clerical power. ... The career of Albert of Buxhoeveden (ca 1165 - Riga, January 17, 1229) and his brother Hermann exemplify the double nature of power, ecclesiastical and secular, especially on the marches of Europe, where Roman Catholicism was pushing aggressively to the East. ... January 31 - Inferior Swedish forces defeats the invading danes in Battle of Lena. ...

His Chronicles are written from the point-of-view that the history of the Church was the essential history of Livonia. The Chronicles may have originated as a report to the papal legate William of Modena, to whom he was assigned as interpreter in 1225 through 1227. The legate, one of the papacy's most able diplomats, was in Livonia to mediate an internal church dispute between the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, and the territorial claims of the Catholic bishops of Livonia. William of Modena, Bishop of Modena in 1221, was frequently appointed a legate, or papal ambassador by the popes Honorius III and Gregory IX, especially in Livonia in the 1220s and in the Prussian questions of the 1240s. ...

References

• The "Chronicle of Henry of Livonia', translated and edited by James A. Brundage, Columbia University, 1961; revised 2003; 288 pages ISBN 0231128886
• Ruth Williamson, "Primary Source Analysis of the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia"
• Indriķa hronika - full text in Latvian with comments.
• Full text in Russian with comments