Kaarma ( German : Karmel ) is a village in Saaremaa Parish , Saare County , on the island of Saaremaa , Estonia . The Estonian communist politician Viktor Kingissepp was born here in 1888.
55-524: Before the administrative reform in 2017, the village was in Lääne-Saare Parish . 58°20′47″N 22°33′26″E / 58.34639°N 22.55722°E / 58.34639; 22.55722 This Saare County location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Saare County Saare County ( Estonian : Saare maakond or Saaremaa ; Latin : Oesel ; Danish : Øsel ; German : Ösel ; Swedish : Ösel )
110-456: A Cistercian abbot of Loccum arrived with a large contingent of crusaders in 1198. Shortly afterwards, while riding ahead of his troops in battle, Berthold was surrounded and killed, and his forces were defeated by Livonians. To avenge Berthold's defeat, Pope Innocent III issued a bull declaring a crusade against the Livonians. Albert von Buxthoeven , consecrated as a bishop in 1199, arrived
165-655: A Swedish army led by the king John I of Sweden and the bishop Karl of Linköping captured Lihula in Rotalia in Western Estonia. The Oeselians attacked the Swedish stronghold later the same year and killed the entire garrison, including the Bishop of Linköping. In 1222, the Danish king Valdemar II attempted the second conquest of Saaremaa, this time establishing a stone fortress housing
220-562: A Swedish presence in the province of Wiek , but his troops were defeated by the Oeselians in the Battle of Lihula in 1220. Revelia, Harrien , and Vironia , the whole of northern Estonia, fell to Danish control. During the uprising of 1223, all Christian strongholds in Estonia save Tallinn fell into Estonian hands, with their defenders killed. By 1224 all of the larger fortresses were reconquered by
275-692: A campaign over the frozen sea to Saaremaa. The Oeselians' stronghold was conquered and their king Wesse was hanged. In the early spring of 1345, the next campaign of the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order took place; it ended with a treaty mentioned in the Chronicle of Hermann von Wartberge and the Novgorod First Chronicle . Saaremaa remained the vassal of the master of the Teutonic Order in Livonia, and
330-587: A centralised state. They were led by Lembitu of Lehola , the elder of Sackalia , who by 1211 had come to the attention of German chroniclers as the central figure of the Estonian resistance. The Livonian leader Caupo was killed in the Battle of St. Matthew's Day near Viljandi (Fellin) on 21 September 1217, but Lembitu was also killed, and the battle was a crushing defeat for the Estonians. The Christian kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden were also eager for expansion on
385-695: A combined attack against Saaremaa. After the surrender of two major Oeselian strongholds, Muhu and Valjala , the Oeselians formally accepted Christianity. In 1236, after the defeat of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in the Battle of Saule , military action on Saaremaa broke out again. The Oeselians again accepted Christianity by signing treaties with the Master of Teutonic Order in Livonia Andreas de Velven and
440-527: A number of neighboring provinces would henceforth be considered reichsfrei , that is, subordinate directly to the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire only, as opposed to being under the jurisdiction of local rulers. At the end of the year Pope Honorius III announced the appointment of Bishop William of Modena as papal legate for Livonia, Prussia, and other countries. In 1224
495-464: A stone fortress housing a strong garrison. But the Danish stronghold was besieged, and surrendered within five days, and the Danish garrison returned to Reval , leaving bishop Albert of Riga 's brother Theodoric and few others behind as hostages for peace. The castle was leveled to the ground by the Oeselians. In 1227, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, the town of Riga and the Bishop of Riga organized
550-404: A strong garrison. The stronghold was besieged and surrendered within five days, the Danish garrison returning to Revel while leaving Bishop Albert of Riga 's brother Theodoric and others behind as hostages for peace. The castle was leveled by the Oeselians. In 1227, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, the town of Riga, and the Bishop of Riga organized a combined attack against Saaremaa. After
605-694: A subject of the Holy See . After the success of the crusade, the Teutonic - and Danish-occupied territory was divided into six feudal principalities by William of Modena . By the time German traders began to arrive in the second half of the 12th century to trade along the ancient trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks , some natives had already been baptized. Saint Meinhard of Segeberg arrived in Ikšķile in 1184 with
