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United Baltic Duchy

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The United Baltic Duchy ( German : Vereinigtes Baltisches Herzogtum ; Latvian : Apvienotā Baltijas hercogiste ; Estonian : Balti Hertsogiriik ), or alternatively the Grand Duchy of Livonia , was the name of a short-lived state during World War I that was proclaimed by leaders of the local Baltic German nobility .

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43-697: The attempt to establish a new client state of the German Empire on the territory of what is now Latvia and Estonia was made in 1918, during the German occupation of the former Courland , Livonian and Estonian governorates of the Russian Empire ; which had ceased to exist after the Bolshevik coup in 1917. The unsuccessful proclamation of a pro-German duchy was first made in April 1918, after

86-726: A formally independent Latvian republic was declared on 15 January 1918. In early 1918, German troops started advancing from Courland, and by the end of February 1918, the German military administered the territories of Estonia that had declared independence and the Russian Governorate of Livonia . In the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on 3 March 1918, Soviet Russia accepted the loss of the Courland Governorate and, in agreements concluded in Berlin on 27 August 1918,

129-412: A more powerful controlling state . Alternative terms for a client state are satellite state , associated state , and dominion , condominium , self-governing colony , and neo-colony , protectorate , vassal state , puppet state , and tributary state . Ancient states such as Persia and Parthia , Greek city-states , Ancient China and Ancient Rome sometimes created client states by making

172-576: A policy which was continued up until the 1st century BCE when it became the Roman Empire . Sometimes the client was not a former enemy but a pretender whom Rome helped, Herod the Great being a well-known example. The use of client states continued through the Middle Ages as the feudal system began to take hold. The number of tributary or vassal states varied over time but most notable were

215-647: A sovereign monarch, but as a subordinate to the German Kaiser , similar to other princes or kings of the German Empire. However, Adolf Friedrich never assumed office. The appointed Regency Council, consisting of four Baltic Germans, three Estonians and three Latvians, functioned until 28 November 1918 without any international recognition except from Germany. In October 1918, the Chancellor of Germany , Prince Maximilian of Baden , proposed to have

258-580: A sphere of influence, or Françafrique over its former African colonies , and to some degree former Belgian colonies in Africa (which were also French-speaking). The term is sometimes used pejoratively, to characterise the relationship with France as neocolonial. The former colonies provide oil and minerals important to the French economy , and in some, French companies have commercial interests. The Indian princely states were nominally sovereign entities in

301-717: A status where the local rulers were British clients. Other instances include Africa (e.g. Northern Nigeria under Lord Lugard ), and the Unfederated Malay States ; the policy of indirect rule . The term has also been applied to states which are extremely economically dependent on a more powerful nation. The three Pacific Ocean countries associated with the United States under the Compact of Free Association (the Federated States of Micronesia ,

344-460: A year after Soviet Russia had formally relinquished all authority over former Russian Imperial Baltic governorates to Germany in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk . On 5 November 1918, a temporary Regency Council ( Regentschaftsrat ) for the new state, led by Baron Adolf Pilar von Pilchau , was formed on a joint basis from both local Land Councils. The new state was to have its capital in Riga and

387-635: The Baltische Landeswehr was defeated by the 3rd Estonian Division , led by Ernst Põdder , and North Latvian Brigade at the Battle of Cēsis , 19–23 June 1919. On the morning of 23 June 1919, the Germans began a general retreat toward Riga. The Allies again insisted for the Germans to withdraw their remaining troops from Latvia, and intervened to impose a ceasefire between the Estonians and

430-760: The Freikorps when the Estonians were about to march into Riga. Meanwhile, an Allied mission composed of British troops, under General Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough , had arrived in the Baltic to clear the Germans from the region and to organise 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

473-684: The Biron descendants of Ernst Johann von Biron . Although the German Reichstag supported national self-determination for the peoples of the Baltic provinces (what is now Latvia and Estonia ), the German High Command continued the policy of attaching these territories to the German Reich by relying on the local Baltic Germans. In October 1918, the Chancellor of Germany , Prince Maximilian of Baden , proposed to have

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516-563: The British Empire and in 1947, were given a choice to either accede to independent India or Pakistan or get independence (the Nizam of Hyderabad did opt for independence but his kingdom was annexed by Indian forces in 1948). Egyptian independence in 1922 ended its brief status as a British protectorate and Iraq was made a kingdom in 1932. But in both cases, the economic and military reality did not amount to full independence, but

559-1090: The Cuban Revolution , the Chinese Soviet Republic , North Korea , North Vietnam , the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , South Yemen , the People's Republic of Angola , the People's Republic of Mozambique , and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan . Within the Soviet Union itself, the Ukrainian SSR and the Byelorussian SSR , had seats at the United Nations , but were actually proper Soviet territory. Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1918) The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia

602-589: The First French Empire , while Napoleon I and the French Army occupied much of Europe , such states changed, and several new states were formed. The Italian republics were transformed into the Kingdom of Italy under Napoleon's direct rule in the north, and the Kingdom of Naples in the south, first under Joseph Bonaparte and later under Marshal Joachim Murat . A third state was created in

