Terra Mariana

For an Estonian decoration, see Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana.
Terra Mariana
1207–1561
Location of Old Livonia
StatusPrincipality of the Holy Roman Empire
(1207–1215)
Vassal state of the Holy See
(1215–1561)
CapitalRiga
(de facto)
Walk
(from 1435)
Common languagesLatin[a]
Low German
Livonian
Estonian
Latvian
Religion
Roman Catholicism
GovernmentTheocratic elective monarchy
LegislatureLandtag
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Established
1207
1343–1344
• Landtag formed
1419
4 December 1435
1561
CurrencyArtig, Denier, Schilling, Thaler
 Succeeded by
Danish Ösel
Swedish Estonia
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia
Duchy of Livonia
Today part ofEstonia
Latvia

Terra Mariana (Medieval Latin for 'Land of Mary') was the formal name[1] for Medieval Livonia or Old Livonia.[b][4] It was formed in the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade, and its territories were composed of present-day Estonia and Latvia. It was established on 2 February 1207,[5] as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire,[6] and lost this status in 1215 when Pope Innocent III proclaimed it as directly subject to the Holy See.[7]

The papal legate William of Modena divided Terra Mariana into feudal principalities: the Duchy of Estonia (dominum directum to the king of Denmark);[8][9] the Archbishopric of Riga; the Bishopric of Courland; the Bishopric of Dorpat; the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek; and territories under the military administration of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. After the 1236 Battle of Saule, the surviving members of the Brothers merged in 1237 with the Teutonic Order of Prussia and became known as the Livonian Order. In 1346 the Livonian Order bought the Duchy of Estonia from Denmark.

Throughout the existence of medieval Livonia there was a constant struggle over supremacy, between the lands ruled by the Church, the Order, the secular German nobility, and the citizens of the Hanseatic towns of Riga and Reval. Following its defeat in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, the Teutonic Order and the State of the Teutonic Order fell into decline, but the Livonian Order managed to maintain its independent existence.

In 1561, during the Livonian War, Terra Mariana ceased to exist.[1] Its northern parts were ceded to the King of Sweden and formed into the Duchy of Estonia, its southern territories became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – and thus eventually of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth – as the Duchy of Livonia and the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. The island of Saaremaa became part of Denmark. Since the beginning of the 20th century Terra Mariana (Estonian: Maarjamaa) has been used as a poetic name or sobriquet for Estonia. In 1995 the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, a state decoration, was instituted to honor the independence of Estonia.[10] Terra Mariana (Latvian: Māras zeme) is also used as a poetic name for Latgale region.[11]


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  1. ^ a b "Terra Mariana". The Encyclopedia Americana. Americana Corp. 1967.
  2. ^ Raun, Toivo U. (2002). "Medieval Livonia, 1200–1561". Estonia and the Estonians: Second Edition, Updated. Hoover Press. p. 15. ISBN 9780817928537.
  3. ^ Miljan, Toivo (2015). Historical Dictionary of Estonia. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 29–30. ISBN 9780810875135.
  4. ^ (Low German: Oolt-Livland, Livonian: Jemā-Līvõmō, Estonian: Vana-Liivimaa, Latvian: Livonija)
  5. ^ Bilmanis, Alfreds (1944). Latvian-Russian Relations: Documents. The Latvian legation.
  6. ^ Herbermann, Charles George (1907). The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.
  7. ^ Bilmanis, Alfreds (1945). The Church in Latvia. Drauga vēsts. 1215 proclaimed it the Terra Mariana, subject directly.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference CH111 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Knut, Helle (2003). The Cambridge History of Scandinavia: Prehistory to 1520. Cambridge University Press. p. 269. ISBN 0-521-47299-7.
  10. ^ The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana. President of the Republic of Estonia, Estonian State Decorations. Retrieved 2011-01-22
  11. ^ "Māras zeme | Tēzaurs". tezaurs.lv. Retrieved 2024-03-07.