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Vyachko
Vyachko
Prince of Koknese Prince of Yuryev;
	Monument to Vyachko (right) in Tartu, Estonia
Reign	Until 1224
Died	15 August 1224; Yuryev

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Vyachko^[1]^[2] (Russian: Вячко; died 1224; also Vyacheslav),^[3] also known as Vetseke,^[4] was the prince of Koknese (Kuikenos).^[5] He later became the prince of Yuryev (now Tartu) while in the service of Novgorod,^[3] which was the last Russian stronghold in Estonia.^[6] He died during the defense of the city against the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1224.^[7]

Origins

Vetseke may have been the equivalent to the Russian Vyachko (a shortened form of Vyacheslav).^[8] Evidence from the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia indicates the possibility that he came from a local élite, perhaps a Livonian, who converted to Orthodox Christianity and became a vassal of the Principality of Polotsk. Despite this, he was still perceived as a Russian prince.^[8]^[9]

The Chronicle says that the population of Koknese (Kokenhusen) included Balts (Latgallians and Selonians) and a Germanic colony, as well as some Slavic peoples.^[10]

Early relations with the Crusaders

At the beginning of the 13th century, when during the Northern Crusades the crusading Teutonic knights led by bishop Albert of Buxhoeveden began to establish themselves on the shores of the Gulf of Riga, Vetseke ruled the fortress of Koknese some 100 km upstream of the Daugava.

Although his principality is believed to have been subject to Polotsk, this did nothing to help him withstand either the Knights’ nor the Lithuanians’ pressure. According to the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, it was indeed in return for protection against the Lithuanians that Vetseke offered half of his land and the fort to Albert in 1205 (...offerens sibi terre et castri sui medietatem). Albert accepted the offer and promised to send Vetseke weapons and men.^[11]

In 1208, Koknese was captured by the Livonians of Lielvārde in retaliation of Vetseke’s raids. Vetseke and all his wealth were captured and the king himself cast in chains. However, Daniel, the knight of Lielvārde (Danielus de Lenewarde), upon hearing the news of Vetseke’s capture immediately notified bishop Albert^[12] who then "ordered the fort to be restored to the king and all his wealth to be given back to him". He then summoned Vetseke to Riga where he honored him with gifts of many horses and suits of precious garments. The bishop then sent Vetseke back along with "twenty strong men with arms, knights with their mounts, ballistarii, and masons to strengthen the fort and hold it against the Lithuanians", just as he had promised three years earlier.^[13]

After sending Vetseke back to Koknese bishop Albert prepared to leave on a customary annual trip to Germany in order to recruit new crusaders to replace the ones whose pilgrimage was completed. Knowing that only a few defenders had remained in Riga, Vetseke had the support troops and artisans sent by Albert murdered and then "sent the best German horses, ballistas, coats of mail, and similar things" to Grand Prince Vladimir of Polotsk, "with an urgent request that he call together an army and come as quickly as possible to take Riga, in which he said few men remained, the best having been killed by him and the others having gone away with the bishop".^[14] Vladimir, whom the chronicler describes as an "excessively credulous king", responded by gathering an army in anticipation of the expedition.

Meanwhile the leaving crusader army had been detained in Dünamünde by a contrary wind. After receiving word of Vetseke's treachery and the massacre at Koknese from the few survivors who had reached Riga, the flotilla turned back and returned to the city. Upon hearing that a grand army of crusaders and native Livonians has gathered in Riga, the Russians became afraid, "divided the arms and horses of the Germans among themselves, set fire to the fort of Koknese and fled, each one on his own way". Vetseke, however, "since he had acted evilly, departed for Russia, never to return thenceforth to his kingdom".^[15]

The crusaders, being deprived of the opportunity to gather loot in Koknese, took revenge on the local Latvian population by killing many Latgallians and Selonians who had fled to the woods.^[16] By 1209, Koknese had been taken over by the Order and the formal sovereignty of Polotsk was finally revoked in 1215.

