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49-498: The design and customs associated with it originated in ancient Latgalian lands, which is the easternmost of the four historical regions of Latvia. The ring, as currently known, was first produced in the 12th century. The Namejs ring is a common symbol in Latvian culture. In 1928, Aleksandrs Grīns wrote a novel titled “Nameja gredzens” (“Ring of Namejs”), which popularized the ring and its symbolism. In 2018, Aigars Grauba produced

98-628: A domestic industry. Iron and limestone were the chief minerals; a little amber was found on the coast. The only seaports were Liepāja, Ventspils and Palanga , there being none on the Courland coast of the Gulf of Riga. In 1870 the population was 619,154; in 1897 it was 674,437 (of whom 345,756 were women); in 1906 it was estimated at 714,200. Of the whole, 79% were Latvians , 8.4% Baltic Germans , about 8% Jews , 1.4% Russians , 1% Lithuanians , 1% Poles , and some Livonians . The chief towns of

147-468: A few (Western) Latgalian settlements have been excavated. Large-scale excavations (1960s–1970s) and reconstruction have been done at the Āraiši lake dwelling site (9th century). In Latgale, dating from the 6th and 7th centuries, there were flat cemeteries as well as barrow cemeteries. In the 9th and 10th centuries, the transition started from flat graves to barrows. There are about 15 excavated Eastern Latgalian barrow cemeteries, but in most of them only

196-582: A film called The Pagan King ( Latvian : Nameja gredzens ), which depicts an alternate version of the ring's legend. The Namejs ring has become a central figure in Latvian jewelry, due to its design and mythological significance. In the 20th century, there was an explosion of interest in the Namejs ring in Baltics , both as jewelry and as an icon of Latvian identity. It is mostly worn by men, but in modern times there are also women who wear it. The material of

245-505: A low position in the social scale. Agriculture was the chief occupation, with the principal crops being rye , barley , oats , wheat , flax , and potatoes . The large estates conducted agriculture with skill and scientific knowledge. Fruit grew well. Excellent breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs were kept. Liepāja and Jelgava operated as the principal industrial centres, with ironworks , agricultural machinery works, tanneries , glass and soap works. Flax spinning took place mostly as

294-486: A novel titled “Nameja gredzens” (“Ring of Namejs”) in 1928. The ring described in the novel is different, but society understood the idea of the Grīns story when it was presented on stage. The unique ring was given the identity and the name that made it an embodiment of the power of the Latvian leader Namejs. In 1936, painter Ludolfs Liberts painted the archeological ring on a finger of his fantasy portrait of Namejs. Namejs ring

343-594: A population of 292,659 making it the least populous of the provinces. ( occupation ) 1940-1941 The Soviet Army occupied Latvia in conformity with the terms of 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact on 17 June 1940. On 5 August 1940, the Soviet Union annexed the region along with the rest of Latvia which was made a constituent republic of the USSR , the Latvian SSR . At the start of Operation Barbarossa in

392-541: A small number of barrows were investigated. Archaeologically-identified dwelling sites in Latgale include hill forts , settlements and lake dwellings . Among hillforts, the most well-researched one is Jersika Hillfort (excavated in 1939 and from 1990 onwards), forming a complex together with Dignāja Hillfort, on the opposite bank of the Daugava river. Jersika was occupied from the 10th to 14th centuries, probably after

441-608: A twisted metal ring so that the boy would be recognizable by his father upon return. Namejs’ son was imperiled when the Germans discovered the secret of the ring. The Germans went out in a search of Namejs’ son in order to Christianize him and force him to surrender. It is said that almost all of the Semigallian boys and men made similar rings and wore them in order to protect the boy’s identity. According to another legend, German crusaders were slowly moving into Latvian territory in

490-510: A variant of Latvian language , which probably became the lingua franca in present-day Latvia during the Northern Crusades due to their alliance with the crusaders. Latgalians later assimilated into the neighbouring tribes, forming the core of modern Latvians . The Latgalians were an Eastern Baltic tribe whose origin is little known. In the 5th and 6th centuries, they lived in the eastern part of present-day Vidzeme (west of

539-670: Is also found in the Curonian Spit and Lithuanian Karšuvos giria - the Courland wood. The area comprises 27,286 square kilometres (10,535 sq mi), of which 262 square kilometres (101 sq mi) is made up of lakes. The landscape generally has a low and undulating character, with flat and marshy coastlands. The interior features wooded dunes, covered with pine , spruce , birch , and oak , with swamps and lakes, and fertile patches between. Courland's elevation never rises more than 213 metres (699 ft) above sea level. The Jelgava plain divides Courland into two parts,

