History of Courlande

This article summarized the history of Courlande . The Courlande is an area of the Latvia. It recovered the Zemgale and the current Kurzeme.

It is in the shape of the duchy of Courlande (1561 - 1795) that this area is most known, because it was then an independent State. It was even a small colonial power having colonized Tobago and the Île James.

Prehistory

5000 av. J. - C., the Courlande is occupied by Baltic tribes , like by the Live S, Finno-ugric people. Upon the departure one sees that the history of Courlande is overlapping with that of the Courses which gave its name to the area, that of Lives and that of future Latvia from which it forms part now.

The Middle Ages

Starting from the the Middle Ages, the area enters the zone of Polish influence. The new State affirms its suzerainty on the area, but in the facts, does not manage to impose it. The local populations are always pagan, they make raids for rafler spoils and Christian slaves in Poland; in addition, end of the era of the Viking S the growth to even devote to the Piracy against the trade incipient in the Baltic.

Poland wishes to pacify these populations and, in addition, the Church wants the évangéliser. The two interests will meet, the pope Innocent III calls with the Croisade against the “cruel people”. The bishop of Bremen created a few years earlier (1201) new évêché as well as the town of Rīga in full pagan territory. But this enclave survives with difficulty vis-a-vis the ceaseless raids of the autochtones. Also, with an aim of christianizing the Baltic populations, a military and religious order is rested by Albert de Buxhoeveden, bishop of Livonie, in 1202. The order is called initially Frères of the militia of Christ , but will be quickly known under the name of order of the Chevaliers carry-swords . As of 1237, its weakness, the aggressiveness of the restive local populations to conversion and also of the dissensions with the bishop of Rīga, oblige it to amalgamate with the order of the Chevaliers Teutoniques. The Livonie and the Estonia pertaining to the Carry-Swords form a teutonic control of the order then and are controlled by a provincial Master.

The Golden age

Into 1525, the large-Master of the Teutonique order, Albert de Brandebourg, is converted with the Luthéranisme and secularizes the grounds of the order in Prussia. Walter (or Gautier) of Plettenberg, provincial Master of Livonie and Estonia, remained Catholic although the ideas Lutherans had penetrated on its grounds, decides to repurchase in Albert de Brandebourg the duchy of Livonie; it reconstitutes the order of the Knights carry-swords and becomes the large-Master about it. He restricts himself to publish an edict of tolerance to avoid in Livonie the religious conflicts which set ablaze the Germanic empire. Its successors after a fashion try to maintain the positions of the order in Livonie, in spite of the joint ambitions of the duke of Prussia, king de Pologne and the tsar Ivan IV. Gotthard Kettler, the coadjutor of the large-Master Johann Wilhelm von Fürstenberg, must face in November 1557 with a violent attack of the Russians who put the country at bag. It calls for the aid while turning in turn to the emperor, the Hanseatic League and the Sweden, but nobody supports it. Also, when in 1559, Russia launches a new attack, Gotthard Kettler, become large-Master, is solved to require the assistance of king de Pologne realizing of the concessions. Gotthard Kettler, fiftieth and last large-Master of the order, conscious of progress of the Lutheranism among its subjects, converts and secularizes with its profit the grounds of the order (attitude which resembles in all points that of Albert de Brandebourg in Prussia in 1525).

By the treaty of Wilna, the November 28th 1561, the grounds of the order are divided into two: it yields to the suzerainty of Livonie to Sigismond II Auguste, king de Pologne, who exchanges some recognizes it him and his descent like duke of Courlande and Sémigalle on the ground of the same name. The capital of the duchy passes from Rīga, remained Polish, with Mitau (today Jelgava in Latvia). The assembly of the states of Livonie ratifies the treaty and the German nobility lends homage to its new duke. The March 5th 1562, Gotthard Kettler solemnly deposits in Rīga the coat of the Knights carry-swords, by lending homage to king de Pologne. He marries in 1566 the princess Anne von Mecklembourg-Schwerin to found a dynasty. The knights of the order imitate the duke and cut strongholds peerage-books in the duchy, creating the local nobility (Baltic barons), of German origin. The craft industry, industry and are also with the hands of German who constitutes the major part of the middle-class while the great mass of the farming community remainder runs or live. The Latin , but especially the German , becomes the languages of the administration, justice and education. They are the languages of the elites, it should be controlled to make career.

