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52-628: The historic Governorate of Livonia is also larger than Vidzeme, since it corresponds roughly to Swedish Livonia . In ancient times, the territory of Vidzeme was inhabited by Latgalians and Livs (near the coast of the Gulf of Riga and along the lower reaches of the Daugava and Gauja rivers). Until the German conquest in the 13th century the Daugava, which now forms the south-east border of Vidzeme,

104-476: A consequence of the scarcity of grasses in the province, an almost ubiquitous herb-growing has arisen, such as clover , timothy grass , corn pea . Vined grasses are abundant only on the island of Ösel. The most common fruits are various varieties of apples, cherries, pears and plums. From berries garden strawberries, raspberries, currants and others; hops are occasionally found. Smolensk Province Smolensk Province ( Russian : Смоле́нская прови́нция )

156-769: A height of 323 m; near it - Vella-Megi, 228 m. To the southeast, the Gangof plateau through the Devil's Mountain continues to the Pskovand Vitebsk provinces. Piebalga heights are dotted with hundreds of lakes and form a very picturesque area. The highest point here is Mount Gaising-Kalns, 312 m. The slopes to the Gauja River near Sigulda, Turaida, Krimulda and the banks of the Western Dvina near Selburg and even more Koknese are especially beautiful. All this area

208-477: A population of 1,299,365, including 629,992 men and 669,373 women. The largest segment of the population indicated Latvian to be their mother tongue, with significant Estonian , German , and Russian speaking minorities. The climate of the Livonian Province had a more continental character than one would expect from its position near the northern Baltic sea, which froze regularly. The climate

260-730: A resolution calling upon the German Emperor to recognise the Baltic provinces as a monarchy and to make them a German protectorate. In agreements concluded in Berlin on 27 August 1918, Soviet Russia accepted the loss of the Autonomous Governorate of Estonia and the Governorate of Livonia. The United Baltic Duchy was nominally recognised as a sovereign state by Wilhelm II on 22 September 1918. On 5 November 1918,

312-432: 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 province was a fairly rectangular in shape, with a maximum length of 246 versts (262 km) and a width of 198 versts (211 km). Its borders were the Governorate of Estonia to the north, Lake Peipus and the strait connecting it with Lake Pskov to

364-477: Is also developing. The forestry in the state forests is especially rational, occupying the area of about 210 thousand dessiatinas (2294 km ). A third of the entire area of the Livonian province, which is occupied by lowlands, is covered by bogs; of them the lowland meadow bogs (German: Wiesenmoor, Est. Soo, Lit. Purr) are passable only in summer and stretch along Lake Peipus and the Gulf of Riga, as well as

416-463: Is engaged in seal fishing on Ruhnu-Runo and Schwarbe peninsula . Smaller industries such as trapping, poultry farming, trade and industry exist in the province. Mineral wealth - mainly clays , gypsum , peat , swamp ironstone found near the Riga sulphur springs. The flora of the province of Livonia is especially rich in summer around Fellin and Wenden . Of the islands of the Livonian province,

468-431: Is not as rich in fish as northern Russia. The main objects of fishing are: marine species salakushka , then perch , sturgeon ; and in smaller numbers burbot and flounder . Near the shores of Estland , near the Baltic port and near Riga large numbers of sprat are caught. River and lake species: salmon , lamprey , trout , vendace , navaga , perch , whitefish and others. Crayfish are abundant everywhere. In

520-510: Is replete with many picturesque ruins of castles. On the Piebalga heights are the sources of the Gauja River and many of its tributaries and the Western Dvina. Wooded, covered with meadows, partly peat bogsand the richly irrigated lowlands of the Livland province are located: along the shores of Lake Peipus, around Lake Wirtz-Erva and Pernovskoye - along the shores of the Gulf of Riga and along

572-590: Is spread in the northernmost part of the gubernia and on the islands and consists of dolomites , marls , limestones and sandstones . The middle part of the northern part of the Livonian Gubernia belongs to the middle layer of the Silurian system. In the rest of Livonia the Devonian system of limestones, dolomites, clays with gypsum, marls, sandstones and sands is spread under dilluvial deposits, while