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588-609: The Aiviekste River ), and later on in nearly all the territory of that region. In written sources, they are mentioned from the 11th century onward. In the first two decades of the 13th century, the (Western) Latgalians allied with German (mainly Saxon) crusaders . Their lands (the Eldership of Tālava , the Principality of Jersika and the Principality of Koknese ) were incorporated into Livonia as vassal states. In

637-871: The Baltic Sea , they remained trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket , blockaded by the Red Army and by the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian , the Chief of the German General Staff , pleaded with Adolf Hitler to allow evacuation of the troops in Courland by sea for use in the defense of Germany. Hitler refused and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue

686-620: The Curonians , a pagan tribe, inhabited Courland. The Brethren of the Sword , a German Catholic military order , subdued the Curonians and converted them to Christianity in the first quarter of the 13th century. Thus in 1230, the Curonian king Lammekinus  [ lt ] (Latvian: Lamekins) made peace directly with the papal legate . He accepted baptism , and became a vassal of

735-459: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk of 3 March 1918, the new Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic formally relinquished control of Courland to Germany. The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was proclaimed on 8 March 1918 by a Baltic German Landesrat , who offered the crown of the duchy to German Kaiser Wilhelm II. Wilhelm recognised the duchy as a German vassal that same month. However, the duchy

784-716: The Tsardom of Russia during the Livonian War . The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was a semi-independent duchy that existed from 1561 until 1795, encompassing the areas of Courland and Semigallia. Although nominally a vassal state of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , the dukes operated autonomously. In the 18th century, Russia acquired great influence over the Duchy; the future Empress Anna of Russia served as regent there from 1711 until her accession to

833-613: The "Roman" Iron Age (1st to 4th centuries). Kurzeme region Courland is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia . Courland's largest city is Liepāja , which is the third largest city in Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were formerly held by the same duke . The literal meaning of the name is "Land of Curonians ". Situated in western Latvia , Courland roughly corresponds to

882-646: The 11th century, Eastern Orthodoxy started to spread in Latgalian lands from Polotsk and Pskov . In the 12th century, Latgalian lands and their rulers paid tribute to the dukes of Polotsk. During the Livonian crusade in the 13th century, Latgalian elders switched from Eastern Orthodoxy to Roman Catholicism and became vassals of the Livonian Order . Because of the crusade, many regions of Semigallia and Courland were left depopulated. Thus, part of

931-586: The 12th century. Ērgļu Jaunāķēni Cemetery was totally excavated in 1971–1972, with 89 burials found. At Koknese Cemetery, 102 burials from the Late Iron Age were uncovered (1986–1989). In the area of the Gauja river, two Latgalian cemeteries, Drabešu Liepiņas and Priekuļu Ģūģeri, have been excavated too. Archaeological excavations have also been carried out on the hillforts of Ķente, Koknese , Sārumkalns, Tanīskalns, as well as on other Latgalian sites. Only

980-541: The 13th century in Semigallia and is about a Semigallian leader Namejs, who, after the death of King Viesturs , receives the Namejs ring (ring of power) and the right to rule, and his fight against the invasion of the German crusaders into the territory of Latvia. The film was shot from 2014 to 2017 with a total budget of 3 million euros, making it one of the most expensive Latvian films. On January 17, 2018, attendees of

1029-1003: The Latgalians migrated to those regions both during and after the war. Subsequently, between the 13th and 16th centuries, they gradually assimilated into the other Baltic tribes: the Selonians , the Semigallians and the Curonians . These formed the core of present-day ethnic Latvians . In the lands inhabited by Western and the Eastern Latgalians, about 80 flat cemeteries of Western Latgalian origin have been excavated, with more than two thousand burials uncovered. The first large scale excavations took place in Ludza Odukalns Cemetery in Latgale (1890–1891), where 339 Late Iron Age burials were uncovered. In

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1078-592: The Latvian SSR within the Soviet Union following World War II. Courland was no longer an administrative unit under the Soviets. Liepājas apgabals (1952-1953), one of three oblasts in Latvia, roughly corresponded to Courland. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union , Courland became part of independent Latvia once more and it remains so to this day. Although Courland is not an administrative entity today,

1127-647: The Russian throne in 1730. After the last of the ducal line into which she had married died in 1737, she arranged for the Duchy to be given to her lover, Ernst Johann von Biron instead. The Duchy was one of the smallest European nations to colonize overseas territories, establishing short-lived outposts on the Caribbean islands of Tobago and Trinidad and at the mouth of the Gambia River in Africa on what

