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The Cistercians, who were very involved in the Christianization process in the Eastern Baltic, have long been accused of having introduced armed mission ( Schwertmission) in Livonia. This paper will show that the forced Christianization was rather a consequence of the ambitions of some aristocrats from Denmark or Northern Germany. We will also point out some historical mistakes. For example, the first bishop of Estonia, Fulco, was not a Cistercian. The Cistercians Theodoricus and Berthold did not launch the Livonian crusades, but Meinhard, first bishop of Livonia, did.