Colonizing the Landscape: A Case Study of Medieval Livonia By Jüri Kivimäe Paper given at Landscapes and Societies in Ancient and Medieval Europe East of the Elbe (2010) Introduction: This paper presents some preliminary, unfinished results of rethinking and rereading of the history of Medieval Livonia. Sébastien Rossignol’s kind invitation to join your workshop offered […]
What did the Order‘s brothers eat in the Klaipėda castle? (The Historical and zooarchaeological data)
February 28, 2011 By
What did the Order‘s brothers eat in the Klaipėda castle? (The Historical and zooarchaeological data) By Vladas Žulkus and Linas Daugnora Archaeologica Baltica, Vol.12 (2009) Abstract: Built in 1252 by the Livonian Order and later passed over to the Teutonic Order, the Klaipėda castle (German – Memelburg) was the northernmost castle of the Order in […]
The Chronicle of Prussia by Nicolaus von Jeroschin
February 16, 2011 By
The Chronicle of Prussia by Nicolaus von Jeroschin: A History of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia, 1190–1331 Translated by Mary Fischer Ashgate Publishing, 2010 Crusade Texts in Translation, Vol. 20 ISBN: 978-0-7546-5309-7 This is the first English translation of the ‘Chronicle of Prussia’, which was written by Nicolaus von Jeroschin, in middle German verse, during […]
The Conversion of Lithuania 1387
February 13, 2011 By
The foundation of the bishopric in Vilnius in 1387, marked by the presence of Jogaila (1350-1434) to assist in teaching the fundamental tenets of the faith, was a decisive, moment in the history of the Lithuanian people. I
WITCHES IN BALTIC FAIRY TALES
January 4, 2011 By
WITCHES IN BALTIC FAIRY TALES Gliwa, Bernd Onomasiology Online 4 (2003) Abstract The following article discusses names for witches in Lithuanian and Latvian fairy tales. For Lith. ragana, Latv. ragana the common etymological reconstruction *‘seeress’ is rejected. Instead, Balt. *ragana is derived from Balt. *rag- ‘to raise, rise’ < I.-E. *re -,*ro – ‘to move straight, […]
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Retrospective of Comparative Historical Sociology of Empire
December 23, 2010 By
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Retrospective of Comparative Historical Sociology of Empire By Zenonas Norkus World Political Science Review, Vol.3 No.4 (2007) Abstract: The article discusses the problem that was recently raised in Lithuanian historical literature and public discourse by G. Beresneviˇcius, A. Bumblauskas, S.C. Rowell: was the medieval Lithuanian state (Grand Duchy of […]
Construction of the Order’s Castle in Cesis, Latvia
December 19, 2010 By
Construction of the Order’s Castle in Cesis, Latvia Lapins, Arturs Dirveiks, Ilmars Proceedings of the Third International Congress on Construction History, May 2009 Abstract The ruin of the Medieval Order’s Castle in Cesis is the best preserved castle ruin complex in Latvia. The rich history and spectacular outlook place it amongst the most peculiar and interesting […]
How did the Baltic Crusades shape European society as we know it today?
November 1, 2010 By
A new University of Reading led study aims to investigate the environmental and cultural impact of the Baltic Crusades and its role in shaping modern Europe. Whilst the Crusades are famously associated with European attempts to recover the Holy Land, they were also a key feature of the expansion of European society in other frontier regions. […]
A Contribution to the History of the Conversion of Lithuania
July 25, 2010 By
A Contribution to the History of the Conversion of Lithuania By Zenonas Ivinskis Baltic and Scandinavian Countries, Vol.5 (1939) Introduction: The Lithuanians became converted to Christianity only five hundred and fifty years ago, and their final adoption of it constitutes one of the most serious problems of Lithuanian history in the fourteenth century. It had […]
The Baltic Policy of the Teutonic Order
July 16, 2010 By
The Baltic Policy of the Teutonic Order By Leon Koczy Baltic Countries, Vol.2 No.2 (1936) Introduction: The Baltic was always a scene of activity, and, in consequence all the states surrounding it have striven for dominion over its waters. In prehistoric times it was controlled by the Slavs in the south and by the Scandinavians […]
Poland celebrates 600th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald
July 15, 2010 By
The county of Poland is marking the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald, which helped to secure the country’s independence, with various celebrations and re-enactments. Among those who took part in ceremonies were Polish president-elect Bronislaw Komorowski, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and the Grand Master of the Order of Teutonic Knights, bishop Bruno Platter. Events […]
Hanseatic Cogs and Baltic Trade: Interrelations between Trade Technology and Ecology
July 1, 2010 By
From the inception of the Hanseatic League until the mid-fifteenth century, one ship type dominated the inland and overseas trade: the Cog.
