Livonia (Latvian: Livonija; Estonian: Liivimaa; German: Livland; Polish: Inflanty; Russian: Лифляндия or Liflandiya) once was the land of the Finnic Livonians, but came in the Middle Ages to designate a much broader territory controlled by the Livonian Order on the eastern coasts of the Baltic Sea in present-day Latvia and Estonia. Its frontiers are the Gulf of Riga and the Gulf of Finland in the north-west, Lake Peipus and Russia to the east, and Lithuania to the south. Finnic (Fennic, sometimes Baltic-Finnic) may refer to languages similar to Finnish spoken close to the Gulf of Finland, i. ... The Livonians were the indigenous Finnics who since ancient times populated the shores of the Gulf of Riga adjacent to the Indo-European Balts. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Latin Fratres militiae Christi, literally the brothers of the army of Christ), also known as the Christ Knights, Sword Brethren or The Militia of Christ of Livonia, was a military order started in 1202 by Albert von Buxhövden, bishop of Riga (or Prince-Bishop... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53 deg. ... The Gulf of Riga The Gulf of Riga (or Bay of Riga, Latvian RÄ«gas jÅ«ras lÄ«cis, Estonian Liivi Laht) is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. ... The Baltic Sea The Gulf of Finland is an arm of the Baltic Sea that extends between Finland (to the north) and Estonia (to the south) all the way to the city of Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. ... Lake Peipsi - Landsat satellite photo Lake Peipus (Estonian: Peipsi järv, Russian: Чудское озеро (Chud Lake), German: Peipussee) is a large lake, on the border between Estonia and Russia in Eastern Europe. ...

Livonia was inhabited by various Baltic and Finnic peoples ruled by an upper class of Baltic Germans. Over the course of time some nobles were polonized into the Polish szlachta or russified into the Russian Dvoryanstvo. The Baltic Sea The Balts or Baltic peoples (Latvian: balti, Lithuanian: baltai), defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, are descended from a group of Indo-European tribes who settled the area between lower Vistula and upper Dvina and Dneper. ... Finnic (Fennic, sometimes Baltic-Finnic) may refer to languages similar to Finnish spoken close to the Gulf of Finland, i. ... The Baltic Germans (Baltendeutsche, Balten, and Deutschbalten respectively), were the ethnically German inhabitants of that area on the Eastern shore of the Baltic Sea which forms today the countries of Latvia. ... Polonization (Polish: ) is the assumption (complete or partial), of the Polish language or another real or supposed Polish attribute. ... Polish szlachcic. ... Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attribute (whether voluntarily or not) by non-Russian communities. ... Dvoryanstvo ( Russian: дворянство) refers to a category of Russian nobility. ...