However, several territories are detached from the duchy, the area of Grobin, lent by the knights carry-swords to the duke of Prussia, as well as évêché of Piltene or évêché of Courlande, belongs to Magnus, king of Denmark which must return it to the duchy of Courlande after its death (this clause will be respected only under the reign of Guillaume Kettler). Of 1558 with 1583, the duchy faces the Russia Ivan the Terrible during the war of Livonie (it is the defeat of Gotthard Kettler at the beginning of the war vis-a-vis the Russians which forces it to approach and to pass under Polish suzerainty).

A Latvian book of mass in with a catechism is published in 1586.

Died of Gotthard Kettler, its two sons Frederic and Guillaume succeed to him. They divide the duchy into two other duchies in 1596: the oriental party or Sémigalle, returns to Frederic with for Mitau capital; Guillaume reigning on the Western part, Courlande itself, in its capital with Goldingen. The area of Grobin, pawned at Prussia, returns in 1609 in the bosom of the duchy thanks to the marriage of Guillaume with the girl of the duke of Prussia. Later it recovers évêché of Piltene where it develops the metallurgy and the shipyards whose ships export the goods and the goods towards the adjoining countries.

Unfortunately, it maintains fort bad relations with the land great landowners resulting like him from the knights carry-swords. Those are supported by the suzerain of the duchy, Poland which sees an occasion here to take again the hand in a duchy that actually it forever controlled. In 1616, the duke Guillaume is deposited and, the following year, of the duchy is amended, still reinforcing the seizure of the nobility (Germanic) on the duchy. The free cities of Courlande are excluded from the diet; Courlande, as Poland before it becomes a republic peerage-book where the nobility gathered in diet elects its sovereign. The assembly of the knights of Courlande, the Ritterschaft sets up in 1620 a census of the families of the hereditary nobility of Courlande (partly to exclude the parvenus). Guillaume exiles himself abroad and the ducal crown is again plain on the same head, that of his/her Frederic brother.

After the polono-Swedish war (1620 - 1629), the victorious Sweden annexes in 1621 Livonie and Estonia (Livonie Swedish) and occupies Mitau. The remainder of Livonie returns to Poland under the name of Inflanty.

Jacob Kettler is elected duke in 1642, it will reign until in 1681. Its reign corresponds to the first golden age of the duchy (which counts 200 000 inhabitants at the time). The new duke who was partly high out of the duchy is very influenced by the Occidental culture; he is surrounded to control foreign advisers and of courlandais having travelled outside. He continues the work of his uncle Frederic in the metallurgy, the naval construction and the production of gunpowder. He establishes commercial relations with his neighbors, but also the the United Kingdom, the France, the Netherlands, the Portugal… It is during this period that Courlande (Kettler Jacob being also very interested by the trade) benefitting from the secular skill of the peasants courlandais as marine (the initial goal being to improve the condition of the latter) develops the ports of Windau and Liepaja and founds colonies with Tobago in the Antilles in 1652, and on the island James with broad of the Gambia in Africa in 1651. The duchy is even the first colonial power to send Protestant missionaries and to treat equal footing with the African populations.

Courlande then has one of the principal fleets of the world, leant with powerful arsenals. Its navy of war includes/understands 61 units and 1416 guns, which corresponds to fifty percent of the Invincible Armada of 1588 and thirty seven percent of the marine of Cromwell of 1650. So much so that at the time of the English civil war (1642 - 1648), the duke provides the king Charles Ier (the son of the king Jacques Ier), its godfather, six warships with men, ammunition and provisions. It is this naval power which gives to Jacob the means of colonizing overseas.

