Saare County , or
Saaremaa, ( or
Oesel) is one of 15
countiesA county is an administrative subdivision of Estonia.Estonia is divided into 15 counties. The government of each county is led by a county governor , who represents the national government at the regional level...
of
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...
. It consists of
SaaremaaSaaremaa is the largest island belonging to Estonia, measuring 2,673 km². The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago...
(Ösel), the largest
islandAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it. The county borders
Lääne CountyLääne County , or Läänemaa , is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in western Estonia and borders Baltic Sea to the north, Harju County to the north-east, Rapla County to the east, Pärnu County to the south, and the island counties of Saare and Hiiu to the west...
to the east and
Hiiu CountyHiiu County , or Hiiumaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia, being the smallest county both in terms of area and population. It consists of Hiiumaa , the second largest island of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it. The county borders Lääne County to the east and Saare County to the south...
to the north. 34,723 people live in Saare County – constituting 2.6% of the total population in Estonia (as of January 2009).
County Government
The County Government is led by a Governor , who is appointed by the Estonian Government for a term of five years. Currently the Governor position is held by Toomas Kasemaa.
Municipalities
The county is subdivided into
municipalitiesA Municipality is the smallest administrative subdivision of Estonia. Each municipality is a unit of self-government with its representative and executive bodies. The municipalities in Estonia cover the entire territory of the country....
. There is one urban municipality ( – town) and 15 rural municipalities ( – parishes) in Saare County.
Urban municipality:
- Kuressaare
Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 15,300.The town is situated on the coast of Gulf of Riga and is served by Kuressaare Airport.-Etymology:...
Rural municipalities:
- Kaarma Parish
- Kihelkonna Parish
- Kärla Parish
- Laimjala Parish
- Leisi Parish
- Lümanda Parish
- Muhu Parish
Muhu , is an island in the Baltic Sea. With an area of 198 km² it is the third largest island belonging to Estonia, after Saaremaa and Hiiumaa....
- Mustjala Parish
- Orissaare Parish
- Pihtla Parish
- Pöide Parish
- Ruhnu Parish
Ruhnu is an island situated in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It belongs to Estonia and is an administrative part of Saare County. At 11.9 km² it has currently less than 100, mostly ethnic Estonian permanent inhabitants...
- Salme Parish
- Torgu Parish
- Valjala Parish
Geography
The largest islands of the county are
SaaremaaSaaremaa is the largest island belonging to Estonia, measuring 2,673 km². The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago...
,
MuhuMuhu , is an island in the Baltic Sea. With an area of 198 km² it is the third largest island belonging to Estonia, after Saaremaa and Hiiumaa....
,
RuhnuRuhnu is an island situated in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It belongs to Estonia and is an administrative part of Saare County. At 11.9 km² it has currently less than 100, mostly ethnic Estonian permanent inhabitants...
,
AbrukaAbruka is an Estonian island in the Baltic Sea situated in Kaarma Parish in Saare County.Coordinates: The area of the island is 8.78 km². It lies 6km from the port of Roomassaare near Kuressaare on Saaremaa. The population is almost 40....
and
VilsandiThe island of Vilsandi, Kihelkonna Commune, Estonia is located in the Baltic Sea. It covers an area of some 9 square kilometres, and is the westernmost populated island in Estonia.The island can be reached on foot by wading from Saaremaa, or by truck or boat....
.
Arable landIn geography, arable land is an agricultural term, meaning land that can be used for growing crops. It is distinct from cultivated land and includes jungles that are not currently used for human purposes. Arable land covers an area of approximately 12 million square miles...
is 570 km² and it has a mild maritime climate. The mean annual air temperature is 6.0 °C and the mean annual precipitation is 509 mm.
Miscellaneous topics
The main religious affiliations are Lutheran,
OrthodoxThe Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number 225 million members...
and
BaptistA Baptist is a Christian who subscribes to a theology and may belong to a church that, among other things, is committed to believer's baptism and, with respect to church polity, favors the congregational model...