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624-581: Is very rich in water: in the west it is washed by the Gulf of Riga, everywhere abundantly irrigated by 325 rivers; and the lakes in it number up to 1000; of the latter more than half are in Venden County The vast Lake Peipus in the east washes the Livonian province for over 110 versts (117 km); in the center of the province is the great inland basin of Virz-Yerva; followed by the considerable lakes Burtnek, Luban, Marienburg, etc. - All these lakes are of little commercial and industrial importance for

676-602: The Ordnungsgericht (Courts of First Instance) for the gentry, the county court ( Kreisgericht ) for the peasantry, the volost court ( Gemeindegericht ) and the parish court ( Kirchspielgericht ) for the peasantry as the lowest level of the court system. The Governorate of Livonia was divided into 9 uezds ("counties"). ( Valka ) ( Cēsis ) ( Valmiera ) ( Pärnu ) ( Viljandi ) ( Kuressaare ) ( Tartu ) The uezds were divided into uchastoks ("subcounties"), which were supervised by assistant chiefs of

728-621: The Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire , Baltic Governorate-General until 1876. Governorate of Livonia bordered Governorate of Estonia to the north, Saint Petersburg and Pskov Governorates to the east, Courland Governorate to the south, and the Gulf of Riga to the west. In 1897, the population of the governorate was 1,299,365, and it had an area of 47,030.87 square kilometres (18,158.72 sq mi). The administrative centre of

780-690: The Duchy of Livonia (the left bank forming the Duchy of Courland and Semigalia ). Afterwards, the region was invaded by Sweden in 1600 , 1617 and 1621 . After the Polish-Swedish War concluded by the Truce of Altmark in 1629, Sweden acquired the western part of the Duchy of Livonia roughly as far as the Aiviekste River , since then forming Vidzeme's eastern border. During the course of

832-705: The Great Northern War , Swedish Livonia was conquered by the Russian Empire and ceded to Russia at the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. In place of Livonia the Russians created the Riga Governorate, but in 1796 the Riga Governorate was renamed the Governorate of Livonia , administered autonomously by the local German Baltic nobility through a feudal Landtag . After the end of World War I it

884-693: The Schlock County was added. On 3 July 1783 Catherine the Great reorganized Governorate into Riga Viceroyalty . Only in 1796, after the Third Partition of Poland this territory was renamed as the Governorate of Livonia. Until the late 19th century the governorate was not ruled by Russian laws but was administered autonomously by the local German Baltic nobility through a feudal Landtag ( Livonian Diet  [ lv ] ). German nobles insisted on preserving their privileges and use of

936-637: The Silurian period are rare. The continuation of the Estonian uplands forms in the Livland province a wide plateau up to 121 m in height, the middle of which is lost in the Wirtz-Erv lowland, but at the edges it is divided into two branches: the Fellin branch, which forms the western watershed of the Livland province, and the eastern one, which forms the watershed between Lake Wirtz-Erv and Chudsky  ;

988-609: The Bolshevik government of Soviet Russia ruled that Daugavpils , Ludza and Rēzekne counties should be separated from the Vitebsk Governorate and united with Vidzeme, which by then was under control of the Bolshevik Iskolat . After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on 12 April 1918, a Provincial Assembly ( Vereinigter Landesrat ), composed of 35 Baltic Germans, 13 Estonians, and 11 Latvians, passed

1040-574: The German language. In 1816 the serfs of Livonia were liberated by Tsar Alexander I , in a precursor to his plans for the rest of Russia. After the Russian February Revolution in 1917, the northern part of the Governorate of Livonia was combined with the Governorate of Estonia to form a new Autonomous Governorate of Estonia . In September 1917, Riga was occupied by German troops during World War I . On December 14, 1917,

1092-565: The Gulf of Riga and is connected to the Salis by the Neibach Channel. In addition, numerous lakes and coastal rivers 20–30 km long flow directly into the Gulf of Riga. The Livonian Aa, which is floating only for forests and only irrigates most of the southern half of the province in the spring, flows out into the Gulf of Riga. The Western Dvina River belongs to the Livonian province on its right bank only for 138 miles (147 km), from

