The Latgalians

Who rules

Name

Not pinned for 1 January 1200

Title

No single ruler. Rus' princes (Henry's 'kings') sit at Koknese and Jersika under the overlordship of Polotsk; the other lands answer to their elders

Since

not applicable

Born

not applicable

Family

Henry first mentions a 'king of Gerzika' in 1203 (VII.8), the man his later chapters and the 1209 charter call Vsevolod (Latvian Visvaldis), and King Vetseke (Vyachko) of Koknese in 1205 (IX.10); the origins of both are unknown; Talibald (Tālivaldis) of Tālava appears from 1208 and Waridote of Autīne in 1208. None is pinned for 1 January 1200.

Confidence

low

Henry of Livonia (Brundage tr.); en.wikipedia Principality of Jersika, Principality of Koknese and Tālava; de.wikipedia Kokenhusen.

Overlord

Polotsk over Koknese and Jersika: modern accounts make Koknese a vassal sub-principality of Polotsk in the late 12th century (de.wikipedia, en.wikipedia), and Polotsk gave up its rights over the Daugava lands only in 1212-1215 (later). Tālava and Atzele: the Rus' of Pskov and Novgorod; modern accounts hold that Tālava paid tribute to Novgorod after the campaign of Prince Mstislav Rostislavich against the Chud in the winter of 1179-1180 (en.wikipedia Tālava), and the Novgorod chronicle's Ochela (1111) is usually taken to be Atzele.

What the realm holds

• Koknese (Kukenois): the fort and its land on the Daugava (town record Koknese; realm map part)
• Jersika (Gercike): the fort, its land and its tributary lands (town record Jersika; realm map part)
• Eastern Latgale (Lotygola): Latgalian hillfort lands toward Polotsk and Pskov, under Jersika's claim (realm map part, claimed)
• Tālava, Autīne and Atzele (provinces Tālava, Autīne, Atzele)
• Idumea, mixed with Livs (drawn as a Liv province, Idumea)

How it was acquired

Ancestral lands. The Rus' princely forts on the Daugava probably date from the 12th century (en.wikipedia gives c. 1180 for Koknese and 1041 or 1190 for Jersika, both modern guesses).

Allies and rivals

The prince of Polotsk is the overlord of the Daugava princes. The Lithuanians raid through Latgale toward Livonia and Estonia; by 1203 the king of Jersika rides with them (VII.8) and he has a Lithuanian wife (captured in 1209). The Ugaunian and Sakalan Estonians are the old enemies of Tālava (the Tālava-Ugandi feud is open in 1208). The Rus' of Pskov take tribute in the north-east. The Livs lie to the west.

The realm that morning

Koknese and Jersika: Rus' princes under Polotsk, names not pinned. Tālava, Autīne and Atzele: free lands under elders, Tālava and Atzele tributary to the Rus' of the north (not pinned for this winter). Eastern Latgale: thinly known hillfort lands, claimed by Jersika. No raiding belt is drawn: no Lithuanian or Estonian raid on Latgalian land is dated to the winter of 1199-1200. Across the borders: the Livs (west), the Estonians of Sakala and Ugandi (north, estonians), the Pskov land (north-east), Polotsk (east, polotsk), the Selonians across the Daugava (south, selonians).

Wealth

The Daugava trade passes Koknese and Jersika on its way to Polotsk; farming, cattle, furs, honey and wax from the forests. Jersika's tributes from the lands around it.

Military

Princely retinues at Koknese and Jersika; hillforts and levies elsewhere. No numbers.

Threats

• Lithuanian raids through the Daugava lands
• Estonian raids on Tālava and Atzele
• Pskov's and Polotsk's demands for tribute
• The German crusade, which reaches Koknese in 1205-1208 and Jersika in 1209 (later)

Government

Rus'-style princely rule with a retinue at Koknese and Jersika (forts with Orthodox churches at Jersika by 1209); elsewhere elders of each land and fort, meeting in assembly. Henry's later chapters show the elders of Tālava, Autīne and the other lands negotiating separately with the Germans, the Estonians and the Rus'.

Treaties

The vassal ties of Koknese and Jersika to Polotsk (unwritten so far as is known); the northern lands' tribute to the Rus' (not pinned for 1200). No treaty with the Germans before 1205.

Coinage

No coinage of their own: silver by weight (bars and hacksilver), ornaments and foreign coins serve as money (general knowledge, not checked in this run).

Faith

Pagan, with Orthodox Christianity at the princely forts (Henry describes churches with bells and icons at Jersika in 1209) and among Tālava's leading family.

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. During 1200 (nothing dated)No Latgalian event is recorded for 1200. The Daugava princes see Albert's fleet come up to Holme and Üxküll below Koknese.

Later, on the likely course

1. 1203 (later)The king of Jersika rides with the Lithuanians to the new town of Riga and seizes the citizens' flocks (Henry VII.8).Depends on: Riga founded in 1201; the Jersika-Lithuanian alliance. Stopped by: Peace between Jersika and the Germans.
2. 1205-1209 (later)Vyachko of Koknese seeks the bishop's safe conduct and offers half his land (1205), then burns his fort and flees to Rus' (1208); Jersika is taken in 1209.Depends on: The crusade's advance up the Daugava. Stopped by: Polotsk defending its vassals.

Places of note

• Koknese: fort and trading settlement of the prince of Koknese
• Jersika: fort of the prince of Jersika with Orthodox churches
• Trikāta: hillfort of Tālava
• Gaujiena (Adzele): hillfort that gave Atzele its later castle name

Where the sources disagree

• en.wikipedia (Principality of Koknese) lists Vetseke as ruler from c. 1180; Henry first names him in 1205 (IX.10), so his rule on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.

Evidence: Henry writes of the Latgalians only from 1203; the princes' origins, the extent of Jersika's lands and the tribute ties of 1200 come from later documents (the charter given to Vsevolod after 1209) and modern reconstruction. Latvian Wikipedia and other local sources could not be loaded in this run.

On the map: The outlines of Jersika's lands follow the 13th-century documents back-projected with caution; the eastern part is drawn as claimed. The northern lands are provinces.

Primary sources for this realm

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.