The courlandaise presence is attested by documents as of 1645 in the Antilles, just after the Danes, the Brandebourgeois and the Swedes. In fact as of 1638 an attempt at colonization with 217 colonists takes place with Tobago; at that time the colonists are in peace with the Indians. In 1642, the duke Jacob helped by the Dutchmen sends a new forwarding which unloads with 300 colonists on the site of current the Courlande Bay . Tobacco and Indigo are planted. The Indians help the colonists, except for a minority of colonists which is scrambled with them and leaves to settle with the Suriname, in Dutch Guyana. In front of the failure of colonization, Tobago is put on sale in 1647 and proposed with England but there is no purchaser. In 1650 the situation envenime and the Indians massacre the colonists, the survivors leave to the Guyana, English Guyana. This colonial company concretizes really the May 20th 1654, when the vessel with two bridges Duchesse of Courlande , armed with 45 guns and leaf house courlandais installs of Windau with the first families of settlers for Tobago. Twenty-five officers, a hundred and twenty four soldiers and eighty families embarked on board. This ship was especially built for the transport of the tropical food products in Europe. The island James is occupied in 1651, under the name of Île Saint Andre ( Isla de Andrea ), it will be taken in 1661 by the English who will rename it of his current name. It is used for the trade of the Or and the Ivoire and later with that of the slaves.

It is the captain Willen Mollens (Dutch) who took possession of Tobago in the name of the duchy of Courlande and baptized the island News-Courlande in 1654. The grounds are divided into batches for the cultures of export and the provisioning of the colony. The fort Jekabforts is set up in the south-west of the island, surrounded by dwellings: the town of Jekaba pilseta (Jamestown). Other names inspired of the motherland appear, such as Grande Bay of Courlande , Nouvelle Jelgava , Baie of Liepaja …

The duchy grows rich thanks to its fleet and its colonies, the duke being one of the most important tradesmen of its time. The duchy exports towards its colonies timber structural, material, glassmaking, jewels of Ambre, grain, Bière, Farine, meat and salted fish. In return it exports towards Poland, Sweden, Russia, Great Britain, the Netherlands of the tropical birds, the Coton, the Gingembre, the Sucre, the indigo, the Rhum, the Cacao, the scales of tortoises and the feathers of tropical birds.

This colonization gives an international image to the small duchy and illustrates the case of a small nation which tries to cut a share in the transoceanic trade, exclusive domain of the great powers. To assure his peace, the duke Jacob multiplies the diplomatic representations in the commercial towns, such Stockholm, Dantzig, Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, $the Hague and the treaties with the great powers, of which most notable is the treaty of neutrality, signed in 1654 with the Lord Protecteur of England, Oliver Cromwell. The flag courlandais, a black crab on red bottom, very quickly becomes known in the world of the marine of trade.

However this success is tarnished by the wars which devastate the old continent. Poland and Sweden tear again. The latter invades the duchy and occupies it, the duke Jacob is retained prisoner of 1658 to the July 7th 1660 (peace treaty of Oliva close to Dantzig). The two colonies were devastated and occupied by the Netherlands, which destroyed the plantations and manufactures. Peace returned Tobago is returned to the duchy which will preserve it until in 1689. The duchy tries to rebuild its fleet and its manufactures, but he will not manage to find his prosperity of the years 1650-1660.

The duke Jacob dies in 1682 and his/her son Frederic Casimir succeeds to him under the name of Frederic II. If the duchy still shines by its ostentation, it is less because of its power, the duke being not very interested by the things of the State, that by the festivals which it gives for itself. He spends without counting the money of the duchy accumulated by his father and must be finally solved, to sponge his debts, to yield Tobago to the British in 1689. This weakening makes it possible Poland to be involved in the interior policy of the duchy, but also the Russia of Pierre Large the which seeks a maritime outlet on the occident. The first Bible translated into Latvian by the Pasteur Gluck, published thanks to the assistance of the Swedish crown, goes back to 1689.

