Principality of Kukenois

Infobox Former Country
native_name =
conventional_long_name = Principality of Kukenois
common_name = Koknese
continent = Europe
region = Baltic
year_start = 1180s
year_end = 1206
p1 = Principality of Polatsk
flag_p1= Coat of Arms of Połack, Belarus.pngs1 = Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights
flag_s1= Teuton flag.svg
s2 = Archbishopric of Riga
flag_s2= Riga flag.gif

---

image_map_caption = Baltic Tribes, ca 1200.
religion= Eastern Orthodox Church, Latvian paganism
capital = Koknese
government_type = Principality
title_leader= Prince
leader1 = Vetseke
year_leader1 = 1180s-1206
leader2 =
year_leader2 =
common_languages= Latgalian, Selonian, Semigallian

Principality of Kukenois ("Kukeinos") was a small independent landlocked country (principality) on the right bank of Daugava river. At the time in the beginning of the 13th century, when Low Germans led by Albert of Riga and the crusading Teutonic Knights began to occupy the shores of the Gulf of Riga, Vetseke ruled the fortress of Kukenois some 100 km southeast. According to other sources, it was indeed in return for protection against The Duchy of Samogitia and The Principality of Polatsk, that Vetseke gave half of his land to Albert of Riga in 1205. During one of the raids he was captured by Albert and delivered in chains to Riga, where a local Bishop set him free. Thereupon Vetseke burnt his capital and the fortress of Kes and retreated to Novgorod Republic. By 1209 Kukenois had been taken over by the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights and the sovereignty of Polatsk was finally revoked in 1215. The Teutonic Knights then controlled the town until its transference to The Archbishopric of Riga in 1238.

See also

*Archbishopric of Riga
*Eldership of Samogitia
*Koknese
*Lembitu
*Livonian Crusade
*Metsapoole ()
*Sackalia

External links

* [http://dbpedia.org/page/Vyachko Vetseke (English)]
* [http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:O8zsIMV6PQEJ:dbpedia.org/data/Vyachko+kukenois+vetseke&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2 Russischer Prinz Wjatschko (Russian)]
* [http://www.historia.lv/alfabets/I/In/Indrika%20hronika/teksts/009_latv.htm Indriķa hronika. IX. (Latvian)]
* [http://osh.ru/pedia/history/west/middle_ages/GenrihLatv/GenrihLatv-15.shtml Генрих Латвийский Хроника Ливонии (Russian)]
* [http://www.castle.lv/hroniki/genrih-latvijsky.html Генрих Латвийский Хроника Ливонии (Russian)]