The consequences of that Russian campaign proved to be very difficult for the Sword-Bearers: most of their possessions were lost. Coupled with considerable human losses, it dealt a serious blow to the military might of the Order. However, as further events showed, this blow was not devastating.
Already in September of the same year, the Sword Brothers headed by Master Volkwin joined the united army of the Bishopric vassals, the Livonians and Latgalians, as well as the pilgrims under the command of Albrecht II. von Weimar-Orlamünde, who was sent by King of Denmaark Valdemar II, during their successful campaign against the Estonians.
In 1218 the Russian army under the command of Prince of Novgorod Svyatoslav Mstislavich besieged Wenden Castle. Most of the local Sword-Brothers were not in the castle. The castle was defended by the Order's soldiers and the Baltic allies, who managed to repulse the first attack. Then at night, literally having cut their way through the Russian camp, the Order's knights arrived in the castle. In the morning Prince Svyatoslav, having calculated the losses, offered peace negotiators to the Swordsmen, but the Sword Brothers replied by the shower of crossbow darts. After that, the Russians had no choice but to lift the siege and retreat.
The defense of Wenden demonstrated that the Order, despite the damage it had suffered, although it did not participate actively in offensive operations, retained its combat capability and was capable of effective defense against a stronger opponent.
In February of 1219, the Sword Brothers participated in a long-distance raid against the Estonians of Reval. In the autumn, the Russian army from Pskov invaded again the lands of the Latgalians subject to the Order. At that time the Brother Rudolf von Kassel replaced the deceased Berthold and became the Komtur of Wenden Castle and the Provincial Master of Cēsis. After receiving the news of the attack, he sent a message to all the Latgalians who were to come to drive the Russians out of the country. In a short time, Komtur Rudolf managed to gather enough forces to force the enemy to retreat. Then he led the army to Jerwen (Järvamaa; Järva) County and, having devastated it, received from the local Estonians an expression of submission. At the same time the Sword Brothers, with assistance of the Bishop’s men, Vogt Gerhard, a young Graf who commanded some detachments of the Bishop, and the Livonians invaded Vironia (Virumaa) and baptized its population. As can be seen The Order had fully restored its strength in two years and made up the losses.
The Order again changed from defense to offensive and then undertook long-distance victorious campaigns. Moreover, even more clearly than before, the leading role of the Sword Brothers in these military campaigns was expressed. If in the previous period it was possible to speak with confidence only about the primacy of the Order commanders over the pilgrims, then now the Sword Brothers, deploying military actions on their own initiative, had already became able to gather the Bishop’s vassals under the Order’s banners.
In February 1220, the Germans gathered to march on Harrien and for this they gathered a large army of the Livonians, Latgalians and Germans, during under the command of Duke of Saxony Albert I (Albrecht I), Master Volkwin at the head of the Sword Brothers, and Bishop Theoderich with the Bishopric’s armed men. It seems that in this campaign the Sword Brothers represented no more than one part of the crusading army. But the statement of the hostilities themselves makes one doubt such a conclusion. Passing through the territory of Jerwen, already subordinate to them, the German Crusaders stumbled upon the army of the by the Oeselians. Describing this encounter, the chronicler equally mentioned both Duke Albert I, who had actually arrived in Livonia with large forces, and Master Volkwin. The Sword Brothers, according to Henry of Latvia, were the first to move toward the enemy, and the first to arrive at the place of the future battle (with the banner of Sword Brothers ahead, and the Duke of Albert followed them under his own banner. But most of all, it is noteworthy that later negotiations with the Estonians of Harrien, who had sued for peace, were held by Master Volkwin. So, the participation of the Order in the conquest of Harrien was not an ordinary character, but rather, on the contrary, paramount.
In 1221 a 12,000-strong Russian army tried to capture Wenden again, but having received repulse from the troops composed of the Sword Brothers and pilgrims (including Bodo von Homburg) led by Master Volkwin (who had arrived just in time from Riga), retreated.
At the end of 1222 and the beginning of 1223, a general uprising of the Estonians broke out. The Sword Brothers were again driven out of their lands and were forced to seek help from the Livonian Bishops. With the support of their troops, in 1223 the Sword Brothers plundered Ugandi and Sakala, defeated the rebels near the Ümera. In August, they had taken Fellin and Pale castles.
Then they undertook independent campaigns. These include the campaign against Dörpt (Dorpat; Yuryev) and the invasion of Jerwen, its return under the authority of the Crusaders. In 1224, the Order’s knights actively participated in the march on Harrien and the capture of Lohne Castle, in submission to Virumaa and in two sieges of Dörpt, the latter of which ended with the fall of the city, marking the end of the uprising.
In January and February 1227, the Sword Brothers, together with other Livonian Germans and their Baltic allies, went to Oesel Island, subordinating the last independent Estonian land. In 1228 the Order, gathering pilgrims under its banners, organized a campaign in Semigallia. In December of the following year, the Sword Brothers played a major role in the march on the Curonians, prompting this Baltic people to baptism. In 1236, a significant number of pilgrims made their way to Lithuania under the banner of the Livonian Sword Brethren.
In fact, the military presence of the Order was perceived as a guarantee of the stability of German domination in Livonia. Henry of Latvia called the Sword Brothers as the men who stood up for the house of God day and night.
According to Hermann von Wartberge, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword bravely and faithfully promoted the faith and subordinated to the Christian faith not only Livonia, but also the neighboring lands of the Latgalians, Oeselians and Estonians. An indicative characteristic was given to the Order in the Papal Bull issued on October 12, 1204, mentioning faithful laymen who, in the attire of the Templars, courageously and strongly opposed the barbarians attacking the new planting of the Christian faith.
So, the Sword Brothers had to defend all the Christian possessions in Livonia, since there was obviously no other force for this, and they took upon themselves the main burden in the matter of protecting Christians. Rare cases of direct appeal of the Sword Brothers for the help of allies were usually connected with the facts of an encounter with a far outnumbering enemy, with especially critical situations.
In numerous bloody wars, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword demonstrated high morale, exceptional combat capability, stability and the ability to regenerate quickly after defeats. All this, again, points to the fact that the Germans owe their rapid conquest and Christianization of Livonia above all to the Livonian Sword Brethren.