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#1732848921461660-599: 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. The county is subdivided into municipalities . There are 3 rural municipalities ( Estonian : vallad – parishes) in Saare County. The largest islands of
715-550: Is the origin of the island's name in German and Swedish, Ösel , Danish, Øsel , and in Latin Oesel . The name Eysysla appears sometimes together with Adalsysla , 'the big land', perhaps 'Suuremaa' or 'Suur Maa' in Estonian which refers to mainland Estonia. Sagas talk about numerous skirmishes between islanders and Vikings. Saaremaa was the wealthiest county of ancient Estonia and the home of notorious Estonian pirates , sometimes called
770-709: The Aizkraukle hillfort. In 1236, Semigallians attacked crusaders retreating to Riga after the Battle of Saule , killing many of them. After regular attacks, the Livonian Order partly subdued the Semigallians in 1254. In 1270, the Lithuanian Grand Duke Traidenis , together with Semigallians, attacked Livonia and Saaremaa . During the Battle of Karuse on the frozen Gulf of Riga , the Livonian Order
825-749: The Archbishopric of Riga , and received back a portion of it as a fief. Tālava, weakened in wars with Estonians and Russians, became a vassal state of the Archbishopric of Riga in 1214, and in 1224 was finally divided between the Archbishopric and the Order. By 1208 the Crusaders were strong enough to begin operations against the Estonians , who were at that time divided into eight major and seven smaller Counties , led by elders, with limited co-operation between them. With
880-450: The Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek in 1241. The next treaty was signed in 1255 by the Master of the Order, Anno Sangerhausenn, and, on behalf of the Oeselians, by men whose "names" (or declaration) were transcribed by Latin scribes as Ylle, Culle, Enu, Muntelene, Tappete, Yalde, Melete, and Cake The treaty granted several distinctive rights to the Oeselians. The 1255 treaty included clauses concerning
935-566: The Republic of Novgorod serving variously as allies of both crusaders and Estonians. Hill forts , which were the key centers of Estonian counties, were besieged, captured, and re-captured a number of times. A truce between the war-weary sides was established for three years (1213–1215). It proved generally more favourable to the Germans, who consolidated their political position, while the Estonians were unable to develop their system of loose alliances into
990-533: The 13th century, the following major counties had developed in Estonia: Saaremaa (Oesel), Läänemaa (Rotalia or Maritima), Harjumaa (Harria), Rävala ( Revalia ), Virumaa ( Vironia ), Järvamaa (Jervia), Sakala (Saccala), and Ugandi ( Ugaunia ). In old Scandinavian sagas, Saaremaa is called Eysysla which means exactly the same as the name of the island in Estonian: the district (land) of island . This
1045-566: The Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek. 58°25′N 22°35′E / 58.417°N 22.583°E / 58.417; 22.583 Livonian Crusade Crusaders Baltic and Finnic pagans ( indigenous peoples ) Grand Duchy of Lithuania In the Holy Land (1095–1291) Later Crusades (1291–1717) Northern (1147–1410) Against Christians (1209–1588) Popular (1096–1320) Campaign against
1100-630: The Curonians preferred to try to make peace with the Christian conquerors, inviting the monks into their country thereby escaping attacks by the Scandinavian nations. In 1230 the Curonians in the northern part of Courland, under their ruler ( rex ) Lammekinus [ lv ; lt ] , signed a peace treaty with the Germans, and the lands they inhabited thus became known as Vredecuronia or Peace Courland . The southern Curonians, however, continued to resist
1155-649: The Eastern Vikings. The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia describes a fleet of sixteen ships and five hundred Oeselians ravaging the area that is now southern Sweden, then belonging to Denmark. In 1206, the Danish Valdemar II the Victorious built a fortress on the island but they found no volunteers to man it. They burned it down themselves and left. In 1227, Saaremaa was conquered by the Livonian Brothers of
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#17328489214611210-466: The German crusaders. In 1206, a Danish army led by the king Valdemar II and Andreas, the Bishop of Lund , landed on Saaremaa and attempted to establish a stronghold, without success. In 1216, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and the bishop Theodorich joined forces and invaded Saaremaa over the frozen sea. The Oeselians retaliated by raiding German-held territories in Latvia the following spring. In 1220,
