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[1] The Vironians (Estonian : Virulased) were one of the Finnic tribes that later formed the Estonian nation. [2]
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2023) |
[1] The Vironians (Estonian : Virulased) were one of the Finnic tribes that later formed the Estonian nation. [2]
They lived in Vironia (Virumaa in Estonian, Wierland in German and Virland in Scandinavian, now Ida-Viru County and Lääne-Viru County of Estonia). Vironians were divided into five clans (kilikunda), Maum (in Estonian "Mahu"), Laemund (Lemmu) also known as Pudiviru, Askele, Revele (Rebala), Alentagh (Alutaguse). They built many strongholds, like Tarwanpe (modern Rakvere) and Agelinde (now Punamägi Hill in Äntu village). [3] [4]
Like other Estonian tribes, Vironians remained predominantly pagan before Northern Crusades in the 13th century. [5] According to the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, [6] Vironians believed that Tharapita, a god worshipped by Osilians (the tribe inhabiting Saaremaa) was born in Vironia. [7] [6] However, Vironian elder Thabelin of Pudiviru had endorsed Christianity before the German and Danish crusaders reached Estonia. Thabelin (Tabellinus) was baptized by Germans in Gotland island. Later, when competing Danish crusaders arrived in Vironia, Thabelin was suspected of being too pro-German and was hanged.
In 1219, the German crusaders of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword made a raid against Vironians together with recently christened Letts, Livonians, and several proto-Estonian tribes (Sakalians, Ugaunians and Jervians). After five days of killing and pillaging, Kyriavan, Thabelin and other Vironian elders asked for a truce. According to the chronicle, Kyriavan told he had a "very bad god" before and therefore was ready to accept the Christian god. After truce was made, Vironian elders accepted Christianity. Some sons of elders from all five Vironian clans were taken hostages by the crusaders as part of the truce.
In 1221, Vironians took part in failed attempt to oust Danes who had built a fortress in the place of modern Tallinn in the neighboring province of Revelia. Danes retaliated, killed several Vironian elders and put Vironians under heavy taxes. In 1225, Danes and German crusaders clashed with each other over the ownership of Vironia. In 1226, The papal legate William of Modena arrived at the Vironian stronghold of Tarwanpe and mediated peace between the Germans, Danes, and Estonians.
A year later the Vironian territories were taken by Brothers of the Sword. Vironians sided with the new Papal Legate Baldwin of Alna who in 1230 tried to create a Papal Vassal State in Northern Estonia, including Vironia. In 1233, the supporters of Baldwin were defeated by the Order in the city of Reval (Tallinn). Vironian territories were snatched by the Order again as Baldwin of Alna complained in his report to the Pope in 1234. The Order was also accused of oppressing Vironian converts and expelling local supporters of Church.
In 1238, Vironia was given to Denmark again according to the treaty of Stensby. The area went into hands of powerful vassals of Danish king, many of which were of local origin, like Dietrich of Kievel (probably 'Kivela' - 'land of stone' in Estonian) who controlled Eastern part of Vironia, where he started to build the stronghold of Narva. Vironians and Vironian vassals took part in Order's and Denmark's failed crusade against Russia 1240-1242.
The names Virumaa, Vironia and Virland have been continuously used for the North-Eastern Estonia. For example, in 1266, Margrete Sambiria, Dowager Queen of Denmark was named the Lady of Estonia and Virland.
The name Viru probably has Finnic roots (e.g., Finnish language vireä means "vivacious", "lively"). According to an alternative hypothesis the word Viru may have originated from Baltic languages with the meaning 'man' (cf. English word virile). Earliest mention of the name is probably on the Ängby Runestone located in Uppland, Sweden which has inscription in memory of a Viking named Björn who was killed in Virland (uirlant). In the Finnish language, Estonia is still called Viro after Vironians. 'Viro' is also present in several Finnish place names like Virolahti, Virojoki and last names (Vironen, Virolainen).
In Estonian, the word virulased is used for inhabitants of modern Virumaa counties or speakers of North Eastern Estonian dialects.
"A girl from Virland" (French: "Graüben, jeune Virlandaise") is character of Jules Verne's 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth'.
Australian author Henry Lawson has written poetry about mythical "Kingdom of Virland".
The name Vironia was also chosen for a popular Estonian academic fraternal corporation, which was established in 1900 in Riga, Latvia and currently has representation in Tartu, Tallinn, Toronto, the American East and West coasts and Australia.
Livonia or in earlier records Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia.
The Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades were Christianization campaigns undertaken by Catholic Christian military orders and kingdoms, primarily against the pagan Baltic, Finnic and West Slavic peoples around the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, and also against Orthodox Christian East Slavs.