Vetseke's death in Tartu

In 1223, there was a general anti-crusader uprising in all of mainland Estonia. After the German garrisons had been killed the Estonians took over all the fortresses. In order to secure their initial military success, mercenary troops were invited from Novgorod and Pskov and stationed in several key fortresses such as Viljandi and Tartu.^[17]

Vetseke, who had lost his earlier dominions to the crusaders and Livonians, was given money and two hundred men by the Novgorod Republic so that he could establish himself in Tarbatu (present-day Tartu) or any other place "that he could conquer for himself".^[18] In Russian historiography this payment for military help has been interpreted as the Estonians subjugating themselves to Vetseke and paying him tax. Soviet historiography claimed that the "Russian-Estonian cooperation" in the defense of Tartu "against common enemy – the German colonizers" – was a sign of "friendship between the two brotherly nations".

By 1224, Tartu remained the last centre of anti-crusader resistance in south Estonia. In addition to the local Ugandi, many fighters from Sakala and other neighboring provinces had gathered there ("vicinas omnes provincias"). After Easter the crusaders laid siege to Tartu but were forced to leave after only five days of fighting. The bishops sent a delegation to Vetseke and asked him to give up the "heathen rebels" in the fortress and leave, but he chose to stay because "the Novgorodians and Russian princes had promised him the fortress and the surrounding lands" if he could conquer them for himself.^[19]

On August 15, 1224, the crusader army, reinforced with a large number of Christian Latvian and Livonian troops, returned with all its might to Tarbatu. The second siege of Tartu in 1224 lasted many days and nights. Vetseke and his 200 troops were again offered free passage through the crusader camp, but Vetseke, expecting a relief army from Novgorod, refused. When the fortress finally fell, all the survivors inside, including women, were killed in the final onslaught. According to the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia Vetseke along with his Russian mercenaries tried to put up resistance in one of the fortifications, but were all dragged out and killed. Of all the people in the fortress, only one Russian was left alive. He was given a good horse and sent back to Novgorod. The relief troops from Novgorod had already reached Pskov when they received the news from Tartu whereupon they decided to cancel the expedition and make peace with the Germans.^[20]

References

^ The Uses of the Bible in Crusader Sources. BRILL. 22 May 2017. p. 377. ISBN 978-90-04-34121-0.
^ Bojtár, Endre (1999). Foreword to the Past. Central European University Press. ISBN 978-963-9116-42-9.
^ ^a ^b Selart, Anti (31 March 2015). Livonia, Rus’ and the Baltic Crusades in the Thirteenth Century. BRILL. p. 71. ISBN 978-90-04-28475-3.
^ Brundage, James (2003). The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia. Columbia University Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-231-12888-9.
^ Curtin, Jeremiah (1908). The Mongols in Russia. Little Brown. p. 214.
^ Murray, Alan V. (5 December 2016). The Clash of Cultures on the Medieval Baltic Frontier. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-89260-5.
^ Rogers, Clifford J. (2010). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology. Oxford University Press. p. 346. ISBN 978-0-19-533403-6.
^ ^a ^b Murray, Alan V. (2009). The Clash of Cultures on the Medieval Baltic Frontier. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 235. ISBN 978-0-7546-6483-3.
^ Selart, Anti (31 March 2015). Livonia, Rus’ and the Baltic Crusades in the Thirteenth Century. BRILL. p. 72. ISBN 978-90-04-28475-3.
^ Šterns, Indriķis (2002). Latvijas vēsture 1180–1290: Krustakari (in Latvian). Riga: Latvijas vēstures institūta apgāds. p. 182. ISBN 9984-601-88-9. OCLC 53125658. On the Baltic population of Koknese, cf. Brundage, op. cit., p. 78f.
^ Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 70. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.
^ Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 80. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.
^ Brundage, James (2003). The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia. Columbia University Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-231-12888-9.
^ Brundage, James (2003). The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia. Columbia University Press. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-231-12888-9.
^ Brundage, James (2003). The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia. Columbia University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-231-12888-9.
^ Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 84. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.
^ Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 234. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.
^ Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 242. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.
^ Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 246. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.
^ Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 248-254. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.

[1] The Uses of the Bible in Crusader Sources. BRILL. 22 May 2017. p. 377. ISBN 978-90-04-34121-0.

[2] Bojtár, Endre (1999). Foreword to the Past. Central European University Press. ISBN 978-963-9116-42-9.

[Selart-3] Selart, Anti (31 March 2015). Livonia, Rus’ and the Baltic Crusades in the Thirteenth Century. BRILL. p. 71. ISBN 978-90-04-28475-3.

