Duchy of Estonia (1219–1346)
(Redirected from
Danish Estonia
)Duchy of Estonia Eestimaa hertsogkond ( la ) | |||||||||||||||
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1219–1346 1559–1645 | |||||||||||||||
Roman Catholicism | |||||||||||||||
King of Denmark | |||||||||||||||
• 1219–1241 | Valdemar II | ||||||||||||||
• 1340–1346 | Valdemar IV | ||||||||||||||
• 1559–1588 | Frederick II | ||||||||||||||
• 1588–1645 | Christian IV | ||||||||||||||
Viceroy | |||||||||||||||
• 1344–1346 | Stigot Andersson | ||||||||||||||
Governor of Øsel | |||||||||||||||
• 1562–1567 | Heinrich Wulf | ||||||||||||||
• 1643–1645 | Ebbe Ulfeld | ||||||||||||||
Historical era | Battle of Lindanise | 15 June 1219 | |||||||||||||
• Tallinn joins Hanseatic League ¹ | 1248 | ||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1346 | ||||||||||||||
• Danish Ösel | 1559–1645 | ||||||||||||||
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Today part of | Estonia | ||||||||||||||
1 Wesenberg (Rakvere) was granted Lübeck city rights in 1302 by King Erik Menved. Narva received these rights in 1345. |
The Duchy of EstoniaKing of Denmark from 1219 until 1346 when it was sold to the Teutonic Order and became part of the Ordensstaat.
Denmark rose as a great military and mercantile power in the 12th century. It had an interest in ending the frequent
Estonian uprising in 1343, when the territories were taken over by the Teutonic Order
. They were sold by Denmark in 1346.
Danish conquest
During the
Valdemar II a free hand to annex as much land as he could conquer in Estonia. Besides, Albert of Riga, the leader of the Teutonic crusaders fighting the Estonians from the south, visited the king and asked him to attack the Estonians from the north.[4]
In 1219, Valdemar gathered his fleet, joined forces with the navy led by prince Wizlav of
Lindanise (now Tallinn) harbor in the Estonian province of Revala. According to the legend, the national flag of Denmark Dannebrog was born at this time, falling from the sky during a critical moment in the fight and helping the Danes to win the Battle of Lindanise
against the Estonians. The date of the battle, 15 June, is to this day celebrated as Valdemarsdag (the national "flag day") in Denmark.
The order of
Jerwia
.
In 1227, the
Zealand with the Danish king, Valdemar II. Under the treaty, Jerwia stayed part of the Ordenstaat, while Harria and Vironia were ceded back to King of Denmark as his direct dominion, the Duchy of Estonia. The first Duke of Estonia had been appointed by Valdemar II in 1220, and the title was now resumed by the kings of Denmark starting in 1269.[5]
Due to its status as the king's personal
Liber Census Daniæ (Danish
: Valdemar Sejrs Jordebog) (1220–41), an important geographic and historic document. The list contains about 500 Estonian place names and the names of 114 local vassals.
The capital of Danish Estonia was
Toompea Hill.[6] Estonians still call their capital "Tallinn", which, according to an urban legend, derives from Taani linna (Danish town or castle). Reval was granted Lübeck city rights (1248) and joined the Hanseatic League. Even today, Danish influence can be seen in heraldic symbols: the city of Tallinn's coat of arms features the Danish cross, while coat of arms of Estonia depicts three lions, similar to the coat of arms of Denmark
.
In 1240, Valdemar II created the
Bishopric of Reval but, contrary to canon law, reserved the right to appoint the bishops of Reval to himself and his successors as king of Denmark. The decision to simply nominate the See of Reval was unique in the whole Catholic Church at the time and was disputed by bishops and the Pope. During this period, the election of bishops was never established in Reval, and royal rights over the bishopric and to nominate the bishops were even included in the treaty when the territories were sold to Teutonic Order in 1346.[7]
First mentioned in 1240, the duchy was locally governed by a
Latin: capitaneus) appointed by the king and functioning as his plenipotentiary. The viceroy had administrative powers, he collected the taxes, and he commanded the vassals and the troops in case of war. Most of the viceroys were either of Danish or Danish-Estonian nationality.[8]
In Vironia, the main power centers were Wesenberg (
King Erik Menved
. Narva received these rights in 1345.
