Brotherhood of Blackheads
Encyclopedia
The Brotherhood of Blackheads was an association of local unmarried merchants, ship owners, and foreigners that was active in Livonia
(present-day Estonia
and Latvia
) from the mid 14th century till 1940. The Brotherhood of Blackheads was founded as a military organization, however, the non-military aspects of the association gradually became more pronounced until the Brotherhood became a predominantly social organization after the end of the Great Northern War
.
during the St. George's Night Uprising
between 1343 and 1345 when the indigenous population of Estonia
unsuccessfully tried to exterminate all foreigners and eradicate Christianity
from Estonia
. The earliest documented mention of the Brotherhood is an agreement with the Tallinn Dominican Monastery from 28 March 1400 that confirms the Blackheads' ownership of all the sacred church vessels that they had deposited in the St. Catherine's Church of the Dominicans. In the same agreement the Blackheads commit themselves to decorating and lighting the altar of St. Mary that the brotherhood had commissioned for the church, and the Dominicans in their turn undertake to hold services in front of this altar to bless the souls of the Blackheads. On 12 September 1407, the Tallinn City Council ratified the statutes of the Brotherhood, also known as the Great Rights. The statutes of the Brotherhood in Riga
date back to 1416.
According to the Great Rights in Tallinn, the Brotherhood of Blackheads committed itself to defending the city from any enemy invasion. Among other duties, the Brotherhood provided the city with a cavalry detachment. The Blackhead cavalrymen patrolled the city wall and six of them made rounds inside the wall every evening after the city gates were locked after sunset. In 1526, the Brotherhood presented the city council of Tallinn with 8 rock-hurtling machines, 20 cannon carriages, and 66 small-caliber guns. Money was donated for making cannons for Narva
, and it was stipulated that the Blackheads' coat of arms be on all the guns.
During the 25-year-long Livonian War
, members of the Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn participated in many battles and successfully helped to defend the city against the Russians
who unsuccessfully laid siege on Tallinn in 1570–71 and again in 1577.
After the end of the Great Northern War
in 1721, Livonia became part of the Russian Empire
. The Hanseatic towns
in Livonia lost much of the importance that they had enjoyed during the Middle Ages
and the Brotherhood of Blackheads gradually transformed from a military society to a predominantly social organization. Although the chivalric code of honor the Brotherhood subscribed to and the rules governing close combat were mostly preserved, the military importance of Blackheads gradually diminished. However, in Tallinn the cavalry detachment with its own uniform survived until 1887.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the local brotherhoods of Blackheads were important as social organizations that sponsored social events, such as parties and concerts, and collected objects of fine art. In Tallinn and Riga, the houses of the Brotherhood, along with the medieval traditions still practiced in them, became important cultural and social centers for social elites. In 1895, the Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn was formally reconstituted into the Blackheads Club. The brotherhoods in Tallinn and Riga carried on in independent Estonia and Latvia until the beginning of the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States
in 1940, when the Brotherhood was liquidated by the occupational authorities. Most of the members were able to flee to Germany where they tried to continue their traditions. In 1961, the Brotherhood of Blackheads was officially registered in Hamburg
where it survives to this day.
, Riga
, Tartu
, and Pärnu
. In the 17th century, a brotherhood of Blackheads was also established in Wismar
, Germany
. The House of the Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn is the only one that has survived intact into the 21. century. The Brotherhood was renting the property at 24-26 Pikk Street, Tallinn, already in 1406. In 1531, the Blackheads acquired the building from the town councilor Johann Viant and rebuilt it in the Renaissance style of the period. It remained in the possession of the Blackheads until the summer of 1940 when the Soviet Union occupied and annexed Estonia. An equally magnificent House of Blackheads in Riga that had been sold to the Blackheads in 1713 was destroyed on 28 June 1941 when the German army conquered Riga, and the burnt out walls were demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The Blackheads' House in Riga was reconstructed between 1995 and 2000.
, the established merchants from the Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn, known as the "older bench", were required to attend daily meetings of the Great Guild in order to familiarize themselves with the current trade situation and the art of commerce in general. The members of the Brotherhood got together nearly every night to "rest from honest labor".
Twice a year the Brotherhood celebrated major holidays: at the end of the navigation season during between December 24 and January 10 Christmas
and New Year
, and from Easter
to the beginning of the navigation season. Both celebrations commenced with an official session where organizational matters were settled, and continued with feasts, dancing, and festivities that sometimes included the whole town.