[4] Brundage, James (2003). The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia. Columbia University Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-231-12888-9.

[5] Curtin, Jeremiah (1908). The Mongols in Russia. Little Brown. p. 214.

[6] Murray, Alan V. (5 December 2016). The Clash of Cultures on the Medieval Baltic Frontier. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-89260-5.

[7] Rogers, Clifford J. (2010). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology. Oxford University Press. p. 346. ISBN 978-0-19-533403-6.

[Murray-8] Murray, Alan V. (2009). The Clash of Cultures on the Medieval Baltic Frontier. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 235. ISBN 978-0-7546-6483-3.

[9] Selart, Anti (31 March 2015). Livonia, Rus’ and the Baltic Crusades in the Thirteenth Century. BRILL. p. 72. ISBN 978-90-04-28475-3.

[10] Šterns, Indriķis (2002). Latvijas vēsture 1180–1290: Krustakari (in Latvian). Riga: Latvijas vēstures institūta apgāds. p. 182. ISBN 9984-601-88-9. OCLC 53125658. On the Baltic population of Koknese, cf. Brundage, op. cit., p. 78f.

[11] Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 70. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.

[12] Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 80. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.

[13] Brundage, James (2003). The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia. Columbia University Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-231-12888-9.

[14] Brundage, James (2003). The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia. Columbia University Press. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-231-12888-9.

[15] Brundage, James (2003). The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia. Columbia University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-231-12888-9.

[16] Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 84. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.

[17] Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 234. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.

[18] Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 242. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.

[19] Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 246. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.

