The 13th-century episcopal castle in Koluvere manor house complex in Läänemaa was a strategically significant fortification for the Swedes. A battle with Russian forces took place in 1573 nearby; 13 years earlier during the Livonian War, rebellious peasants sieged the castle; at some point it belonged to the Danes. In the 17th century when the boundaries of Swedish kingdom moved further east, the castle lost its military importance, and was given to the Baltic German noble family Löwen.