Beginning in the 12th century Livonia was an area of economic and political expansion by Danes and Germans, particularly by the Hanseatic League and the Cistercian Order. Around 1160 Hanseatic traders from Lübeck established a trading post at the future site of Riga. The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia from the 1220s gives a firsthand account of the Christianization of Livonia, granted as a fief by the Hohenstaufen King of Germany Philip of Swabia to Albert of Buxhoeveden, nephew of the Archbishop of Bremen, who sailed with a convoy of ships filled with armed crusaders to carve out a Catholic territory in the East during the Northern Crusades. Albert founded Riga in 1201, built a cathedral, and became the first Prince-Bishop of Livonia. (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... The Hanseatic League (German: die Hanse, Dutch: de Hanze) was an alliance of trading cities that established and maintained a trade monopoly over the Baltic Sea and most of Northern Europe for a time in the later Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, between the 13th and 17th century. ... Cistercians (OCist) (Latin Cistercenses), otherwise Gimey or White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which is worn a black Catholic order of monks. ... Events Erik den helige is succeeded by Karl Sverkersson. ... Lübeck ( pronunc. ... Riga (Latvian: RÄ«ga), the capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of River Daugava, at 56°58′N 24°8′E. Riga is the largest city in the Baltic states and serves as a major cultural, educational, political, financial, commercial and industrial center... The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia (Latvian: Indrika hronikas, Latin: Heinrici Cronicon Lyvoniae) is a historic document describing the history of Latvia and Estonia from 1180 to 1227. ... Centuries: 12th century - 13th century - 14th century Decades: 1170s 1180s 1190s 1200s 1210s - 1220s - 1230s 1240s 1250s 1260s 1270s Years: 1220 1221 1222 1223 1224 1225 1226 1227 1228 1229 Events and Trends Categories: 1220s ... St Francis Xavier converting the Paravas: a 19th-century image of the docile heathen Ansgar, the 9th century apostle of the North in an 1830 drawing. ... Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud or fee, consisted of heritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord in return for a vassal knights service (usually fealty, military service, and security). ... The Hohenstaufen were a dynasty of Kings of Germany, many of whom were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor and Dukes of Swabia. ... Philip of Swabia depicted in a medieval manuscript (about 1200) Philip of Swabia (1177-1208), German king and duke of Swabia, the rival of the emperor Otto IV, was the fifth and youngest son of the emperor Frederick I and Beatrix, daughter of Renaud III, count of Burgundy, and consequently... 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. ... The Archbishopric of Bremen was an ecclesiastical state in the Holy Roman Empire. ... This article is about historical Crusades . ... The Northern Crusades, or Baltic Crusades, were undertaken by Western Europeans against the still heathen people of North Eastern Europe around the Baltic Sea. ... Riga (Latvian: RÄ«ga), the capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of River Daugava, at 56°58′N 24°8′E. Riga is the largest city in the Baltic states and serves as a major cultural, educational, political, financial, commercial and industrial center... // Events The town of Riga was chartered as a city. ... Prince-Bishop was the title given bishops who held secular powers, beside their inherent clerical power. ...

Thus, from the early 13th century Livonia became a confederation (Livonian Confederation) of lands ruled by the Livonian Order (founded by Albert in 1202, which joined with the Teutonic Knights in Prussia in 1237) and the spiritual territories including the archbishopric of Riga and the bishoprics of Courland, Ösel-Wiek, and Dorpat, where Albert's brother Hermann established himself as the prince-bishop. (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... The Livonian Confederation was a loosely organized alliance in present-day Estonia and Latvia that existed from 1228 to 1560s. ... Emblem of Livonian Brothers The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Latin Fratres militiae Christi, literally the brothers of the army of Christ), also known as the Christ Knights, Sword Brethren or The Militia of Christ of Livonia, was a military order started in 1202 by Albert of Buxhoeveden, bishop of... Events August 1 - Arthur of Brittany captured in Mirebeau, north of Poitiers Beginning of the Fourth Crusade. ... Teutonic Knights, charging into battle. ... // Events Thomas II of Savoy becomes count of Flanders. ... Riga (Latvian: RÄ«ga), the capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of River Daugava, at 56°58′N 24°8′E. Riga is the largest city in the Baltic states and serves as a major cultural, educational, political, financial, commercial and industrial center... Estonia, Livonia and Courland from a 1740 map Courland (Latvian: Kurzeme, German: Kurland, Polish: Kurlandia, Latin: Curonia / Couronia) is a historical Baltic province now part of Latvia. ... Bishopric of Oesel-Wiek (in Estonian Saare-Lääne) was a semi-independent principality in what is now Saare and Lääne counties of Estonia. ... Image of Tartu street Tartu (German, Polish Dorpat, Russian Юpьeв Yuryev) is the second largest city of Estonia, with its population of 101,246 (the Population Census data is from 2000) in an area of 38. ...

Outline of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with its major subdivisions as of 1619 superimposed on present-day national borders, Livonia marked in yellow

In 1561 during the Livonian War Livonia fell to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, with Russia recognizing Polish control of Livonia only in 1582. The organization of Livonia in the Commonwealth as of 1598 was: Map: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1619). ... Map: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1619). ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Events May 13 - Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after having been accused of treason. ... // Events The Edict of Orleans suspends the persecution of the Huguenots. ... The Reformation reached Livonia in the 1520s. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Events January 15 - Russia cedes Livonia and Estonia to Poland February 24 - Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events January 7 - Boris Godunov seizes the throne of Russia following the death of his brother-in-law, Tsar Feodor I. April 13 - Edict of Nantes - Henry IV of France grants French Huguenots equal rights with Catholics. ...

