Die Rolle des Deutchen Ordens bei der Entstehung der Pfarrorganisation in Livland

The Role of the Teutonic Order in Creating the Parochial Organisation in LivoniaLivonia counted no less than 170–180 rural parishes in around 1550. About 90 of them were situated on the territory of the Teutonic Order. The net of Livonian parishes was uneven; especially in the Teutonic Order’s territory in the south and south-east the area of several parishes exceeded hundreds of km2. Parishes consisted an important tool of controlling and administrating an area and their establishment corresponded to the interests of the territorial lord. Their density reflects the settlement pattern of the territory. In this regard there is no differences between the lordship of the Teutonic Order and episcopal ones. The very large parishes of the Order’s territory lie in sparsely settled areas which were continuously affected by warfare during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The correlation existed between the size of parishes and the economic capacity of a region, irrespective who was the master over the territory. Additionally, local vassals initiated new parish foundations in the14th–16th centuries. As the Order’s territory lacked extensive enfeoffments, the new parishes were mostly created in episcopal territories. There were no fundamental differences in the parish establishing policy of the Teutonic Order and the bishops.