Saare County

Saare County

*Saaremaa*
Saare County Saaremaa
County
	Flag Coat of arms
Country	Estonia
Capital	Kuressaare
Area
• Total	2,922.19 km2(1,128.26 sq mi)
Population (2022)
• Total	31,292
• Rank	9th
• Density	11/km2(28/sq mi)
Ethnicity
•Estonians	98%
• other	2%
GDP
• Total	€518 million (2022)
• Per capita	€16,380 (2022)
ISO 3166 code	EE-74
Vehicle registration	K

Saare County(Estonian:Saare maakondorSaaremaa;Latin:Oesel;Danish:Øsel;German:Ösel;Swedish:Ösel) is one of 15counties of Estonia.It consists ofSaaremaa,the largest island of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it, most notablyMuhu,Ruhnu,AbrukaandVilsandi.The county bordersLääne Countyto the east,Hiiu Countyto the north, andLatviato the south. In 2022, Saare County had a population of 31,292, which was 2.4% of the population of Estonia.^[1]

Municipalities

The county is subdivided intomunicipalities.There are 3 rural municipalities (Estonian:vallad– parishes) in Saare County.

Rank	Municipality	Type	Population (2018)^[3]	Area km²^[3]	Density^[3]
1	Muhu Parish	Rural	1,946	206	9.4
2	Ruhnu Parish	Rural	160	12	13.3
3	Saaremaa Parish	Rural	31,819	2,705	11.8

Geography

The largest islands of the county areSaaremaa,Muhu,Ruhnu,AbrukaandVilsandi.Arable landis 570 km²(220 sq mi) and it has a mild maritime climate. The mean annual air temperature is 6.0 °C (42.8 °F) and the mean annual precipitation is 509 mm (20.0 in).

Religion

Religion in Saare County (2021)[1]

Unaffiliated (78.5%)

Lutheran (14.0%)

Orthodox (2.8%)

Baptism (1.1%)

Others Christians (1.8%)

Others Religions or Unknown (1.7%)

Religious affiliations in Saare County, census 2000–2021*^[4]
Religion	2000		2011		2021
Religion	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Christianity	8,645	30.2	6,606	24.6	5,230	19.7
—Orthodox Christians	1,960	6.8	1,309	4.8	750	2.8
—Lutherans	5,889	20.6	4,612	17.2	3,710	14.0
—Catholics	14	0.04	27	0.1	60	0.2
—Baptists	400	1.4	274	1.0	290	1.1
—Jehovah's Witnesses	43	0.1	80	0.3	50	0.1
—Pentecostals	178	0.6	107	0.4	80	0.3
—Old Believers	0	0.0	3	0.01	-	-
—Methodists	128	0.4	76	0.2	120	0.4
—Adventists	33	0.1	34	0.1	20	0.07
—Other Christians	-	-	84	0.3	150	0.5
Islam	3	0.01	9	0.03	-	-
Buddhism	-		16	0.06	20	0.07
Other religions**	95	0.3	183	0.6	440	1.6
No religion	9,948	34.8	15,598	54.1	18,020	67.8
Not stated***	9,794	34.2	4,359	15,1	2,820	10.6
Total population*	28,585		26,826		26,550
*The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age.^[4] ".^[4]

Ancient Saare county (Oesel)

According to archeological finds, the territory of Saaremaa has been inhabited for at least five thousand years.

In the first centuries AD, political and administrative subdivisions began to emerge in Estonia. Two larger subdivisions appeared: the parish (kihelkond) and the county (maakond). The parish consisted of several villages. Nearly all parishes had at least one fortress. The defense of the local area was directed by the highest official, the parish elder. The county was composed of several parishes, also headed by an elder. By the 13th century, the following major counties had developed in Estonia:Saaremaa(Oesel),Läänemaa(Rotalia or Maritima),Harjumaa(Harria),Rävala(Revalia),Virumaa(Vironia),Järvamaa(Jervia),Sakala(Saccala), and Ugandi (Ugaunia).^[5]

In old Scandinavian sagas, Saaremaa is calledEysyslawhich means exactly the same as the name of the island in Estonian:the district (land) of island.This is the origin of the island's name in German and Swedish,Ösel,Danish,Øsel,and in LatinOesel.The nameEysyslaappears sometimes together withAdalsysla,'the big land', perhaps 'Suuremaa' or 'Suur Maa' in Estonian which refers to mainland Estonia. Sagas talk about numerous skirmishes between islanders and Vikings. Saaremaa was the wealthiest county of ancient Estonia and the home of notoriousEstonian pirates,sometimes called the Eastern Vikings. TheChronicle of Henry of Livoniadescribes a fleet of sixteen ships and five hundred Oeselians ravaging the area that is now southern Sweden, then belonging to Denmark. In 1206, the DanishValdemar II the Victorious built a fortress on the islandbut they found no volunteers to man it. They burned it down themselves and left. In 1227,Saaremaa was conqueredby theLivonian Brothers of the Sword,but remained a hotbed of Estonian resistance. The Order founded theBishopric of Ösel-Wiekthere. When the Order was defeated by theLithuanianarmy in theBattle of Saulein 1236, Oeselians rebelled. The conflict was ended by a treaty that was signed by the Oeselians and the Master of the Order.

