|
The history of Riga, the capital of Latvia, begins as early as the 2nd century with a settlement, the ''Duna urbs'', at a natural harbor not far upriver from the mouth of the Daugava River. Later settled by Livs and Kurs, it was already an established trade center in the early Middle Ages along the Dvina-Dnieper trade route to Byzantium. Christianity had come to Latvia as early as the 9th century, but it was the arrival of the Crusades at the end of the 12th century which brought the Germans and forcible conversion to Christianity; the German hegemony instituted over the Baltics lasted until independenceand is still preserved today in Riga's Jugendstil (German Art Nouveau) architecture. From the 13th century to the birth of nationalism in the 19th and independence in the 20th, Latvia's and Riga's history are intertwined, a chronicle of the rise and fall of surrounding foreign powers over the Latvians and their territory. As a member of the Hanseatic League, Riga's prosperity grew throughout the 13th-15th centurieswith Riga to become a major center of commerce and later, industry, of whatever empire it found itself subject of. Today, Riga and its environs are home to close to half of Latvia's inhabitants. UNESCO has declared Riga's historical center a World Heritage site in recognition of its Art Nouveau architecture, widely considered the greatest collection in Europe, and for its 19th-century buildings in wood.〔(Historic Centre of Riga ), UNESCO site, retrieved 25 July 2009〕 ==Founding of Riga== The Daugava River (''Western Dvina'', ''Dúna'' in Old Norse〔(Rune Edberg: Vägen till Palteskiuborg, English Summary ), retrieved 24 July 2009〕) has been a trade route since antiquity, part of the Viking's Dvina-Dnieper navigation route via portage to Byzantium.〔Bilmanis, A. Latvia as an Independent State. Latvian Legation. 1947.〕 A sheltered natural harbor 15 km upriver from the mouth of the Daugavathe site of today's Rigahas been recorded as an area of settlement, the ''Duna Urbs'', as early as the 2nd century,〔 when ancient sources already refer to Courland as a kingdom.〔 It was subsequently settled by the Livs, an ancient Finnic tribe who had arrived during the 5th and 6th centuries,〔 about the same time that Riga began to develop as a center of Viking trade during the early Middle Ages.〔 Archeological digs at the sites of Riga Town Hall (Albert) Square ((ラトビア語:Rātslaukums)) and at the corner of ''Peldu'' and ''Ūdensvada'' streets〔Berga Tatjana, Celmiņš Andris. Rīgā Peldu ielā atrastais 13. gadsimta monētu depozīts, LATVIJAS VĒSTURES INSTITŪTA ŽURNĀLS (Journal of the Latvian Historical Institute), 2005, No. 3〕 offer glimpses into Riga's residents of the 12th century. These show that Riga was inhabited mainly by the Kurs, Kursified Livs, and Livs of the Daugava river basin. They occupied themselves mainly with crafts in bone, wood, amber, and iron; fishing, animal husbandry, and trading.〔〔 The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia (''Chronicle'') mentions Riga's earliest recorded fortifications upon a promontory, ''Senais kalns'' ("ancient hill"), later razed in the 18th century, becoming the site of Riga's Esplanade.〔(Esplanāde ), entry in the Latvian Encyclopedia dictionary, retrieved 7 July 2008〕 It also testifies to Riga having long been a trading center by the 12th century, referring to it as ''portus antiquus'' (ancient port), and describes dwellings and warehouses used to store mostly corn, flax, and hides.〔 The origin of the name of ''Riga'' has been speculated to be related to ancient Celts—based on root similarity to words such as Rigomagos and Rigodunon, or that it is a corrupted borrowing from the Liv ''ringa'' meaning loop, referring to the ancient natural harbor formed by the tributary loop of the Daugava and being and earlier and common Liv place name for such formations.〔〔(Endzelīns, Did Celts Inhabit the Baltics (1911 Dzimtene's Vēstnesis (''Homeland Messenger'') No. 227) ), retrieved 24 July 2009〕 The evidence is conclusive, however, that ''Riga'' owes its name to its already-established role in commerce between East and West,〔 as a borrowing of the Latvian ''rija'', for warehouse, the "y" sound of the "j" later transcribed and hardened in German to a "g"most notably, Riga is named ''Rie'' (no "g") in English geographer Richard Hakluyt's 1589 ''The Principal Navigations'',〔Pronouncing the "i" and "e" separately, REE-eh, is the best approximation to the Latvian ''rija'', as "Ria" would result in an "i" not "ee" sound.