645-989: The French Revolutionary Wars , these states were erected as " Républiques soeurs " (" sister republics "). They were established in Italy (the Cisalpine Republic in Northern Italy and the Parthenopean Republic in Southern Italy ), Greece ( Îles Ioniennes ), Switzerland (the Helvetic Republic and the Rhodanic Republic ), and Belgium and the Netherlands ( Batavian Republic ). During

688-715: The Khanate of Crimea , Wallachia , Moldavia , Transylvania , the Sharifate of Mecca , and the Sultanate of Aceh . Austria-Hungary tried to make Serbia a client state in order to form a Christian opposition to the Ottoman Empire , but after the 1903 May Coup , Serbia came under the influence of Russia , which was forming a pan- Eastern Orthodox opposition to the Latin Christianity represented by

731-718: The Kingdom of Westphalia , which was controlled by Jérôme Bonaparte , the Emperor's youngest brother; and the Grand Duchy of Würzburg as was Poland, then the Duchy of Warsaw . During the French invasion of the Iberian Peninsula , Napoleon attempted to subjugate Portugal and Spain into a client Kingdom of Spain , but the French were eventually driven out of Iberia in a costly war. In the 20th century, France exercised

774-824: The Marshall Islands , and Palau ) have been called client states. In the late 19th century, the Empire of Japan gradually reduced Joseon Korea 's status to that of a client state. In the early 20th century, this was converted to direct rule . Manchukuo , in contrast, remained a puppet state throughout World War II. Soviet proxy, "satellite" , or client states included much of the Warsaw Pact member states whose policies were heavily influenced by Soviet military power and economic aid. Other nations with Marxist–Leninist governments were routinely criticised as being Soviet proxies as well, among them Cuba following

817-910: The October Revolution later that year, the elected Estonian Provincial Assembly declared itself the sovereign power in Estonia on 28 November 1917. On 24 February 1918, a day before the arrival of German troops, the Estonian Salvation Committee of the Provincial Assembly issued the Estonian Declaration of Independence . The Western Allies recognised the Republic of Estonia de facto in May 1918. The term 'Grand Duchy of Livonia ' refers to

860-472: The Republic of Estonia had already formally declared full independence . The proposed ideas for the new state included the creation of a Duchy of Courland and Semigallia and of a Duchy of Estonia and Livonia, which would be in personal union with the Kingdom of Prussia . During World War I , the Imperial German Army had occupied the Courland Governorate of the Russian Empire by

903-550: The 3rd Estonian Division and the North Latvian Brigade, rendered any ideas for the creation of the United Baltic Duchy irrelevant. 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 Alexander of Tunis, gradually dismissed

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946-638: The Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1914, Russia repeatedly warned Austria-Hungary against attacking Serbia. When it did attack, Russia mobilised its army. Russia also wanted Bulgaria and Montenegro as client states. At the time, Great Britain and Austria-Hungary both considered Serbia as a client state controlled by Russia. During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras (1789–1815), France conquered most of western Europe and established several client states. At first, during

989-597: The Autonomous Governorate of Estonia and the Governorate of Livonia were severed from Russia. 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. The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was proclaimed on 8 March 1918 by one such Landesrat composed of Baltic Germans, who offered

1032-472: The Baltic German elements. The Baltic nations of Estonia and Latvia were established as republics. 56°56′56″N 24°06′23″E  /  56.94889°N 24.10639°E  / 56.94889; 24.10639 Client state List of forms of government In the field of international relations , a client state , is a state that is economically, politically, and militarily subordinated to

1075-579: The Baltic lands, namely that in the first instance policy is to be made with the Baltic peoples. On 18 November 1918, Latvia proclaimed its independence. On 7 December 1918, the German Military handed over authority to the Latvian national government headed by Kārlis Ulmanis . Kaiser Wilhelm recognised the creation of Courland, as a German vassal by writing to Courland's Landesrat on March 15, 1918 (in German ): The Duchy of Courland

1118-728: The Italian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Etruria . The Batavian Republic was replaced by the Kingdom of Holland , ruled by Napoleon's third brother, Louis Bonaparte . A total of 35 German states, all of them allies of France, seceded from the Holy Roman Empire to create the Confederation of the Rhine , a client state created to provide a buffer between France and its two largest enemies to the east, Prussia and Austria . Two of those states were Napoleonic creations:

1161-692: The Livonia region, which made up most of the proposed United Baltic Duchy. The Latvian Provisional National Council was constituted on the basis of the law of self-government , which the Russian Provisional Government granted to Latvia on 5 July 1917. The Latvian Provisional National Council first met on 16 November 1917 in Valka . On 30 November, the Council declared an autonomous Latvian province within ethnographic boundaries, and