1176-688: The aid of German forces pushed back and took back Courland by April. Throughout the Latvian War of Independence , much of Courland remained a German stronghold. Latvia eventually signed a cease-fire with Germany on 15 July 1920, and the Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty of 11 August ended the war. After World War I, Courland became one of five provinces of the newly formed nation of Latvia . These provinces corresponded to Latvia's four traditional regions plus Riga. In 1935, Courland had an area of 13,210 square kilometres (5,099 sq mi) and

1225-466: The commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front ) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began to be moved to Soviet prison camps to the east. The majority of them never returned to Germany (Haupt, 1997). Courland remained part of

1274-667: The control of the Imperial German Army 's Ober Ost commander in the person of Paul von Hindenburg , a Prussian military hero. (The Russian authorities of the Courland Governorate were exiled to Tartu , never to return.) With large territories coming under the Ober Ost's administration as a result of military successes on the Eastern Front, General Erich Ludendorff was charged with managing

1323-480: The decline of Dignāja, which had been inhabited since the 6th century. It is possible that ancestors of the so-called Eastern Latgalians migrated to the territory of present-day Latgale between the 7th and 11th centuries, pushed from their previously inhabited territory by Slavic migrations ; some archaeologists also believe that the Eastern Latgalians are descended from the more ancient East-Baltic inhabitants of Latvia, who lived in central and eastern Latvia during

1372-546: The defense of the area. Germany’s naval capacity to evacuate these forces was restricted as it needed the majority of its transport ships to evacuate troops from East Prussia and maintain vital trade with Sweden. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland ( Heeresgruppe Kurland ) formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic . The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert , surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov ,

1421-539: The excavations at Pildas Nukši Cemetery (in Latgale, 1947–1948), 218 burials were uncovered, dated to the 9th to 12th centuries. At the Zvirgzdenes Kivti Cemetery (in Latgale: 1948, 1955–1958), 175 burials from the 7th to 12th centuries were excavated. 315 burials were found at Aglonas Kristapiņi Cemetery (in Latgale; 1928, 1938, 1977–1980, 1984–1987, 1999–2000), in use from the late 8th century to

1470-410: The family and the importance of being united. Each ring is handmade by a jeweler, individually twisted, and symbolizes an idea about being unique, but in close relationships with others, similar to the individual. It also connected with the possible motto of Namejs, “One for all and everyone for one.” The Namejs ring has become a central icon of Latvian jewelry. The three twisted silver parts symbolize

1519-598: The former Latvian districts of Kuldīga , Liepāja , Saldus , Talsi , Tukums and Ventspils . When combined with Semigallia and Selonia, Courland's northeastern boundary is the Daugava River, which separates it from the regions of Latgale and Vidzeme . To the north, Courland's coast lies along the Gulf of Riga . On the west it is bordered by the Baltic Sea , and on the south by Lithuania . It lies between 55° 45′ and 57° 45′ North and 21° and 27° East. The name

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1568-454: The large area now under its jurisdiction. Courland District (which included parts of Semigallia) was made one of three districts of the region, which also came to be known as Ober Ost . As Russian rule in the rest of what is now Latvia began collapsing at the end of World War I, Baltic Germans began a process of forming provincial councils between September 1917 and March 1918, competing with ethnic Latvians ' moves toward independence. With

1617-447: The middle ages, taking over tribe after tribe. After a battle lost against German knights, Namejs was forced to retreat to Lithuania together with his family and tribe. There he ordered the rings to be made and gave them to his closest people as a symbol of friendship and trust. The close braids express the solidarity of the Latvian nation. The ring’s popularity has been encouraged by various factors. Latvian writer Aleksandrs Grīns wrote

1666-467: The origins of the Namejs ring, particularly concerning Namejs, the leader of the Semigallians in the 13th century, who is said to have invented the Namejs design as it is popularly known. According to the legend, Namejs was one of the last warriors to fight against the invasion of the German crusaders into the territory of Latvia. He fled into exile in Lithuania , but as a parting gift, he gave his son

1715-430: The political and military leader Namejs in the late 13th century. Although this legend has become popular, in reality, these rings date from the late 12th-early 13th century. It has been discovered that Namejs wasn’t alive when the first rings were made in the 12th century; archeologists found the rings mostly in ancient Latgalian lands, proving that Namejs could not have any connection to the ring. The name "Namejs ring"

1764-607: The pope. In 1237 the area passed into the rule of the Teutonic Order owing to the amalgamation of this order with that of the Brethren of the Sword. The Livonian Confederation was a loosely organized confederation formed by the German-led Livonian Order and various bishoprics that encompassed much of present-day Estonia and Latvia. It existed from 1228 to the 1560s, when it was dismembered by

