Church History, Volume 2 (of 3)Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
History
Church History, Volume 2 (of 3)
Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
Church history
and Lithuanians erected new bishoprics in Esthonia (Dorpat),
Oesel, and Semgallen, and effected the Christianization of
nearly all these lands. He died in A.D. 1229. After A.D. 1219
the Danes, whom Albert had called in to his aid, vied with him
in the conquest and conversion of the Esthonians. Waldemar II.
founded Revel in A.D. 1219, made it an episcopal see, and did
all in his power to restrict the advances of the Germans. In
this he did not succeed. The Danes, indeed, were obliged to
quit Esthonia in A.D. 1257. After Albert’s death, however, the
difficulties of the situation became so great that Volquin, the
Master of the Order of the Sword, could see no hope of success
save in the union of his order with that of the Teutonic Knights,
shortly before established in Prussia. The union, retarded
by Danish intrigues, was not effected until A.D. 1237, when
a fearful slaughter of Germans by the Lithuanians had endangered
not only the existence of the Order of the Sword but even the
church of Livonia. Then, too, for the first time was Courland
finally subdued and converted. It had, indeed, nominally adopted
Christianity in A.D. 1230, but had soon after relapsed into
paganism. Finally in A.D. 1255 Riga was raised to the rank of
a metropolitanate, and Suerbeer, formerly archbishop of Armagh
in Ireland, was appointed by Innocent IV. archbishop of Prussia,
Livonia, and Esthonia, with his residence at Riga.
§ 93.13. The Old Prussians and Lithuanians also belonged to
the Lettish stem. Adalbert, bishop of Prague, first brought the
message of salvation to the =Prussians= between the Vistula and
Memel, but on the very first entrance into Sameland [Samland]
in A.D. 997 he won the martyr’s crown. This, too, was the fate
twelve years later of the zealous Saxon monk Bruno and eighteen
companions on the Lithuanian coast. Two hundred years passed
before another missionary was seen in Prussia. The first was
the Abbot Gothfried from the Polish monastery of Lukina; but in
his case also an end was soon put to his hopefully begun work, as
well as to that of his companion Philip, both suffering martyrdom
in A.D. 1207. More successful and enduring was the mission work
three years later of the Cistercian monk Christian from the
Pomeranian monastery of Oliva, in A.D. 1209, the real apostle of
the Prussians. He was raised to the rank of bishop in A.D. 1215,
and died in A.D. 1245. On the model of the Livonian Order of
the Brethren of the Sword he founded in A.D. 1225 the Order of
the Knights of Dobrin (_Milites Christi_). In the very first
year of their existence, however, they were reduced to the number
of five men. In union with Conrad, Duke of Moravia, whose land
had suffered fearfully from the inroads of the pagan Prussians,
Christian then called in the aid of the Teutonic Knights, whose
order had won great renown in Germany. A branch of this order
had settled in A.D.
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