The vassals of the Danish king received
Novgorodian and Lithuanian
threats.
In August 1332, King
St. George's Night Uprising of 1343, the Teutonic Order occupied the territories. The overthrow of the Danish government came two days after the Order had put down the Estonian revolt, and the Danish viceroy was imprisoned in cooperation with the pro-German vassals. The castles in Reval and Wesenberg were handed over to the Order by the pro-German party on 16 May 1343, and the castle at Narva in 1345. In 1346, Estonia (Harria and Vironia) was sold for 19,000 Cologne marks to the Teutonic Order, notwithstanding the promise by Christopher II in 1329 never to abandon or sell Denmark's Estonian territories. The king of Denmark even made a public statement repenting breaking that promise and asking forgiveness from the Pope. The shift of sovereignty from Denmark to the Teutonic Order took place on 1 November 1346.[11]
The title of "
Russian emperors after their victory in the Great Northern War (1700–1721) and continued to be a subsidiary title of Russian emperors until the Romanov dynasty was overthrown in 1917
.
In 1559, during the
Polish-Lithuanian Union in exchange for Livonian possessions in Ösel. In 1572, Ösel was transferred to direct administration by Denmark. In 1645, it was ceded from Denmark to Sweden by the Treaty of Brömsebro.[13]
List of Viceroys
- ? (1240–1248)
- Saxo Aginsun (1248–49)
- Stigot Agison (1249)
- Saxo (1254–57)
- Jakob Ramessun (1259)
- Woghen Palissun (1266)
- Siverith (1270)
- Eilard von Oberch (1275–1279)
- Odewart Lode (1279–1281)
- Letgast (1285)
- Friedrich Moltike (1287)
- Johann Sialanzfar (1288)
- Nils Axelsson (1296)
- Nikolaus Ubbison (1298)
- Johann Saxesson (1304)
- Johannes Canne (1310)
- Ago Saxisson (1312–1313)
- Heinrich Bernauer (1313–1314)
- Johannes Kanna (1323)
- Heinrich Spliit (1329)
- Marquard Breide (1332–1335)
- Konrad Preen (1340 – May 1343)
- Bertram von Parembeke (1343)
- Stigot Andersson (1344–1346)
Danish governors of Øsel
- Heinrich Wulf (5 March 1562 – 1567)
- Klaus von Ungern zu Dalby (May 1573 – August 1576)
- Johann von Mentz (2 September 1576 – 1584)
- Mathias Budde (1584–1587)
- Claes Maltesen Sehested (2 February 1599 – 1612)
- Nils Kraggen (1612–15)
- Jakob Wacke (1615–35)
- Anders Bille (1635–43)
- Ebbe Ulfeld (1643–45)
See also
- First, Second and Third Swedish crusades
- History of Denmark
- History of Estonia
- History of Finland
- Northern Crusades
- Swedish Estonia
References
- ISBN 0-521-47299-7.
- ^ King of Denmark, Valdemar; Svend Aakjær (1926). Kong Valdemars Jordebog (in Danish). Jørgensen.
- ^ Monumenta Livoniae Antiquae. E. Frantzen. 1842. p. 36.
- ^ a b Christiansen, pp.111
- ^ Skyum-Nielsen pp. 112–113
- chronicle of Henry of Livonia.
- ^ Skyum-Nielsen pp. 113–115
- ^ Skyum-Nielsen pp. 120
- ^ Old East Slavic chronicles.
- ^ a b Skyum-Nielsen pp. 118
- ^ Skyum-Nielsen pp. 129
- ISBN 1-57607-800-0.
- ISBN 1-74059-132-1.
Sources
- Skyum-Nielsen, Niels (1981). Danish Medieval History & Saxo Grammaticus. Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 87-88073-30-0.
- Christiansen, Eric (1997). The Northern Crusades. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-026653-4.