[20] Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae. p. 248-254. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Prince of Koknese (d. 1224)}}{{Infobox monarch
-'''Vyachko of Koknese''', also ''Vetseke of Kokenhusen''<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia |last=Brundage |first=James |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2003 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location= |isbn=978-0-231-12888-9 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=UtRs1QecqIsC&pg=PA68 |page=52 }}</ref> ({{lang-la|Rex Vesceka de Kukenois}},<ref>Also spelled as [http://books.google.com/books?ei=iijpSM3iEpbAM_qgmRA&as_brr=0&q=Vyachko%2C+Prince+of+Kuikenos&btnG=Search+Books Kuikenos]</ref> {{lang-lv|Vetseke}}, {{lang-ru|Вячко}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Foreword to the Past |last=Bojtár |first=Endre |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1999 |publisher=Central European University Press |location= |isbn=978-963-9116-42-9 |pages= |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=5aoId7nA4bsC&pg=PA125 }}</ref>) was the ruler of the [[Principality of Koknese]] in present-day [[Latvia]], a vassal of [[Principality of Polotsk|Polotsk]], who unsuccessfully tried to establish himself as a local ruler first in Latvia and then in [[Estonia]], and fought against the expansionism of the [[Livonian Knights]] at the turn of the 13th century.
+| name         = Vyachko
+| title        = {{plainlist|Prince of [[Principality of Koknese|Koknese]]
+* ''Prince of [[Tartu|Yuryev]]''
+}}
+| image        = Vyachko.jpg
+| caption      = Monument to Vyachko (right) in [[Tartu]], [[Republic of Estonia|Estonia]]
+| birth_date   =
+| birth_place  =
+| death_date   = 15 August 1224
+| death_place  = [[Tartu|Yuryev]]
+| father       =
+| occupation   =
+| reign1       = Until 1224
+}}
+'''Vyachko'''<ref>{{cite book |title=The Uses of the Bible in Crusader Sources |date=22 May 2017 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-34121-0 |page=377 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Uses_of_the_Bible_in_Crusader_Source/L9YkDwAAQBAJ?hl=en |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Foreword to the Past |last=Bojtár |first=Endre |year=1999 |publisher=Central European University Press |isbn=978-963-9116-42-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5aoId7nA4bsC&pg=PA125 }}</ref> ({{lang-ru|Вячко}}; died 1224; also ''Vyacheslav''),<ref name="Selart">{{cite book |last1=Selart |first1=Anti |title=Livonia, Rus’ and the Baltic Crusades in the Thirteenth Century |date=31 March 2015 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-28475-3 |page=71 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Livonia_Rus_and_the_Baltic_Crusades_in_t/dHu9BwAAQBAJ?hl=en |language=en}}</ref> also known as '''Vetseke''',<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia |last=Brundage |first=James |year=2003 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-12888-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UtRs1QecqIsC&pg=PA68 |page=52 }}</ref> was the prince of [[Principality of Koknese|Koknese]] (Kuikenos).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Curtin |first1=Jeremiah |title=The Mongols in Russia |date=1908 |publisher=Little Brown |page=214 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7kNAAAAIAAJ |language=en}}</ref> He later became the prince of [[Tartu|Yuryev]] (now [[Tartu]]) while in the service of [[Novgorod Republic|Novgorod]],<ref name="Selart"/> which was the last Russian stronghold in Estonia.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Murray |first1=Alan V. |title=The Clash of Cultures on the Medieval Baltic Frontier |date=5 December 2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-89260-5 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Clash_of_Cultures_on_the_Medieval_Ba/IKOoDQAAQBAJ?hl=en |language=en}}</ref> He died during the [[Siege of Tartu (1224)|defense of the city]] against the [[Livonian Brothers of the Sword]] in 1224.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rogers |first1=Clifford J. |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533403-6 |page=346 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Oxford_Encyclopedia_of_Medieval_Warf/mzwpq6bLHhMC?hl=en |language=en}}</ref>
-==Identity of Vyachko/Vetseke==
-His name is the [[Old Novgorod dialect]] form of ''[[Vyacheslav]]''.
+==Origins==
-According to Russian sources, his father is supposed to have been a [[Rurikid]] prince of [[Drutsk]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}} Another interpretation, based on evidence from the ''[[Chronicle of Henry of Livonia]]'', is that he came from a local élite, perhaps a [[Livonian people|Livonian]], who converted to [[Orthodox Christianity]] and became a vassal of Polotsk, whereupon he changed his name to the [[East Slavic]] ''Vyachko''.
+Vetseke may have been the equivalent to the Russian Vyachko (a shortened form of [[Vyacheslav]]).<ref name="Murray">{{cite book |last1=Murray |first1=Alan V. |title=The Clash of Cultures on the Medieval Baltic Frontier |date=2009 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |isbn=978-0-7546-6483-3 |page=235 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Clash_of_Cultures_on_the_Medieval_Ba/5kv599Lb04UC?hl=en |language=en}}</ref><!--his father is supposed to have been a [[Rurikid]] prince of [[Drutsk]]. Unreferenced  Citation needed|date=October 2008--> Evidence from the ''[[Chronicle of Henry of Livonia]]'' indicates the possibility that he came from a local élite, perhaps a [[Livonian people|Livonian]], who converted to [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]] and became a vassal of the [[Principality of Polotsk]]. Despite this, he was still perceived as a Russian prince.<ref name="Murray"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Selart |first1=Anti |title=Livonia, Rus’ and the Baltic Crusades in the Thirteenth Century |date=31 March 2015 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-28475-3 |page=72 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Livonia_Rus_and_the_Baltic_Crusades_in_t/dHu9BwAAQBAJ?hl=en |language=en}}</ref>