With died of Frederic II in 1698, his/her son and successor Frederic Guillaume is only six years old. It is the uncle of the child, Ferdinand Kettler, general in the Polish army, of a branch of the Kettler family, reconverted with the Catholicism, which ensures regency. The énième Scandinavian War, this time between Sweden and Russia, makes it possible the latter to control Livonie and to influence the policy of Courlande. The Tsar Pierre Large the receives a promise of marriage between Frederic Guillaume and one of his two nieces Anna Ivanovna (girl of the brother of Pierre, Ivan). The union is celebrated with Saint-Petersbourg in 1710 but, on the way of the return, the young duke (19 years) falls ill and dies in 1711. Starting from this date, it is Anna and Russia which will hold the reins of the duchy.

Decline: War of succession of Courlande

The duke having died without posterity, it is his uncle Ferdinand, the ex-regent who should succeed to him. But it is catholic and resides at Dantzig what is contrary with the rules of election in the duchy. Old and of weak constitution, it proves to be unable to take advantage of its rights to the crown; it is quickly driven out of Mitau the capital by the troops of the Tsar. Being also without child, his succession interests his neighbors, Russia and Poland, but also a crowd of other candidates who do not even await his death to appear. Ferdinand would wish the prince of Hesse-Cassel, the diet of Courlande wants Albert de Brandebourg (supported by Prussia) and Russia pushes the candidature of Alexandre Menchikov, the favorite of the Tsar Pierre Ier. The surprise comes from the king de Pologne (which is also Électeur of Saxony for the Saint Empire Romain Germanique). Eager to establish his bastard son, but also to move away it (it is shown very turbulent), the king of Poland proposes the count of Saxony, more known under the name of Maurice of Saxony. The idea allures the count who accepts it. To arrive to its ends, best is to be made recognize by the diet, and to marry Anna, the widow of the last duke.

Maurice goes in Courlande; with the support of Anna, he is elected, by the joined together diet with Mitau, duke of Courlande and Sémigalle (all the descendants of the knights carry-swords are there) the June 26th 1726. The diet of Courlande is initially favorable to this election which enables him to keep its independence with respect to Poland, without however breaking with it.

All thus seems favorable to the new duke but the situation quickly will be degraded. The diet of Poland, (the suzerain of Courlande) which has aimings on the duchy refuses to ratify the election. Frederic-Auguste Ier which as a voter of Saxony had pushed the candidature of his/her son, is seen as a king (elected by this same diet Polonaise) of Poland obliged to repudiate his/her son, the diet agitating the threat of a war between Poland and Saxony!

The situation still worsens when Anna Ivanovna briskly realizes that its promised in marriage horn with a chambrière (it seems that Maurice was attracted more by Courlande and his richnesses that by Anna with the perverse temperament and orgiaque). It loses its confidence and its support. Maurice in addition hoped to obtain the approval of the Tsarina Catherine Ire of Russia which was favorable for him and which succeeded Pierre the Large one. Initially, extremely of the support of Catherine, he refuses obtempérer. He thinks that helped by the nobility courlandaise and the Russian army he will be able quickly to demolish the Polish army of which he knows the weak points. But the reversal in Russia deprives it of its principal support: Catherine changed opinion little before her death and prefers a candidate of Russia (Alexandre Menchikov) or her son-in-law, the duke of Holstein-Gottorp. Catherine makes occupy the duchy by her troops and sends Dolgorouki to Mitau in July 1726 to present one of the candidates (who is not any more Alexandre Menchikov) of the empress.

