[34a]
PART TWO
A
detailed and truthful account
of
those events and occurrences
which
took place in the years 1562‑1577,
after
the eclipse of the Order,
during
the reign of Sigismund Augustus II in
and
in the interregnum following his demise.
The
Livonians had now become vassals of the King of Poland in the manner described
above in Part One and when one allies oneself with a new sovereign and wishes
to avoid offending him, one must give thought and consideration to a number of
things, in this instance to the old and new treaties binding the Livonians to
the King of Poland, their closest sovereign and Christian neighbor, and
especially to that eternal and unconditional alliance against the Muscovite
which the legates of the Holy Roman Empire concluded with the King of Poland at
Pozvol, as mentioned above, after he broke off his campaign against Livonia.
They could, moreover, expect greater and more ready assistance from him, in
both winter and summer, by reason of the proximity of the two countries, and
thus better insure the defense of their ancestral lands which bordered on
Up
to now His Majesty had been able to maintain peaceful relations with the raging
enemy everywhere except in
[34b]
A Declaration of Hostilities
from
the Grand Duke of
We, born Ivan Vasilovich, one of God's
ordained governors of His kingdom and mighty emperor of all Russia, of the
lands of Moscow, Novgorod (Newgarden), Kazan and Astrakhan, prince and heir,
ever ascendant lord and conqueror, master of the province and country of
Livonia, hereby declare to you, Sigismund Augustus, present King of Poland,
with this our public letter, our displeasure, anger and eternal hostility. Up
to now we, and our now departed father during his own lifetime, considered you
a good neighbor, something of which you were never deserving. We are much
amazed that you dared attempt to seize the worthless and abject country of
[35a] The King of
to the
Grand Duke's Declaration of Hostilities
Sigismund Augustus, King in Poland and
Grand Duke of Lithuanians, Russians, Prussians, Masovians, Samogithians, lord
and heir of the lands of Smolensk and Livonia, etc. Since you, born Grand Duke
of the White and Red Russians, have publicly sent us and our kingdom your
declaration of hostilities in which you direly threaten us, renounce all love
and friendship from now through all eternity, and do all you can to insure that
we will live and act in mutual enmity (all this according to your own letter),
we proclaim in reply that we likewise intend to beset your vassals and subjects
with fire, arson, artillery and all other weapons and instruments of war and to
plunder, devastate and destroy your land. Furthermore, we intend to put you to
flight and pursue you relentlessly throughout your entire country. In your
declaration of hostilities you proclaimed you would bring a coffin along with
you and your mighty assembled army and that you would not cease slaying and
shedding blood until either our head or yours was placed in said coffin. In
response to that I announce to you that we, along with all the forces at our
disposal and the help of God, intend to make our stand at
[35b]
Now while the Muscovite was occupied with the King of Poland's lands in the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Livonians could have rallied and recovered
somewhat had not King Erik of Sweden once again and doubtlessly for the reasons
mentioned above made threatening moves, and these even more serious than those
he had earlier made against Reval and Padis. This was in spite of the fact that
the King of Poland did everything he could, through dispatched delegations and
other means, to dissuade King Erik, as a young lord who had only recently
ascended the throne, from such undertakings and to move him to more peaceful
behavior which would guarantee the security and prosperity of the poor
Christians of these regions. But all one saw from King Erik were hostile
designs: soon hereafter he invested the city of Pernau with an army around
Whitsuntide, bombarded and stormed it, and in June captured it and forced it to
surrender. Those people had placed their trust in the armistice and thus they
had failed to provide the city with a sufficient garrison or means of defense.[3]
The
following fall he also threatened the
To
prevent the Swedish forces from gaining similar success at Sonnenburg on Ösel,
the Duke of Courland admitted to that castle a few of Duke Magnus' men who, if
need arose, were to announce that they were Danish subjects and thereby
dissuade the Swedes from attacking. This was done according to a detailed,
written stipulation, the original of which is still extant, that should this no
longer be necessary then the persons installed in the castle would be withdrawn
without any prejudice to the Duke of Courland or to the lord advocate, Heinrich
von Lüninckhausen, surnamed Wulff, who as a former official of the Order also
