Tālava
| Eldership of Tālava | ||||||||||
| Tālava | ||||||||||
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 Tālava and its border speculations in 12-13th centuries.
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| Capital | Beverīna | |||||||||
| Languages | Ancient Latgalian | |||||||||
| Religion | Latgalian paganism, Eastern Orthodox Church | |||||||||
| Government | Eldership | |||||||||
| Elder | Tālivaldis | |||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| • | Established | before 1180 | ||||||||
| • | Disestablished | 1224 | ||||||||
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Tālava was a Latgalian county in the northern Vidzeme and northern Latgale region of today's Latvia. It was bordered by the Latgalian principality of Jersika to the south, the Livonian counties of Metsepole and Idumeja to the west, the Estonian counties of Sakala and Ugandi to the north and the Russian Novgorod Republic to the east.
Tālava was first mentioned in the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia in 1207 as the Christian county of Tholowa. Russian chronicles refer to the county of Atzele (Очела, first mentioned in 1111) which was probably the eastern part of Tālava.
After Mstislav Rostislavich "The Brave", prince of Novgorod, rode against the Chud during the winter of 1179-1180, Tālava was forced to pay tribute to Novgorod. The leader of Tālava, Tālivaldis and his sons were baptized in the Eastern Orthodox faith.
In 1208 Tālivaldis, together with the Latgalian leaders Rūsiņš of Satekle and Varidots of Autine, established a military alliance with the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. The Sword Brothers promised their help against the Novgorodians. In the same year the Tālavians invited their northern enemies, presumably Ugandians (or Ugaunians), for peace talks which however ended unsuccessful. The Tālavians together with the Sword Brothers then fought a four years war with the Estonian tribes, concluded by a peace treaty in Turaida in 1212.
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