The custom of erecting a Christmas Tree
can be historically traced to such activities in the 15th and 16th centuries. According to the first documented uses of a Christmas tree in Estonia
, in 1441, 1442, and 1514 the Brotherhood erected a tree for the holidays in their brotherhood house in Tallinn
. At the last night of the celebrations leading up to the holidays, the tree was taken to the Town Hall Square
where the members of the brotherhood danced around it. In 1584, the pastor and chronicler Balthasar Russow
wrote of an established tradition of setting up a decorated spruce
at the market square in Tallinn where the young men “went with a flock of maidens and women, first sang and danced there and then set the tree aflame”. The first description of a Christmas tree used the Brotherhood in Riga
in 1510 resembles the descriptions from Tallinn.
It was during the bi-annual celebrations that new members were accepted. Anyone who had visited the Brotherhood's feasts before deemed "worthy" could become a member. Names of new members were inscribed into the Book of the Brotherhood and all the members used their tall and slender goblets, known as "deer's feet", to drink to the health of the new brother. For a period of time the new members were expected to serve their "elder" brothers at the table and perform other duties.
Mutual relations between brothers were strictly regulated and any deviation from the established standard punished. In Tallinn, for example, if one cursed a brother member, he had to pay a fine of 1 mark; the fine was 2 marks if he hit him on the face or the ear, and 3 marks if he hit him again. There were stiffer fines for offenses carried out in public. Missing ceremonial meals, festivities, and church services were also penalized. Many of the fines had to paid in wax which was a valuable commodity during the Middle Ages; wax was used to lighting up their own halls and churches that the local brotherhood patronized. A large fine - five pounds of wax - had to be paid by a brother who "grabbed another member by the hair or flung beer into his face".
of the Brotherhood of Blackheads is the Moorish Saint Mauritius
whose head is also depicted on the Brotherhood's coat of arms
. Whether the patron saint was chosen because of the name, or whether the saint precedes name remains unclear.
of the indigenous people of Northern Europe
in the wake of the Northern Crusades
. The commercial aspect of the Brotherhood reflects its origin in the early days of the Hanseatic League
that marked the beginning of a new era, less military and more commerce oriented, in Northern Europe.
Some traditions of the Blackheads survive in the customs of Baltic-German Corps
and Estonian and Latvian student corporations
. As a rule, most corporations accept new members twice a year. Ceremonial consumption of alcohol, elaborate drinking vessels, personal code of honor, and strict rules governing the relationship between members, including institutionalized fines and punishments, resemble in many respects the traditions of the Blackheads. The military aspect of the Brotherhood survives in the ceremonial use of specialized sword
s. In the regional structure of the Estonian Defence League
, corporation members in the former Blackhead centers Tallinn
and Tartu
maintain their own military malevkonds (major subunits of malev
s) whose main duty is the defence of their respective cities against possible enemy invasion.
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
(present-day Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of 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 Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
and Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
) from the mid 14th century till 1940. The Brotherhood of Blackheads was founded as a military organization, however, the non-military aspects of the association gradually became more pronounced until the Brotherhood became a predominantly social organization after the end of the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
.
History
The brotherhood traces its origin to a group of foreign merchants who, according to the legend, had participated in the defense of TallinnTallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
during the St. George's Night Uprising
St. George's Night Uprising
St. George’s Night Uprising in 1343–1346 was an unsuccessful attempt by the indigenous Estonian population in the Duchy of Estonia, the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, and the insular territories of the State of the Teutonic Order to annihilate the Danish and German rulers and landlords, who had conquered...
between 1343 and 1345 when the indigenous population of Estonia
Estonians
Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. They speak a Finnic language known as Estonian...
unsuccessfully tried to exterminate all foreigners and eradicate Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
from Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of 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 Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. The earliest documented mention of the Brotherhood is an agreement with the Tallinn Dominican Monastery from 28 March 1400 that confirms the Blackheads' ownership of all the sacred church vessels that they had deposited in the St. Catherine's Church of the Dominicans. In the same agreement the Blackheads commit themselves to decorating and lighting the altar of St. Mary that the brotherhood had commissioned for the church, and the Dominicans in their turn undertake to hold services in front of this altar to bless the souls of the Blackheads. On 12 September 1407, the Tallinn City Council ratified the statutes of the Brotherhood, also known as the Great Rights. The statutes of the Brotherhood in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
date back to 1416.
