Üxküll (bishopric) in 1200, The Livs

Meinhard, a canon of Segeberg, began the mission on the Düna in 1184.

In 1185-86 he had Gotland masons build stone castles with churches at Üxküll and on the island of Holme, as refuges for the Livs against Lithuanian raids, in return for their promise of baptism; Bremen made him bishop of Üxküll in 1186. His successor Berthold came back with crusaders and was killed by the Livs on 24 July 1198. Once the crusaders sailed home, the Livs threw off baptism and told the priests to leave on pain of death.

So on 1 January 1200 the Church holds at most these two stone strongholds and their churches, among Livs who have renounced the faith, and perhaps not even those. Riga does not exist yet.

Who holds it

Name: Albert of Buxhoeveden
Title: Bishop of Livonia (of Üxküll)
Since: 1199 (Wikipedia dates his appointment 28 March 1199)
Confidence: high

Born about 1165 of the Buxhoeveden family of Bexhövede in Lower Saxony; canon of Bremen, made bishop by his uncle Archbishop Hartwig II. Through 1199 he raised men and backing in Gotland, Denmark and Germany; Philip of Swabia supported him, and Innocent III's earliest surviving letter for the Livonian crusade dates from October 1199. On 1 January 1200 he has not sailed: he is in the Empire or Denmark gathering his army (exactly where is not pinned).

What it holds

Üxküll (Ikšķile): stone castle and church of 1185, the bishop's seat, shared with or dependent on the Livs who shelter there
Holme (Kirchholm, on Mārtiņsala island in the Düna): castle and church of about 1186, on the same terms
Nothing else: the Livs' promises of 1198 are void and no tithe or tribute is being paid

How it was acquired

Built by Meinhard partly at his own cost, with Gotland masons, in exchange for the Livs' promise of baptism (Henry of Livonia, Book I). The bishop's ownership of the castles, as against the Livs who used them, is not pinned.

How things stand that morning

Contested. After the crusaders left in 1198 the Livs renounced Christianity and threatened the clergy. Whether the strongholds of Üxküll and Holme are in the Church's hands, the Livs', or shared on 1 January 1200 is not pinned, and so is whether any priest wintered there. Nothing else in Livonia is the Church's.

Wealth

Almost none yet: the mission lives on gifts from Germany and Gotland. The prize is the Düna trade route to Polotsk and Russia, which Gotland merchants already use.

Threats

The Livs' apostasy and threats against the clergy
Lithuanian and Semigallian raids across the Düna
Polotsk's claim to tribute from the Düna Livs

Advocates and rivals

The Livs under their own elders; the Lithuanians and Semigallians who raid across the Düna; the prince of Polotsk, to whom the Düna Livs paid tribute. The Gotland and Lübeck merchants who trade up the Düna are the mission's lifeline.

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

In 1200

Spring 1200, after the sailing season opens (day not pinned)Albert sails for the Düna with 23 ships and an army of crusaders, comes up to the Liv country and forces the Livs back to terms.Depends on: His recruiting, the Gotland and Lübeck shipping, and Danish and German goodwill holding. Stopped by: Failure to raise men or ships, or a change of heart by his backers.

Later, on the likely course

1201Riga is founded near the mouth of the Düna and the see moves there from Üxküll (Wikipedia gives 1202 for the move).Depends on: The 1200 expedition succeeding. Stopped by: A defeat in 1200.

Places of note

Üxküll church and castle: Meinhard's stone church and castle of 1185; the ruins now stand on St Meinhard's Island
Holme: Castle and church on Mārtiņsala in the Düna, about 1186; the island is now under the reservoir (position approximate)

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Henry of Livonia, writing in the 1220s, is almost the only source. The modern accounts read (Wikipedia; Gąssowska 2017) agree on the outline, but not on who held the two castles in the winter of 1199-1200. Allegiance STAUFEN rests on Philip of Swabia's backing; the crusade itself has Innocent's blessing.

On the map: Two small discs marked contested: the Church held no territory in Livonia on 1 January 1200, only two strongholds of doubtful loyalty. Do not draw Riga or the later bishopric.

Primary sources for The Livs

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

The Livonian Chronicle of Henry, Henry of Livonia (1225 to 1227). The chief source for the Baltic mission. Read online
Chronicle of the Slavs, by Arnold of Lübeck, Arnold of Lübeck (about 1209 to 1210). Arnold continues Helmold and writes from Lübeck, close to Danish, Welf and Baltic affairs. Read online
The Registers of Pope Innocent III for 1199 to 1201, Innocent III and the papal chancery (22 February 1199 to 21 February 1201). The pope's outgoing letters for the year, in his chancery's own copy, touching nearly every realm in the atlas. Read online
Charter book of Livonia, Estonia and Courland, volume 1, 1093 to 1300 (documents of 1093 to 1300, edited 1853). The documents of the Livonian mission: Innocent III's bull of 5 October 1199 calling for a crusade to protect the Livonian church, the privileges for Bishop Albert, Archbishop Hartwig of Bremen's acts for the see of Üxküll, and the later charters that settle who held what on the Düna.
Charter books of Lübeck and of Hamburg (documents to 1226 (Lübeck vol. 1) and to 1300 (Hamburg vol. 1)). The charters of the two north German towns and of the archbishops of Bremen and Hamburg. Read online
The law of the Gotlanders; The saga of the Gotlanders (Guta lag about 1220, Guta saga about 1220 to 1275; manuscript of about 1350). The law and the short history of the self-governing island. Read online

Sources and studies

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.