The
Bishopric of DorpatFor the French captain, see Jean-François TartuTartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university....
was a medieval principality and a
catholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
dioceseIn some forms of Christianity, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a bishop. It is also referred to as a bishopric or Episcopal Area or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bishop,...
which existed from 1224 to 1558, generally encompassing what are now
TartuTartu County , or Tartumaa , is one of 15 counties of Estonia.It is located in eastern Estonia bordering Põlva County, Valga County, Viljandi County and Jõgeva County....
,
PõlvaPõlva County , or Põlvamaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in south-eastern part of the country and borders Tartu, Valga and Võru counties. The county also shares a common border with Russia...
,
VõruVõrumaa officially, Võru maakond, is a county in Southern Estonia. It is bordered to the north by the Põlva County and the Lake Pihkva; to the west by Valga County; to the south by Latvia; and to the east by the Russian Federation. The territory of Võrumaa covers 2,305 km² and is influenced...
and
JõgevaJõgeva County , or Jõgevamaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in eastern part of the country and borders Ida-Viru County to the north-east, Lake Peipus to the east, Tartu County to the south, Viljandi County to the south-west, Järva County to the north-west and Lääne-Viru County to...
counties in
EstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by the Russian Federation...
. The Bishopric was part of
Livonian ConfederationTerra Mariana was the official name for Medieval Livonia or Old Livonia which was formed in the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade in the territories comprising present day Estonia and Latvia...
. The first bishop of Dorpat (Tartu) was Hermann von Buxhoeveden, the brother of Albert, bishop of Riga and leader of the
Livonian CrusadeThe Livonian Crusade refers to the German and Danish conquest and colonization of medieval Livonia, the territory constituting modern Latvia and Estonia, during the Northern Crusades...
. The Estonian Diocese was established by the bishop of Riga in 1211 and its first nominal seat was
Leal (Lihula)Lihula is a town in Estonia with population of 1,614 . It is a centre of a rural municipality in Lääne County.The castle of Lihula was first mentioned in 1211. It was the centre of Diocese Saare-Lääne...
in western Estonia.
The
Bishopric of DorpatFor the French captain, see Jean-François TartuTartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university....
was a medieval principality and a
catholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
dioceseIn some forms of Christianity, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a bishop. It is also referred to as a bishopric or Episcopal Area or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bishop,...
which existed from 1224 to 1558, generally encompassing what are now
TartuTartu County , or Tartumaa , is one of 15 counties of Estonia.It is located in eastern Estonia bordering Põlva County, Valga County, Viljandi County and Jõgeva County....
,
PõlvaPõlva County , or Põlvamaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in south-eastern part of the country and borders Tartu, Valga and Võru counties. The county also shares a common border with Russia...
,
VõruVõrumaa officially, Võru maakond, is a county in Southern Estonia. It is bordered to the north by the Põlva County and the Lake Pihkva; to the west by Valga County; to the south by Latvia; and to the east by the Russian Federation. The territory of Võrumaa covers 2,305 km² and is influenced...
and
JõgevaJõgeva County , or Jõgevamaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in eastern part of the country and borders Ida-Viru County to the north-east, Lake Peipus to the east, Tartu County to the south, Viljandi County to the south-west, Järva County to the north-west and Lääne-Viru County to...
counties in
EstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by the Russian Federation...
. The Bishopric was part of
Livonian ConfederationTerra Mariana was the official name for Medieval Livonia or Old Livonia which was formed in the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade in the territories comprising present day Estonia and Latvia...
. The first bishop of Dorpat (Tartu) was Hermann von Buxhoeveden, the brother of Albert, bishop of Riga and leader of the
Livonian CrusadeThe Livonian Crusade refers to the German and Danish conquest and colonization of medieval Livonia, the territory constituting modern Latvia and Estonia, during the Northern Crusades...
. The Estonian Diocese was established by the bishop of Riga in 1211 and its first nominal seat was
Leal (Lihula)Lihula is a town in Estonia with population of 1,614 . It is a centre of a rural municipality in Lääne County.The castle of Lihula was first mentioned in 1211. It was the centre of Diocese Saare-Lääne...
in western Estonia. In 1224, Estonian bishop Hermann took possession of parts of what is today southeastern Estonia and chose Dorpat as his new seat, 6 November 1225 he was enfeoffed with his principality by Heinrich,
King of the RomansKing of the Romans was the title used by the elected ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the Imperator futurus prior to his imperial coronation performed by the Pope, King of the Romans was the title used by the elected ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the Imperator futurus ("Emperor to-be"—...
, and on 1 December created as a
MarchMark and march refer to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales.In contrast to a buffer zone, a march could be dominated by a single given country, and rather than being demilitarized, it could be strongly fortified for defence...
of the
Holy Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...
. The principality was founded mainly on territories of
UgauniaUgandi was an independent country between the east coast of Lake Võrtsjärv and west coast of Lake Pskov, bordered by Vaiga, Mõhu, Nurmekund, Sakala, Latgale, and The Principality of Pskov. Ugandi had an area of approximately 3000 hides...
n tribe of ancient
EstoniansEstonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. The Estonians speak a Finno-Ugric language, known as Estonian...
. In 1242, Bishop Hermann with his Ugaunian subjects was defeated by
NovgorodThe Novgorod Republic was a large mediæval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries, centred on the city of Novgorod...
's prince
Alexander NevskySaint Alexander Nevsky was the Grand Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir during some of the most trying times in the city's history...
in famous Battle on Lake Peipus.