-The ''Chronicle'' says the population of [[Koknese]] included [[Balts]] ([[Latgallians]] and [[Selonians]]) and even a German colony, in addition to the East Slavic element.<ref>{{cite book |title=Latvijas vēsture 1180–1290: Krustakari |last=Šterns |first=Indriķis |authorlink= |year=2002 |publisher=Latvijas vēstures institūta apgāds |language=Latvian |location=Riga |isbn=9984-601-88-9 |oclc=53125658 |page=182 }} On the Baltic population of Koknese, cf. Brundage, ''op. cit.'', p. 78f.</ref>
+The ''Chronicle'' says that the population of [[Koknese]] (Kokenhusen) included [[Balts]] ([[Latgallians]] and [[Selonians]]) and a Germanic colony, as well as some Slavic peoples.<ref>{{cite book |title=Latvijas vēsture 1180–1290: Krustakari |last=Šterns |first=Indriķis |year=2002 |publisher=Latvijas vēstures institūta apgāds |language=lv |location=Riga |isbn=9984-601-88-9 |oclc=53125658 |page=182 }} On the Baltic population of Koknese, cf. Brundage, ''op. cit.'', p. 78f.</ref>
 ==Early relations with the Crusaders==
-At the beginning of the 13th century, when during the [[Northern Crusades]] [[Germans]] led by bishop [[Albert of Buxhoeveden]] and the [[Livonian Brothers of the Sword]] began to establish themselves on the shores of the [[Gulf of Riga]], Vetseke ruled the fortress of Koknese some 100 km upstream of the [[Daugava]].
+At the beginning of the 13th century, when during the [[Northern Crusades]] the crusading Teutonic knights led by bishop [[Albert of Buxhoeveden]] began to establish themselves on the shores of the [[Gulf of Riga]], Vetseke ruled the fortress of Koknese some 100 km upstream of the [[Daugava River|Daugava]].
-Although his principality is believed to have been subject to Polotsk, these did nothing to help him withstand neither the Knights’ nor the [[Lithuanians]]’ pressure. According to the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, it was indeed in return for protection against the Lithuanians that Vetseke offered half of his land and the fort to Albert in 1205 (''...offerens sibi terre et castri sui medietatem''). Albert accepted the offer and promised to send Vetseke weapons and men.<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 70. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref>
+Although his principality is believed to have been subject to Polotsk, this did nothing to help him withstand either the Knights’ nor the Lithuanians’ pressure. According to the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, it was indeed in return for protection against the Lithuanians that Vetseke offered half of his land and the fort to Albert in 1205 (''...offerens sibi terre et castri sui medietatem''). Albert accepted the offer and promised to send Vetseke weapons and men.<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 70. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref>
-In 1208 Koknese was captured by the [[Livonian people|Livonians]] of [[Lielvārde]] in retaliation of Vetseke’s raids. Vetseke and all his wealth were captured and the king himself cast in chains. However, Daniel, the knight of Lielvārde (''Danielus de Lenewarde''), upon hearing the news of Vetseke’s capture immediately notified bishop Albert<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 80. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref> who then ''"ordered the fort to be restored to the king and all his wealth to be given back to him"''. He then summoned Vetseke to Riga where he honored him with gifts of many horses and suits of precious garments. The bishop then sent Vetseke back along with ''"twenty strong men with arms, knights with their mounts, ballistarii, and masons to strengthen the fort and hold it against the Lithuanians"'', just as he had promised three years earlier.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia |last=Brundage |first=James |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2003 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location= |isbn=978-0-231-12888-9 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=UtRs1QecqIsC&pg=PA68 |page=76 }}</ref>
+In 1208, Koknese was captured by the Livonians of [[Lielvārde]] in retaliation of Vetseke’s raids. Vetseke and all his wealth were captured and the king himself cast in chains. However, Daniel, the knight of Lielvārde (''Danielus de Lenewarde''), upon hearing the news of Vetseke’s capture immediately notified bishop Albert<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 80. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref> who then "ordered the fort to be restored to the king and all his wealth to be given back to him". He then summoned Vetseke to Riga where he honored him with gifts of many horses and suits of precious garments. The bishop then sent Vetseke back along with "twenty strong men with arms, knights with their mounts, ballistarii, and masons to strengthen the fort and hold it against the Lithuanians", just as he had promised three years earlier.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia |last=Brundage |first=James |year=2003 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-12888-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UtRs1QecqIsC&pg=PA68 |page=76 }}</ref>
