Karksi Castle ( Est. Karksi ordulinnus ; Latvian. Karkuses pils ) is the castle of the Livonian Order , which is located on the territory of modern Estonia .
| Castle | |
| Karksi Castle (Karkus) | |
|---|---|
| Karksi ordulinnus | |
 | |
| A country |  Estonia |
| Location | Near the small town of Karksi Nuia , Viljandimaa region |
| First mention | 1248 year |
| Material | A rock |
| condition | Ruin |
It is assumed that before on the castle hill was a noble settlement of Estonians . A water obstacle and a steep slope served as a good barrier to the castle from enemies.
The Livonian castle was built in the 13th century and has become one of the most important places in the history of the Baltic . Only ruins have survived to our days near the small town of Karksi-Nuia ( Est. Karksi-Nuia ), in the region of Viljandimaa ( Est. Viljandimaa or Viljandi maakond ').
Content
- 1 Location
- 2 Architecture
- 2.1 Towers
- 2.2 Moat
- 3 History
- 3.1 Livonian Crusade and the Russian-Livonian War
- 3.2 Northern War
- 3.3 After the Livonian War and Northern War
- 4 notes
- 5 See also
- 6 References
Location
Karksi Castle is located near Karksi Nuia ( Est. Karksi-Nuia ), a small town in the southern part of Viljandi county ( Est. Viljandimaa or Viljandi maakond ') in southern Estonia. Located on two high hills above the lake. The lake is located southwest of the castle. The northeastern part of the castle is located along the road from the former family cemetery of the Leavens family ( est. Lievens ).
Architecture
The fortifications on the northern peak played the role of a forburg (advanced fortification, the forward part of the castle, fortress. Sometimes it is separated from the main building by a moat, canal or drawbridge). From these, little has been preserved. Karksi Castle is surrounded by a stone wall on all sides.
Towers
The builders focused on the northeast of the castle, where they brought three towers. Best preserved is the most fortified tower - the central one, which was located near the gate. East tower - located farther, where the walls turn to the southwest. On the wall above the gate, places were also equipped for the defenders, next to which was the North Tower, to protect them from the flank.
Moat
The fortress consisted of a fortified castle and forburg. Between them was a moat through which a drawbridge was thrown. The moat was dug from the northeast side, turning in the south and north into natural cliffs, so that climbing to the walls of the castle was difficult on either side.
History
Livonian Crusade and the Russo-Livonian War
For the first time in the writings about the castle of Karksi, the land is mentioned - Sakala ( Est. Sakalas ), on which the Livonian Order built the castle of Karksi, during the Livonian Crusade in 1248 . There is a mention in the annals that during Viten’s unsuccessful campaign on the Livonian Order in 1298, the Lithuanians devastated the lands around the Karksi fortress, and after tricking they seized the fortress and destroyed [1] .
After the restoration of the castle by the knights, it was re-burned in 1329 [2] . The castle was originally made of wood. But after its burning in 1298, the master of the order Gosvin von Herike ( Est. Gosvin von Herike ) in 1357 ordered the construction of a stone castle on the site of the destroyed fortress and surround it with a wall.
In 1366, during the next campaign of the Lithuanians against the Livonians, the castle was destroyed.
Karksi Castle has been the target of numerous military campaigns. In 1481, during the Russo-Livonian War (1480–1481), the Russian army captured the powerful stone fortress of Karksi [3] .
Northern War
Karkus went to the Swedes in September 1564 under an agreement concluded in September 1564 with the Russians. Then the Poles tried several times to unsuccessfully conquer the castle. February 25, 1573 the Russian troops were able to conquer Karksi without any problems [4] . The Russians ceded to Karksi their then ally, the Duke Magnus ( German: Magnus ) [5] . The fortress remained in his possession until 1578 .
Verbal and written instructions for Magnus from the Sovereign :
“King Magnus! go with your spouse to the inheritance appointed for you. I now wanted to give you power over other Livonian cities along with a rich monetary dowry; but I remembered the betrayal of Taube and Cruz, showered with our graces ... You are the son of the Crowned Bearer and, therefore, I can have more powers of attorney to you than to vile servants; but - you are a man! If you change, then with the gold of my treasury you will hire warriors to act along with our enemies, and we will be forced to get Livonia again with our blood. Deserve mercy constantly, tested fidelity! ” [6]
For a long time, Karksi Castle was in the possession of Poland. In 1600, the castle was captured by the Swedes, and was on their territory until 1602 , when the Poles recaptured it. But in 1621, Karksi still passes into the possession of the Swedes.
Finally, the castle was assigned to the Swedes on September 16, 1629 under the Swedish-Polish peace treaty in Altmark . The Swedes did not rebuild the castle itself, since during the many wars it was completely destroyed.
In 1703 , during the Northern War , the castle was captured by Russian troops. A little later in 1708 , by order of Peter I, the castle was finally destroyed and has been in ruins ever since.
After the Livonian War and Northern War
After the Livonian War, and especially after the Northern War, the Schloss Karksi estate ( est. Schloß Karkus ) began to be built near Karksi. The estate became the center of the fortress. In 1747, Empress of Russia Elizabeth presented the estate of Karksi to Georg von Lievenile ( est. Georg von Lievenile ). In 1795, the estate became the property of Johann von Vidimayeri ( est. Weidemeyeri ). From 1800 , until the transfer in 1919 , the estate belonged to the Dunten family ( est. Duntenite ). The last owner of the estate was Reinhard von Dunten-Dalwigk ( Est. Dunten-Dalwigk ), the full name of Reinhard Graf Dunten Baron Dalwigk-Schoenburg-Lishtenfels ( Est. Reinhard Graf Dunten Baron Dalwigk-Schauenburg-Lichtenfels ) [7] .
Notes
- ↑ Kristina Markman. Between Two Worlds: A Comparative Study of the Representations of Pagan Lithuania in the Chronicles of the Teutonic Order and Rus'. - 2015 .-- S. 254. - 378 p.
- ↑ Herman Wartberg. Livonian Chronicle.
- ↑ Vladimir Valentinovich Sedov. Izborsk and the fortress of Livonia. The position of the towers. - S. 256-257.
- ↑ Digit book 1475-1605 Bit Book 1475-1598 . krotov.info. Date of treatment March 28, 2017.
- ↑ Balthazar Russov. Chronicle of the province of Livonia = Chronica der provintz Lyflandt.
- ↑ Karamzin Nikolai Mikhailovich. History of the Russian state (No. 9) - History of the Russian state. Volume IX (Full Text) - ModernLib.Ru unopened . modernlib.ru. Date of treatment March 28, 2017.
- ↑ Portaal "Eesti mõisad" - Sinu teejuht mõisamaailma . www.mois.ee. Date of treatment March 28, 2017.
See also
- Medieval estonia
- Altmark Ceasefire
- Dunten
- Russian-Livonian war_ (1480-1481)