1265-625: The Knights and that allowed the Samogitians to gain victory over the Livonian Order . It was a heavy defeat for the Order and uprisings against the crusaders soon afterwards broke out in the Curonian and Prussian lands. Curonian resistance was finally subdued in 1266 when the whole of Courland was partitioned between the Livonian Order and the Archbishop of Riga . The Curonian nobles, among them 40 clans of
1320-697: The Latvians Campaign against the Lithuanians North Atlantic Africa Asia Caribbean 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 12th–13th century. The Livonian crusade was conducted mostly by the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Denmark . It ended with
1375-456: The Livonian Brothers of the Sword established their headquarters at Fellin (Viljandi) in Sackalia, where the walls of the Master's castle are still standing. Other strongholds included Wenden (Cēsis) , Segewold (Sigulda) , and Ascheraden (Aizkraukle) . The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia , one of the greatest medieval narratives, was written probably as a report for William of Modena, giving him
1430-528: The Livonians were declared to be converted. Caupo subsequently remained an ally of the crusaders until his death in the Battle of St. Matthew's Day in 1217. By 1208 the important Daugava trading posts of Salaspils (Holme), Koknese (Kokenhusen) and Sēlpils Castle (Selburg) had been taken over as a result of Albert's energetic campaigning. In the same year, the rulers of the Latgalian counties Tālava , Satekle , and Autine established military alliances with
1485-609: The Low Germans ( Saxons ) to be useful allies. The first prominent Livonian to be converted was their leader Caupo of Turaida , who was baptized around 1189. Pope Celestine III had called for a crusade against pagans in Northern Europe in 1193. When peaceful means of conversion failed to produce results, the impatient Meinhard plotted to convert Livonians forcibly but was thwarted. He died in 1196, having failed in his mission. His appointed replacement, bishop Berthold of Hanover ,
1540-412: The Oeselians arose yet again, killing all the Germans on the island, drowning all the clerics, and besieging the Livonian Order 's castle at Pöide. After the garrison surrendered the Oeselians massacred the defenders and destroyed the castle. In February 1344 Burchard von Dreileben led a campaign over the frozen sea to Saaremaa. The Oeselians' stronghold was conquered and their leader Vesse was hanged. In
1595-510: The Oeselians by conquering the Kaarma stronghold. Soon afterwards, the Teutonic Knights established a stone fort at Pöide . On July 24, 1343, the Oeselians again killed all the Germans on the island, drowned all the clerics and started to besiege the fort at Pöide. After its surrender, the Oeselians levelled the castle and killed all the defenders. In February 1344, Burchard von Dreileben led
1650-415: The Oeselians once more renounced Christianity and killed all the Germans on the island. A peace treaty was signed after the united forces of the Livonian Order , the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek , and Danish Estonia , including mainland Estonians and Latvians, defeated the Oeselians by capturing their stronghold at Kaarma. Soon thereafter, the Livonian Order established a stone fort at Pöide . On 24 July 1343
1705-453: The Oeselians raided the territories in Latvia that were under German rule in revenge. In 1220, the Swedish army led by king John I of Sweden and the bishop Karl of Linköping conquered Lihula in Rotalia in Western Estonia. Oeselians attacked the Swedish stronghold the same year, conquered it and killed the entire Swedish garrison including the Bishop of Linköping. In 1222, Valdemar II again tried to conquer Saaremaa, this time establishing
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1760-523: The Order, and construction began on both Cēsis Castle and a stone Koknese Castle , where the Daugava and Pērse rivers meet, replacing the wooden castle of Latgalians. In 1209 Albert, leading the forces of the Order, captured the capital of the Latgalian Principality of Jersika , and took the wife of the ruler Visvaldis captive. Visvaldis was forced to submit his kingdom to Albert as a grant to
1815-862: The Sword , but remained a hotbed of Estonian resistance. The Order founded the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek there. When the Order was defeated by the Lithuanian army in the Battle of Saule in 1236, Oeselians rebelled. The conflict was ended by a treaty that was signed by the Oeselians and the Master of the Order. The Oeselians along with the Curonians were known in the Old Norse Icelandic Sagas and in Heimskringla as Víkingr frá Esthland (in English, Estonian Vikings). Their sailing vessels were called pirate ships by Henry of Livonia in his Latin chronicles from