But Catherine dies in 1727. Its successor, Pierre, are only one child handled by the clans of the court and the very interested Alexandre Menchikov which benefits from the occasion to arrive at its ends and to seize the ducal crown for his account. Very accelerates: of neutral, Russia becomes attacker. The diet of Courlande wants to avoid the war and relieves Maurice whom she elected a few months earlier. In any event, she refused to up to now vote the introduction of the military service or the creation of a contrary standing army to freedoms of the duchy. Without appropriations, without true capacity (taken refuge Ferdinand with Dantzig is always alive) Maurice tries to organize the defense of a duchy which is not even any more it his! Alexandre Menchikov sends the Field-marshal Lascy with 8.000 troops to occupy the duchy. They cross Dvina the August 12th 1727 and occupy Mitau without blow to férir. Maurice it is taken refuge on an island of the lake Usmaïz, strengthened summarily by his care with three months of vivres and 300 soldiers (of the infantrymen and the dragons) recruited in Holland. Without delivering combat, Maurice flees the August 19th 1727 front the threat of seat of the Russian army. He joined the Prussian port of Memel. In way it falls on a section from cossacks who exterminate his escort; they will be only deaths of the War of succession of Courlande which will not have lasted eight days. Maurice gains France where it will have a key role in the wars to come. The war in this small duchy failed well once again to set ablaze Europe.

Ferdinand, the last of the dynasty of Kettlers (but he is not duke) dies out in 1737. Meanwhile, Anna Ivanovna became empress of all Russies with died of Pierre II in January 1730. Its favorite, which it met in Courlande Ernest Bühren, a former stableman of its father-in-law intrigues at the Russian court and manages to be made name by it duke of Courlande with died of Ferdinand. The language of Molière being to the mode, it francized its name in Biron and will be of this fact duke under the name of Ernst Johann Von Biron . Its first reign is short, it benefits from it nevertheless to build with subsidies of the course of Russia the palate of Rundale and to rebuild that of Mitau, cradle of the Kettler dynasty, by the Italian great architect Rastrelli. The death of Anna in 1740 the fact of falling in disgrace, it must be exiled with all its family in Siberia. The distance by no means prevents it from controlling through the ducal Council with the tacit agreement of Poland. This situation displeases to the land great landowners who refuse to ratify the decrees of the council. Finally, the king Auguste III of Poland takes party for his last and decides to impose his son, Charles Count de Saxe (still one!), under the name of Charles-Christian. The duchy is found with simultaneously two rival dukes at his head! The situation becomes tended, each camp has its partisans. It is Catherine II of Russia, new empress of Russia starting from 1762 which brings back the calm one by pointing out Ernst Johann Von Biron of exile in 1763 thus repudiating Poland and its candidate Charles-Christian. This last, to alleviate the spirits, must however abdicate in favor of his/her son Pierre in 1769.

As from this moment, the duchy is nothing any more but one pawn with the hands of its neighbors Poland and Russia which each one maintain the factions of their partisans within the duchy. The episode finds an epilog, when divided Poland, itself, are cut out during the 3rd division of Poland in 1795. The duke Pierre, constrained and forced, sign a renunciation by which it gives all his rights and prerogatives in Russia the March 28th 1795. The duchy of Courlande ceased existing.

Russian domination

From now on, it is Russia which will order the destiny of Courlande until in 1917. The history of Courlande merges then with that of Latvia.

The abolition of serfdom is made in 1817. In 1863, a land reform tries to redistribute the grounds with the Baltic population of origin, the greatest part being with the hands of the descendants of the landowners of German nobility. Banks are created for this purpose repurchasing farms. The operation fails and the great majority of the population must continue to work for the German owners while being rented as plowmen, thus remaining with the bottom of the social scale.

These great fields, managed in a scientific way saw their productivity increasing, of excellent races of cattle, sheep and pigs appearing.

In same time, Libau and Mitau become the two principal industrial centers of the country, with iron and steel industry, Tannerie, agricultural machinery, glassmakings and factories of Savon. The spinning of the flax remains a family activity in the campaigns. The exploitation of the Iron, the Lime and amber on the coast of the Baltic are the only mining activities of the country.

