United Baltic Duchy
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The United Baltic Duchy [1] (German: Vereinigtes Baltisches Herzogtum) was a proposal to unite declared Duchy of Courland, the Baltic State duchy [2](Baltischer Staat) and the territory of former Autonomous Governorate of Estonia in the German Empire's occupied territory covering what are now Latvia and Estonia before the end of World War I.
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[edit] Historical Background
During World War I, German Armies had occupied the Courland Governorate of Russian Empire by the autumn of 1915. The front was settled along a line stretched between Riga, Daugavpils and Baranovitch. Following the Russian February Revolution, the Autonomous Governorate of Estonia was created on April 12 1917 (March 30 Old Style) from the former Russian Governorate of Estonia and northern Governorate of Livonia. After the Russian October Revolution, the elected National Council of Estonnia declared Estonia's independence formally on November 28, 1917 and on February 24, 1918, a day before the arrival of German troops the Estonian Declaration of Independence was issued.The Western Allies of World War I recognized the Republic of Estonia de facto on March 20, 1918.[3]
The Latvian National Council was proclaimed on November 16, 1917. On November 30, 1917 the Latvian National Council proclaimed an autonomous Latvian province within ethnographic boundaries, and a formal independent Latvian republic was declared on January 15, 1918.[3]
After the Russian revolution German troops had started advancing from Courland and by the end of February 1918 the territories of the former Russian Governorate of Livonia and Autonomous Governorate of Estonia that had declared independence were also occupied and fell under the German military administration. With the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on March 3, 1918 the Bolshevist Russia accepted the loss of the Courland Governorate and by agreements concluded in Berlin on August 27, 1918 Autonomous Governorate of Estonia and the Governorate of Livonia were severed from Russia.[3]
As a parallel political movement under the German military administration, Baltic Germans began a process of forming provincial councils between September 1917 and March 1918. On April 12, 1918 a Provincial Assembly composed of 35 Baltic Germans, 13 Estonians and 11 Latvians passed a resolution calling upon the German Emperor to recognize the Baltic provinces as a monarchy and make them a German protectorate.[4]
On October 1918 the Chancellor of Germany Prince Maximilian of Baden proposed to have the military administration in the Baltic replaced by civilian authority. The new policy was stated in a telegram from the German Foreign Office to the military administration of the Baltic: The government of the Reich is unanimous in respect of the fundamental change in our policy towards the Baltic countries, namely that in the first instance policy is to be made with the Baltic peoples.[3]
On November 18, 1918 Latvia proclaimed independence. On November 19 the transfer of power in Estonia from the German military administration to the Estonian Government headed by Konstantin Päts took place. In Latvia the Germans formally handed over authority to the Latvian national government headed by Kārlis Ulmanis on December 7, 1918. [3]
[edit] Attempt to create the United Baltic Duchy
On March 8 and April 12, 1918 the local Baltic German-dominated Kurländische Landesrat and the Vereinigter Landesrat of Livland, Estland, Riga, and Ösel had declared themselves independent states,[citation needed] known as the Duchy of Courland (Herzogtum Kurland) and Baltic State duchy [5](Baltischer Staat), respectively. Both states proclaimed themselves to be in personal union with the Kingdom of Prussia, although the German government never responded to acknowledge that claim. These Baltic lands were nominally recognized as a sovereign state by Kaiser William II only on September 22, 1918[citation needed], half a year after Soviet Russia had formally relinquished all authority over its former Imperial Baltic provinces to Germany in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. On November 5, 1918, a temporary Regency Council (Regentschaftsrat) for the new state led by Baron Adolf Pilar von Pilchau was formed on a joint basis from the two local Land Councils.
The capital of the new state was to be Riga. It was to be a confederation of seven cantons: Kurland (Courland), Riga, Lettgallen (Latgale), Südlivland (South Livonia), Nordlivland (North Livonia), Ösel (Saaremaa), and Estland (Estonia), the four first cantons thus covering the territory corresponding to today's Latvia and the latter three corresponding to today's Estonia.