, but only 33.6% consider themselves religious.
Ancient Saare county Osilia
According to archeological finds, the territory of Saaremaa has been inhabited for at least five thousand years.
In the first centuries AD political and administrative subdivisions began to emerge in Estonia. Two larger subdivisions appeared: the parish (kihelkond) and the county (maakond). The parish consisted of several villages. Nearly all parishes had at least one fortress. The defense of the local area was directed by the highest official, the parish elder. The county was composed of several parishes, also headed by an elder. By the 13th century the following major counties had developed in Estonia:
SaaremaaSaaremaa is the largest island belonging to Estonia, measuring 2,673 km². The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago...
(Osilia),
LäänemaaLääne County , or Läänemaa , is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in western Estonia and borders Baltic Sea to the north, Harju County to the north-east, Rapla County to the east, Pärnu County to the south, and the island counties of Saare and Hiiu to the west...
(Rotalia or Maritima),
HarjumaaHarjumaa, , was an ancient Estonian county. It corresponded roughly to the present territory of Rapla County.- See also :*Danish Estonia*Harju County*Rapla County*History of Estonia*Livonian Crusade*Rulers of Estonia...
(Harria), Rävala (Revalia),
VirumaaVirumaa is a former independent county in Ancient Estonia. Now it is divided into Ida-Viru County or Eastern Vironia and Lääne-Viru County or Western Vironia...
(Vironia), Järvamaa (Jervia),
SakalaSakala may refer to:* Sagala, a city of ancient Pakistan* Sakala County, an ancient county in Estonia * Sakala , an Estonian academic corporation* Sakala , an Estonian newspaper...
(Saccala), and Ugandi (
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...
).
In old Scandinavian sagas, Saaremaa is called
Eysysla which means exactly the same as the name of the island in Estonian:
the district (land) of island. This is the origin of the island's name in German and Swedish,
Ösel, Danish,
Øsel, and in Latin
Osilia. The name
Eysysla appears sometimes together with
Adalsysla, 'the big land', perhaps 'Suuremaa' or 'Suur Maa' in Estonian which refers to mainland Estonia. Sagas talk about numerous skirmishes between islanders and Vikings. Saaremaa was the wealthiest county of ancient Estonia and the home of notorious Estonian pirates, sometimes called the Eastern Vikings. The
Chronicle of Henry of LivoniaThe Chronicle of Henry of Livonia is a document describing historic events in Livonia and surrounding areas from 1180 to 1227. Apart from the few references in the Primary Chronicle compiled in Kievan Rus in the twelfth century, it is the oldest known written document about the history of these...
describes a fleet of sixteen ships and five hundred Œselians ravaging the area that is now southern Sweden, then belonging to Denmark. In 1206, the Danish
Valdemar II the VictoriousValdemar II , called Valdemar the Conqueror or Valdemar the Victorious , was the King of Denmark from November 12, 1202 until his death in 1241...
built a fortress on the islandDanish Estonia refers to the territories of present-day Estonia that were ruled by Denmark firstly during the 13th-14th centuries and again in the 16th-17th centuries....
but they found no volunteers to man it. They burned it down themselves and left. In 1227,
Saaremaa was conqueredThe 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...
by the
Livonian Brothers of the SwordBishop Albert of Riga founded the military order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1202; Pope Innocent III sanctioned the establishment in 1204. The membership of the order comprised German "warrior monks"...
, but remained a hotbed of Estonian resistance. The Order founded the
Bishopric of Ösel-WiekThe Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek was a semi-independent Roman Catholic prince-bishopric in what is now Saare and Lääne counties of Estonia....
there. When the Order was defeated by the
LithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of...
n army in the Battle of Saule in 1236, Œselians rebelled. The conflict was ended by a treaty that was signed by the Œselians and the Master of the Order.
