Historical Memory as the Cause of Conflict in Medieval Livonia

Abstract

This paper argues that the conflict between the Teutonic Order in Livonia and the archbishops of Riga was to a large extent a conflict of memory. The stark differences in how the early history of Livonia was remembered by these two competing powers are seen as the main cause for their almost permanent disputes and disagreements. The detailed study of their conflicting remembrance of the early history of Livonia during the 15th century is followed by a discussion of the causes behind the emergence of two such strikingly contrasting visions of history. On the one hand, these two versions of history were definitely shaped by the centuries of long-standing conflict. It seems that both sides merged their remembrance of the beginnings of their respective institutions with their political claims resulting in not only two competing narratives on the early history of Livonia, but also in two conflicting visions of how the relations of power should ‘rightfully’ be. On the other hand, the memorial practices of these two institutions seem to have had a strong impact on the emergence of these narratives. Each group was focused on the remembrance of their own members and their deeds only, largely forgetting about the achievements of the other, which again led to the development of two very narrow historical memories at odds with each other. In other words, their approaches to remembering history not only gave rise to their disagreements, but also made finding a lasting solution to their differences almost impossible.