1870-501: The beginning of the 13th century. Eistland or Esthland is the historical Germanic language name that refers to the country at the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea in general and is the origin of the modern national name for Estonia. The mainland of modern Estonia in the 8th century Ynglinga saga was called Adalsyssla in contrast to Eysyssel or Ösyssla that was the name of the island ( Swedish ): Ösel or ( Estonian ): Saaremaa ,
1925-710: The christened Livonian chief Caupo conquer back his Turaida Castle from pagan rebels. In 1219, the Semigallian–German alliance was cancelled after a crusader invasion in Semigallia. Duke Viestards promptly formed an alliance with Lithuanians and Curonians. In 1228, Semigallians and Curonians attacked the Daugavgrīva monastery, the main crusader stronghold at the Daugava river delta. The crusaders took revenge and invaded Semigallia. The Semigallians in turn pillaged land around
1980-551: The city, they destroyed a monastery in Daugavgriva and killed all the monks. After the defeat of Estonians and Osilians in 1227, the Curonians were confronted by Lithuanian enemies in the east and south, and harassed by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword from the north; in the west, on the sea-shore, their arch-enemies, the Danes and Swedes, were lurking, waiting for an opportunity. In this hopeless situation, further aggravated by famine,
2035-443: The county are Saaremaa , Muhu , Ruhnu , Abruka and Vilsandi . Arable land is 570 km (220 sq mi) and it has a mild maritime climate. The mean annual air temperature is 6.0 °C (42.8 °F) and the mean annual precipitation is 509 mm (20.0 in). Religion in Saare County (2021) [1] According to archeological finds, the territory of Saaremaa has been inhabited for at least five thousand years. In
2090-521: 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 . 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
2145-651: The crusaders, except for Tharbata , which was defended by a determined Estonian garrison and 200 Russian mercenaries. The leader of the Russian troops was Vyachko , to whom the Novgorod Republic had promised the fortress and its surrounding lands "if he could conquer them for himself". Tharbata was finally captured by the crusaders in August 1224 and all its defenders were killed. Early in 1224 Emperor Frederick II had announced at Catania that Livonia, Prussia , Sambia and
2200-615: The descendants of the Curonian Kings , who lived in the town of Kuldīga , preserved personal freedom and some of their privileges. According to the Livonian Chronicle of Henry , Semigallians formed an alliance with bishop Albert of Riga against rebellious Livonians before 1203, and received military support to hold back Lithuanian attacks in 1205. In 1207, the Semigallian duke Viestards ( Latin : dux Semigallorum ) helped
2255-422: The destruction of Muhu Stronghold and the surrender of Valjala Stronghold , the Oeselians formally accepted Christianity. After the defeat of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in the Battle of Saule in 1236 fighting again broke out on Saaremaa. In 1241 the Oeselians once again accepted Christianity by signing treaties with the Livonian Order 's Master Andreas de Velven and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek . This
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2310-414: The early spring of 1345, the next campaign of the Livonian Order ended with a treaty mentioned in the Chronicle of Hermann von Wartberge and the Novgorod First Chronicle . Saaremaa remained the vassal of the master of the Livonian Order and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek until 1559. Following the defeat of the Estonians, the crusade moved against Curonians and Semigallians , Baltic tribes living to
2365-600: The eastern shores of the Baltic. In 1218 Albert asked King Valdemar II of Denmark for assistance, but Valdemar instead arranged a deal with the Order. The king was victorious in the Battle of Lindanise in Revelia in 1219, to which the origin of the Flag of Denmark is attributed. He subsequently founded the fortress Castrum Danorum , which was unsuccessfully besieged by the Estonians in 1220 and 1223. King John I of Sweden tried to establish
2420-424: The first centuries AD, political and administrative subdivisions began to emerge in Estonia. Two larger subdivisions appeared: the parish (kihelkond) and the county (maakond). The parish consisted of several villages. Nearly all parishes had at least one fortress. The defense of the local area was directed by the highest official, the parish elder. The county was composed of several parishes, also headed by an elder. By
