Denmark and the Baltic Crusade 1150-1227

260 Pages·1969·19.274 MB·English

by  Peter Rebane

DENMARK ANDTHE 3ALTIC CRQSADE,
1150=1227
Thesis forthe BegreeofPM).
MECHIGAN STATE UNWERSSTY
Peep Peter Rebane
€969
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This is to certify that the
thesis entitled
DENMARK AND THE BALTIC CBUSADE
1150-1227
presented by
Peep Peter Rebane
has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for
Ph.D. History
degree in
// Major professor
Date
0-169
ABSTRACT
DENMARK AND THE BALTIC CRUSADE,
1150-1227
BY
Peep Peter Rebane
It is generally acknowledged that the crusading
movement of the twelfth century signified a mental and
physical outpouring of the civilization of Western Europe.
While much attention has been lavished on the Eastern Cru-
sades, much less space has been devoted to an equally
important extension of European culture, namely, the con-
version of the Baltic and Finnish natives of northeastern
Europe. While the Latin expeditions to the Near East may
have been more spectacular, they produced on the whole
little or no lasting effect among the conquered. The
German and Scandinavian drang nach Osten, on the other

hand, although slow and arduous, permanently brought the
lands around the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea into the
fold of Western European civilization.
By the late twelfth century, the Danes as well as
the nobles and traders of North Germany had begun to eye
the Baltic lands as possible areas of economic and politi-
cal exploitation. As the natives of these areas were
’pagans, a further impetus for conquest came from the Roman
Catholic Church, which desired the conversion of all the
heathens of Europe. As early as 1164 the Danes thus
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supported an abortive mission by Fulco, the first bishop
of Estonia, to convert the natives of that country.
While the Danish mission failed, Germans from the
Hamburg-Bremen area were more successful. In 1184 they
established a missionary church at fixkfill on the Dfina
River. Despite some early setbacks, the German colony
grew, especially after 1198 when Albert von Buxhovden was
named bishop of fixkfill. With the help of a newly estab-
lished crusading order, the Knights of the Sword, the
Germans pushed north into Estonia. Now, however, quarrels
broke out over the spoils between the episcopal party and
the Order. Thus weakened by dissension and faced with a
determined native counterattack supported from Russia, the
Germans were forced to turn to Denmark for aid.
The Danish nation had since 1170 experienced a
period of great vitality caused by a combination of out-
standing leadership of Church and State and their mutual
cooperation. Led by King Valdemar II and Archbishop
Anders Sunesen of Lund, Denmark became during the two
first decades of the thirteenth century the leading power
in northern Europe. The Danish successes were viewed with
favor by the Roman papacy, which desired to make Denmark
its secular arm in northern European politics. Thus when
called on by the Germans to aid the Christian cause in
Livonia, the Danes, encouraged by the papacy, responded
in 1219 by invading Estonia.
The erstwhile Christian allies soon fell out over
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a division of the spoils, with Denmark gaining the lion's
share. By 1222 it appeared that Denmark would become the
ruler of the whole Baltic region. Suddenly, however,
disaster struck--Valdemar II was captured and imprisoned
by his German adversaries. Deprived of its leadership,
Denmark could offer little resistance when its enemies in
Germany and Estonia despoiled the country of its posses-
sions. The papacy, which had supported the Danish claims,
tried to salvage part of the Danish colony by establishing
a papal state in Estonia. In the end, however, even the
papal rule collapsed and all of the lands of the Eastern
Baltic became German colonies.
'In retrospect, Denmark‘s attempt to spread its
power and influence in the Eastern Baltic reveals not only
the manner of Danish politics but also the general atti-
tude with which Europe viewed its relations with its
borderlands and their inhabitants. While Denmark itself
gained little in the way of territory, its involvement in
Baltic affairs during a critical era aided considerably in
the establishment of a westward-looking, Roman Catholic
civilization in this part of Europe.
DENMARK AND THE BALTIC CRUSADE,
1150-1227
BY
Peep Peter Rebane
A THESIS
Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Department of History
1969
5a 771/
//—2 7/70
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The author would like to express his gratitude to
Professor Richard E. Sullivan, Chairman of the Department
of History at Michigan State University, for his assis-
tance in the preparation of this dissertation. Dr. Sul-
livan's unswerving interest in the progress of this study
and his invaluable suggestions and criticisms made the
dissertation possible. I would also like to thank my wife
who patiently proofread and typed much of this work while
undoubtedly often wondering if it would ever reach a suc-
cessful conclusion.
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABBREVIATIONS O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 iv
INTRODUCTION 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O C 1
Chapter
I. THE BALTIC AND THE DANISH MISSION IN THE
TWELFTH CENTURY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
II. IMPERIAL POLITICS AND THE GERMANS IN
LIVONIA O O O O O I O O C O I O O O C C O O 32
III. THE GROWTH OF DANISH POWER AND THE KNIGHTS
OF THE SWORD . O O O C O O O O C C O O C O 70
IV. THE ESTONIAN WARS AND THE COMING OF THE
DANES I O O O O O O O C O O C O O I O O C O 101
v. THE YEARS or DANISH PREEMINENCE . . . . . . . 126
VI. THE COLLAPSE OF DANISH IMPERIALISM . . . . . 144
CONCLUSION O O O O O O O I O O O O O O O O O I O O O 185
BIBLIOGMPHICAL ESSAY I O O I O C O O O O O O O O O O 188
BIBLIOGMPHY O I O O O O O O O O O O O O O I O O O O 206
MAPS O O O O 0 O O O O O O O O O I O O I O O O I O O 226
iii
ABBREVIATIONS
AD Annales Danici medii aevi. Edited by
E. Jfirgensen. K6benhavn, 1920.
Alberich von Alberich von Trois Fontaines. Chronica
Trois Alberici monachi Trium-Fontium a
m onacho Novi Monasterii Hoiensis
interpolata.

Albert zu Stade Annales Stadenses auctore Alberto.

Arnold Arnold von Lfibeck. Slavekr5nike.
212
Bullarium Danicum.

Beitrage Beitrage zur Kunde Est-, Liv- und Kur-
1ands. Edited by Estlandische Literar-
1scHe Gessellschaft. Reval, 1873-
1938.
DRB Danmarks Riges Breve.

Henry Heinrich von Lettland. Livlandische
Chronik.
Livonica Hildebrand, H., ed. Livonica.

Mitt. Mitteilungen aus dem Gebiete der
Geschichte Liv-, Ehst- und KurIands.
Edited By Gesellschaft ffir Geschichte
und Altertumskunde der Ostseeprovinzen
Russlands. Riga, 1840-92. After Vol.
XV (1892), the title is Mitteilungen
aus der livlandischen Ges EhiEhte.
Riga, 1892-1933.
Potthast Re esta pontificum Romanorum ab anno
1I8 8 ad annumEI353. E dited by
A. PottHast.
R.Chr. Livlandische Rheimchronik.
SB G.E.G. §itzungsberichte der Gelehrnten
E stnischen GeselIEChaft. Tartu.

iv
ABBREVIATIONS (continued)
SB Riga Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft ffir
Geschichte ungAltertumskunde der Ost-
seeprovinzen Russlands.
g§_ Liv-, Est- und Kurlandisches Urkunden-
buch.
yerhandlungen Verhandlungen der Gelehrten Estnischen
G.E.G. Gesellschaft. Tartu.