The
Kingdom of Denmark, having
conquered northern Estonia in the 13th century, established a border stronghold, initially built of wood, at the intersection of the
Narva river and an old road in the mid-13th century. Under the protection of the stronghold, which is first mentioned in writing in 1256, the earlier settlement developed into the town of
Narva, which obtained the
Lübeck town rights in the first half of the 14th century. Following several conflicts with the neighbouring East Slavic states of
Novgorod and
Pskov, the Danish rulers started building a stone stronghold at the beginning of the 14th century as a border defense. It was initially a small
castellum-like building with sides and a tower, the predecessor of today's
Hermann Tower, at its northwestern corner. At the beginning of the 14th century, a small forecourt was established at the north side of the stronghold and, in the middle of the century, a large forecourt was added to the west side, where citizens were allowed to hide in case of war, as the town of Narva was not surrounded by a wall during Danish rule. In 1346, King
Valdemar IV of Denmark sold northern Estonia, including Narva, to the
Livonian Order, (Russia, to the right, east) opposite, with the Narva river in between == See also ==