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history

ALBERT von BUXHOEVEDEN

Ca. 1165 - January 17, 1229 Riga

Bishop Albert Albert belonged to the Buxhoeveden family and was Canon in Bremen. The March 28, 1199 he was created by his uncle Archbishop Hartwig von Hamburg-Bremen, Bishop of Livonia (today Latvia and a part of Estonia). In the beginning of the year 1200 he started the conquest and christianisation of the Baltics. He had the support of the German King Philipp and the Pope Innocent III.

City of Riga A fleet of 23 vessels brought him with more than 1500 crusaders to the Baltic shore. Together with merchants from Gotland he founded 1201 Riga (today the capital from Latvia). In 1202 he created the Order of the Swordbrothers. By king Philipp he was created in 1207 Prince of the Holy Roman Empire and received Livonia as a fief. In 1215 he started to built the cathedral of Riga. November 11, 1225 the King Henry VII. confirmed for Albert and his brother Bishop Hermann I von Buxhoeveden the title of Prince.

In more than 27 years he realized the conquest of Livonia and Estonia. He declared his diocese independant from Bremen (Riga became later an archbishopric). Albert von Buxhoeveden interested all the political and ecclesiastical powers of his time for this great enterprise (the Pope, the German King and Emperor, the Danish King etc.).

Sign He is one of the most important bishops in the XIII. century and was venerated just to the Reform as a Saint in Riga, his day was the 1.June. His life was discribed in the Chronic of Livonia written by Henry of Latvia

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