Crusader-era battlefield search in Estonia uncovers 'bonus' later site instead
Metal detectorists in South Estonia searching for the exact site of a Baltic crusades-era battlefield have not managed to do so, but in the process have found another, previously unknown battlefield from a later era, Maaleht reported.
After eight years searching for the 1217 St. Matthew's Day battlefield in Vastemõisa, Viljandi County, detectorists instead unearthed another clash site, one which yielded three cannonballs and 100+ musket balls, putting whatever fight might have taken place there squarely in the early modern era.
The local manor was the scene of several engagements across several wars which blighted Estonia.
Around 120 detectorists swept the roadside field last weekend, with their devices quickly signaling finds, yet within hours it became clear the finds, while impressive, were not from the September 21, 1217 Battle of St. Matthew's Day (Madisepäeva lahing) — in which 6,000 Estonians under local leader Lembitu fought 3,000 invading crusaders of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword order.
"There should have been more ancient finds. For example, from that era, axes and spearheads could be more numerous than just one or two," chief organizer Sten-Erik Unt said, and he added that the sword fragments, crossbow arrowheads, and ornaments would be expected at the actual 1217 site.
As the musket balls kept piling up and three cannonballs emerged from the earth — "We had never found cannonballs before, and now from a small area three of them," Unt said — the searchers realized they had uncovered another probable battle site.
According to archaeologist Marge Konsa, the field behind the nearby manor house saw later fighting in 1560, 1602–1603, and 1703, with Russian raids mentioned, and hundreds of finds are now at the Heritage Board under investigation, with the question of which battle it represents most intriguing.
Nevertheless, Unt said the purpose of the exercise was not defeated, adding: "Not finding the St. Matthew's Day battlefield site is also important, because then we know it did not happen here," noting in eight years that "400 hectares where the battle definitely did not take place" have so far been raked over.
Detectorists also found many other metal items from a broader scope of history, including horseshoes and bits of farm machinery, totaling 250 kilograms in all.
As for the quest to find the real site of the Battle of St. Matthew's Day, that search will continue next year, when the detectorists will re-convene in the next field, while the details of this "bonus" battlefield site will also need to be investigated too.
The Battle of Matthew's Day, fought near Viljandi on September 21, 1217 during the Livonian Crusade, saw 6,000 Estonians led by local leader Lembitu clash with the Sword Brethren and their Livonian and Latgalian allies, ending in a German victory and the deaths of Lembitu and Caupo of Turaida, and the forced conversions of many Estonians.
The later sixteenth- and seventeenth-century engagements fought near the Vastemõisa manor date to the Livonian War (1558–1583), the Polish-Swedish War (1600–1611), and the Great Northern War (1700–1721). The manor's original main building is not extant, though an 18th-century one-storey wooden building still survives.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
Source: Maaleht
