@justlusitanian: Big thanks to @Sodveh for suggesting Courland. This map is dedicated to you guys. Follow for more alternate history. #althistory #mapping #historymeme #fyp #foryou The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia[a] was a duchy in the Baltic region, then known as Livonia, that existed from 1561 to 1569 as a nominal vassal state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and subsequently made part of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom from 1569 to 1726[2] and incorporated into the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1726.[3] On 24 October 1795, it was annexed by the Russian Empire in the Third Partition of Poland. Duchy of Courland and Semigallia Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen (German) Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste (Latvian) 1561–1795 Flag of Duchy of Courland and Semigallia Flag Coat of arms of Duchy of Courland and Semigallia Coat of arms Duchy of Courland and Semigallia in 1714 Duchy of Courland and Semigallia Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Status Vassal state of Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1561–1569) and Poland–Lithuania (1569–1795) Capital Mitau Common languages Official: German[1] Other: Religion Lutheran, Roman Catholic Demonyms Courlander, Couronian, Courish, Courlandish Government Monarchy Duke • 1561–1587 Gotthard Kettler (first) • 1769–1795 Peter von Biron (last) Legislature Landtag History • Treaty of Vilnius 28 November 1561 • Colonial acquisitions 1637–1690 • Third Partition of Poland 28 March 1795 Area • Total 27,290 km2 (10,540 sq mi) Population • Estimate ~200,000 (1794) • Density 7.3/km2 (18.9/sq mi) Currency Thaler Preceded by Succeeded by Bishopric of Courland Livonian Order Courland Governorate Today part of Latvia In 1561, during the Livonian Wars, the Livonian Confederation was dismantled and the Livonian Order was disbanded. On the basis of the Treaty of Vilnius, the southern part of Estonia and the northern part of Latvia were ceded to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. On 25 December 1566, the Union of Grodno established a real union between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Duchy of Livonia. The part of Latvia between the west bank of the Daugava River and the Baltic Sea became the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. It was ruled by the dukes from the House of Kettler with the exception of Ernst Johann von Biron and his son Peter von Biron. Gotthard Kettler,[4] the last Master of the Livonian Order, became the first duke of Courland. Other members of the Order became the Couronian nobility, with the fiefdoms they had hitherto held becoming their estates. In all, Kettler received nearly one-third of the land in the new duchy. Mitau (Jelgava) was designated as the new capital, and a Landtag was to meet there twice a year. Several parts of the Courish area did not belong to the Duchy. The Order of Livonia had already loaned the Grobiņa district (on the coast of the Baltic Sea) to the Duke of Prussia. Another district, the former Bishopric of Courland, belonged to Magnus, son of the king of Denmark. He promised to transfer it to the Duchy of Courland after his death, but this plan failed and only later did Wilhelm Kettler regain this district. Like the other members of the Order, Kettler was German and set about establishing the Duchy along the lines of similar German states. In 1570, he issued the Privilegium Gotthardinum, which allowed the landholders to enserf the native peasantry on their lands.[5] When Gotthard Kettler died in 1587, his sons, Friedrich and Wilhelm, became the dukes of Courland. They divided the Duchy into two parts in 1596. Friedrich controlled the eastern part, Semigalia (Zemgale), with his residence in Mitau (Jelgava). Wilhelm owned the western part, Courland (Kurzeme), with his residence in Goldingen (Kuldīga). Wilhelm regained the Grobiņa district when he married the daughter of the Duke of Prussia. He also paid out and regained control over the District of Pilten, but eventually, it fell to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Here he developed metalworking and shipyards, and the new ships delivered the goods of Courland to other countries.

𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙇𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙖𝙣⚖️

Open In TikTok:

Region: CH

Friday 28 August 2026 12:55:00 GMT