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From 1558 to 1581 the devastating Livonian War was fought between Russia, Sweden, Denmark and Poland-Lithuania, the main prize being Estonia. All castles and fortified centres apart from Tallinn were sacked and several towns wiped out altogether.
The rural population was hit the hardest — more than half perished, and with the destruction of ancient peasant lineages many of the Estonians' traditional privileges and rights were lost.
Warfare between the two most committed combatants — Catholic Poland and Lutheran Sweden — continued into 1620s, the latter emerging as the winner. |
Viljandi Castle was a central stronghold of the Order in Estonia and one of the mightiest fortifications in Northern Europe at the time