1204-868: The author Robert G. L. Waite notes: "By mid-February 1919, Latvians composed less than one-fifth of their own army". The United Kingdom backed down after it had recognised the gravity of the military situation, and the White Russian units and the Freikorps moved on and captured Riga on 22 May 1919. After the capture of Riga, the Freikorps were accused of killing 300 Latvians in Mitau ( Jelgava ), 200 in Tuckum ( Tukums ), 125 in Dünamünde ( Daugavgrīva ) and over 3,000 in Riga. In June 1919, after taking part in

1247-430: The autumn of 1915. The front stabilised along the Riga – Daugavpils – Baranovichi Line. After the February Revolution of 1917 in Russia, the Russian Provisional Government declared the establishment of the Autonomous Governorate of Estonia on 12 April [ O.S. 30 March] 1917, which amalgamated the former Russian Governorate of Estonia and the northern portion of the Governorate of Livonia . After

1290-423: The capture of Riga, General von der Goltz ordered his troops to advance not east against the Red Army , as the Allies had been expecting, but north against the Estonians. On 19 June 1919, the Iron Division and Landeswehr units launched an attack to capture areas around Wenden ( Cēsis ), the Baltische Landeswehr continued its advance towards the Estonian coast preparatory for a push on Petrograd . However,

1333-431: The crown of the Duchy to Kaiser Wilhelm II . In 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

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1376-403: 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 3 March 1918 Bolshevist Russia accepted the loss of the Courland Governorate and by agreements concluded in Berlin on 27 August 1918

1419-407: The last representative of the German government, signed an agreement with representatives of the Estonian Provisional Government on handing over power in Estonian territory on 19 November. In Latvia, the Germans formally handed over authority to the Latvian national government, headed by Kārlis Ulmanis on 7 December 1918. The Baltische Landeswehr was formed in 1919 largely by the leaders of

1462-509: The leaders of that state subservient, having to provide tribute and soldiers. Classical Athens , for example, forced weaker states into the Delian League and in some cases imposed democratic governments on them. Later, Philip II of Macedon similarly imposed the League of Corinth . One of the most prolific users of client states was Republican Rome which, instead of conquering and then absorbing into an empire, chose to make client states out of those it defeated (e.g. Demetrius of Pharos ),

1505-496: The local Livonian and Curonian nobility, who had been the proponents of the United Baltic Duchy in 1918. Upon taking command of the Baltische Landeswehr , Major Alfred Fletcher , with the backing of the local nobility, began dismissing native Latvian elements and replacing them with Baltic Germans and Reichsdeutsche 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 ,

1548-412: The loss of the Autonomous Governorate of Estonia and the Governorate of Livonia. As a parallel political movement under the German military administration, Baltic Germans began forming provincial councils between September 1917 and March 1918. On 8 March 1918, the local Baltic German-dominated Kurländischer Landesrat declared the restoration of Duchy of Courland ( Herzogtum Kurland ), which

1591-417: The military administration in the Baltic replaced by civilian authority. After the German Revolution on 18 November 1918, Latvia proclaimed independence and on 7 December, the German military handed over authority to the Latvian national government headed by Kārlis Ulmanis . During World War I , the German Army had occupied the Courland Governorate of the Russian Empire by the autumn of 1915. A front

1634-474: 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". On 18 November 1918, Latvia proclaimed its independence. August Winnig ,

1677-403: Was absorbed on September 22, 1918, by the United Baltic Duchy . Neither state, however, had any recognition other than by the German Empire . The United Baltic Duchy was nominally recognized as a sovereign state by the Kaiser only on September 22, 1918, half a year after Soviet Russia had formally relinquished all authority over its former Imperial Baltic provinces to the German Empire in

1720-461: Was established along a line stretched between Riga , Daugavpils and Baranovitch . The Latvian Provisional National Council was proclaimed on 16 November 1917. On 30 November, the Latvian Provisional National Council proclaimed an autonomous Latvian province within ethnographic boundaries, and a formal, independent Latvian republic was declared on 15 January 1918. After the Russian Revolution, German troops started advancing from Courland, and by

1763-455: Was formally recognised by Kaiser Wilhelm on 15 March 1918. On 12 April 1918, a Provincial Assembly ( Vereinigter Landesrat ), composed of 35 Baltic Germans, 13 Estonians, and 11 Latvians, passed a resolution calling upon the German Emperor to recognise the Baltic provinces as a monarchy and to make them a German protectorate. The United Baltic Duchy was nominally recognised as a sovereign state by Wilhelm II only on 22 September 1918, half

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1806-401: Was the name for a proposed client state of the German Empire during World War I which did not come into existence. It was proclaimed on 8 March 1918, in the German-occupied Courland Governorate by a council composed of Baltic Germans , who offered the crown of the once-autonomous duchy to Kaiser Wilhelm II , despite the existence of a formerly sovereign reigning family in that duchy ,

1849-445: 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 first four cantons correspondings to today's Latvia and the last three corresponding to today's Estonia. The first head of state of the United Baltic Duchy was to be Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg , not as

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