Caupo

Who he is

Name

Caupo (Kaupo)

Title

elder of the Livs of Treiden; Henry calls him 'a kind of king and elder of the Livonians' only from 1203 (VII.5)

Since

First named by Henry in 1200, after Bishop Albert's arrival (IV.4); not named before

Born

not pinned

Family

A son, Bertold, killed at the battle of the Ümera in 1210 (en.wikipedia). Caupo dies near Viljandi on 21 September 1217 (en.wikipedia).

Confidence

low

Henry of Livonia (Brundage tr.) IV.4, VII.5-6; en.wikipedia Caupo of Turaida.

What it holds

• A leading place among the elders of Treiden (province Treiden); the fort at Turaida is called his in Henry's later chapters

How it was acquired

Not recorded.

Allies and rivals

Later the Germans' chief Liv ally and the enemy of the pagan Livs who burned his fort; in 1200 named beside Anno.

How things stand that morning

One of the elders of Treiden; leadership that winter not pinned.

Wealth

Not recorded.

Military

His following among the Treiden levies. No numbers.

Threats

• Albert's crusade and its demand for hostages (1200)
• Rivals among the Treiden elders

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

1. 1200, after Albert's arrival (Henry IV.4)Seized with Anno and the other elders at the bishop's feast; boys of the land given as hostages.Depends on: Albert's expedition succeeding. Stopped by: Caupo refusing the summons.

Later, on the likely course

1. 1203-1204 (later)Taken by Theodoric to Rome to Pope Innocent III, who gives him gifts (Henry VII.6).Depends on: His alliance with the Germans.

Places of note

• Turaida: hillfort later called Caupo's

Where the sources disagree

• en.wikipedia dates his baptism to about 1191 (by Theodoric); Henry's chapters read here first name him in 1200, so his faith on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.

Evidence: Well attested from 1200; nothing before. His leadership in the winter of 1199-1200 is an inference at best.

On the map: Shown at Turaida; no area is drawn because his holding on 1 January 1200 is not recorded.

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