Battle of Lyndanisse
The Danebrog falls from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse. Painting by Christian August Lorentzen (1809)
| date | June 15, 1219 |
|---|---|
| place | today's Tallinn |
| output | Victory of the Danes |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
unknown |
|
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | unknown |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
unknown |
In the battle of Lyndanisse on June 15, 1219 a royal Danish crusader army triumphed over a contingent of pagan Estonians .
prehistory
Under the pretext of supporting the Fifth Crusade in Palestine , the Danish King Waldemar II defeated Pope Innocent III on behalf of Pope Innocent III. the pagan Estonians at Lyndanisse (in Estonian lindanise ), today's Tallinn.
With supposedly 1,500 long boats the king sailed together with Bishop Anders Sunesen , Bishop Theoderik of Estonia , Count Albert of Northern Albingia and Witslaw I of Rügen to Lyndanisse, where he occupied the Estonian castle, which he later called Castrum Danorum .
Course of the battle
On June 15, the Estonians attacked the Danes near the castle, which surprised the intruders so much that they dispersed to the winds. But Witslaw rallied his men, struck back and defeated the Estonians.
The legend tells that during the battle, when the Estonians pressed the Danes very hard, the Danebrog, the later flag of Denmark with a white cross on a red background, fell from the sky. This event would have given the Crusaders new hope. In any case, the Danebrog is the oldest state flag still in use today.
consequences
The Danes built today's Tallinn around the Castrum Danorum , the name of which could be derived from the Estonian words “Taani” (Denmark) and “linn” (city) and would therefore mean “Danish town”, which is not without controversy as an interpretation of the origin of the name. The Battle of Lyndanisse was crucial to the success of Danish imperialism in the Baltic States ; the Danes subjugated and Christianized all of northern Estonia as a result.
memory
A park in Tallinn, the garden of the Danish King (Estonian Taani Kuninga aed ) between Toompea and Nikolaikirche, commemorates the battle and the legend . On June 15, 2019, Queen Margrethe II visited Tallinn and unveiled a plaque here.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Queen of Denmark visits Freedom Square, Danish King's Garden . ERR dated June 15, 2019, accessed June 15, 2019