1813-464: The premiere included the President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis , state officials, politicians, entrepreneurs and film crew. Latgalians Latgalians ( Latin : Lethi, Letthigalli , Low German : Letti, Lethi , modern Latvian : latgaļi, letgaļi, leti ; variant translations also include Latgallians , Lettigalls or Lettigallians ) were an ancient Baltic tribe. They likely spoke

1862-587: The prevailing denomination, Lutheranism ; the rest belonged to the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. There was a small but vigorous Jewish population. During World War I , Courland formed part of the Eastern Front theatre of operations that saw fighting primarily between forces of the Russian and German Empires . Following Russia's Great Retreat of 1915, Courland came under

1911-465: The ring is mostly silver , but it can also be made out of gold or bronze . The classic Namejs ring consists of three main bands woven around each other, but in recent years, more intricate ones have many embellishments, such as smaller twists of silver woven in with the larger bands. The ring was first found in ancient Latgalian lands. The name “Namejs” derives from the Semigallian legend about

1960-674: The summer of 1941, the German Wehrmacht's Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb overran Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic littoral. During the German occupation Courland was administered as Liepāja County area ( Kreisgebiet Libau ). In 1944 the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic countries along with much of Ukraine and Belarus . However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to

2009-413: The ten districts were Jelgava (Mitau), Courland's capital (pop. 35,011 in 1897); Liepāja (Libau) (pop. 64,500 in 1897); Bauska (6,543); Jaunjelgava (Friedrichstadt) (5,223); Kuldīga (Goldingen) (9,733); Grobiņa (1,489); Aizpute (Hasenpoth) (3,338); Ilūkste (Illuxt) (2,340); Talsi (Talsen) (6,215); Tukums (Tuckum) (7542); and Ventspils (Windau) (7,132). 75% of the population belonged to

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2058-461: The time of the Northern Crusades in the early 13th century, most land was owned by nobles descended from the German invaders. In 1863, the Russian authorities issued laws to enable Latvians, who formed the bulk of the population, to acquire the farms which they held, and special banks were founded to help them. By this means, some occupants bought their farms, but the great mass of the population remained landless, and lived as hired labourers, occupying

2107-591: The unity of three ancient Latvian lands - Kurzeme , Latgale and Vidzeme , that these days constitute the territory of Latvia. The ring is a sign of Latvian identity. On June 8, 2009, the Bank of Latvia issued a new coin of 1 Latvian lats with the Namejs ring, which encloses the numeral 1, on the reverse. It was legal tender in the Republic of Latvia until the adoption of the Euro currency in 2014. The graphic design

2156-644: The western side, which is fertile and densely inhabited, except in the north, and the eastern side, less fertile and thinly inhabited. Nearly one hundred rivers drain Courland, but only three of these rivers – the Daugava, the Lielupe and the Venta – are navigable. They all flow northwestward and discharge into the Baltic Sea . Owing to its numerous lakes and marshes, Courland has a damp, often foggy, and changeable climate; its winters are severe. In ancient times

2205-538: Was absorbed on 22 September 1918 by the United Baltic Duchy . On 18 November 1918, Latvia proclaimed its independence and on 7 December 1918, the German military handed over authority to the pro-German Latvian Provisional Government headed by Kārlis Ulmanis . By January 1919, much of Courland had been overrun by the Bolsheviks' Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic , but the provisional government with

2254-510: Was made by Ilze Lībiete, and the plaster model by Baiba Šime. Nameja gredzens (Ring of Namejs) is a novel by Aleksandrs Grīns published in 1928 about ancient Semigallian leader Namejs. In the novel, Namejs fights for independence of Semigallia . It is fictional rather than historical, and is not based on specific facts of Latvian history. The Pagan King ( Nameja gredzens ) is a historical fiction film directed by Latvian film director and producer Aigars Grauba . The story takes place in

2303-405: Was not used before the 1920s, when two originals were found in ancient graves of Latgale and they become a popular kind of jewelry to imitate. The Namejs ring is a rare archeologist’s find. It has been determined that it would have been a very expensive item to own in the 12th century, as it is mostly made from silver and the manufacturing process was long and complex. There are many legends about

2352-410: Was presented to the president Kārlis Ulmanis by his ideologues, developing myths in order to legitimize the leader using pseudo-historic analogies, including positioning Ulmanis as "heir of Namejs". In the 1930s, the Namejs ring symbolized boys going into manhood. Fathers presented this ring to their sons on the day of their coming of age, and that was the only way to get it. The close bonds symbolized

2401-664: Was then known as James Island . In 1795, the last Duke, Peter von Biron , ceded the Duchy to the Russian Empire . The former Bishopric of Courland was directly incorporated into the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as the District of Pilten of the Wenden and later Inflanty Voivodeship . After annexation by the Russian Empire , the territory of the former Duchy formed the Courland Governorate . From

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