The Oeselians along with theCuronianswere known in theOld Norse Icelandic Sagasand inHeimskringlaasVíkingr frá Esthland(in English, Estonian Vikings).^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]Their sailing vessels were called pirate ships byHenry of Livoniain his Latin chronicles from the beginning of the 13th century.^[10]

EistlandorEsthlandis the historical Germanic language name that refers to the country at the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea in general and is the origin of the modern national name for Estonia. The mainland of modern Estonia in the 8th centuryYnglinga sagawas calledAdalsysslain contrast toEysysselorÖsysslathat was the name of the island (Swedish): Ösel or (Estonian):Saaremaa,the home of the Oeselians (Estonian:Saarlased). In the 11th century,Courlandand Estland (Estonia) were both denoted separately byAdam of Bremen.^[11]

On the eve of theNorthern Crusades,the Oeselians were summarized in theLivonian Rhymed Chroniclethus: "The Oselians, neighbors to the Kurs (Curonians), are surrounded by the sea and never fear strong armies as their strength is in their ships. In summers when they can travel across the sea they oppress the surrounding lands by raiding both Christians and pagans. "^[12]

Conquest of Saaremaa

In 1206, the Danish army led by kingValdemar IIandAndreas, the Bishop of Lundlanded on Saaremaa and attempted to establish a stronghold, but without success. In 1216 theLivonian Brothers of the Swordand the bishop Theodorich joined forces and invaded Saaremaa over the frozen sea. The following spring the Oeselians raided the territories in Latvia that were under German rule in revenge. In 1220, the Swedish army led by kingJohn I of Swedenand the bishopKarl of LinköpingconqueredLihulainRotaliain Western Estonia. Oeselians attacked the Swedish stronghold the same year, conquered it and killed the entire Swedish garrison including the Bishop of Linköping.

In 1222, Valdemar II again tried to conquer Saaremaa, this time establishing a stone fortress housing a strong garrison. But the Danish stronghold was besieged, and surrendered within five days, and the Danish garrison returned toReval,leaving bishopAlbert of Riga's brother Theodoric and few others behind as hostages for peace. The castle was leveled to the ground by the Oeselians.^[13]

In 1227, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, the town ofRigaand theBishop of Rigaorganized a combined attack against Saaremaa. After the surrender of two major Oeselian strongholds,MuhuandValjala,the Oeselians formally accepted Christianity.

The 1241 Treaty betweenLivonian branch of the Teutonic Order,Bishopric of Ösel-WiekandOeseliansatNational Archives of Sweden

In 1236, after the defeat of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in theBattle of Saule,military action on Saaremaa broke out again.

The Oeselians again accepted Christianity by signing treaties with the Master ofTeutonic Order in LivoniaAndreas de Velven and theBishopric of Ösel-Wiekin 1241. The next treaty was signed in 1255 by the Master of the Order, Anno Sangerhausenn, and, on behalf of the Oeselians, by men whose "names" (or declaration) were transcribed by Latin scribes as Ylle, Culle, Enu, Muntelene, Tappete, Yalde, Melete, and Cake^[14]The treaty granted several distinctive rights to the Oeselians. The 1255 treaty included clauses concerning the ownership and inheritance of land, the social system and autonomy from certain religious rules.

In 1261, warfare continued as the Oeselians had once more renounced Christianity and killed all the Germans on the island. A peace treaty was signed after the united forces of the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order, the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, and the forces ofDanish Estonia,including mainland Estonians and Latvians, defeated the Oeselians by conquering the Kaarma stronghold. Soon afterwards, theTeutonic Knightsestablished a stone fort atPöide.

On July 24, 1343, the Oeselians again killed all the Germans on the island, drowned all the clerics and started to besiege the fort at Pöide. After its surrender, the Oeselians levelled the castle and killed all the defenders. In February 1344,Burchard von Dreilebenled a campaign over the frozen sea to Saaremaa. The Oeselians' stronghold was conquered and their kingWessewas hanged. In the early spring of 1345, the next campaign of the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order took place; it ended with a treaty mentioned in the Chronicle ofHermann von Wartbergeand theNovgorod First Chronicle.Saaremaa remained the vassal of the master of the Teutonic Order in Livonia, and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek.