Livonian Crusade

Livonian Crusade
	Part of the Northern Crusades
	; A Teutonic Knight on the left and a Swordbrother on the right.
Date	13th century
Location	Estonia, Latvia
Result	Crusader victory; Creation of Terra Mariana and the Duchy of Estonia
Belligerents
Crusaders Sword-Brothers; Livonian Order; Denmark; Bishopric of Riga; Bishopric of Dorpat; Sweden; Tālava; christianized Livs, Letts, Estonians, Latgalians and Ungannians; Bishopric of Courland; Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek; Novgorod Republic; Pskov Republic;	Baltic pagans (indigenous peoples) Livs (Livonians); Latgalians; Curonians; Estonians Oeselians; Ungannians; ; Selonians; Semigallians; Vends; Grand Duchy of Lithuania Samogitians; Novgorod Republic; Pskov Republic; Principality of Polotsk;
Commanders and leaders
Volkwin †; Wenno; Wilken von Endorp †; Otto von Lutterberg †; Albert of Riga; Berthold of Hanover †; Theoderich von Treyden †; Anders Sunesen; Valdemar II of Denmark; Witslaw of Rügen; Albert of Saxony; John of Sweden; Caupo of Turaida †; Tālivaldis of Tālava †;	Ako of Salaspils †; Vesceka of Kukenois †; Visvaldis of Jersika; Lembitu of Lehola †; Viestards of Tērvete; Nameisis of Zemgale; Vykintas of Lithuania; Treniota of Lithuania; Traidenis of Lithuania;

The Livonian crusade consists of the various military Christianisation campaigns in medieval Livonia – modern Latvia and Estonia – during the Papal-sanctioned Northern Crusades in the 12–13th century. The Livonian crusade was conducted mostly by the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Denmark. It ended with the creation of Terra Mariana and the Danish duchy of Estonia. The lands on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea were one of the last parts of Europe to be Christianised.

On 2 February 1207, in the territories conquered, an ecclesiastical state called Terra Mariana was established as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire, and proclaimed by Pope Innocent III in 1215 as a subject of the Holy See. After the completion of the crusade, the Teutonic- and Danish-occupied territory was divided into six feudal principalities by William of Modena.

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