Crusader{{Short description|Military order founded by Bishop Albert of Riga in 1202}}
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{{Distinguish|Livonian Order}}
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The '''Livonian Brothers of the Sword''' ({{lang-la|Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae}}, {{lang-de|Schwertbrüderorden}}<!--, {{lang-fr|Ordre des chevaliers Porte-Glaive}}, [[Polish language|Polish]]: Zakon Kawalerów Mieczowych-->) was a [[ChristianCatholic Church|ChristianCatholic]] [[Military order (monastic society)|military order]] established in 1202 during the [[Livonian Crusade]] by [[Albert of Riga|Albert]], the third [[bishop]] of [[Riga]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Christiansen |first=Eric |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/38197435 |title=The northern Crusades |date=1997 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=0-14-026653-4 |edition=2nd |location=London, England |pages=x |language=en |oclc=38197435}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> (or possibly by [[Theoderich von Treyden|Theoderich von Treydend]]). [[Pope]] [[Pope Innocent III|Innocent III]] sanctioned the establishment in 1204 for the second time. The membership of the [[Crusades|crusading]] [[Military order (religious society)|order]] comprised [[warrior monk|warrior]] [[monk]]s, mostly from northern Germany, who fought [[Baltic peoples|Baltic]] and [[Baltic Finnic peoples|Finnic]] "[[paganism|pagans]]" in the area of modern-day [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]] and [[Lithuania]]. Alternative names of the Order include '''Christ Knights''', '''Swordbrothers''', '''Sword Brethren''', '''Order of the Brothers of the Sword''',<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Order of the Brothers of the Sword {{!}} German organization of knights|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Order-of-the-Brothers-of-the-Sword|access-date=2020-09-29|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> and '''The Militia of Christ of Livonia'''. The seal reads: ''+MAGISTRI ETFRM (et fratrum) MILICIE CRI (Christi) DE LIVONIA''.
Following their defeat by the [[Samogitians]] and [[Semigallians]] in the [[Battle of Saule|Battle of Schaulen (Saule)]] in 1236, the surviving Brothers merged into the [[Teutonic Order]] as an autonomous branch and became known as the [[Livonian Order]].