〕 and the origin of ''Riga'' from ''rija'' is confirmed by the German historian Dionysius Fabricius (1610):〔Fabrius, D. Livonicae Historiae Compendiosa Series, 1610〕 "''Riga nomen sortita est suum ab aedificiis vel horreis quorum a litus Dunae magna fuit copia, quas livones sua lingua Rias vocare soliti.''〔" (''The name Riga is given to itself from the great quantity which were to be found along the banks of the Duna of buildings or granaries which the Livs in their own language are wont to call Rias.'') German traders began visiting Riga and its environs with increasing frequency toward the second half of the 12th century, via Gotland.〔 Bremen merchants shipwrecked at the mouth of the Daugava〔Lansdell, H. ''Baltic Russia", Harper's New Monthly Magazine, July 1890. 〕 established a trading outpost near Riga in 1158. The monk Meinhard of Segeberg, a missionary, arrived from Gotland in 1184.〔Vauchez et al. Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. Routledge, 2001〕〔Dollinger, P. The Emergence of International Business 12001800, 1964; translated Macmillan and Co edition, 1970〕 Christianity had established itself in Latvia more than a century earlier: Catholicism in western Latvia, with a church built in 1045〔 by Danish merchants,〔 but arriving as early as 870 with the Swedes;〔Wright, C.T.H. The Edinburgh Review, ''THE LETTS'', 1917〕 Orthodox Christianity being brought to central and eastern Latvia by missionaries.〔 Many Latvians had been already baptised prior to Meinhard's arrival.〔 Meinhard's mission, nevertheless, was no less than mass conversion of the pagans to Catholicism. He settled among the Livs of the Daugava valley at Ikšķile ((ドイツ語:Uexküll)), about 20 km upstream from Riga.〔 With their assistance and promise to convert,〔Laffort, R. (censor), Catholic Encyclopedia, Robert Appleton Co., 1907〕 he built a castle and church of stonea method heretofore unknown by the Livs and of great value to them in building stronger fortifications against their own enemies.〔〔 Hartwig II, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, was eager to expand Bremen's power and properties northward and consecrated Meinhard as Bishop of Livonia (from the (ドイツ語:Livland)) in 1186,〔 with Ikšķile as bishopric. When the Livs failed to renounce their pagan ways,〔 Meinhard grew impatient and plotted to convert them forcibly. The Livs, however, thwarted his attempt to leave for Gotland to gather forces, and Meinhard died in Ikšķile in 1196, having failed his mission.〔Germanis, U. The Latvian Saga. 10th ed. 1998. Memento, Stockholm.〕 Hartwig appointed abbot Berthold of Hanoverwho may have already traveled to Livonia〔as Meinhard's replacement. In 1198 Berthold arrived with a large contingent of crusaders〔 and commenced a campaign of forced Christianization.〔〔 Latvian legend tells that Berthold galloped ahead of his forces in battle, was surrounded and drew back in fright as someone realizing they have stepped on an asp, at which point the Liv warrior Imants (or, Imauts) struck and speared him to death.〔 Ecclesiastical history faults Berthold's unruly horse for his untimely demise.〔 The Church mobilized to avenge Berthold's death and defeat of his forces. Pope Innocent III issued a bull declaring a crusade against the Livonians, promising forgiveness of sins to all participants.〔 Hartwig consecrated his nephew, Albert, as Bishop of Livonia in 1199. A year later, Albert landed in Riga〔〔 with 23 ships〔 and 500 Westphalian crusaders.〔Tolstoy-Miloslavsky, D. The Tolstoys: Genealogy and Origin. A2Z, 1991〕 In 1201 he transferred the seat of the Livonian bishopric from Ikšķile to Riga, extorting by force agreement to do so from the elders of Riga.〔 Today, 1201 is still celebrated as the founding of Riga by Albertintegral to the "bringer of culture" ((ドイツ語:Kulturträger)) myth created by later German and ecclesiastical historians that Germans discovered Livonia and brought civilization and religion〔 to the virulently anti-Christian〔 pagans.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of Riga」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|