chiefdom · Scandinavia and the Baltic

Läänemaa

800 CE – 1224 CE (approx.) · capital Lihula

Coastal county of western Estonia, centred on Lihula, which became the mainland core of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek.

Origins

Läänemaa, known in Latin as Rotalia or Maritima, covered the western coast of Estonia facing the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. Its main stronghold was at Lihula, and the area had close ties with the islanders across the narrow straits.

Rule and society

Its elders led farming and fishing communities on the low coastal land. In 1220 a Swedish crusade under King John I occupied Lihula, but the Oeselians attacked and wiped out the garrison, ending Sweden's first attempt to gain a foothold in Estonia.

Decline and legacy

Läänemaa was subdued by the Germans and Danes by 1224 and became the mainland part of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, whose bishops first resided at Lihula and later at Haapsalu (Hapsal). The name survives in Lääne county.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

LäänemaaBishopric of Ösel-Wiek 1228 CE – 1560 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Läänemaa. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/laanemaa
MLA
“Läänemaa.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/laanemaa. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Läänemaa.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/laanemaa.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Läänemaa’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/laanemaa (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