The Social Status of Women in Latvia in the 7th-13th Centuries, in the Light of Palaeodemographic Data
May 30, 2010 By
This paper is intended as a contribution to the understanding of women’s social role and living conditions in the Iron Age society in Latvia.
Communicating Crusade: Livonian Mission and the Cistercian Network in the Thirteenth Century
May 11, 2010 By
Communicating Crusade: Livonian Mission and the Cistercian Network in the Thirteenth Century By Marek Tamm Ajalooline Ajakiri, no. 3/4 (2009) Introduction: In this article, I would like to raise the question of how and to what extent did contemporary information about the conquest and Christianization of Livonia reach Western Europe? This specific question is, of […]
The Vikings in the East : a Survey of Settlement, Trade and Military Activity c.700 – 1100
February 24, 2010 By
The Vikings in the East : a Survey of Settlement, Trade and Military Activity c.700 – 1100 By D.A.F. Adams MA Thesis, University of Canterbury, 1988 Abstract: This thesis surveys three principal Scandinavian activities during the period from 700 to 1100 – those of settlement, trade and military activity – in the regions east of […]
Young Church in God´s New Vineyard The Motifs of Growth and Fertility in Henry´s Chronicle of Livonia
July 23, 2009 By
Young Church in God´s New Vineyard The Motifs of Growth and Fertility in Henry´s Chronicle of Livonia By Linda Kaljundi Ennen Ja Nyt, Vol.4 (2004) Introduction: The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia (Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae), written in about 1224-1227, is the most valuable source of information concerning the crusade to Livonia and Estonia in the early 13th […]
Swells of the Mongol Storm around the Baltic
April 10, 2009 By
Jerusalem in the North: Denmark and the Baltic Crusades, 1100-1522
March 17, 2009 By
Jerusalem in the North: Denmark and the Baltic Crusades, 1100-1522 By Ane L. Bysted, Carsten Selch Jensen, Kurt Villads Jensen and John H. Lind Brepols, 2009 ISBN: 978-2-503-52325-5 ‘God wills it, God wills it!’ – this was the response to the sermon of Pope Urban II at Clermont in 1095, in which he exhorted his audience to take […]
Saints and Orators: the role of religion in cementing the legitimacy of the Jagiellonian dynasty in Poland and abroad, 1480-1506
January 10, 2009 By
Saints and Orators: the role of religion in cementing the legitimacy of the Jagiellonian dynasty in Poland and abroad, 1480-1506 By Natalia Nowakowska Paper given at The Contours of Legitimacy in Central Europe: New Approaches in Graduate Studies (2002) Introduction: The Jagiellonians originated as belligerent warlords of the Lithuanian empire, the last pagan state in Europe. […]
The Contest between Lithuania-Rus’ and the Golden Horde in the Fourteenth Century for Supremacy over Eastern Europe
December 12, 2008 By
The Contest between Lithuania-Rus’ and the Golden Horde in the Fourteenth Century for Supremacy over Eastern Europe By Jaroslaw Pelinski Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi, Vol. 2 (1982) Synopsis: Examines the struggle between Lithuania-Rus’ and the Golden Horde, including the Battle of Blue Waters in 1362 amd the Battle on the Vorskla River in 1399. Click here […]
From Saxo Grammaticus to Peter Friedrich Suhm: Danish views on medieval Estonian history
December 4, 2008 By
From Saxo Grammaticus to Peter Friedrich Suhm: Danish views on medieval Estonian history By Tyge Andersen and Priit Raudkivi Acta Historica Tallinnensia, Vol.11 (2007) Abstract: A line of early Danish historians, who wrote on Medieval Estonia in relation to Denmark, is presented. Each authors social background and the date of their contribution stand out through their […]
Medieval Baltic Numismatics
November 30, 2008 By
Medieval Baltic Numismatics By William Urban Journal of Baltic Studies, Vol. 24:1 (1993) Introduction: Medieval coins provide a tangible means of making contact with our past. In them we see part of the culture of former generations–its art, trade, politics, even its human dimension. In them we see important clues to economic and social history in […]
The First Lithuanian Book in Print
November 22, 2008 By
The First Lithuanian Book in Print By Leonardas Vytautas Gerulaitis Lithuanus: Lithuanian Quarterly Journal of Arts and Sciences, Vol.44:2 (1998) Synopsis: Examines the development of books and printing history in Lithuania, which began in the early sixteenth century. Click here to read/download this article (HTML file)
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