Hermann of Dorpat, or
Hermann I (1163–1248) was the first
Prince-Bishop of the
Bishopric of Dorpat (1224–1248) within the
Livonian Confederation.
Hermann hailed from Bexhövede (now a part of
Loxstedt,
Lower Saxony) in the
Duchy of Saxony, and was also known as "Hermann of Buxhoeveden" and other variations, such as Buxhöwden and Buxthoeven. He was the brother of Bishop
Albert of Riga, who used his influence against King
Valdemar II of Denmark to place the
Livonian Brothers of the Sword in medieval
Estonia. From 10 April 1220 – 21 July 1224, Hermann was
Bishop of Leal, after which he took over the Bishopric of Dorpat.
Hermann founded the cathedral of
Tartu (Dorpat) and led the
Roman Catholic crusading army in the 1242
Battle of the Ice, which was won by the
Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky of
Novgorod.
Hermann was the progenitor of the
House of Buxhoeveden, a
Baltic German family whose members entered
Prussian,
Swedish, and
Russian service over the following centuries. Their descendents live in
Germany,
Finland, and
Russia today.