Baltic Brothers in Arms

By Murray Dahm

As both Scandinavian Viking and Eastern Slavic conquests of the Baltic lands continued into the late tenth and early eleventh centuries, the quest became more than just plunder and securing ever more prosperous trade. The quest was also one of conversion – to Christianity from the polytheistic pagan beliefs of the various Baltic peoples. These were not conquests by kingdoms, however, but usually began as small-scale groups of warriors – a leader (whether titled chief or even king) surrounded by his followers who joined for security and reward (plunder, land and other wealth). The Livonian Brothers of the Sword, for example, were religious communities of warrior monks. Other groups were more secular. Control of lucrative trade routes was the initial intent, but it soon became something more. 

The first Christian churches in the Baltic states were built in the eleventh century (e.g. a Danish church was built in Courland in 1070). Missionaries then began to travel and convert. By the late twelfth century, the scale of conquests and the size of these warring groups expanded. The forcible conversion of the pagans in the Baltic Crusades began in earnest from 1172 onward, and only ended in 1290. 

Owing to the nature of the area, with its many networks of river systems, and islands or inlets, which could be independently protected, the lands controlled by each group could be quite small – sometimes they expanded by conquest or they banded together in alliances based on culture or language. This would often mean that warfare between groups – such as between the Semigallians (who were often at war with their neighbours, the Livs) had to be broken off, alliances formed, and a common enemy defeated. In the Livonian Crusade (1198-1290), for instance, the peoples of the Baltic states were centred around single communities, hill forts or towns, and their leaders either allied in defence or fought on alone (eventually unsuccessfully). Leaders like Ako of Salaspils, Vyachko of Koknese, and Visvaldis of Jersika (a hill fort 165km southeast of Riga), led communities of various sizes.

Issue 14 of Medieval World: Culture & Conflict features aspects of conflict and community in the medieval Baltic, including an article on the Livonian Brothers of the Sword - Jeremy Solel, "Livonian Brothers of the Sword: Conquering in Christ's Name," 24-27.