The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order and one of the members of the Livonian Confederation from 1435 to 1561. The full name of the Order is the Brotherhood of the Knights of Christ of Livonia. The order was ruled by the Master and engaged in endless wars.
The Livonian Order was a German military-political organization and was based on the lands of Livonia - where Latvia and Estonia are now located.
Order formation
The history of the Livonian Order began in 1217, when the King of Denmark, Waldemar II, founded the Revel fortress on the lands of Estonia (now the city of Tallinn is located here). After 13 years, part of the Estonian lands was transferred to the German Order of the Swordsmen, founded in 1202 in Riga. On the territory that fell under the sway of the Swordsmen, the Vogts and commanders ruled. The conquered lands were distributed to the Catholic clergy and the knights of the Order. The burden of keeping the knights rested with the local population. Later, the Order began to be called Livonian, in honor of the Livs - the Baltic-Finnish people who lived in this territory. Formally, the Livonian Order was subordinate to the German Emperor and the Pope.
Structure and management
The people who made up the Order were divided into three large groups. The serving brothers were craftsmen and squires, the priest brothers were the clergy, and the knight brothers were warriors. The knight of the Livonian Order could be distinguished by the white mantle, which depicted a sword and a red cross.
At the head of the Order was the Master (Landmaster), by analogy with the Teutonic Order, which was ruled by the Grand Master. The head of the Order was elected by the knight brothers and performed control functions. His word was perceived as an order. The Teutonic Grand Master himself never came to Livonia, not wanting to violate local autonomy. He preferred to send his ambassadors there. The first Master of the Order of Lithuania was Hermann von Balk, who at that time already had the title of Master of the Teutonic Order. The last landmaster of the Livonian Order was Gotthard Ketler. In 1559, he entered into an agreement with the Polish king and transferred the territories belonging to the Order to the Lithuanian and Polish protectorate.