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1144-548: The Western Dvina River and Pernava harbor at the mouth of the river of the same name. The Baltic Sea on the coasts of the Livonian islands is full of small harbors, but uncomfortable due to the shallow water and many reefs and shoals, except Ahrensburg, which is more convenient and has a good roadstead. The main islands that lie in the Baltic Sea and belong to the Livonian province (Ezel, Moone) are separated from

1196-562: The basins of the Pernava and Salis rivers, as well as along the lower reaches of the rivers Aa and Zapadnaya Dvina. This lowland passes to the north into the Estonian, and in the south into the Courland province. Dunes stretch along the coast of the Gulf of Riga, of which the largest, near Gutmansbach, reaches 129 m in height. The lowlands in the eastern part of the province abound in swamps. Wirtz-Jerv lowland, expanding like Lake Wirtz-Jerv, to

1248-616: The coast of the Estonian province by the big strait, or Moone-Sund, and from each other by the Small-Sund. The rivers of Livonia province belong to the basins of the Gulf of Riga and the Gulf of Finland. The former include the navigable Pernava with its tributaries Navast, Hallist and Reio; the Salis River, the outlet of Lake Burtnek, into which the rivers Ruijen and Zedde flow; the Svent-Uppe River, which flows directly into

1300-645: The confluence of the Evsta to its mouth which is formed by the port of Riga and both banks of which are within the province. and from which flows the Great Embach River, which connects the Wirtz-Yerw with the Peipus; it is the only navigable river in this basin. The sponge soil is generally composed of sand, clay, marl, and chalk and should be termed sparsely fertile, only black earth occurs in places; in

1352-609: The district. Each uchastok had two upper peasant court districts, with the exception of the Ezelsky uezd, which had only one uchastok. There were 17 uchastok commissioners in the counties, subordinate to the Livonian Peasant Affairs Commission. The Livonian province was divided into five judicial districts: the districts of Riga-Volmar, Venden-Valk, Jurjev-Verro, Pernov-Fellini, and Ezel. There were 42 electoral districts. The representative bodies of

1404-466: The east, the Governorate of Pskov and Vitebsk to the south, the Governorate of Courland to the west, and the Gulf of Riga to the west. The length of the western border (the seacoast) is 280 versts (299 km). The area of the Livonian province (according to Strelbitsky) is 41,325.4 square versts (47,030.87 km ). Geologically the Livonian province and the island belongs to the Silurian , Devonian and modern (dilluvial) period. The first one

1456-557: The first, reaching a height of 133 m, stretches east to the river Aa, south to Lemsal. Here it is called the Lemsal Plateau ; on it is the "Blue Mountain" ( German: Blauberg ), once considered sacred and now still enjoying special respect among Latvians. The second branch is cut by the river Embach, to the south of which it is called the Odenpe Plateau. Near Arral, a plateau terrace of 100 feet (30 m) pushes out of itself in

1508-561: The governorate was the Baltic Sea port of Riga . It roughly corresponded to most of the modern Vidzeme Region of Latvia and southern Estonia . Following the capitulation of Estonia and Livonia in 1710, Peter the Great, on 28 July 1713, created the Riga Governorate (Russian: Рижская губерния ) which also included Smolensk uezd, Dorogobuzh uezd, Roslavl uezd and Vyazma uezd of Smolensk Governorate . Smolensk Province

1560-409: The gubernia so far (except for fishing), but they can be combined into a whole system of water communications, the projects of which have already arisen more than once. On the coastal strip of the Livonian gubernia the Gulf of Riga forms two harbors, accessible to large ships, although the entrance to them is hampered by bars and the tortuosity of the fairway. These harbors are Riga harbor at the mouth of

1612-573: The island of Ösel stands out for its abundance of flora. As the bogs have been drained, land cultivation spread and the forests decreased, the number of wild animals in the Livonian province was considerably decreased and some species were extinct such as the wild boar. The most common animals are the following: bears , wolves , elk , foxes , martens and hares . Native birds include: eagles , falcons , hawks , crows , magpies , owls , sparrows , pigeons , grouse , snipes and others. There are storks on Esel island. The Livonian province