The Œselians along with
CuroniansThe Curonians or Kurs were a people living on the Eastern shores of the Baltic who were eventually absorbed by the expansion of the Latvian and Lithuanian nations. They gave their name to the region of Courland . They spoke the Curonian language...
were known in the
Old NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
Icelandic Sagas and in
HeimskringlaHeimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
as
Víkingr frá Esthland (in English, Estonian Vikings) . Their sailing vessels were called pirate ships by Henry of Livonia in his Latin chronicles from the beginning of the 13th century.
Eistland or
Esthland is the historical Germanic language name that refers to the country at the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea in general, and is the origin of the modern national name for Estonia. The mainland of modern Estonia in the 8th century
Ynglinga sagaThe Ynglinga saga is a legendary saga, originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson about 1225. He based it on an earlier Ynglingatal which is attributed to the Norwegian 9th century skald Þjóðólfr of Hvinir, and which also appears in Historia Norwegiae.The Ynglinga saga...
was called
Adalsyssla in contrast to
Eysyssel or
Ösyssla that was the name of the island (
SwedishSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the Åland islands. It is to a considerable extent mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to a lesser extent with Danish...
): Ösel or (
EstonianEstonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
):
SaaremaaSaaremaa is the largest island belonging to Estonia, measuring 2,673 km². The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago...
, the home of the Oselians . In the 11th century
CourlandCourland is one of the cultural and historical regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
and Estland (Estonia) were both denoted separately by
Adam of BremenAdam of Bremen was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. He is most famous for his chronicle Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum .-Background:Little is known of his life other than hints from his own chronicles...
.
On the eve of
Northern CrusadesThe Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades were crusades undertaken by the Christian kings of Denmark and Sweden, the German Livonian and Teutonic military orders, and their allies against the pagan peoples of Northern Europe around the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea...
, the Oeselians were summarized in the
Livonian Rhymed ChronicleThe Livonian Rhymed Chronicle was a chronicle written in Low German by an anonymous writer. It covers the period 1180 – 1290 and contains a wealth of detail about Livonia, modern Latvia and Estonia....
thus: "The Oselians, neighbors to the
KursKurs or KURS could refer to:* Curonians, one of the extinct Baltic tribes that later formed the Latvian nation* KURS, a radio station broadcasting at 1040 AM in San Diego, California...
(Curonians), are surrounded by the sea and never fear strong armies as their strength is in their ships. In summers when they can travel across the sea they oppress the surrounding lands by raiding both Christians and pagans."
Conquest of Saaremaa
In 1206, the Danish army led by king Valdemar II and
Andreas, the Bishop of LundAnders Sunesen was a Danish archbishop of Lund, Scania, from March 21, 1201, at the death of Absalon, to his own death in 1228. He is the author of the Latin translation of the Scanian Law and was throughout his life engaged in integrating a Christian worldview into the old legislature...
landed on Saaremaa and attempted to establish a stronghold without success. In 1216 the
Livonian Brothers of the SwordBishop Albert of Riga founded the military order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1202; Pope Innocent III sanctioned the establishment in 1204. The membership of the order comprised German "warrior monks"...
and the bishop Theodorich joined forces and invaded Saaremaa over the frozen sea. The following spring the Osilians raided the territories in Latvia that were under German rule in return. In 1220, the Swedish army led by king
John I of SwedenJohan Sverkersson was a Swedish king elected in 1216. He was crowned in 1219, and remained king till his death in 1222. He was the son of Sverker Karlsson....
and the bishop
Karl of LinköpingKarl Magnusson from the House of Bjelbo was the Bishop of Linköping during 1216-1220. He died at the Battle of Lihula in Estonia.-Biography:...
conquered
LihulaLihula 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 Rotalia in Western Estonia. Osellians attacked the Swedish stronghold the same year, conquered it and killed the entire Swedish garrison including the Bishop of Linköping.
In 1222, the Danish king Valdemar II attempted the second conquest of Saaremaa, this time establishing a stone fortress housing a strong garrison. The Danish stronghold was besieged and surrendered within five days, the Danish garrison returned to
Revel- Places :* communes in France:** Revel, Haute-Garonne** Revel, Isère** Revel-Tourdan, in the Isère département* in Estonia:**Revel, Russian form of the German name for Tallinn, the capital of Estonia...
