Battle of Viljandi (1223) 1223
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1223 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | Estonia | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Livonian Crusade | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Estonians, Livonian Brothers of the Sword | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 58.3597, 25.5933 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
On 29 January 1223, during a church service, the Sackalians attacked the Germans inside the stronghold of Viljandi. They killed Sword-Brothers, vartels, merchants, and even Mauritius, the vogt of Viljandi. The rest of the Germans were put in stocks and shackles. Some men advanced on to the stronghold of Leole, where they told others to do the same. Subsequently, the same Sackalians took Hebbe, the vogt of Järvamaa, and brought him to Viljandi. The heart of a still-alive Hebbe was torn out of his chest, baked on fire and eaten ritually, in order to "become strong in the fight against the Christians".
Elders of Viljandi sent a victory notice to Otepää and Tartu, calling for Estonians to act the same way. Swords covered in German soldiers' blood, captured horses, and clothes were sent to the people of Tartu. Soon after, Otepää and Tartu were liberated and Johannes, the vogt of Tartu, killed. Like in Sakala, the bodies of the killed enemy were left on the fields "for dogs and birds".
A year later after this battle, construction of a new stone fortifications - Viljandi Castle - has started.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Viljandi (1223) (revision 1370592510), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Viljandi 1211 · 0 km
- Siege of Fellin (1560) 1560 · 0 km
- Siege of Fellin 1602 · 1 km
- Battle of St. Matthew's Day 1217 · 12 km
- Battle of Lehola 1215 · 22 km
- Battle of Karksi (1600) 1600 · 27 km
Other battles of the Livonian Crusade
- Battle of Turaida (1211) 1211
- Battle of Lehola 1215
- Battle of Riga (1215) 1215
- Battle of Otepää 1217
- Siege of Tallinn 1221
- Siege of Tartu (1224) 1224
- Battle of Saule 1236
- Battle of Memel (1257) 1257
- Battle of Karuse 1270
- Battle of Aizkraukle 1279
All 13 battles of the Livonian Crusade →
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