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1664-494: The latter rocks form the lower tier of this system and occupy most of the middle part of the gubernia. This sandstone layer is remarkable for its caves. The middle layer of the Devonian system, made up of dolomites, limestone and clay with gypsum and marl, is spread in the southern part of the Livonian province. Between the rivers Zedde through the Abze and Ogre to the Western Dvina sandstones and sands and partly clay and marl form

1716-656: The lowlands the soil passes into meadow and moss bogs, and in places into peat bogs. Erratic masses reach 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter; the boulders are mostly rounded. Pernov County is almost entirely covered by forests, passing also into the adjoining part of the Felin County. The forests extend from the border with the Governorate of Estonia in a wide strip to the south along the Pernov river basin, 400 (427 km) long and 70–90 miles wide in Volmari County to

1768-648: The middle of the swamps the mountain Munna-Megi (up to 800 feet (244 m)) with a blunt cone. The highest plateau of the Livonian province, Gangof, stretches south from Mount Verro, descending to Lake Marienburg, its southwestern spurs connect with the Pebalga, or Aa plateau, between pp. Aa, Evst and Western Dvina. In the northern part of the Gangof plateau there is one of the highest points of the East European plain, Mount Munna-Megi, covered with forests and having

1820-445: The north, tapering to the south of the Livland province is a vast plateau rising above the coastal lowland and separating terrace-like uplands from itself. Wavy hills in the east and southeast of the province have in their depths the sources of the main rivers and streams. Once connected with the province of Estland, as well as among themselves, the main islands of the province of Estland, Ezel and Moon, are very similar in their terrain to

1872-516: The past, this type of forest dominated in the gubernia; nowadays, the oak groves are preserved only in some places (the best in the Gokhrazen estate). At the present time, forest management and conservation works have been carried out everywhere in the Livonian province, which, however, started at the end of the last century. Forest easements, which have existed here for a long time, are also being eliminated vigorously. Artificial cultivation of forests

1924-407: The province of Estland: a flat hill ( German: Landrücken ) passes through both, and both on the northern slope of the coast abruptly break off above the sea, forming the so-called Glint (Glint). Moon Island is surrounded, just like Ezel Island, many small islands; near the latter there are also larger ones ( Abro, Filzand, etc.); in the Gulf of Riga - the island of Ruhnu . The province of Livonia

1976-472: The province. The Livonian province is very rich in bread products, of which the most used are: rye , barley everywhere, buckwheat in small quantities in the middle and southwestern parts. Root crops are bred in large numbers, of which the main one is potatoes . Of the fibrous and oily ones: flax and hemp . The former is one of the most important native plants. The herbs in the province of Livonia are unobtainable and of unsatisfactory quality. As

2028-531: The rest of the Livonian province. Draining the bogs every year greatly reduces the space they occupy. In general, the bogs, mostly bare and mossy, occupy about 360 thousand dessiatinas (3933 km ), or 1/10 of the whole surface of the governorate. The courts consisted of the Livländisches Hofgericht (Livonian Court of Appeal, the highest court), the Landgericht (Courts of Appeal),

2080-822: The rivers Pernava, Embachu, Dvina, and others; swampy meadows (Sumpfwiesen), mainly in the northern part of the province, follow the course of rivers; mossy bogs (Hochmoor) (German, Est. Hochmoor, Est. Rabba, Lit. Tirrul), actually peat bogs, are found in depressions and hollows mainly in Riga and Pernova counties, as well as on the south-western slopes of the Pebalga Heights; they are most common in Pernova (Netzi-Rabba, Laisma-Soo and Majamo-Soo) and Fellin (Pindrina-Soo and Pendara-Soo) counties, and least common in Vendena and Arensburg counties. The island of Ösel has fewer bogs than

2132-546: The sea, salakushka and flounder are caught in great numbers, in Lake Peipus, Virts-Järve, Luban and Burtnekskoe - whitefish , snets , vendace , ruffe , perch , sudak , koryushka and others. On Lake Peipus there are more than 100,000 fishermen, mostly Russians, catching up to 150,000 barrels of snets alone annually; in the rivers salmon , lamprey (in Dvina ). Salmon and snets are exported in large quantities outside