During 1268, Fredrik, the then Bishop of Dorpat, is known to have called himself also as the "Bishop of
KareliaKarelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
", the background of the short-lived title remaining open.
The Bishopric of Dorpat was an important
HanseaticThe Hanseatic League was an alliance of trading cities and their guilds that established and maintained a trade monopoly along the coast of Northern Europe, from the Baltic to the North Sea and inland, during the Late Middle Ages and early modern period...
trade center.
In the end of 14th century, former Dietrich Damerow became the Bishop of Dorpat. He was the archenemy of the
Livonian OrderThe Livonian Order was an autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order and a member of the Livonian Confederation from 1435–1561. After being defeated by Samogitians in the 1236 Battle of Schaulen , the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword were incorporated into the Teutonic...
and made a coalition against it with
LithuaniaThe Grand Duchy of Lithuania was an Eastern and Central European state from the 12th /13th century until 1795. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the pagan Baltic tribes from Aukštaitija...
,
MecklenburgMecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany from 1348 on, when Albert II of Mecklenburg and his younger brother John were raised to Dukes of Mecklenburg by King Charles IV...
and
Victual BrothersThe Victual Brothers were a companionship of privateers who later turned to piracy. They were hired in 1392 by the Dukes of Mecklenburg to fight against Denmark, because the Danish Queen Margaret I had imprisoned Albrecht of Mecklenburg and his son to subdue the kingdom of Sweden...
(notorious pirates of the
Baltic SeaThe Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and the...
). He even asked King
Richard II of EnglandRichard II was the eighth King of England of the House of Plantagenet. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
to take Dorpat under his protection. The Order invaded the bishopric in 1379 with no success. After settling the conflict the Livonian Order lost its right to demand vassals of bishoprics take part in military campaigns.
During its last years, the Bishopric of Dorpat had a dispute with Russia which became later the main pretext of the
Livonian WarThe Livonian War of 1558–1583 was a lengthy series of wars between the Tsardom of Russia and a variable coalition of Denmark–Norway, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Poland , and Sweden for control of medieval Livonia, the territory of the present-day Estonia and Latvia.By the late 1550s,...
. Tsar Ivan the Terrible demanded that the bishopric pay huge tribute of 40,000 talers. Ivan insisted that the Dorpat was the ancient Russian fortress of
Yuryev (referring to short term Ruthenian rule of the area after conquest by prince
Yaroslav I the WiseYaroslav I the Wise was thrice Grand Prince of Novgorod and Kiev, uniting the two principalities for a time under his rule...
, 1030–61(?)). The rulers of Dorpat tried to negotiate a smaller amount in the interest of extending the truce, but Ivan dismissed the diplomats and started the war. In 1558 Tartu was conquered by Russian troops and the Bishopric of Dorpat ceased to exist.
Beside Dorpat (Tartu) there were five more stone castles in the Bishopric:
- Odenpäh as the ancient centre of Ugandi and the first stone stronghold of bishopric;
- Kirrumpäh (Kirumpää) and Neuhausen (Vastseliina) by the important ancient Dorpat-Pleskau (Tartu-Pihkva) road;
- Oldentorn (Vana-Kastre) and Warbeke or Caster (Uue-Kastre) by the Emajõgi/Embach river which is joining the Dorpat/Tartu and the Peipus/Peipsi Lake.
There was also an outstanding Cistercian monastery,
Kärkna AbbeyKärkna Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Estonia.- Situation :The monastery lies about 8 km north of Tartu in the village of Lammiku near the point where the Amme River flows into the Emajõgi River....
(also Valkena or Falkenau) monastery near Dorpat/Tartu.
The Bishopric today
The centre of the bishopric was the Tartu (Dorpat) castle . The castle was damaged during the Northern War and was dismantled during the 18th century, later (at the beginning of 19th century) an observatory was built on the site. The seat of the bishopric, Dorpat Cathedral or
Tartu CathedralTartu Cathedral , earlier also known as Dorpat Cathedral is one of the landmarks of the Estonian city of Tartu . The building is now an imposing ruin overlooking the lower town...
, was damaged during the
Protestant ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe which is generally deemed to have begun with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 although a number of precursors such as Jan Hus predate that event...
and has been in ruins since the 17th century.
The Bishops of Dorpat
- Hermann von Buxhöwden 1224–48
- Alexander 1263–68
- Friedrich von Haseldorf 1268–88
- Bernhard I 1289–1302
- Dietrich II Vyshusen 1302–12
- Nikolaus 1312–23
- Engelbert von Dolen 1323–41
- Wescelus 1342–1344
- Johannes I Viffhusen 1346–73
- Heinrich I von Velde 1373–78
- Dietrich III Damerow 1378–1400
- Heinrich II Wrangel 1400–10
- Bernhard II Bülow 1410–13
- Dietrich IV Resler 1413–41
- Bartholomäus Savijerwe 1441–59
- Helmich von Mallinkrodt 1459–68
- Andreas Pepler 1468–73
- Johannes II Bertkow 1473–85
- Dietrich V Hake 1485–98
- Johannes III von der Rope 1499–1505
- Gerhard Schrove 1505–13
- Johannes IV Duesborg 1513–14
- Christian Bomhower 1514–18
- Johannes V Blankenfeld 1518–27
- Johannes VI Bey 1528–43
- Jodokus von der Recke 1544–51
- Hermann II Wesel 1552–60