lineages from high-medieval Baltic independents

[Sjostrom]

Most, probably all, lineages from indigeneous princes of the two Baltic
countries Latvia and Estonia before Baltic crusades, are legend-based.
The attestation of the lineages to the present day suffer from scarcity of
documentation of the 1200s and 1300s particularly, too. Late 1400s starts
to be relatively solid for reliable descent documentation of great landed
properties.
Sometimes it is unclear how the indigeneous magnate's blodline actually
could have survived in the early 1200s itself to even to the legendary or
semi-legendary, claimed forefather of a lineage of this sort.

One group of indigeneous tribes is Finnic tribes, such as Livonians,
Estonians (Ugaunia, Sakala, Ridala, Osilia...)
Another group of indigeneous tribes is Baltic tribes, Lati, Latvians, who
seem to have populated such principalities as Jersika and Koknese. Rulers
of Jersika and Koknese however may have been not of Latvian birth, but of
Varangian lineage.

There are some lineages who claim descent from sovereign rulers of the
Baltic tribes.....

- - - - - -

Kaupo of Toreida (d 1217) was a historical chieftain of some Livonians and
he is claimed as ancestor of at least two lineages.

One of these lineages is the Livo lineage, given rise to the noble Liwe
family, later known also as Lievens.

Since chief Kaupo is chronicled to have passed his properties to the chirch
because he had no sons (or no male progeny) alive, there is a difficulty of
interpretation whether the Liwe lineage even may be descended from him in
male line.

One usual way to explain this is to assume that the actual forefather of
the Liwe lineage was Kaupo's maternal grandson. Another way is to interpret
that Kaupo meant none of his sons survived, but that there could have been
a son of one of his deceased sons, to be the actual forefather of the Liwe
lineage. The latter alternative suffers from the implausiblity of Kaupo
leaving a paternal gandson without inheritance of his landed properties.
Customary law seemingly was in favor of male-line grandsons. Not to speak
of emotional level......
In light of customs of those regions, it is easier to believe that maternal
grandsons might be left without landed inheritance in favor of church, that
is because maternal grandsons should be provided with landed inheritance
from the family of their fathers.

Kaupo's grandson in legend was one 'Nigu Livo', who would be father of
Gerardus 'Livo' (attested in 1269)
Gerardus' line (according to Elgenstierna, book IV, Lieven):
Johannes 'Lyvonis' (attested in 1292) as son of Gerardus
Loff (Ludo, Lu-Loff) Live (fl 1341)
Lideke Live (fl 1350)
Vinrik Live, lord of Parmila (near Kullamaa, in the Ridalan province of
Osilian dominion), mentioned in 1389
knight Lydeke Liwe, lord of Parmila (fl 1420)
knight Lydeke Live, lord of Parmila (fl 1471), two sons:
1 Johannes Live (d 1501 slain in war) - his great-great-grandson was:
Indrikis Livens, lord of Mazberzes muiza (fl 1631) in Zemgale, duchy of
Curland
2 Jyrgi Live, lord of Sooniste and Parmila (fl 1515)
2.1 Vinrik (Henrik) Live, lord of Parmila, Sooniste, Ubasalu and Teenuse
(fl 1563)
2.1.1 Reinol Live, lord of Ubasalu and Parmila (fl 1582; bc 1549; d 1619)
some geographical context of the latter lineage:
http://www.mois.ee/kihel/kullamaa.shtml

[Sjostrom]

another lineage from
Kaupo of Toreida (d 1217), the historical chieftain of some Livonians,
is the Ungern family.
They claimed him as ancestor through his (youngest) daughter, i.e they do
not claim male-line descent at all, but clearly a cognatic descent.

The chief Kaupo is chronicled to have passed his properties to the church
because he had no male progeny alive.
But what of emotional level: would a father leave his daughters and
progeny of daughters without any of his landed properties, in favor of
church...
This factor makes it suspect that Kaupo had even daughters (or progeny of
daughters) surviving.

