Bishop Albert was both part of the military and of the church, a common commingling at the time. He led armed forces which are attributed to having converted to Christianity much of Eastern Europe, including the Baltic Region, during the Fourth Crusade.
On this day August 18th, in 1201, Bishop Albert of Riga founded the city of Riga, Latvia. In 1211 Bishop Albert built the Cathedral of Riga, which is deemed as the largest Church of the Baltic States. Currently it is used as a Protestant Church, although when Bishop Albert built it there was no such thing as Protestantism. Martin Luther had yet to even be born.
Riga is the capital of Latvia, a Baltic state formerly part of the Soviet Union. Latvia has a population of 2.2 million people, while Riga its largest city. Riga’s population is around 650,000 people (according to 2011 estimates). During the Middle Ages Riga was a seaport and an important trading town for Vikings. It has remained an important trading center since.