What is "livonia"

Livonia (, , German and Scandinavian languages: Livland, Latvian and , , archaic English Livland, Liwlandia; Лифляндия / Liflyandiya), a historic region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida (in present-day Latvia). The most prominent ruler of ancient Livonia, Caupo of Turaida, died in 1217.

During the Livonian Crusade (1193-1290) the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, known as the Livonian Order from 1237, colonized ancient Livonia. The name Livonia came to designate a much broader territory: Terra Mariana on the eastern coasts of the Baltic Sea, in the present-day northern part of Latvia and the southern part of Estonia. It bordered on the Gulf of Riga and the Gulf of Finland in the north-west, Lake Peipus and Russia to the east, and Lithuania to the south.

Livonia was inhabited by various Baltic and Finnic peoples, ruled from the 12th century by an upper class of Baltic Germans. Over the course of time, some nobles were Polonized into the Polish–Lithuanian nobility ( szlachta) or became part of the Swedish nobility during the period of Swedish Livonia (1629 to 1721) or Russified into the Russian nobility ( dvoryanstvo).

Livonia is a historical region now divided between southern Estonia and northern Latvia.

Livonia may also refer to:

Livonia is the debut album by His Name Is Alive. It was originally released by 4AD on June 25, 1990 in the United Kingdom and in 1992 on 4AD/ Rykodisc in the United States.

Livonia is a genus of medium-sized Indo-Pacific predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Volutidae, the volutes.

The genus belongs to its own clade Livoniini, which is usually placed in the subfamily Cymbiinae (but sometimes in the Fulgorariinae instead).

Livonia was the second, though unsuccessful, challenger attempting to lift the America's Cup from the New York Yacht Club.