In light of customs of those regions, it is easier to believe that maternal
grandsons might be left without landed inheritance in favor of church, that
is because maternal grandsons should be provided with landed inheritance
from the family of their fathers.

The Ungern lineage in the 1200s-1300s suffers somewhat from scarcity of
reliable documentation...

Kaupo's daughter, (anonyma) of Toreida [later concocted with first name
Jadviga] is claimed to have been the wife of Joannes de Ungaria, lord of
Madlienas (fl 1251, 1259)
and mother of
Rudolfus de Ungaria, lord of Madlienas (fl 1277)
lineage from this Rudolfus:
Rudolfs 'the Younger' Ungerns, lord of Madlienas (fl 1302)
Gerards Ungerns, lord of Pirkeles and Madlienas (fl 1305) Pirkeles = place
of Perkons, perhaps Pargaujas
Henings Ungerns, lord of Vistlas and Madlienas (fl 1346)
Gerards Ungerns, who seems to have had at least two sons
1 [of the branch of Vistla and Madliena] - the father of Reinols Ungerns,
lord of Madlienas and Vistlas (he must have fl in c1460s)
2 Mertens Ungerns, lord of Pirkeles (fl 1423)
2.1 Juris Ungerns, lord of Pirkeles (fl 1468)
2.1.1 Oto Ungerns, lord of Stalbes and Pirkeles (fl 1493)
2.1.1.1 baron Juris Ungerns, lord of Pirkeles, 1.Reichsfreiherr (d 1534)

[Sjostrom]

the clan of Üksküla (Ikskile), de Ykeskole, claims descent from the widow
(or the daughter) of the last ruler of the Latvian principality of Jersika.

The last ruler, Visvaldis, might (seeing his name) actually be descended
from Varangian overlords. Possibly he was of Polatsk princely family. Even
a Rurikid.
HIs mother appears to have been from Latgale, an indigeneous Latvian lady.

The lady whose crucial marriage gives rise to the said descent claims of
the Ykeskole family, her name is apparently not known to later generations.

If she was Visvaldis' widow, then she presumably was the wife of Visvaldis
who was taken captive in 1209. She was of Lithuanian (-Latvian) birth,
daughter of another princeling in the region. She should have been born in
or before 1190.

Another variant of the legends and the claim, says that the crucial
foremother was daughter of Visvaldis.

Since prince Visvaldis appears to have survived himself to the 1230s: in
order of the crucial lady to be his wife, it requires a divorce between
them, since the lady's (further) marriages seem to take place in about the
1220s.
On the other hand, the version of she being daughter, is so copycat a
thing. Banal. And if the lady was daughter, a direct and easy story, then
why have certain legends indicated anything about marriages of the widow to
be these events.

Be she daughter or wife of Visvaldis, anyway chronicles and family legends
indicate that there were two known marriages of her, after 1209.

Her next husband (married before 1224) was knight Konrad Meyendorp, and her
last husband (married in est 1229) was knight Johannes Bardevisk.

Johannes Bardevisk, in the principality formerly of Livonians, received the
castellanship of Ykescole, Ykskylä, Ikskile, a prominent place of commerce.
Konrad Meyendorp had earlier held the castellanship of Ykescole, as well as
since 1224 half of the lands of the principality of Jersika, the latter
because of his wife.

Johannes Bardevisk (fl 1229; d after 1257) was the forefather of the de
Ykeskole.

Unfortunately, the precise descent generation-by-generation is unclear, due
to weakly preserved documentation.

So, this descent from indigeneous princes of Jersika, Latgale of Latvia is
legend-based. And then, names and precise steps of generations up to the
1400s are unclear.

Indrikis of Ikskile (dc 1348) is said to have been Johannes Bardevisk's
great-grandson.