-After sending Vetseke back to Koknese bishop Albert prepared to leave on a customary annual trip to Germany in order to recruit new crusaders to replace the ones whose pilgrimage was completed. Knowing that only a few defenders had remained in Riga, Vetseke had the support troops and artisans sent by Albert murdered and then ''"sent the best German horses, ballistas, coats of mail, and similar things"'' to Grand Prince Vladimir of Polotsk, ''"with an urgent request that he call together an army and come as quickly as possible to take Riga, in which he said few men remained, the best having been killed by him and the others having gone away with the bishop"''.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia |last=Brundage |first=James |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2003 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location= |isbn=978-0-231-12888-9 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=UtRs1QecqIsC&pg=PA68 |page=77 }}</ref> Vladimir, whom the chronicler describes as an ''"excessively credulous king"'', responded by gathering an army in anticipation of the expedition.
+After sending Vetseke back to Koknese bishop Albert prepared to leave on a customary annual trip to Germany in order to recruit new crusaders to replace the ones whose pilgrimage was completed. Knowing that only a few defenders had remained in Riga, Vetseke had the support troops and artisans sent by Albert murdered and then "sent the best German horses, ballistas, coats of mail, and similar things" to Grand Prince Vladimir of Polotsk, "with an urgent request that he call together an army and come as quickly as possible to take Riga, in which he said few men remained, the best having been killed by him and the others having gone away with the bishop".<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia |last=Brundage |first=James |year=2003 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-12888-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UtRs1QecqIsC&pg=PA68 |page=77 }}</ref> Vladimir, whom the chronicler describes as an "excessively credulous king", responded by gathering an army in anticipation of the expedition.
-Meanwhile the leaving crusader army had been detained in [[Dünamünde]] by a contrary wind. After receiving word of Vetseke’s treachery and the massacre at Koknese from the few survivors who had reached Riga, the flotilla turned back and returned to the city. Upon hearing that a grand army of crusaders and native Livonians has gathered in Riga, the Russians became afraid, ''"divided the arms and horses of the Germans among themselves, set fire to the fort of Koknese and fled, each one on his own way"''. Vetseke, however, ''"since he had acted evilly, departed for Russia, never to return thenceforth to his kingdom"''.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia |last=Brundage |first=James |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2003 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location= |isbn=978-0-231-12888-9 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=UtRs1QecqIsC&pg=PA68 |page=78 }}</ref>
+Meanwhile the leaving crusader army had been detained in [[Dünamünde]] by a contrary wind. After receiving word of Vetseke's treachery and the massacre at Koknese from the few survivors who had reached Riga, the flotilla turned back and returned to the city. Upon hearing that a grand army of crusaders and native Livonians has gathered in Riga, the Russians became afraid, "divided the arms and horses of the Germans among themselves, set fire to the fort of Koknese and fled, each one on his own way". Vetseke, however, "since he had acted evilly, departed for Russia, never to return thenceforth to his kingdom".<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia |last=Brundage |first=James |year=2003 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-12888-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UtRs1QecqIsC&pg=PA68 |page=78 }}</ref>
-The crusaders, being deprived of the opportunity to gather loot in Koknese, took revenge on the local Latvian population by killing many Latgallians and Selonians who had fled to the woods.<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 84. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref> By 1209 Koknese had been taken over by the Order and the formal sovereignty of Polotsk was finally revoked in 1215.
+The crusaders, being deprived of the opportunity to gather loot in Koknese, took revenge on the local Latvian population by killing many Latgallians and Selonians who had fled to the woods.<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 84. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref> By 1209, Koknese had been taken over by the Order and the formal sovereignty of Polotsk was finally revoked in 1215.
-==Vetseke and the defense of Tartu==
+==Vetseke's death in Tartu==
-In 1223 there was a general anti-Christian uprising in all of Estonia. Germans and Danes were put to the sword and some priests ritually sacrificed to [[Finnish paganism|pagan]] gods. After the German garrisons had been killed the Estonians occupied all the fortresses. In order to secure their initial military success, mercenary Russian troops were invited from Novgorod and Pskov and stationed in several key fortresses such as [[Viljandi]] and [[Tartu]].<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 234. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref>
+In 1223, there was a general anti-crusader uprising in all of mainland Estonia. After the German garrisons had been killed the Estonians took over all the fortresses. In order to secure their initial military success, mercenary troops were invited from Novgorod and Pskov and stationed in several key fortresses such as [[Viljandi]] and [[Tartu]].<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 234. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref>
+[[File:The death of Vyachko.jpg|left|thumb|The death of Vyachko]]