, leaving bishop Albert of Riga' brother Theodoric and few others behind hostages as pledges for peace. The castle was leveled to the ground by Oselians.
In 1227, the
Livonian Brothers of the SwordBishop Albert of Riga founded the military order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1202; Pope Innocent III sanctioned the establishment in 1204. The membership of the order comprised German "warrior monks"...
, the town of
RigaRiga is the capital and largest city of Latvia, a major industrial, commercial, cultural and financial centre of the Baltics, and an important seaport, situated on the mouth of the Daugava...
and the Bishop of Riga organized combined attack against Saaremaa. After the surrender of 2 major Oeselian strongholds,
MuhuMuhu , is an island in the Baltic Sea. With an area of 198 km² it is the third largest island belonging to Estonia, after Saaremaa and Hiiumaa....
and
ValjalaValjala is a small borough in Saare County in western Estonia, administrative centre of Valjala Commune.The Valjala church lies in centre of Valjala....
, the Oselians formally accepted Christianity.
In 1236, after the defeat of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in the Battle of Saule, military action on Saaremaa broke out again.
Oselians accepted
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
again by signing treaties with the Master of Teutonic Order in Livonia Andreas de Velven and the
Bishopric of Ösel-WiekThe Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek was a semi-independent Roman Catholic prince-bishopric in what is now Saare and Lääne counties of Estonia....
in 1241. The next treaty was signed in 1255 by the Master of the Order, Anno Sangerhausenn, and, on behalf of the Oselians, by men whose "names" (or declaration) were transcribed by Latin scribes as Ylle, Culle, Env, Muntelene, Tappete, Yalde, Melete, and Cake The treaty granted several additional rights to the Osilians. The 1255 treaty included clauses concerning the ownership and inheritance of land, the social system and religious rules.
In 1261, warfare continued as the Oselians had again renounced Christianity and killed all the Germans on the island. A peace treaty was signed after the united forces of the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order, the
Bishopric of Ösel-WiekThe Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek was a semi-independent Roman Catholic prince-bishopric in what is now Saare and Lääne counties of Estonia....
, the forces of
Danish EstoniaDanish Estonia refers to the territories of present-day Estonia that were ruled by Denmark firstly during the 13th-14th centuries and again in the 16th-17th centuries....
including mainland Estonians and Latvians defeated the Osilians by conquering the Kaarma stronghold. Soon thereafter, the
Teutonic KnightsThe Order of the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary's Hospital in Jerusalem , or for short the Teutonic Order , is a German Roman Catholic religious order. It was formed to aid Catholics on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals to care for the sick and injured...
established a stone fort at Pöide.
On July 24, 1343, the Oselians killed all the Germans on the island, drowned all the clerics and started to besiege the
TeutonicThe Order of the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary's Hospital in Jerusalem , or for short the Teutonic Order , is a German Roman Catholic religious order. It was formed to aid Catholics on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals to care for the sick and injured...
castle at Pöide. After the surrender the Osilians levelled the castle and killed all the defenders. In February 1344, Burchard von Dreileben led a campaign over the frozen sea to Saaremaa. The Osilians' stronghold was conquered and their
KingKing may be a title for a head of state.King may also refer to:-Places:* King, Ontario, Canada* King, Indiana, United States* King, North Carolina, United States* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin, United States...
Wesse was hanged. In the early spring of 1345, the next campaign of the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order took place that ended with a treaty mentioned in the Chronicle of Hermann von Wartberge and the
Novgorod First ChronicleThe Novgorod First Chronicle or The Chronicle of Novgorod, 1016-1471 is the most ancient extant chronicle of the Novgorod Republic. It reflects a tradition different from the Kievan Primary Chronicle...
. Saaremaa remained the vassal of the master of the Teutonic Order in Livonia, and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek.
External links