People / group

Livonians

Also known as Livs

The Livonians, or Livs, are a Finnic people of the coast of the Gulf of Riga in present-day Latvia. In the early 13th century German crusaders conquered and baptised them, and their name was given to the territory of Livonia. They were gradually absorbed by the Latvians, and the Livonian language survives only as a heritage language.

Livonians
Image: Tasman · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 7 state histories

SakalaMetsepoleTuraidaIdumeaArchbishopric of RigaLivonian Brothers of the SwordTerra Mariana

See also

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