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2184-439: The shores of the Gulf of Riga. They also cover part of Riga County and the southern part of Wenden County along the Evsta river basin 250 versts (267 km) long and up to 60 versts (64 km) wide. The island of Ösel is the least forested. The main forest species of the Livonian province are spruce and pine (reaching the size of a ship forest), birch, alder, ash, oak and willow. The preserved oaks of colossal size prove that in

2236-404: The upper tier of the Devonian system with the predominance of fish fossils in it. The coastal formations of the province and the erratic boulders covering its surface belong to the latest, or dilluvial, system: under the former there are calcareous tuffs, peaty marls and marshy iron ores; between the latter crystalline rocks (gneiss, granites and syenites, diorites and porphyries) prevail; fossils of

2288-634: The volosts were the volost assemblies ( Gemeindeversammlung ), which consisted of all the taxpayers in the volost, or elected assemblies, elected by the taxpayers in the volost; the executive of the volost was the volost foreman. After the February Revolution the Russian Provisional Government issued the proclamation on 30 March 1917 "On the autonomy of Estland", according to which the Government of Livonia

2340-558: The will of the landlord, from that year they received some personal rights, and in 1819 they were freed from serfdom; the right to use peasant land was granted to them in 1849. Since that time, corvee began to be replaced by dues and a local peasant bank was established, with the help of which the peasants acquire land as property. According to the Russian Empire Census of 1897, the Livonia Governorate had

2392-426: Was also greatly influenced by the extensive marshes and forests. The spring temperature was subject to the largest and sharpest fluctuations; the climate of the Livonian Province in general was unstable and the main reason was to be found in the wind which rarely became stormy, but blew almost continuously. Southwest winds prevailed. Rains were favorable by quantity, distribution and type; downpours were rare; snow cover

2444-407: Was as a rule deep, frequent dense fogs occurred in the coastal strip and in the swampy areas and lowlands. Riga and Yuriyev characterized the climate of the lower parts of the south and north of the Livonian province. The climate in the northeastern part of the province was colder on the uplands and much warmer on the islands (e.g. Sõrve Lighthouse , at 58°N, January −2.1 °C). Precipitation

2496-529: Was created from territory in Smolensk Governorate at that time. It was incorporated into Smolensk Governorate when it was reformed in 1726. Sweden formally ceded Swedish Livonia to Russia in 1721 with the Treaty of Nystad . In 1722 Dorpat County ( Estonian : Tartumaa ) was added to Riga Governorate. In 1726 Smolensk Governorate was separated from Governorate, which now had five provinces: Riga , Wenden , Dorpat , Pernau and Ösel . In 1783

2548-720: Was divided: five northern counties ( Kreis ) with the Estonian population (Dorpat, Pernau, Fellin, Werro and Ösel) as well as the populated by the Estonians townships of Walk county were all included into the composition of the neighboring Governorate of Estonia . However the new border between the Governments of Estonia and Livonia was never properly demarcated. The bulk of the population were former landlord peasants, who were mainly engaged in arable farming and cattle breeding. Until 1804, they were completely dependent on

2600-411: Was more than 500 mm a year, much more in the south and west of the province than in the north and east; July was the rainiest month, but the next three months were also quite rainy, and there were often long rainy days in those months. On the whole, the Livonian province suffered from an excess of rain. The economy of the province came from shipbuilding, shipping, and fishing. Part of the population

2652-561: Was split between the newly independent countries of Latvia and Estonia. During World War II , the region was occupied by the Soviet Union from 1940, and then by Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944. The territory of the region of Vidzeme is defined by Latvian law as follows: Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia , also known as the Livonia Governorate , was a province ( guberniya ) and one of

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2704-785: Was the boundary between the lands of the Livs and Latgalians on the right bank and those of the Semigallians and Selonians on the left bank of the river. The most notable Latgalian region in today's Vidzeme was Tālava . After the Livonian War , part of the Livonian Confederation on the right bank of the Daugava river and the Patrimony of Riga was ceded to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , and

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