The Canon Law of Baptism and the Conversion of Livonia

Much scholarly attention has been afforded to canon law and the conversion of Livonia, but their overlap has not been commonly explored. With the conversion of Livonia, the region was subject to a new legal framework: canon law. Canon law was a universal law intended to be applied to the entirety of Christendom and all of its inhabitants. While it remains uncertain whether the crusaders and missionaries who reached Livonia had ever read works of canon law, the legal compendiums contained texts and principles that were widely circulated separately. Drawing on the chronicle of Henry of Livonia and a miracle story by Caesarius of Heisterbach, this article examines how canon law shaped a wide range of baptismal practices, including the concept of a single, universal baptism. Attention will be given to emergency baptism, and to the requirements for baptism to be valid more generally. The article also considers how apostasy was treated in canon law and its consequences to the neophytes who attempted to reject baptism. Ultimately, the article will show that the conversion of Livonia was not only a secular undertaking but was also profoundly influenced by ideas rooted in canon law.