duchy · Scandinavia and the Baltic
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1918)
Origins
Under German occupation, the Courland Landesrat, a council dominated by Baltic German nobles, proclaimed on 8 March 1918 the restoration of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, covering the former Governorate of Courland. It offered the ducal crown to Wilhelm II, and Germany recognised the duchy on 15 March.
Rule and society
The duchy had no real government of its own and depended on the German military administration that had replaced Ober Ost. Its leaders planned German settlement and close union with the German Empire. Latvians, the great majority of the population, were excluded from its councils and rejected it.
Decline and legacy
In autumn 1918 the duchy was to join the United Baltic Duchy, but Germany's defeat in November ended the scheme. The Republic of Latvia, proclaimed on 18 November 1918, took over its territory after the War of Independence.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1918) was a protectorate of German Empire1918 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1918). In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-courland-and-semigallia-1918
- MLA
- “Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1918).” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-courland-and-semigallia-1918. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1918).” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-courland-and-semigallia-1918.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1918)’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-courland-and-semigallia-1918 (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