Counties are the state administrative subdivisions of Estonia. Estonian territory is composed of 15 counties, including 13 on the mainland and 2 on islands. County governments were abolished at the end of 2017, with their duties split between state authorities and local governments, and nowadays counties have no noteworthy independent competences. Counties are composed of municipalities of two types: urban municipalities and rural municipalities, which are by law required to cooperate in development of their county.
Saare County is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It consists of Saaremaa, the largest island of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it, most notably Muhu, Ruhnu, Abruka and Vilsandi. The county borders Lääne County to the east, Hiiu County to the north, and Latvia to the south. In 2022 Saare County had a population of 31,292, which was 2.4% of the population of Estonia.
Taara, also known as Uku or Jumal, is a prominent god in Estonian mythology, with a strong resemblance to the Finnish Ukko and the Germanic Thor.
Ugaunians or Ugannians, referred to as Chudes by the earliest Russian chronicles, were a historic Finnic people inhabiting the southern Estonian Ugandi County that is now Tartu, Põlva, Võru and Valga counties of Estonia.
Ugandi was an independent county between the east coast of Lake Võrtsjärv and west coast of Lake Pskov, bordered by Vaiga, Mõhu, Nurmekund, Sakala, Tālava, and The Principality of Pskov. Ugandi had an area of approximately 3000 hides. Ugandi corresponded roughly to the present Estonia's territory of Võru County, Põlva County and half of Tartu County and Valga County, as well as Petseri County.
The Duchy of Estonia, also known as Danish Estonia, was a direct dominion of the King of Denmark from 1219 until 1346 when it was sold to the Teutonic Order and became part of the Ordensstaat.
Semigallia, also spelt Semigalia, is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located to the south of the Daugava river and to the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. The territory is split between Latvia and Lithuania, previously inhabited by the Semigallian Baltic tribe. They are noted for their long resistance (1219–1290) against the German crusaders and Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades. Semigallians had close linguistic and cultural ties with Samogitians.
The Battle of Lyndanisse or Lindanise was fought on 15 June 1219 during the Northern Crusades, between the forces of the invading Kingdom of Denmark and the local non-Christian Estonians. The Danish victory in the battle, at the site of the later Hanseatic city of Reval helped King Valdemar II of Denmark to subsequently claim the territory of northern Estonia as his participation in the crusade into Estonia had been undertaken in response to calls from the Pope.
Oeselians or Osilians is a historical name for the people who prior to the Northern Crusades in the 13th century lived in the Estonian island of Saaremaa (Ösel) – the Baltic Sea island was also referred as Oeselia or Osilia in written records dating from around that time. In Viking Age literature, the inhabitants were often included under the name "Vikings from Estonia"., as written by Saxo Grammaticus in the late 12th century. The earliest known use of the word in the (Latinised) form of "Oeselians" in writing was by Henry of Livonia in the 13th century. The inhabitants of Saaremaa (Ösel) are also mentioned in a number of historic written sources dating from the Estonian Viking Age.
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. The available information is largely based on Livonian Chronicle of Henry.
Ancient Estonia refers to a period covering History of Estonia from the middle of the 8th millennium BC until the conquest and subjugation of the local Finnic tribes in the first quarter of the 13th century during the Teutonic and Danish Northern Crusades.
Virumaa is a former independent county in Ancient Estonia. Now it is divided into Ida-Viru County or Eastern Vironia and Lääne-Viru County or Western Vironia. Vironians built many strongholds, like Tarwanpe and Agelinde.
The Battle of Riga was an attempt by native Estonian forces to repel the Crusader knights and their allies during the Livonian Crusade.
The siege of Tartu took place in 1224 and resulted in the fall of the last major center of Estonian resistance in the mainland provinces to the Christian conquest of Estonia.
Terra Mariana was the formal name for Medieval Livonia or Old Livonia. It was formed in the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade, and its territories were composed of present-day Estonia and Latvia. It was established on 2 February 1207, as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire, and lost this status in 1215 when Pope Innocent III proclaimed it as directly subject to the Holy See.
The Treaty of Stensby was an agreement between King Valdemar II of Denmark and the Teutonic Order, signed on 7 June 1238 in Stensby, Denmark, and confirmed by Innocent IV in September 1243. The arrangement transferred northern maritime Estonia to the Kingdom of Denmark in exchange for military support.
The Danish Campaigns to Novgorod were a series of Crusader raids in 1241 by Danish royals and vassals, using the Duchy of Estonia as base of operation, against the Novgorod Republic. The Danish Crusades were supported and executed in coordinance with the papacy and other Crusading states, notably Sweden and the Livonian Order, the former one not being able to send further support after being defeated at the Neva.