It is first mentioned in the biography of Bishop Ansgar ("Vita Anskarii") written by Bishop Rimbert of Bremen (lived before 888 AD). It is also mentioned in the January 17, 1231 treaty between the Baldwin von Alna and Curonians.
In the April 4, 1253 treaty it was split between Bishop of Courland and Order of Livonia.
In the treaty of April 4, 1253, concluded by the Bishop of Courland Heinrich and the Master of the Livonian Order, the land of Bandava was divided into two parts. The north-eastern part with Kuldīga Castle near Venta river was received by the Livonian Order, but the south-western part with Aizpute and Embūte castles was further ruled by the Diocese of Kurzeme.
The settlements of Bandava referred to in the Agreement in the part of the Livonian Order (two thirds of Bandava):
Bielenstein, August Johann Gottfried (1892), Die Grenzen des lettischen Volksstammes und der lettischen Sprache in der Gegenwart und im 13. Jahrhundert, St. Petersburg{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)