• Wenden Voivodship (województwo wendeńskie, Cēsis / Wenden)
• Dorpat Voivodship (województwo dorpackie, Tartu / Dorpat)
• Parnawa Voivodship (województwo parnawskie, Pärnu / Pernau / Parnawa)

Sweden gained control over the northern Estonian and central Latvian regions of Livonia, including Riga, after fighting the Polish–Swedish War during the 1620s, and incorporated it into the Swedish realm as the dominion Swedish Livonia. The portion of Livonia remaining in the Commonwealth after the Treaty of Oliva in 1660 was known as Polish Livonia, or Inflanty. It consisted mainly of the southern Latvian region Latgale within the Livonian Voivodship with the capital of Daugavpils, or Dyneburg. This division of Livonia was codified in the Treaty of Oliva in 1660. Wenden Voivodship (Polish: Województwo Wendeńskie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia part of the (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) since in was formed in 1598 till the Swedish conquest of Livonia in 1620s. ... CÄ“sis (German: Wenden) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Vidzeme Central upland. ... Dorpat Voivodship (Polish: Województwo Dorpackie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia part of the (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) since in was formed in 1598 till the Swedish conquest of Livonia in 1620s. ... County Tartu County Mayor Laine Jänes Area 38. ... Parnawa Voivodship (Polish: Województwo Parnawskie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia part of the (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) since in was formed in 1598 till the Swedish conquest of Livonia in 1620s. ... The city of Pärnu is located within the county of Pärnu. ... The Polish-Swedish Wars refer to a series of wars between Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden, in the wider meaning to the series of wars in which both Sweden and Poland participated between 1563 and 1721, in the narrower meaning to denote the two wars between 1600 and 1629. ... Events and Trends Permanent Dutch settlement of New York Bay and the Hudson River. ... The Dominions of Sweden or Svenska besittningar were territories that historically came under control of the Swedish Crown, but never became fully integrated with Sweden. ... Livonia was a dominion of Sweden from the 1620s until 1721. ... Treaty of Oliwa. ... Events Expulsion of the Carib indigenous people from Martinique by French occupying forces. ... Latgale or Latgalia (Polish: Łatgalia; German: Lettgallen) is one of the four cultural regions of Latvia recognised in the Constitution of the Latvian Republic. ... Livonian Voivodship (Polish: Województwo Inflanckie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia part of the (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) since in was formed in 1620s out of the Wenden Voivodship till the partitions in 1772 Voivodship Governor (Wojewoda) seat: Deneburg (Daugavpils) Administrative division... Daugavpils (Belarusian Дзьвінск Dźvinsk, Russian Двинcк Dvinsk, Lithuanian Daugpilis, German Dünaburg, Polish Dźwinów, DźwiÅ„sk or Dyneburg, Yiddish דענענבורג Denenburg), population 115,265 in 2000 census) is the second largest city in Latvia. ... Treaty of Oliwa. ... Events Expulsion of the Carib indigenous people from Martinique by French occupying forces. ...

