#semigallia

[mothmiso]

summer days in Latvia (2) (3) (4) by ilze long

Via Flickr:

(1) late evening storm over rose garden in Rundale (3) Skats uz Gauju / View of Gauja (4) Koknese castle was abandoned in 1701 and nowadays here are impressive ruins. After the creation of Plavinas hydropowerplant lake the water reached the fundament of Koknese castle - thus ruins are endangered now and are fixed with concrete constructions below the water level.     

[paininmyassachusetts]

Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ Księstwo Kurlandii I Semigalii Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste Duchy of Courland and Semigallia

The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was a duchy that existed in the Baltic between 1561 and 1795. During most of its existence, it was a vassal of the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania. In 1795, it was annexed by the Russian Empire after the third partition of Poland. It’s capital city was Mitau, now called Jelgava.

During the Livonian Wars, the territory of Courland and Semigallia – as well as Livonia - was ceded to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which in 1569 joined with Poland to become the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The first Duke of Courland was Gotthard Kettler who had been the last Master of the Livonian Order which preceded the Duchy. The House of Kettler ruled from then until Ferdinand’s death in 1737, with the title and territory going to the Biron family, with a few exceptions, until the absorption of Courland and Semigallia into the Realms of Russia. Most of the nobility of the Duchy were German.

After Gotthard’s death, his sons Friedrich and Wilhelm split the Duchy, ruling together; Friedrich ruling in the East – Semigallia – and Wilhelm ruling in the west – Courland. Under Wilhelm, the Duchy regainded the district of Grobiņa with his marriage to a Prussian princess which had been sold to the Duke of Prussia before the Duchy of Courland materialised. He also purchased the district of Piltene and there developed a metalworking and shipbuilding industry. Wilhelm eventually came into conflict with other local nobles and was forced to abdicate in favour of his brother and move out of the Duchy. After this, Friedrich ruled as the sole Duke.

Between 1600 and 1629, Poland and Sweden made war around Riga. In the end, Sweden gained control of much of central and northern Latvia, thence being known as Swedish Livonia. Poland retained Courland. Courland itself didn’t suffer much severe damage.

During the rule of Jacob, the son of Wilhelm, the Duchy reached its zenith. Jacob was a well travelled and learnèd man, and was a supporter of mercantilist ideals. He developed further the metalworking and shipbuilding industries, and began to trade with countries outside of the Baltic region – Britian, France, Portugal.

It was also during the rule of Jacob that Courland established colonies in Africa and the New World. In Africa, St. Andrews Island at the mouth of the Gambia River, there was founded Jacob Fort, later ruins of which remain today. Its main exports were gold, furs, spices, and ivory. In the New World, the colony of Tobago was established. Its main exports were sugar, tobacco, coffee, and spices.

Unfortunately, around this time, the First Northern War began between Sweden and its allies and Poland and its allies. During the war, Courland lost both of its colonies to the Dutch, and its merchant fleet and factories were destroyed. When the war ended, Tobago was returned to Courland and they would hold it until 1689. Jacob restored the fleet and factories, but the Duchy would never reach the prosperity it had before the war.

Jacob died in 1682, and his son Friedrich Casimir succeeded him as duke. During his rule, the problems the duchy faced continued to increase, and the duke himself spent a lot of money on extravagant parties. Eventually, he was forced to sell Tobago to the British. When he died in 1698, he was succeeded by his son, Friedrich Wilhelm, who was only 6 years old at the time. His uncle, Ferdinand, a Polish general, acted as regent. At this time, the Great Northern War began. Russia gained control of much of Latvia during the war. The war would contribute to the decrease of both Sweden and Poland as major European powers. In 1710, the Duke married a Russian noblewoman, only to die a year later. His wife, Anna Ivanovna, would rule as regent until 1730, when she became Empress of Russia.

After Friedrich’s death, the next candidate for Duke was Ferdinand, his uncle. However, Ferdinand lived in Danzig, and according to law, the Duke had to reside in Courland itself. Instead, Maurice de Saxe, son of the King of Poland, was elected Duke in 1726. This was not to the liking of Russia, who sent an army to oust Maurice. In the end, in 1730, Anna became Empress of Russia, and Ferdinand became Duke of Courland, until his death 7 years later. He died without any children, and the Kettler family was ended. Empress Anna then appointed Ernst Johann von Biron, her lover, as Duke.

Under Ernst Johann, the Russians gave much financial support to the Duchy, and the Duke used this money for construction. In 1740, Empress Anna died, and Ernst Johann was exiled to Siberia, where he continued to rule, with the consent of the King of Poland, through the Council of the Duke. The landowners of Courland found this situation unfavourable, and sometimes outright refused to follow the regulations handed out by the Council.

In 1741, Louis Ernest of Brunswick-Lünebirg was elected as the successor to von Biron, however when he went to St Petersburg to get this title confirmed, he was striped of it in a coup. Meanwhile, the King of Poland, Augustus III, proclaimed his son, Carl Christian Joseph, to be the next Duke. Thus, the Duchy had two dukes. This was a very tense time, as half of the landowners supported von Biron and the other half supported Carl. The Empress of Russia, Catherine the Great, solved the problem when she recalled Ernst Johann from exile in Siberia in 1763. Von Biron, however, was worn out from all the political intrigue, and turned the title of Duke over to his son, Peter, in 1769.

Peter von Biron would rule for the rest of the duration of the existence of the Duchy of Courland, when in 1795 the third partition of Poland happened. The territory of Courland went to Russia, and the title of Duke of Courland became one of the titles of the Russian Emperor from then until the overthrow of the Empire in 1917.

[zemelatvija]

Zemgales lauki Fields of Semigallia Summer 2014