had an interest in the matter.[5] The
summary of the above‑mentioned
stipulation reads as follows:
These measures to meet the emergency
shall in no way prejudice or negate the rightful claim of the master and his
direct descendants, regardless of any other changes which might occur, to this
castle and its district. Rather, we commit ourselves to withdraw our officers
and men regardless of whether the above‑mentioned plan gains its desired
outcome or not. And all those who are in the castle's garrison, aside from our
own men, shall remain subject and bound as before to you, your descendants and
to the lord advocate. Thus these measures designed to meet the emergency and
agreed to by us both shall in no way whatsoever, now or in the future, result
in any prejudice or loss to you or your family. We do this all in good
Christian faith, without design or evil intent. We, Magnus, have had our seal
affixed to this document. Proclaimed and recorded in
(Magnus' own signature)
As
mentioned above, the King of Denmark had been receptive to the exchange of the
reorganized diocese of
[36b]
But Duke Magnus, influenced by evil counsellors[6]
absolutely refused and so the legates had to break off the negotiations. Yet at
this time the King of Poland was planning to send a legate, Sir Heinrich von
Dohna,[7] to the
Toward
fall Duke Johan of
After
the wedding the duke and his illustrious and noble wife, Lady Catherine, born
of the royal Polish line, journeyed home[9] by way
of
The
King of Poland's treasury was at this time so depleted on account of the war[10] that it
would have been extremely difficult for him to have given his son‑in‑law,
the Duke of Finland, dowry money. Instead the king received several thousand
thalers from the duke and then both amounts were combined and the king
mortgaged six castles in
When
von Artz learned what later happened to his lord in Finland at Turku (King Erik
besieged and bombarded his brother and his wife in the castle, took them
prisoner, brought them to Stockholm, and placed them in lengthy confinement),[13] he
seized this opportunity and conspired with the Muscovite, the Grand Duke.[14] If the
latter would grant him one of those mortgaged castles, Helmede, as his own
hereditary fief, and defend it as such, then he would transfer the other five
to him and place them in his hands.
The
Grand Duke did not long delay, but rather dispatched soldiers to implement the
plan. While one group of soldiers was allowed to enter Trikaten with the count,
the other group was driven off with artillery fire. Thus the would‑be
count was taken prisoner by the Germans at Trikaten and brought to the Duke of
Courland, the royal governor, in
Thus
did the six mortgaged castles return to the hands and control of the King of
Poland and this and other issues connected with them later led to great
disputes between the two kingdoms.
Up
to now
[38a]
The year 1563
On
February 15 the Russian conquered the mighty mercantile city of
When
great despondency arose in
At
the same time that Polozk was lost the blessed bishop of
Later
the Lithuanian estates went with their forces to a new fortress they had
recently built by the name of Vla. Here they encountered the Muscovite's
commander‑in‑chief, Knez Peter Sitski (Susski), a man reputed to be
the Grand Duke of Moscow's most worthy and skilled military commander. But they
defeated and routed him and his forces in open battle. Sir Nicholas Radzivil,
the Duke of Birse, etc., and Lithuanian commander‑in‑chief, an
exemplary, intelligent and experienced man, directed the entire campaign with
great skill and splendid judgment and with the mighty victory he achieved he
far surpassed the above‑mentioned Knez Peter and proved to be his master.[27]
King
Erik was now involved in plans regarding the city of
His
Royal Majesty, along with the Duke of Prussia,[31] the
Duke of
The
above‑mentioned Duke Christopher remained in the splendid fortress of
Treiden in his part of the diocese, that around Lemsal, after the withdrawal of
the Swedish forces. When he learned of the arrival in Semgallia of the German
forces which had been mustered at
On
August 7 Swedish forces surprised and captured Karx (Kerckhaus), one of the
castles mortgaged to the Duke of Finland. They had also besieged, bombarded and
captured Hapsal on July 28.[35]
At
this time the Swedish commander, Ake Bengtsson (Bensen),[36] was in
Wiek with his army, bombarding the
[39b]
On October 5 these forces also captured Leal, which the commander‑in‑chief,
the Duke of Courland, then turned over to the junkers of Wiek who had been
driven from their lands. They did not hold it against the Swedish forces for very
long, but were rather captured and taken to
Among
the soldiers, and especially the foot soldiers, there was great hunger and
deprivation and many of them had to subsist on cabbage stalks, but even so many
starved to death and came to the end of their days.
