The Livonian Knight order, Brothers of the Sword, (alternative names of the Order include Christ Knights, Swordbrothers, Sword Brethren, and The Militia of Christ of Livonia) was a German knight order founded in Livonia (modern day Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) by Bishop Albert of Riga in 1202 for the purpose of conquest and Christianization of the Baltic lands.
The knights were organized similarly to the older Teutonic Knights. Their main headquarters were based at Fellin (Viljandi) in present-day Estonia, where the walls of the Master’s castle still stand today. Other strongholds included Wenden (Cēsis), Segewold (Sigulda) and Ascheraden (Aizkraukle).
In 1236 the knights were severely defeated by the Lithuanians and Semigallians at the Battle of Schaulen (Saule). As a result they merged in 1237 with the Teutonic Order, but they continued to function in all respects (rule, clothing and policy) as an independant branch of the Teutonic Order, headed by their own Master (himself only subject to the Teutonic Order’s Grand Master).
After the secularization in 1525 of the Teutonic Order, they resumed complete independence. In 1558, Czar Ivan IV (the Terrible) of Russia invaded their territories, which were eventually partitioned between Russia, Poland, and Sweden.
In 1561 the knights were disbanded; their grand master became the first duke of Courland under Polish suzerainty.