Principality of Koknese

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Principality of Koknese (simplified)

The Principality of Koknese was a small medieval state on the right bank of the Daugava River, in today’s Latvia. It was a vassal of the Principality of Polotsk and existed roughly from about 1180 to 1208. Its capital was Koknese Castle, and the people there were mainly Latgalians and Selonians.

The ruler was Vetseke, an Eastern Orthodox prince. In 1205, he reportedly gave half of his land to Albert of Riga for protection against the Duchy of Samogitia. During a raid, Vetseke was captured by the Livonians but released by order of the bishop. When the bishop left for Germany, Vetseke rebelled, killed the Germans in Koknese, and called for help from Polotsk. The bishop’s forces returned, Vetseke burned the castle, and fled to Novgorod.

By about 1209 the Livonian Brothers of the Sword had taken Koknese, and Polotsk’s sovereignty over the area ended in 1215. The knights held the town until 1238, when Koknese was transferred to the Bishopric of Riga. Archaeological finds show that in the 13th century the town was mainly inhabited by Latgalians and Selonians, with only a small Slavic minority.