Skip to content

The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia (Records of Western Civilization Series)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia (Records of Western Civilization Series) Hardcover - 2004

by Lettus, Henricus

From the publisher

The only English translation available of the most important first-hand account of the Northern Crusades in the Baltic states has finally been reprinted, with additional maps and a revised introduction by James A. Brundage. Henry's chronicle is the only surviving evidence for many episodes in the early stages of Christendom in the Eastern Baltic. In describing sights, sounds, and even the personal appearance and quirks of many of the people he encountered, Henry of Livonia provides us with an invaluable and deeply human history. The pope's call for a renewed holy war at the end of the twelfth century inspired not only the famous crusades in the Middle East but also a series of less celebrated yet decidedly more successful Northern Crusades. At the time, the region of Livonia (presentday Estonia and Latvia) was a crossroads of Germanic, Scandinavian, and Russian trade, culture, and religion. The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia provides insight into not only military operations in the East during this tumultuous period but also the conflicted attitudes of an eyewitness, revealing the complex melding of religious motives with political aims.

First line

(1) Divine Providence, by the fire of His love, and mindful of Raab and Babylonia, that is, of the confusion of paganism, aroused in our modern times the idolatrous Livonians from the sleep of idolatry and of sin in the following way.

Details

  • Title The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia (Records of Western Civilization Series)
  • Author Lettus, Henricus
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition Reprint
  • Publisher Columbia University Press, New York
  • Date March 2004
  • ISBN 9780231128889

Hang on… we’re fetching the requested page.