The Russian Empire conquered Swedish Livonia during the course of the Great Northern War and acquired the province at the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. Russia then added Polish Livonia in 1772 during the Partitions of Poland. Livonia remained within the Russian Empire until the end of World War I, when it was split between the newly independent states of Latvia and Estonia. Soviet troops and German Freikorps fought with Latvian and Estonian soldiers over the Balticum teritory, but their attempts were defeated. Livonia remains split between Latvia and Estonia today. Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... The Great Northern War was the war fought between a coalition of Russia, Denmark-Norway and Saxony-Poland (from 1715 also Prussia and Hanover) on one side and Sweden on the other side from 1700 to 1721. ... The Treaty of Nystad (1721), signed at the present-day Finnish town of Uusikaupunki (Swedish Nystad), ended the Great Northern War, in which Russia received the territories of Estonia, Livonia and Ingria, as well as much of Karelia and Tsar Peter I of Russia replaced King Frederick I of Sweden... // Events Pope Innocent XIII becomes pope Johann Sebastian Bach composes the Brandenburg Concertos April 4 - Robert Walpole becomes the first prime minister of Britain September 10 - Treaty of Nystad is signed, bringing an end to the Great Northern War November 2 - Peter I is proclaimed Emperor of All the Russias... 1772 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, commonly known as the Partitions of Poland (Polish: Rozbiór Polski or Rozbiory Polski; Lithuanian: Padalijimas) took place in the 18th century and ended the existence of the sovereign Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... Clockwise from top: Trenches in frontline, a British Mark I Tank crossing a trench, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a mine at the battle of the Dardanelles, a Vickers machine gun crew with gas masks and a Sopwith Camel biplane. ... Soviet redirects here. ... The designation of Freikorps (German for Free Corps) was originally applied to voluntary armies. ... The Baltic Sea The Baltic region (sometimes briefly The Baltics) is an ambiguous term used to denominate an arbitrary region connected to the Baltic Sea (also called The Baltics). ...

The native Livonian language is still spoken in parts of Latvia, but is understood to be fast approaching extinction. Livonian (Līvõ kēļ) belongs to the Finnic branch of the Finno-Ugric languages. ... An extinct language is a language which is no longer natively spoken: it is estimated that one natural human language dies every two weeks. ...

Contemporary culture

Neil Gaiman, in his comic book The Sandman, portrayed the last sinner in Hell as being a 10th century mass murderer from Livonia, who was too proud of the magnitude of his sins to accept forgiveness. Neil Gaiman (November 2004) Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960 in Portchester, Hampshire) is an English Jewish author of numerous science fiction and fantasy works, including many comic books. ... Cover of The Sandman #1, by Dave McKean. ... Medieval illustration of Hell in the Hortus deliciarum manuscript of Herrad of Landsberg (about 1180) Hell is, according to many religious beliefs, a place or a state of painful suffering. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... A mass murder (massacre) is an act of murdering of a large number of people all at the same time. ...

"...but I am Breschau of Livonia! This is my sin!"

"No one cares any more, Breschau. No one remembers. I doubt one mortal in a hundred thousand could even point to where Livonia used to be, on a map."

See also

• Courland
• Swedish Livonia
• History of Estonia
• History of Latvia
• History of Poland
• History of Lithuania
• Battle of Kircholm
• Great Northern War
• List of Estonian rulers

Livonia is also known to be the name of several cities in the U.S.
However, there is no usual connection to any such places. Estonia, Livonia and Courland from a 1740 map Courland (Latvian: Kurzeme, German: Kurland, Polish: Kurlandia, Latin: Curonia / Couronia) is a historical Baltic province now part of Latvia. ... Livonia was a dominion of Sweden from the 1620s until 1721. ... // Pre-history Human settlement became possible when the ice, from the last glacial era, melted away 11,000–13,000 years ago. ... // Legendary History The Baltic forefathers of the Latvian people have lived on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea since the third millennium BC. At the beginning of this era the territory known today as Latvia became famous as a trading crossroads. ... In the first centuries of its emergence in the 10th century, the Polish nation was led by a series of strong rulers who converted the Poles to Christendom, created a strong Central European state, and integrated Poland into European culture. ... // Before statehood Baltic tribes The first Lithuanians, or Liths, were a branch of an ancient group known as the Balts, whose tribes also included the original Prussian and Latvian people. ... Battle of Kircholm (September 27, 1605) was one of the major battles in the Polish-Swedish War of 1600-1611. ... The Great Northern War was the war fought between a coalition of Russia, Denmark-Norway and Saxony-Poland (from 1715 also Prussia and Hanover) on one side and Sweden on the other side from 1700 to 1721. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...