According to the Great Rights in Tallinn, the Brotherhood of Blackheads committed itself to defending the city from any enemy invasion. Among other duties, the Brotherhood provided the city with a cavalry detachment. The Blackhead cavalrymen patrolled the city wall and six of them made rounds inside the wall every evening after the city gates were locked after sunset. In 1526, the Brotherhood presented the city council of Tallinn with 8 rock-hurtling machines, 20 cannon carriages, and 66 small-caliber guns. Money was donated for making cannons for Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
, and it was stipulated that the Blackheads' coat of arms be on all the guns.
During the 25-year-long Livonian War
Livonian War
The Livonian War was fought for control of Old Livonia in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of Denmark–Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.During the period 1558–1578,...
, members of the Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn participated in many battles and successfully helped to defend the city against the Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
who unsuccessfully laid siege on Tallinn in 1570–71 and again in 1577.
After the end of the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
in 1721, Livonia became part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. The Hanseatic towns
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
in Livonia lost much of the importance that they had enjoyed during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and the Brotherhood of Blackheads gradually transformed from a military society to a predominantly social organization. Although the chivalric code of honor the Brotherhood subscribed to and the rules governing close combat were mostly preserved, the military importance of Blackheads gradually diminished. However, in Tallinn the cavalry detachment with its own uniform survived until 1887.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the local brotherhoods of Blackheads were important as social organizations that sponsored social events, such as parties and concerts, and collected objects of fine art. In Tallinn and Riga, the houses of the Brotherhood, along with the medieval traditions still practiced in them, became important cultural and social centers for social elites. In 1895, the Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn was formally reconstituted into the Blackheads Club. The brotherhoods in Tallinn and Riga carried on in independent Estonia and Latvia until the beginning of the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States
Occupation and annexation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union (1940)
The occupation and annexation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union covers the period from the Soviet–Baltic mutual assistance pacts in 1939, to the illegal annexation in 1940, to the mass deportations of 1941...
in 1940, when the Brotherhood was liquidated by the occupational authorities. Most of the members were able to flee to Germany where they tried to continue their traditions. In 1961, the Brotherhood of Blackheads was officially registered in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
where it survives to this day.
Membership
Originally the membership of the Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn included mostly merchants who were not yet eligible for the membership in the Great Guild: merchants who were legally not independent or who had no established business in Tallinn, local unmarried merchants, and foreign merchants. Members also included goldsmiths, chemists, scholars, and school teachers. The Tallinn Brotherhood of Blackheads was governed by two Superiors elected from the members of the Brotherhood. In the course of time it became a custom that after getting married, the Blackheads joined the Great Guild. The members of the Brotherhood in Tallinn had free access to the Guildhall which they were able to use for their meetings until 1540, when they were ousted from there after a conflict between the Brotherhood and the Great Guild.Regional structure
The Brotherhood of Blackheads was divided into local autonomous organizations that owned the so-called Blackhead Houses in more than 20 towns in Estonia and Latvia, including TallinnTallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Tartu
Tartu
Tartu 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. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
, and Pärnu
Pärnu
Pärnu is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga...
. In the 17th century, a brotherhood of Blackheads was also established in Wismar
Wismar
Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The House of the Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn is the only one that has survived intact into the 21. century. The Brotherhood was renting the property at 24-26 Pikk Street, Tallinn, already in 1406. In 1531, the Blackheads acquired the building from the town councilor Johann Viant and rebuilt it in the Renaissance style of the period. It remained in the possession of the Blackheads until the summer of 1940 when the Soviet Union occupied and annexed Estonia. An equally magnificent House of Blackheads in Riga that had been sold to the Blackheads in 1713 was destroyed on 28 June 1941 when the German army conquered Riga, and the burnt out walls were demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The Blackheads' House in Riga was reconstructed between 1995 and 2000.
Daily life
During the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, the established merchants from the Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn, known as the "older bench", were required to attend daily meetings of the Great Guild in order to familiarize themselves with the current trade situation and the art of commerce in general. The members of the Brotherhood got together nearly every night to "rest from honest labor".
Twice a year the Brotherhood celebrated major holidays: at the end of the navigation season during between December 24 and January 10 Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and New Year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
, and from Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
to the beginning of the navigation season. Both celebrations commenced with an official session where organizational matters were settled, and continued with feasts, dancing, and festivities that sometimes included the whole town.