The First World War and independence

In 1914, the area, as the remainder of Russia, is in the camp of the Franco-British allies against Germany of Guillaume II. At the beginning of the war, the leading classes (famous Baltic barons) in spite of their Germanic inclinations remain faithful to Russia and the Tsar, even if a great number enlists under the German banner and leaves to fight on the French face. The population of Latvian language is built-in the Russian regiments without however constituting Latvian units with whole shares: the Russian authorities fear since the revolution of 1905 the Latvians, considered as revolutionists. Russia regards initially the area as a secondary face, it uses it as tank of labor and requisitions enormous quantities of corn and cattle to weaken the population and to cross short to any inclination of independence of Courlande. In addition, the local government of the Baltic barons tests by all the means of slowing down the dash of patriotism of the Latvians at least (call of the deputies of the Duma, J. Goldman and J. Sahlit with Petrograd the July 19th 1915) who enlist in the Russian army with the ulterior motive to obtain for their country a form of autonomy or to demolish supervision of the German elite. Any exchange with the first reverses of the Russian army. The Eastern face is stabilized on banks of Dvina, dividing the country in two. The German-speaking population withdraws its supports in Russia and supports the projection of the German troops: for example Goldingen is taken by a dozen German hunters. Approximately 70 % of the Latvian population has flees in front of the German soldiers (on 800 000 hab in Courlande, there remain about it hardly 210 000 in the occupied territories by the Germans), while leaving very behind it, scattering on the roads of the Russian empire. The Russian military authorities decide then in the urgency, the July 23rd, following the call of the deputies Goldman and Sahlit to create 8 regiments of Latvian Tirailleurs. Those stop the German projection in front of Rīga, saving the city at the price of heavy losses. Their action is determining. The Latvian volunteers flowed from all Russia, but also of the whole world, America and even from Australia! The Russian military authorities give the instruction to let the Latvians leave their regiments of origin to gain the Latvian units. Their good instruction (the Russian mujiks are in illiterates majority) in fact often of the executives of their regiments, also their departure is likely to disorganize them and is often refused.

The Russian revolution of 1917 changes the destiny of the country once again. With the armistice of Brest-Litovsk the December 15th 1917, the German Empire increases its possessions in the east. With the takeover of the Bolchevique S, the 8 Latvian regiments form the bases of the Red Army and later those with the army of release of Latvia. Peace between the central Russia and empires is signed the March 3rd 1918. Lénine sold off the Russian empire to save the revolution. It loses the Ukraine, the Finland and the Baltic States.

As of the treaty of armistice, the German troops organized the Baltic territories which they occupy in Landesrats . The goal is of germaniser these territories, as in its time the Alsace-Lorraine or Posen. The members of these assemblies are the presidents of the rural Councils and the mayors named by the Germans, as well as the representatives of the German nobility, this to give a legal aspect to the situation. The Germanic minority (7% of the population) seeks to gum all that refers to the Latvian culture. Pasteur Bernewitz, superintendent of the church of Courlande, makes a speech with Berlin where it stipulates that the ground of Courlande awaits the German colonists. Also the March 8th 1918,5 days after the peace treaty, Landesrat de Courlande decides to restore the duchy of Courlande and to offer the crown of it to the dynasty of the Hohenzollern. The April 12th plain Landesrat of Rīga, Livonie, Estonia and the island of Oesel constitutes in Baltic Monarchie , and this time still the crown is offered to the German Emperor, who, in his capacity as king de Prusse, must create a personal union between the kingdom of Prussia and the Baltic State. The German government now has just given instructions for the conclusion of a military and economic convention between Germany and the duchy of Courlande. The November 18th 1918, after the armistice and the total rendering of the German forces, the Latvia proclaims its independence. Latvia is a new territorial formation which joined together in conglomerate the territories of Courlande, of the Latgale and of part of the Livonie with the Hanseatic city of Rīga, populated mainly by the Germans and the Russians. On its side, the Soviet Russia denounces the peace treaty before concluded less than one year. The Allied, anxious to push back the Soviet expansion in the west and to prevent Germany from cutting an empire on the Baltic support the Latvian provisional government. Their attitude remains however a long time ambiguous. At the end of the 1918 forces Bolsheviks conquered most of the Baltic provinces and in particular Livonie (of which Rīga) and part of Courlande. They think of being able to reach the shores of the Baltic, but the German counter-offensive (the allies let make the Germans, they make the dirty job in their place) in March 1919 of the new governor Von der Goltz puts an end in advance Bolshevik. Von der Goltz wants to use the Baltic States to take a revenge against the allies with the assistance of Russia which it would have removed from the Bolsheviks. It supports a coup d'etat the April 16th of the Baltic barons against the Latvian provisional government. The allies arm the Latvian government against the Baltic barons and, at the end of 1919, the majority of the German soldiers are pushed back out of the Latvian territory.

