The Brotherhood of Blackheads | A Medieval Story from Tallinn, Estonia

hey everyone welcome back to catch our season so from today we are starting something new here along with our travel vlogs we are also going to you know share history stories of the places we visit simple stories fun stories and kind you actually remember no lectures no textbooks just real places and the stories hiding inside them and today yeah today that story starts right here okay so let me tell you a story it's about Tallinn and trust me this city has a past now forget today for a moment no phones no internet no shortcuts just old street wooden houses and ships coming in from far away and in the middle of all this there's a group of young guys who are rich single travel a lot and somehow very organized yeah that already sounds like a trouble no this is not a tinder ad this is brotherhood of blackheads and before you ask yes the name sounds strange so why on earth were they called that so the name has nothing to do with pimples let's clear that first the brotherhood had a patron saint saint morris he was a roman soldier often shown with a dark skin and in his image a dark face with the armor become their symbol so people start calling them the blackheads simple no skincare routine involved so now we know who they were and why they were called that let's go back to where the story really begins picture medieval Tallinn busy streets ships arriving people speaking different languages and walking through the city are these young men you can tell they were not from here they came for a reason they are young not married very ambitious and the kind of people who look at a city and think yeah i can do something here and Tallinn because Tallinn was full of chances but where did everything really start for them it all started here in the market back then business was simple people either trusted you or they didn't no contracts no emails if people trusted you you stayed in the business if they didn't you were done so this place wasn't just about money it's about learning how to walk together slowly these guys stop thinking only about themselves and start thinking as a group that's how the brotherhood was born but money alone doesn't protect the city right here these guys weren't just a merchants so if you lived in Tallinn you also had responsibilities if danger came you helped so yes they trained with swords not because they wanted to fight but because they wanted to protect what they were building rich merchants training like a soldier sounds strange today but back then it was normal so what happened when the city was safe that's when life got fun these guys knew something important a city needs happiness too so they organized festivals feast celebrations and now comes the famous Tallinn story apparently apparently one of the first public christmas trees in the world was put up right here in Tallinn and yes the blackheads were involved they decorated it with the apples and danced yeah medieval people were interesting but the point is simple they didn't just make Tallinn richer they made it more alive but fun like this doesn't just happen by itself behind all the fun there was serious planning inside these halls they talked about trade money and decisions no shouting no drama they weren't kings but what they decide mattered this wasn't just a hangout place it was where future leaders learned how to lead and then there was one thing society kept asking them marriage because yes they were single and people wanted them to settle down so they organized dances not just for fun but to meet food music candles and yes some very awkward conversations imagine saying my lady i sell pepper and somehow it worked once they got married they had to leave the brotherhood those were the rules so what did all this leave behind this part is important they didn't rule Tallinn they didn't make laws but they helped the city grow they supported churches artist culture they give back to the place that gave them so much that's why people still remember them so how do you see their impact today look at this city standing here you realize something they probably weren't thinking about history they were just living their lives but step by step they changed Tallinn and sometimes that's how history works so what does their story mean now so here that's the brotherhood of blackheads no kings no heroes just young people who trusted each other and built something that lasted and even today when you walk through Tallinn old town their story is still here in the buildings in the traditions and maybe near a christmas tree history doesn't always shout sometimes it stay with you