Distorted memories and power: patrons of the Teutonic Order in the fifteenth century prayer of the Livonian branch

ABSTRACT

The late medieval Livonia (Latvia and Estonia) was haunted by a conflict between the Teutonic Order and the church of Riga. This article shows how fake memories of the past and dead patrons were instrumental in this conflict and how these memories were used by the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order to create feelings of group self-awareness and identity during the late fifteenth century. In the article, it is revealed how memoria – commemoration of the dead – served for bonding groups of the living with individuals and endowments of land that had supposedly taken place centuries before.

KEYWORDS:

• Teutonic Order
• Livonia
• commemoration
• collective memory
• memoria

Notes

1. ‘De Ordine Statutis Domus Teutonicus (Gesetze des livländischen Landmeisters Eberhard von Monheim)’. Linköping, Stifts – och Landsbiblioteket, manuskript H 33 (hereafter LSL, H 33), 1v–2v. Throughout the text this document will be referred to as the Linköping manuscript. See also: (Perlbach 1890a), xxvii, 132, Middle Low German version no. 11.

2. LSL, H 33, 105r.

3. The surviving Order’s necrologies in which the benefactors of the houses were commemorated: ‘Nekrolog und Anniversar des Deutschordens-hauses Mergentheim aus der Mitte des 14. Jahrhunderts’, Landesarchiv Baden Württemberg, Abt. Stadtarchiv Ludwigsburg (hereafter: StAL) B 279 II U 1; Necrology of bailiwick Hessen (Marburg) (Wyss 1899, no. 1290); Commemorational book of commandery Hitzkirch (bailiwick Alsace-Burgundy) (Boesch 1970).

4. StAL B 279 II U 1, fol. 40, 70.

5. LSL, H 33.

6. In his late nineteenth century publication of numerous statute manuscripts, Max Perlbach published prayers from only Middle High German (Prussian) and Middle Low German (Livonian) manuscripts. It remains unclear whether other manuscripts of the statutes contained any prayers and it is not known if other such prayers have been found over the last 100 years. (Perlbach 1890a, 131–133).

7. Perlbach, who edited the Linköping manuscript as the Middle Low German version of the Order’s statutes, argued that it had to be written originally in Livonia, because it holds Livonian provincial statutes. (Perlbach 1890a, xxviii).

8. LSL, H 33, 1v–2v; (Perlbach 1890a, xxvii, 132), Middle Low German version no. 11.

9. Frederick II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (1194–1250).

10. Duke Leopold I of Austria (1290–1326).

11. The text of the prayer does not specify which Danish King Valdemar needed to be commemorated. There were two Danish kings named Valdemar who had strong ties with Livonia. Valdemar II (1170–1241) donated Jerwen (Est. Järvamaa) to the Teutonic Order in the Treaty of Stensby in 1238. It seems, however, that the prayer mentions Valdemar IV Atterdag (1340–1375), who sold Estonia to the Order in 1346 (Bunge 1853 no. 160; Riis 1997, 1949–51).

12. Karl, a Swedish duke killed during the Battle of Durbe 1260, when fighting together with the Teutonic Order against pagan Samogitians.

13. Constantinus rex de Ploske (Polotsk) around 1264 ‘granted’ the castle of Rosyten (Rēzekne) in eastern Livonia to the Teutonic Order.

14. Burkhard, priest of the Teutonic Order, Bishop of Courland (1300–1322) (Arbusow 1900, 57).

15. Rudolf von Sagan was a commander of the Teutonic Order’s mercenaries and was killed in the battle against the Polish forces at Konitz (Pol. Chojnice) in 1454 (Malotka 1882, 410).

16. By namen byddet vor keyser Frederich, vor herthoge Lyppolde van Ostericken, vor konick Voldemar van Denemarcken, vor junckher Karol van Sweden, vor konnick Constantinus van Ploskow, vor biscop Borchart van Kurlande, vor hertoge Rodolff van demme Zaghen und vor de erliken borger van Lubeke und Bremen, de stichters weren unsers ordens, bidet, dat eyn Got geve vor er almusen und gud, dat ze demme orden gedan hebben, dat ewige loen. (LSL, H 33, 2v; Perlbach 1890a, 132, no. 11)

17. LSL, H 33, 2v.

18. The citizens of Lübeck and Bremen also appear in the thirteenth century narrative describing the Order’s initial stages Narracio de primordiis ordinis Theutonici (written after 1244) (Arnold 1966, 17–30). In the Livonian manuscript the Lübeckians and Bremenians are named as ‘een deel goeder lude van Bremen ende van Lubecke’ (LSL, H 33, 11v; Perlbach 1890a, 22, 159). For more on the foundation of the German hospital in Acre by the citizens of Lübeck and Bremen, see: Militzer 1999, 10–12; (Brünjes 1997, 210–13).

19. Conrad of Masovia was also commemorated in the calendars and necrologies of the Prussian branch. Conrad’s name, for example, appeared in the calendar attached to the manuscript of the Order’s statutes that originates from the convent of Thorn (Perlbach 1877, 358).

20. Anti Selart considers it plausible that Konstantin of Polotsk was Konstantin Bezruki, mentioned by the Bishop of Tver, Simeon (d. 1289), who before 1270 had been a Bishop of Polotsk (2007, 203). Between 1271 and 1289 there was another ruler of Polotsk named Konstantin, however, he was not the same Konstantin who allegedly made a donation before 1264. Since the nineteenth century, there have been many versions about Konstantin’s identity and descent. It has been variously claimed that he was the son of Lithuanian nobleman Tautvilas or Tautvilas himself; a son of Letgallian ruler of Gerzike (Latv. Jersika), Vsevolod (Latv. Visvaldis); or identical with the later Duke Izjaslav of Polotsk, son of David Rostislavič, Duke of Smolensk (Švābe 1940 390–91; Hellmann 1954; 199).

21. The Livonian Master agreed that the Archbishop and his people can have an approach to the lake but not recognizing the Archbishop’s claim of ownership. Middle Low German version: (Bunge 1855, no. 1036, 763); Latin version: (Strehlke 1863, 145); (Hellmann 1954, 196).

22. On the Teutonic Order’s historiography as a reaction against external threats and crisis, see Fischer (2010, 12–13).

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Notes on contributors

Gustavs Strenga

Gustavs Strenga is currently working on his post-doc research project at the Tallinn University. He is also senior researcher at the National Library of Latvia where he specializes in book history and has curated several book exhibitions. Strenga has studied medieval history at the Central European University and the Queen Mary University of London (2014). His PhD thesis was on the commemoration of the dead in the late medieval Livonia. Strenga’s research interests are: medieval book history, history of communication, memory studies, and gift-giving as a historical phenomenon. He has been active as an author, writing essays on perception of the past in the present.