It will take however two years for the Latvians definitively to drive out the Soviets and the Germans of their country. Russia signs a peace treaty with Latvia the August 11th 1920, the country is recognized by the western powers the January 26th 1921.

The Second world war

Following the Pact germano-Soviet, the area passes under the Soviet cut in 1941. But the Operation Barbarossa of the June 22nd 1941, sees the province again changing hands. The area is crossed by the Northern group of armies, directed by Feld Maréchal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. During the German occupation, the Jewish community is completely exterminated (it was almost as old as the German community). In 1944, it is the Red Army which is with the cases of the Wehrmacht. Approximately 200 000 German soldiers find themselves encircled in the peninsula of Courlande. Initially, the Soviet troops leave of with dimensions the units of Wehrmacht in Courlande, their main aim being Berlin, via the Prussia. The general Heinz Guderian insists near Adolf Hitler to evacuate the soldiers by the sea in order to use them for the defense of the Reich. This last refuses categorically, the troops must protect the bases from U-Boot S of the Baltic. The January 15th 1945, the group of Armies Courlande ( Heeresgruppe Kurland ) is formed under the orders of the general Lothar Rendulic, it includes/understands in particular Latvian units of the Waffen-SS (the 15th division S of pomegranates (1st Latvian) and 19 {{E}} division S of pomegranates (2 {{E}} Latvian)) which defend the Latvian peninsula. The group of armies holds good until the May 8th 1945, day of the armistice in the west, where its last commander-in-chief, the general Carl Hilpert goes to the marshal Govorov, the commander of the Soviet troops of the sector. It remains on this date only 31 divisions of various natures German side. As of the May 9th, the prisoners take with foot the direction prison camps of the East; very little will re-examine Germany.

The conquered province is consequently attached to the Soviet republic of Latvia, as the remainder of the country it sees a Russian surge of colonists on its grounds, with an aim of breaking its identity. In same time, German populations (some are installed here since 1202) which did not already flee are expelled by the new Latvian government, their confiscated goods (many castles are transformed into schools, town hall or, worse, in barns when they are not quite simply destroyed). The Germans take refuge in West Germany or Western Europe.

The fall of the wall

With the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the events precipitate. The May 4th 1990, the Supreme Soviet of Latvia and its president Anatolijs Gorbunovs proclaim the return to the independence which will be recognized by the international community the September 6th 1991. Meanwhile, the Soviet troops will have tried in vain to maintain their capacity but the population, at the price of several deaths obtains, win. The last Soviet soldier leaves the country the August 31st 1994. May 1st 2004, Latvia and ten ex-republics of the East joined the European Union and NATO.

Today

Currently 14 Député S represent Courlande with the Saeima, the Latvian Parliament which is unicaméral and comprises 100 seats. He is elected by the universal direct suffrage every four years.

If the German were until the eviction of its speakers the language of the elites of the duchy, the Curonien (which gave its name to the area) was the principal language of the population, with his/her cousins the Eastern Baltic Langues: the Sémigalien, the Samogitien, the Sélonien and the Skalvien almost all disappeared today. There remain some speakers of Curonien at present.

With the opening to the west, German descendants Baltic, gathered in associations of expatriates, are turned over on the grounds of their ancestors. Some even repurchased the family castle to restore it.

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