The region called Livonia (corresponding to modern Estonia　and Latvia) emerged out of the rapid transformation caused by the conquest,　Christianisation　and colonisation on the north-east shore of the Baltic Sea in　the late twelfth and the early thirteenth century. These radical changes have　received increasing　scholarly notice over the last few decades. However, less　attention has been devoted to the interplay between the new and the old　structures and actors in a　longer perspective. This volume aims to study these interplays and explores the　history of Livonia by concentrating on various actors and networks from the　late twelfth to the　seventeenth century. But on a deeper level the goal is more　ambitious: to investigate the foundation of an increasingly complex and　heterogeneous society　on the medieval and early modern Baltic frontier - 'the　making of Livonia'.