The custom of erecting a Christmas Tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
can be historically traced to such activities in the 15th and 16th centuries. According to the first documented uses of a Christmas tree in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of 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 Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, in 1441, 1442, and 1514 the Brotherhood erected a tree for the holidays in their brotherhood house in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
. At the last night of the celebrations leading up to the holidays, the tree was taken to the Town Hall Square
Town Hall Square, Tallinn
The Town Hall Square is a city square beside Tallinn Town Hall at the center of Tallinn, Estonia. It is a venue for festivals or concerts like Tallinn Old Town Days , and several bars and restaurants are located in the near vicinity.- See also :...
where the members of the brotherhood danced around it. In 1584, the pastor and chronicler Balthasar Russow
Balthasar Russow
Balthasar Russow was one of the most important Livonian and Estonian chroniclers.Russow was born in Reval . He was educated at an academy in Stettin in Pomerania...
wrote of an established tradition of setting up a decorated spruce
Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
at the market square in Tallinn where the young men “went with a flock of maidens and women, first sang and danced there and then set the tree aflame”. The first description of a Christmas tree used the Brotherhood in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
in 1510 resembles the descriptions from Tallinn.
It was during the bi-annual celebrations that new members were accepted. Anyone who had visited the Brotherhood's feasts before deemed "worthy" could become a member. Names of new members were inscribed into the Book of the Brotherhood and all the members used their tall and slender goblets, known as "deer's feet", to drink to the health of the new brother. For a period of time the new members were expected to serve their "elder" brothers at the table and perform other duties.
Mutual relations between brothers were strictly regulated and any deviation from the established standard punished. In Tallinn, for example, if one cursed a brother member, he had to pay a fine of 1 mark; the fine was 2 marks if he hit him on the face or the ear, and 3 marks if he hit him again. There were stiffer fines for offenses carried out in public. Missing ceremonial meals, festivities, and church services were also penalized. Many of the fines had to paid in wax which was a valuable commodity during the Middle Ages; wax was used to lighting up their own halls and churches that the local brotherhood patronized. A large fine - five pounds of wax - had to be paid by a brother who "grabbed another member by the hair or flung beer into his face".
Symbols
The exact origin of the term 'blackhead' is unknown. The patron saintPatron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of the Brotherhood of Blackheads is the Moorish Saint Mauritius
Saint Maurice
Saint Maurice was the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century, and one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that group. He was the patron saint of several professions, locales, and kingdoms...
whose head is also depicted on the Brotherhood's coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
. Whether the patron saint was chosen because of the name, or whether the saint precedes name remains unclear.
Significance and legacy
The origin and the dual nature of the Brotherhood of Blackheads as a military organization and a commercial association is unique in European history. The military aspect of the Brotherhood can be attributed to its founding during the days of the last great anti-Christian revoltSt. George's Night Uprising
St. George’s Night Uprising in 1343–1346 was an unsuccessful attempt by the indigenous Estonian population in the Duchy of Estonia, the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, and the insular territories of the State of the Teutonic Order to annihilate the Danish and German rulers and landlords, who had conquered...
of the indigenous people of Northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
in the wake of the Northern Crusades
Livonian Crusade
The 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 commercial aspect of the Brotherhood reflects its origin in the early days of the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
that marked the beginning of a new era, less military and more commerce oriented, in Northern Europe.
Some traditions of the Blackheads survive in the customs of Baltic-German Corps
German Student Corps
Corps are the oldest still-existing kind of Studentenverbindung, Germany's traditional university corporations; their roots date back to the 15th century. The oldest corps still existing today was founded in 1789...
and Estonian and Latvian student corporations
Corporation (university)
Corporation refers to different kinds of student organizations worldwide.Generally, universities in the various European countries have student organizations called corporations. The name is derived from the Latin corporatio meaning a body or group...
. As a rule, most corporations accept new members twice a year. Ceremonial consumption of alcohol, elaborate drinking vessels, personal code of honor, and strict rules governing the relationship between members, including institutionalized fines and punishments, resemble in many respects the traditions of the Blackheads. The military aspect of the Brotherhood survives in the ceremonial use of specialized sword
Types of swords
This is a list of types of swords.The term sword is here used in a narrow sense. This is not a general list of bladed weapons and does not include the machete or similar "sword-like" weapons....
s. In the regional structure of the Estonian Defence League
Estonian Defence League
The Estonian Defence League is the name of the unified paramilitary armed forces of the Republic of Estonia. The Defence League is a paramilitary defence organization which aim is to guarantee the preservation of the independence and sovereignty of the state, the integrity of its land area and its...
, corporation members in the former Blackhead centers Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
and Tartu
Tartu
Tartu 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. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
maintain their own military malevkonds (major subunits of malev
Malev (military unit)
A malev is an ancient Estonian military unit led by a senior officer that is subordinate to an infantry division. A malev was originally based on a manpower of county and was led by a county vanem. Malev is bigger than a pataljon but smaller than a diviis...
s) whose main duty is the defence of their respective cities against possible enemy invasion.