Mežotne (Mesoten) is the chief fort of eastern Semigallia, on the Lielupe below the meeting of the Mūsa and the Mēmele, with the country round Bauska and Iecava.
The merchants' 'port of Semgallia' (Henry IV.6) was on the Lielupe, at the river mouth or upstream toward Mežotne: its place is not pinned. On 1 January 1200 the land is free and pagan, and the summer merchants may still use the harbour.
Who holds it
- Name
- None named for 1200
- Title
- the elders of Mežotne
- Since
- not applicable
- Born
- not applicable
- Family
- No elder is named.
- Confidence
- low
Henry of Livonia (Brundage tr.); see sources.
What it holds
- Mežotne hillfort (town record Mežotne)
- The Lielupe road to the sea
How things stand that morning
Free and pagan.
Wealth
Grain of the Lielupe plain; the river trade.
Military
Hillfort; levies. No numbers.
Threats
- Lithuanian raids
- Feud with the Livs
- The papal and merchants' ban on the Semigallian harbour (1200, likely course)
Law and courts
Elders of each land and fort with the assembled men; in 1205 the Germans took one hostage from each Semigallian fort, which shows the forts as the units of the people. No written law.
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.
- 1200 (Henry IV.6)The pope, and then the merchants, ban trade at the Semigallian harbour.Depends on: Albert's expedition succeeding. Stopped by: The merchants refusing the ban.
Places of note
- Mežotne: hillfort; position approximate
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Mežotne is named by Henry in the 1210s-1220s; bounds are reconstructions.
On the map: Rough outline round Bauska and Iecava.
Primary sources for The Semigallians
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
- 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.
Sources and studies
- Henry of Livonia, Chronicon Livoniae, tr. J. A. Brundage, The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia (1961): Books I-III, chapters I-IX read for this record
- Semigallia (en.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.