During
the return march the above‑mentioned Heinrich von Dohna was mortally
wounded on October 28 by a Pernau musketeer who, along with several others, had
concealed himself in a thicket. He died of this wound at Gudeman's Creek, on
the last day of October at
The
Grand Duke of Moscow had sent a grand delegation to
Dear
God, how must those Russians have delighted in that and the sadistic Grand Duke
must have chuckled in Moscow when the two Christian kings of Poland and Sweden,
who the Dear God had ordained and appointed the protectors and guardians of His
Christians of that area, fought each other to exhaustion. This later allowed
him to deal with each in turn, at his own best convenience, sooner and with
greater success, and to work his will.
[40a]
After the above‑mentioned Mecklenburg marriage compact had been concluded
between the Duke of Prussia and the Duke of Courland at Kaunas, Duke Johann
Albrecht[39] went
with his wife, sister, and his eldest son to Königsberg and then on to the King
at the Polish reichstag to discuss
the freeing of his brother, Duke Christopher, and also the succession of his
young son Sigismund Augustus[40] to the
archbishopric of Riga which had just now become vacant. The discussions
regarding the release of Duke Christopher went so well that he would have been
freed had not new and unforeseen events intervened to prevent it.[41]
He
achieved similar favorable response to the other point as well, obtaining the
archdiocese for his son. He dispatched one of his generals from
The
year 1564
In
the meanwhile the Duke of Prussia sent his trusted legate Friedrich von Kanitz
to the Duke of Courland informing him that if he were serious about the maiden
from Mecklenburg, then he would have to do something about it, present himself
in person at Königsberg, etc. He was reluctant to do so without first knowing
more and so, in order to avoid any offense or insult, he sent one of his
trusted servants[42]
ahead in order to inquire as to the particulars. When the latter found good
will on all sides, he sincerely advised his lord to join him, which the Duke
did, arriving in Königsberg on March 8. There, praise God, the old, illustrious
lord of
When
Duke Johann Albrecht, the maiden's brother, returned to Königsberg he was given
a complete account of everything.[43] [40b]
He was more or less in accord and promised the other lords and his kinsmen
support of their actions, all other things remaining equal.
Nothing
else worthy of note took place in 1564[44] except
that the Swedish commander, Henrik Klassen (Heinrich Claussen),[45] Knight
of Konckas (Kankas), recaptured the
Also
a new prophet, or man of God as he called himself, but in reality a rogue at
heart and a godless charlatan, a peasant from Ösel, set himself up in the
church at Kusal (Kusel), usurping authority over those districts and
proclaiming that no longer would Sunday be hallowed, but rather Thursday, since
it, above all the other days of the week, had once helped God when He was in distress.[47] And he
was very well received by the Estonian peasants. One sees, may God change it,
how well the people of these regions, and of the entire country, had been
instructed and educated in the Word of God.[48] The
following song was sung of them and also of their rulers in general:
The
Livonian peasant climbs a tree
and
carves saddle and bridle for his lord.
He
makes his boots and spurs
and
he fills his silo with grain.[49]
He
renders the pastor his due,
yet
he knows nothing of the Lord God.
Dear
God, how will they answer for that,
those
who have profited from the sweat of their brow.
Better
had they gained nothing at all,
for
they will be repaid with eternal damnation
and
roast in Hell with the devil.
