A Liv village on the Daugava where Meinhard built his church about 1184 and, with Gotland masons, the first stone castle in the land (1185), as a refuge from the Lithuanians in return for the Livs' oath to be baptized (Henry I.4-6).
It is the bishop's seat in name (the bishops are 'of Üxküll' until the see moves to Riga). Bishop Berthold was buried here in 1198. The clergy fled from it to Holme in 1198 and left the land in 1199. It is a village with a castle, not a town.
Who holds it
- Name
- None named for 1200
- Title
- the elders of Üxküll
- Since
- not applicable
- Born
- not applicable
- Confidence
- medium
See sources.
Lord in 1200
The Livs of Üxküll. The stone castle and church are claimed by the absent Bishop Albert (Church map Üxküll); no one holds them for him that can be shown.
How things stand that morning
In Liv hands, with no priest; the castle stands but is not held for the bishop so far as can be shown.
Charter
None: an unwritten customary community.
Council
The elders of the land; no town council.
Communities
Livs; a few baptized families (the first baptized were Ylo and Viezo, I.4).
Fairs and markets
None recorded.
Militia
The men of the fort and its villages.
Walls and castle
Meinhard's stone castle with the church, the first mortared stone building of the Livs' land; the Semigallians once tried to pull it into the river with ships' ropes (I.6).
Trade and crafts
River traffic of the Daugava; the summer merchants pass.
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
- 1200 (Henry IV.2)Albert reaches Üxküll and makes a three-day peace with the Livs.Depends on: Albert's expedition.
Later, on the likely course
- 1201 (later)Granted as a fief to Conrad of Meiendorf (Henry V).
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Henry I-II, IV-V.
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.