Caupo of Turaida
Encyclopedia
Caupo of Turaida, or Kaupo (died September 21, 1217) was a leader of the Finnic
-speaking Livonian people
in the beginning of the 13th century, in what is now Latvia
. He is sometimes called 'King of Livonia', Chronicle of Henry of Livonia
calls him quasi rex, 'like a king'.
He was the first prominent Livonian to be christened
. He was probably baptized
around 1191 by a priest called Theoderic. He became an ardent Christian and friend of Albert of Buxhoeveden, Bishop of Riga
, who took him 1203-1204 all the way to Rome
and introduced him to Pope Innocent III
. The Pope was impressed by the converted pagan
chief and presented him a Bible
. When he returned from travel, his tribe rebelled against him and Caupo helped to conquer and destroy his own former Castle of Turaida in 1212. The castle was rebuilt two years later as a stone castle that is well preserved even today.
Caupo participated in a crusader
raid against the still pagan, related Finnic-speaking Estonians
and was killed in the Battle of St. Matthew's Day
in 1217 against the troops of the Estonian leader Lembitu of Lehola
. He did not have any male heirs as his son Bertold had been killed 1210 in the Battle of Ümera
against Estonians. He left his inheritance to the church, but the Lieven
family later claimed female-line descent from him.
Modern Estonians, Latvians
, and the remaining few Livonians do not have consensus view about the historical role of Caupo. Some consider him traitor and enemy agent. Others consider him a visionary leader who wanted his people to be part of Christian and European culture. Both these judgments attribute 19th century views about nationality to a medieval chieftain. Latvian legends, however, are unequivocal: there he is named "Kaupo the accursed, the scourge of the Livs,... Kaupo who has sold his soul to the foreign bishops."
Finnic languages
The term Finnic languages often means the Baltic-Finnic languages, an undisputed branch of the Uralic languages. However, it is also commonly used to mean the Finno-Permic languages, a hypothetical intermediate branch that includes Baltic Finnic, or the more disputed Finno-Volgaic languages....
-speaking Livonian people
Livonian people
The Livonians or Livs are the indigenous inhabitants of Livonia, a large part of what is today northwestern Latvia and southwestern Estonia. They spoke the Uralic Livonian language, a language which is closely related to Estonian and Finnish...
in the beginning of the 13th century, in what is now 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...
. He is sometimes called 'King of Livonia', Chronicle of Henry of Livonia
Chronicle of Henry of Livonia
The Livonian Chronicle of Henry 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...
calls him quasi rex, 'like a king'.
He was the first prominent Livonian to be christened
Christianization
The historical phenomenon of Christianization is the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once...
. He was probably baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
around 1191 by a priest called Theoderic. He became an ardent Christian and friend of Albert of Buxhoeveden, Bishop of 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,...
, who took him 1203-1204 all the way to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and introduced him to Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
. The Pope was impressed by the converted pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
chief and presented him a Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. When he returned from travel, his tribe rebelled against him and Caupo helped to conquer and destroy his own former Castle of Turaida in 1212. The castle was rebuilt two years later as a stone castle that is well preserved even today.
Caupo participated in a crusader
Northern Crusades
The 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...
raid against the still pagan, related Finnic-speaking Estonians
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...
and was killed in the Battle of St. Matthew's Day
Battle of St. Matthew's Day
The Battle of St. Matthew's Day was fought near Viljandi on September 21, 1217 during the Livonian Crusade. The adversaries were the German crusading order the Sword Brethren with their recently converted Livonian and Latgalian allies and an army of 6000 Estonian men from different counties, led...
in 1217 against the troops of the Estonian leader Lembitu of Lehola
Lembitu of Lehola
Lembitu was an ancient Estonian elder of Sakala County and military leader in the struggle against conquest of the Estonian lands by the German Livonian Brothers of the Sword at the beginning of the 13th century...
. He did not have any male heirs as his son Bertold had been killed 1210 in the Battle of Ümera
Battle of Ümera
Battle of Ümera , recorded by Henry of Livonia was fought near Valmiera on the Ümera river in 1210, during the Livonian Crusade between Estonians and Crusaders. The Estonians won the battle....
against Estonians. He left his inheritance to the church, but the Lieven
Lieven
The Lievens are one of the oldest and noblest families of Baltic Germans. They claim descent from Caupo of Turaida , the Livonian quasi rex who converted to Christianity in 1186, when Bishop Meinhard attempted to Christianize the region...
family later claimed female-line descent from him.
Modern Estonians, Latvians
Latvians
Latvians or Letts are the indigenous Baltic people of Latvia.-History:Latvians occasionally refer to themselves by the ancient name of Latvji, which may have originated from the word Latve which is a name of the river that presumably flowed through what is now eastern Latvia...
, and the remaining few Livonians do not have consensus view about the historical role of Caupo. Some consider him traitor and enemy agent. Others consider him a visionary leader who wanted his people to be part of Christian and European culture. Both these judgments attribute 19th century views about nationality to a medieval chieftain. Latvian legends, however, are unequivocal: there he is named "Kaupo the accursed, the scourge of the Livs,... Kaupo who has sold his soul to the foreign bishops."