The first head of state of the United Baltic Duchy was to be Adolf Friedrich, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, not as a sovereign monarch, but as a subordinate to the German Kaiser, similar to other dukes and grand dukes of the German Empire. Adolf Friedrich never assumed office, however. The appointed Regency Council consisting of four Baltic Germans, three Estonians and three Latvians functioned until November 28, 1918, without any international recognition, except from Germany. The Baltische Landeswehr was formed by the government of the United Baltic Duchy as its national defense force. Upon taking command of the Baltische Landeswehr, Major Alfred Fletcher, with the backing of the Baltic German land barons, began dismissing native Latvian elements and replacing them with Baltic Germans and Reichsdeutsch troops. Concurrently, German officers assumed most of the command positions. In his book Vanguard of Nazism: The Free Corps Movement in Postwar Germany, 1918-1923, author Robert G.L. Waite notes: “By mid-February 1919, Latvians composed less than one fifth of their own army.” Britain backed down after recognizing the gravity of the military situation, and the White Russian units and the Freikorps moved on and captured Riga on May 22, 1919.
After the capture of Riga, the Freikorps were accused of killing 300 Latvians in Mitau, 200 in Tukkum, 125 in Daugavgriva, and over 3,000 in Riga. After taking part in the capture of Riga, in June 1919 General von der Goltz ordered his troops not to advance east against the Red Army, as the Allies had been expecting, but north, against the Estonians. On June 19 the Iron Division and Landeswehr units launched an attack to capture areas around Cēsis (Wenden), the Baltische Landeswehr continued its advance towards the Estonian coast preparatory for a push on St Petersburg, Soviet Russia. However, the Baltische Landeswehr was defeated by the Estonian army (lead by Johan Laidoner) and national Latvian units at the Battle of Cēsis, 19-21 June 1919. On the morning of June 23, the Germans began a general retreat toward Riga. The Allies again insisted that the Germans withdraw their remaining troops from Latvia and intervened to impose a ceasefire between the Estonians and the Freikorps when the Estonians were about to march into Riga. In the meantime, an Allied mission composed of British troops under General Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough had arrived in the Baltic with the task of clearing the Germans from the region and organizing native armies for the Baltic states. The defeat of Germany in World War I in November 1918, followed by the defeat in 1919 of the Baltische Landeswehr and German Freikorps units of General Rüdiger von der Goltz in Latvia by the Estonian army and national Latvian units, rendered the United Baltic Duchy irrelevant.
[edit] Aftermath
To ensure its return to Latvian control, the Baltische Landeswehr was placed under British authority. After taking command of the Baltische Landeswehr in mid-July 1919, Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Alexander (the future Field Marshal the Earl Alexander of Tunis and Governor General of Canada, 1946-1952), gradually dismissed the Baltic German elements. The Baltic nations of Estonia and Latvia were established as republics.
[edit] See also
- Pavel Bermondt-Avalov
- Baltische Landeswehr
- Ober Ost
- Aftermath of World War I
- Freikorps in the Baltic
- Latvian War of Independence
- Estonian Liberation War
- Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1918)
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ ...later an alternative proposal was advanced for a United Baltic Duchy under Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg P 48 The Baltic States: The Years of Independence By Georg von Rauch ISBN 0903983001
- ^ The German Army in World War I By Nigel Thomas; ISBN 1841765678
- ^ a b c d e The Baltic States and Weimar Ostpolitik By John Hiden
- ^ Griff nach der Weltmacht By Fritz Fischer
- ^ The German Army in World War I By Nigel Thomas; ISBN 1841765678
Categories: Former countries in Europe | Special territories | Former country articles requiring maintenance | Short-lived states of World War I | 1918 establishments | 1918 disestablishments | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since November 2007 | Articles with unsourced statements since December 2007 | Baltic countries | Baltic states | Balticum | History of Estonia | History of Latvia | History of Livonia | Post-Russian Empire states
