chiefdom · Scandinavia and the Baltic

Tālava

1100 CE – 1224 CE (approx.) · capital Beverīna

Latgalian principality in north-eastern Latvia whose ruler Tālivaldis allied with the German crusaders against the Estonians.

Origins

Tālava was a Latgalian territory in what is now north-eastern Latvia, with its main stronghold at Beverīna. It appears in Henry of Livonia's chronicle in the early 13th century, when it paid tribute to Pskov and was ruled by the elder Tālivaldis.

Rule and society

Tālava's rulers led a Latgalian society of farmers and warriors with hillforts. Facing raids from the Estonians of Sakala and Ugandi, Tālivaldis and his sons Rameķis and Varibulis accepted Latin baptism around 1208 and joined the Germans and the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in campaigns northwards.

Decline and legacy

In 1215 raiders from Sakala captured Tālivaldis and roasted him to death. His sons kept a subordinate role, but in 1224 Tālava was divided between the bishop of Riga and the Sword Brothers. It became part of Terra Mariana, and the Latgalians merged into the Latvian people.

Connections (2)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