+Vetseke, who had lost his earlier dominions to the crusaders and Livonians, was given money and two hundred men by the Novgorod Republic so that he could establish himself in ''Tarbatu'' (present-day Tartu) or any other place ''"that he could conquer for himself"''.<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 242. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref> In Russian historiography this payment for military help has been interpreted as the Estonians subjugating themselves to Vetseke and paying him tax. [[Soviet historiography]] claimed that the "Russian-Estonian cooperation" in the defense of Tartu "against common enemy – the German colonizers" – was a sign of "friendship between the two brotherly nations".
+By 1224, Tartu remained the last centre of anti-crusader resistance in south Estonia. In addition to the local [[Ugandi]], many fighters from [[Sakala County|Sakala]] and other neighboring provinces had gathered there (''"vicinas omnes provincias"''). After Easter the crusaders laid siege to Tartu but were forced to leave after only five days of fighting. The bishops sent a delegation to Vetseke and asked him to give up the "heathen rebels" in the fortress and leave, but he chose to stay because "the Novgorodians and Russian princes had promised him the fortress and the surrounding lands" if he could conquer them for himself.<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 246. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref>
-Vetseke, who had lost his earlier dominions to the crusader and [[Livonian people|Livonian]] army, was given money and two hundred men by the Novgorod Republic so that he could establish himself in ''Tarbatu'' (present-day Tartu) or any other place ''"that he could conquer for himself"''.<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 242. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref> In Russian historiography this payment for military help had traditionally been presented as the Estonians subjugating themselves to Vetseke and paying him tax. [[Soviet historiography]], on the other hand, interpreted the Russian-Estonian cooperation in the defense of Tartu as a sign of friendship between the two brotherly nations against a common enemy – the German colonizers.
-By 1224 Tartu remained the last center of anti-Christian resistance in South-Estonia. In addition to the local [[Ugandi]], many freedom fighters from [[Sakala]] and other neighboring provinces had gathered there (''"vicinas omnes provincias"''). After Easter the crusaders laid siege to Tartu but were forced to leave after only five days of fighting. The bishops sent a delegation to Vetseke and asked him to give up the ''"heathen rebels"'' in the fortress and leave, but he chose to stay because ''"the Novgorodians and Russian princes had promised him the fortress and the surrounding lands"'' if he could conquer them for himself.<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 246. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref>
+On August 15, 1224, the crusader army, reinforced with a large number of Christian Latvian and Livonian troops, returned with all its might to Tarbatu. The second siege of Tartu in 1224 lasted many days and nights. Vetseke and his 200 troops were again offered free passage through the crusader camp, but Vetseke, expecting a relief army from Novgorod, refused. When the fortress finally fell, all the survivors inside, including women, were killed in the final onslaught. According to the ''Chronicle of Henry of Livonia'' Vetseke along with his Russian mercenaries tried to put up resistance in one of the fortifications, but were all dragged out and killed. Of all the people in the fortress, only one Russian was left alive. He was given a good horse and sent back to Novgorod. The relief troops from Novgorod had already reached [[Pskov]] when they received the news from Tartu whereupon they decided to cancel the expedition and make peace with the Germans.<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 248-254. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref>
-On August 15, 1224, the crusader army, reinforced with a large number of Christian Latvian and Livonian troops, returned with all its might to Tarbatu. The second siege of Tartu in 1224 lasted many days and nights. Vetseke and his 200 Christian Russians were again offered free passage through the crusader camp, but Vetseke, expecting a relief army from Novgorod, refused. When the fortress finally fell, all the defenders of Tarbatu, including women, were killed in the final onslaught. According to the ''Chronicle of Henry of Livonia'' Vetseke along with the Russians tried to put up resistance in one of the fortifications, but were all dragged out and killed. Of all the defenders of Tarbatu, only one Russian from [[Suzdal]] was left alive. He was given clothes and a good horse and sent back to Novgorod. The relief troops from Novgorod had already reached [[Pskov]] when they received the news from Tartu whereupon they decided to cancel the expedition and make peace with the Germans.<ref>Tarvel, Enn (ed.). 1982. ''Henriku Liivimaa kroonika. Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae.'' p. 248-254. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.</ref>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 37: / Line 51: @@
 {{reflist}}
-{{Persondata
-| name              =Vyachko of Koknese
-| alternative names =
-| short description = Ruler of Koknese
-| date of birth     =
-| place of birth    =
-| date of death     = 1224
-| place of death    =
-}}
 [[Category:1224 deaths]]
 [[Category:Russian military leaders]]
-[[Category:People of the Northern Crusades]]
 [[Category:Christians of the Livonian Crusade]]
-[[Category:Kievan Rus']]
+[[Category:People of medieval Estonia]]
-[[Category:Medieval Estonia]]
-[[Category:History of Latvia]]
 [[Category:Military personnel killed in action]]
+[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]