Person

Lembitu

d. 1217 · 13th century · Also known as Lembitu of Lehola

Lembitu was an Estonian elder of Sakala, based at the hillfort of Lehola, who led resistance to the German crusaders in the early 13th century. He built alliances among the Estonian lands and sought help from Novgorod and Pskov. He was killed at the Battle of St Matthew's Day near Viljandi in September 1217, and he is remembered in Estonia as a national hero.

Lembitu
Image: Vaido Otsar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Sakala

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lembitu. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/lembitu
MLA
“Lembitu.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/lembitu. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lembitu.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/lembitu.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lembitu’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/lembitu (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