Then, in the mid-1400s, for example the following family (holding estates
in Vigala district of Osilian dominions) was one of genealogically senior
branches of this Ykeskole clan:

http://genealogics.org/descend.php?personID=I00534226&tree=LEO

* Klaus Üksküla, lord of Velise, etc

[Sjostrom]

The House of Tiesenhausen claims descent via foremothers from Vetseke,
Prince of Koknese
(Viacheslav, Vyatzko)

It is claimed that Vetseke had a daughter named Sofia who married
successively two Germanic knights.
Sofia's daughter (allegedly lady of Koknese) in one of her marriages then
would have been the wife of knight Johannes de Thisenhuse (slain in battle
in 1279), a nephew of the deceased Bishop Albert Bekeshovede, as son of
knight Engelbertus de Thisenhuse, magnate of Ugaunia, and his Bekeshovede
wife.
However, apparently no such Sofia is actually mentioned in
near-contemporary chronicles. Genealogisches Handbuch der baltischen
Ritterschaften indicates a view that the Sofia descent is suspect.

That suspect lady of Koknese as wife of knight Johannes de Thisenhuse, was
then the claimed foremother of the Tisenhuse noble lineage and all its
branches in the Baltic countries.

The scarcity of documentation of 1200s-1300s means some problems of
uncertainty in the precise steps by generation. Johannes Tisenhuse (fl
1306; died after 1327; buried 1342) who was excommunicated in 1325, is
assigned in many genealogies directly as son of the couple.

1 Johannes de Thisenhuse
1.1 knight Engelberts Tizenhauze, lord of Ergli, castellan of Koknese
1.1.1 Janis Tizenhauze, lord of Ergli
1.1.1.1 Engelberts Tizenhauze, lord of Ergli
1.1.1.1.1 Engelberts Tizenhauze, lord of Ergli
1.1.1.1.1.1 knight Thilev Tizenhause, lord of Ergli
1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Thilev Tizenhauze, lord of Ergli
1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Janis Tizenhauze, lord of Ergli
1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Thilev Tisenhusen, castellan of Jaama
1.1.1.1.1.2 Reinols Tizenhauze
1.1.1.1.1.3 Kristaps Tizenhauze
1.1.1.1.2 Johannes Tizenhauze
1.1.1.1.3 Diderik Tizenhauze
1.1.1.1.4 Bertram Tizenhauze
1.2 Bartolomeus Tisenhuse, lord of Berzaune
1.2.1 Peteris Tizenhauze, lord of Berzaune
1.2.1.1 Fromholds Tizenhauze, lord of Berzaune
1.2.1.1.1 Fromhold Tisenhusen, lord of Kavilda
1.2.1.1.1.1 Reinols Tizenhauze
1.2.1.1.1.2 Fabian Tisenhusen
1.2.1.1.1.2.1 Kaspers Tizenhauze
1.2.1.1.1.2.2 Fabian Tisenhusen
1.2.1.1.1.2.2.1 Kasperi Tisenhusen
1.2.1.1.1.2.2.2 Fromhold Tisenhusen
1.2.1.1.1.2.3 Janis Tizenhauze
1.2.1.1.1.2.3.1 Gothards Janis Tyzenhauz
(Table copied from Genealogisches Handbuch der baltischen Ritterschaften)

The connection of the lineage of Tisenhuse from the indigeneous ruler
suffers from lack of near-contemporary indications even in chronicles.
Moreover, scarcity of documentation of the 1200s and 1300s particularly,
may mean that there are mistakes in the reconstrued lineages in the
branches of the House.

[Sjostrom]

some researched information about genealogy towards later generations in
cases of Visvaldis of Jersika and Vetseke of Koknese (i.e, the claimed
sovereign roots of Houses of Tisenhuse and Üksküla):

von Taube, Michael: "Russische und Litauische Fürsten an der Düna zur Zeit
der deutschen Eroberung Livlands (XII. und XIII. Jahrhundert)." Jahrbücher
für Kultur und Geschichte der Slaven. Zeitschrift des Osteuropa-Instituts
Breslau, N. F. Band XI, 1935.