2475-466: The following year with a large force, and established Riga as the seat of his Bishopric of Riga in 1201. In 1202, he formed the Livonian Brothers of the Sword to aid in the conversion of the pagans to Christianity and, more importantly, to protect German trade and secure German control over commerce. As the German grip tightened, the Livonians and their christened chief rebelled against the crusaders. Caupo's forces were defeated at Turaida in 1206, and
2530-540: The help of the newly converted local tribes of Livs and Latgalians , the crusaders initiated raids into Sakala and Ugaunia in Southern Estonia. The Estonian tribes fiercely resisted the attacks from Riga and occasionally sacked territories controlled by the crusaders. In 1208–27, war parties of the different sides rampaged through Livonia , Latgalia, and other Estonian counties, with the Livs, Latgalians and Russians of
2585-506: The history of the Church in Livonia up to his time. It relates how in 1226, in the stronghold Tarwanpe , William of Modena successfully mediated a peace between the Germans, the Danes and the Vironians . The last Estonian county to hold out against the invaders was the island country of Saaremaa (Ösel) , whose war fleets had continued to raid Denmark and Sweden during the years of fighting against
2640-454: The home of the Oeselians ( Estonian : Saarlased ). In the 11th century, Courland and Estland (Estonia) were both denoted separately by Adam of Bremen . On the eve of the Northern Crusades , the Oeselians were summarized in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle thus: "The Oselians, neighbors to the Kurs ( Curonians ), are surrounded by the sea and never fear strong armies as their strength is in their ships. In summers when they can travel across
2695-416: The invaders. In 1260, the Curonians were involved in the Battle of Durbe , one of the biggest battles in Livonia in the 13th century. They were forced to fight on the crusader side. When the battle started, the Curonians abandoned the knights. Peter von Dusburg alleged that the Curonians even attacked the Knights from the rear. The Estonians and other local people soon followed the Curonians and abandoned
2750-411: The mission of converting the pagan Livonians , and was consecrated as Bishop of Üxküll in 1186. In those days the riverside town was the center of the missionary activities in the Livonian area. The indigenous Livonians ( Līvi ), who had been paying tribute to the East Slavic Principality of Polotsk , and were often under attack by their southern neighbours the Semigallians , at first considered
2805-436: The ownership and inheritance of land, the social system and autonomy from certain religious rules. In 1261, warfare continued as the Oeselians had once more renounced Christianity and killed all the Germans on the island. A peace treaty was signed after the united forces of the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order, the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, and the forces of Danish Estonia , including mainland Estonians and Latvians, defeated
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#17328489214612860-399: The sea they oppress the surrounding lands by raiding both Christians and pagans." In 1206, the Danish army led by king Valdemar II and Andreas, the Bishop of Lund landed on Saaremaa and attempted to establish a stronghold, but without success. In 1216 the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and the bishop Theodorich joined forces and invaded Saaremaa over the frozen sea. The following spring
2915-419: The south and west of the Daugava river and closely allied with Samogitians . In July 1210 Curonians attacked Riga . After a day of fighting, the Curonians were unable to break through the city walls. They crossed to the other bank of the Daugava to burn their dead and mourn for three days. In 1228 Curonians together with Semigallians again attacked Riga. Although they were again unsuccessful in storming
2970-401: Was defeated, and its master Otto von Lutterberg was killed. In 1287, around 1400 Semigallians attacked a crusader stronghold in Ikšķile and plundered nearby lands. As they returned to Semigallia they were caught by the Order's forces, and the great Battle of Garoza began near the Garoza river. The crusader forces were besieged and badly defeated. More than 40 knights were killed, including
3025-439: Was followed by a treaty signed in 1255 by the Master of the Order, Anno Sangerhausenn, and, on behalf of the Oeselians, elders whose names were phonetically transcribed by Latin scribes as Ylle, Culle, Enu, Muntelene, Tappete, Yalde, Melete, and Cake. The treaty granted the Oeselians several distinctive rights regarding the ownership and inheritance of land, the social order, and the practice of religion. Warfare erupted in 1261 as
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