Vyachko

Vyachko , full name Vyatescheslaw Borissowitsch ( Russian Вячко , wiss. Transliteration Vjačko ; Latvian Vetseka) was a Russian prince who fought against the expansionist urge of the Livonian order knights at the beginning of the 13th century .

His name is the Altnovgorod form of Vyachelav . It is believed that his father was a prince of the Rurikid dynasty from Druzk . When the knights of the order first appeared in what is now Latvia , Vyachko ruled over the fortress of Kukeinos . Although this principality is believed to be tributary to Polotsk, the Polotsk Vyachko's feet did not offer any support that would enable him to withstand pressure from the Crusaders. During one of his raids, Vyachko was captured by Albert von Buxhövden and brought in chains to Rīga , where he was released by the archbishop. Then he returned to Kukenois, burned down his capital and the fortress of Cēsis and returned to the Rus .

In 1223 the Novgorod Republic sent Vyachko to defend the fortress of Dorpat (now Tartu ) against the knights of the order. Although he commanded only a small Druzhina , he managed to establish himself in the city, make the surrounding areas tributary and carry out various attacks against the knights of the order. In return, Albert von Buxhövden besieged Dorpat with a large force and offered him a peace agreement. Vyachko turned down this, however, and was killed with his followers when the Crusaders storm the city.

literature

• Henricus Lettus: Chronicon Livoniae. Livonian Chronicle (Latin / German). Edit v. Leonid Arbusow et al. Albert Bauer. Hahn, Hannover 1955 (2nd edition), Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1959 (reprint).
• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  Albert von Buxhövden. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 81.