History of Latvia

Note: BCE = Before the Common Era (it has replaced B.C. in most scholarly texts)
CE = in the Common Era (it has replaced A.D. in most scholarly texts)
All early dates (especially BCE dates!) are approximate

• A Brief Chronology of Latvia
• Myths of Latvian History

A Brief Chronology of Latvia

The following information comes primarily from a History of Latvia, as provided by the Latvian Institute. Any errors are mine.

• 3,000 BCE: territory around the Baltic Sea is occupied by Finno-Ugric peoples (who later are known as the Finns, Estonians, and Livs)

• 2,000 BCE: Baltic peoples (later known as Lithuanians, Latvians, Latgalians, etc.) arrive in area of Baltic Sea

• 300 BCE-1000 CE: trade nework established; Baltic amber travels as far as Roman and Byzantine Empires

• 989: Varangian prince Vladimir of Kiev is converted to Christianity; by 1000's Latvia is officially a mission field of the Orthodox Russian diocese of Polatsk, but most Latvians retain their pagan beliefs

• 1193: Pope proclaims a crusade against Baltic pagans

• 1201: Germans found city of Rīga at mouth of Daugava river

• 1202: a crusading order, the Brothers of the Sword, is created to provide a permanent German military presence in the area; later absorbed into the Teutonic Knights; found a feudal state called Livonia; German nobility maintains control for next 700 years

• 1282: Rīga becomes member of the Hanseatic League (important late medieval trading organization)

• 1522: ideas of Protestant Reformation introduced by German preachers; Lutheran faith is eventually established in the provinces of Vidzeme (north-east), Kurzeme (west), and Zemgale (central) but the Roman Catholic faith is maintained in Latgale (south-east)

• 1569: Latvian territory becomes part of a united Lithuania-Poland

• 1629: most of Latvian territory (all except south-eastern province of Latgale) comes under the rule of Sweden

• 1710: Russian Tsar Peter the Great conquers Rīga and north-eastern Latvia (province of Vidzeme); by the end of the 1700's all of Latvian region is under Russian rule

• 1817-1819: Emancipation of serfs in majority of Latvia (serfs in Latgale not freed until 1861); serfs now able to choose surnames

• 1917: Bolshevik revolution in Russia; Russia loses its grip on Baltic states

• 1918 : Latvian independence declared; Republic of Latvia first established

• 1921: Republic of Latvia becomes a member of the League of Nations

• 1939: Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact signed: German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact which includes secret protocol in which Latvia, and several other independent countries, are assigned to German or Soviet "spheres of interest". As a result:

• 1940: Latvia is invaded by the Soviet Union; many Latvians are sent to Siberia

• 1941 : Latvia is occupied by Germany; most Latvian Jews are killed

• 1944: USSR permanently occupies Latvia; along with Estonia and Lithuania, is incorporated into USSR as a Soviet Republic

• 1985: Mikhail Gorbachev becomes leader of USSR; initiates era of perestroika i.e. "restructuring"

• 1991: Latvian independence is recognised by the USSR

• 2004: Republic of Latvia becames a member of NATO, and a full-fledged member of the European Union

Myths of Latvian History

Useful history links

• Latvian History. A brief chronology, provided by City Paper; the Baltic States.
• A Brief History of Latvia. Another brief chronology, with some legends added.
• History of Latvia. More detailed (i.e. several page) history, as provided by Randburg.com
• Wikipedia article: History of Latvia. Excellent detailed history, with great maps.