The
Margrave of Baden and his wife, the Lady Cecilia, arrived in Reval from
[41a] The
year 1565
King
Erik still had the city and
The
men in the castle were unable to assist their hard‑pressed comrades in
the city with anything except gunfire. The former held the castle for six
entire weeks but then, when they realized they could expect no reinforcements
since King Erik was involved in a campaign against the King of Denmark, they
surrendered on Whitsuneve, June 9, handing over substantial artillery, shot,
powder and other materiel necessary to the defense of such a fortress against
powerful foes.[51]
After
the capture of the city and
That
same summer the Duke went in person to Pernau and again launched his forces
against the Swedes: four squadrons of horsemen and a few foot soldiers. There
were several sharp skirmishes and the horsemen gave a good account of
themselves, but they lost their commander, Casper von Oldenbockem. He was
unexpectedly struck by a stray shot and died and was buried in Pernau. The
horsemen then disbanded and dispersed here and there, like sheep gone astray
when the shepherd is slain.[53]
The
following fall the Duke of Courland again went to the king, going first to
Wolkonick in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and then on to Vilna. He discussed
weighty matters with him[54] and the
latter returned Pernau to him as its appropriate lord and governor. He also
gave him the new ducal seal and bestowed great honor and favor upon him.
The
year 1566
It
was explained above how the Duke of Courland left Königsberg, having brought
his marriage plans to a happy conclusion. Several of the maiden's closest blood
relatives and kinsmen, her mother, brothers and others, were strongly opposed
and did not wish to allow the marriage to take place in light of the incredibly
great danger which the Muscovite and Sweden posed for the country. The
illustrious old Duke of Prussia, as the one who had made the promises to the
Duke of Courland, did everything he could to expedite and settle the matter. He
appealed to the King of Poland for assistance and the latter sent one of his
own emissaries, Sützlow von Messeluntz, along with the duke's own legates, to
the two princely and electoral houses of
Thereupon
commissioners from both Prussia and Mecklenburg, Johann Heut, captain of
Rastenburg, Baltzer Gantz, chief secretary, Werner Hän and Dr. Laurentz
Kirchoff, were sent to Courland where they and the Courish officials[56]
inspected the properties which were to become the bride's own and concluded
arrangements for their transfer.[57]
Although
it had been decided that the royal wedding was to take place in Königsberg on
Shrove‑Tuesday of 1566, and although all the guests had been invited for
that date, the groom was unable to appear then since he, as governor of
Livonia, had first to drive away the Swedish forces which were once again
threatening Pernau and thus insure the security of those districts. It was not
until March 11, the Monday after the Second Sunday in Lent, at
The
King of Poland had also sent his illustrious legate, Sir Jan Kostka (Johann
Kosska), the captain of Marienburg.[59] But the
latter learned that the Duke of Courland would be unable to arrive on either
Quinquagesima Sunday or the following Sunday, the First Sunday in Lent, on
account of the Swedish attack on Pernau. As a Catholic he was also
uncomfortable participating in a wedding celebration during Lent, an
inappropriate time. And so he took his leave and departed, though praising the
Duke of Courland for placing the common good before his own interests. Let the public safety be the supreme law.[60]
[42b]
In spite of all this the royal wedding was celebrated in God's Name and after
the completion of the festivities, which lasted a full fourteen days, the Duke
of Courland and his wife were escorted as far as Memel by Duke Johann Albrecht,
his wife, and Duke Franz of Saxony.[61] They
rested, bade each other farewell and then sadly took leave of one another. The
latter returned to Königsberg[62] while
the former went to Goldingen in Courland where they were formally acknowledged
as the land's resident sovereigns in the presence of Duke Magnus of Holstein,[63] the
legates from Prussia and Mecklenburg, i.e., Abraham von Dohna, Friedrich von
Aulaken, Joachim Rohr, and Melchior von der Lühe, as well as by the knights and
noblemen of Courland.
As mentioned above, the Duke of Courland was the country's royal governor, but he did not permanently reside among the people of Transdüna governing their affairs, for he neither could nor wished to neglect his own interests in the Duchy. The people of Transdüna sent some from among their number to His Royal Majesty to respectfully request an administrator who knew the German language and who would permanently reside among them in their country. They recommended to His Majes