LATVIA 1918 - 1920
Chronology 1918 nov : proclamation of the Latvian Republic. German troops remained however present in the country. 1918 dec : conquest of the largest part of Livonia by Russian Soviet troops and proclamation of an independent Latvian Soviet Republic 1919 jan : conquest of Riga by Russian Soviet troops and proclamation of the Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic, formally an independent state. the legal Latvian government of Ulmanis, now only controlling part of the country, retreated to Liepāja and placed itself under the protection of the German military. 1919 apr : the Germans replaced the legal Latvian administration - except the Head of State - by a more cooperative one. 1919 may : the Soviets were driven out of Riga by an alliance of British, Estonian and German-Latvian troops, the Latvian S.S.R. continuing to exist in parts of the country until 1920. 1919 jun : battles of Cesis : Estonian and legal Latvian troops defeated the Germans and their Latvian allies. 1919 jul : the authority of the legal Latvian government was restored. 1919 oct : parts of Latvia were taken over by the Western Russian Volunteer Army. (1) 1919 nov : the Western Russian Volunteer Army was defeated by the Latvians and Lithuanians. 1920 jan : the Latvian S.S.R. was formally abolished 1920 aug : Treaty of Riga : Russia recognised the independence of Latvia. at the same time Latgale was ceded to the new state. (1) Commander of the Western Russian Volunteer Army 1919 Col. Pavel Rafailovich Bermondt "Prince Avalov" 1884 - 1973 For more information on the Western Russian Volunteer Army and its civilian counterpart, the Western Russian Government see RUSSIA : WHITE COUNTERGOVERNMENTS 1917 - 1922 (to be added) ____________________________________________________________________________LEADERS OF THE LATVIAN SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLIC
CHIEF ADMINISTRATORS Chairman of the Provisional Soviet Government Pagaidu Padomju Valdības priekedetājs (originally in Russia) 1918 - 1919 Peteris Stucka 1865 - 1932 Chairman of the Central Executive Committee Centrālās Izpildkomitejas Priekedetājs 1919 - 1920 Peteris Stucka s.a. MINISTERS (COMMISSARS) Chairman of the Council of Ministers Ministru Padomes Priekedetāji 1918 - 1920 Peteris Stucka s.a. Commissar of War Kara komisārs 1919 Kārlis Petersons 1877 - 1926 Commissar of Home Affairs Ieklietu komisārs 1919 Jānis Lencmanis 1881 - 1939 Commissar of Justice Tieslietu komisārs 1919 Peteris Stucka s.a. Commissars of Finance Finansu komisāri 1919 Rudolfs Endrups 1878 - 1938 1919 Oto Kārkliņ 1884 - 1942 PARTY LEADER First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Latvian Communist Party Latvijas Komunistiskās Partijas Centrālās Komitejas Pirmie Sekretārs 1919 - 1920 Peteris Stucka s.a. ____________________________________________________________________________MEMBERS OF THE GERMAN SPONSORED ADMINISTRATION IN 1919
SUPREME AUTHORITIES Chairman of the Security Committee of the Local Front Troops Vorsitzender der Sicherheitsausschuss der heimischen Fronttruppen (apr 16 - apr 26) 1919 Capt. Hans Joachim Paul Adolph Freiherr von Manteuffel "Manteuffel-Szoege" 1894 - 1919 Chairmen of the Directory (apr 26 - may 11) 1919 -Oskar Borkowsky -Artur Reusner Chairmen of the Reconciliation and Understanding Commission (may 11 - jun 26) 1919 -Andrievs Niedra 1871 - 1942 -Alexander Immanuel Freiherr von Rahden-Maihof 1859 - 1920 Chairman of the Directory (jun 26 - jul 03) 1919 ... von Timroth MINISTERS Minister President Ministru Prezidenti 1919 - 1919 Oskar Borkowsky* 1919 Andrievs Niedra s.a. 1919 Heinrich Karl Ludwig Freiherr von Brümmer* 1880 - Ministers of Foreign Affairs Ārlietu Ministri 1919 Heinrich Karl Ludwig Freiherr von Brümmer s.a. 1919 Andrievs Niedra s.a. 1919 Heinrich Karl Ludwig Freiherr von Brümmer (2x) Ministers of War Kara Ministri 1919 Georg Seskow 1919 Teodors Vankins 1873 - 1919 Georg Viktor Ernst Baron von Taube 1877 - 1948 Minister of Home Affairs Ieklietu ministri 1919 Oskar Borkowsky 1919 Andrievs Niedra s.a. 1919 Friedrich Otto Eduard Freiherr Samson von Himmelstjerna 1872 - 1958 Minister of Justice Tieslietu Ministrs 1919 Paul Sokolowsky Ministers of Finance Finansu Ministri 1919 Georg Seskow s.a. 1919 Eugen Schwarz
CITY OF RIGA
The city of Riga was founded in 1201. It always was a major administrative center and in 1918 it became the capital of independent Latvia. ____________________________________________________________________________CHIEF EXECUTIVES
Mayors-Speakers Wortführender Bürgermeister 1847 - 1873 Johann Christoph Schwartz 1791 - 1873 1873 - 1878 Eduard Heinrich Gustav Hollander 1820 - 1897 City Heads Stadthauptleute 1878 - 1885 Robert Büngner 1816 - 1892 1886 - 1889 August Georg Friedrich Freiherr von Öttingen 1823 - 1908 1890 - 1901 Ludwig Wilhelm Kerkovius 1831 - 1904 1901 - 1912 George Armitstead 1847 - 1912 1913 - 1917 Wilhelm Robert Bulmerinck 1862 - 1953 1917 Gustavs Zemgals 1871 - 1939 City Administrator Stadthaupt 1917 - 1918 Paul Hopf City Head Pilsetas galva 1918 - 1919 Gustavs Zemgals (2x) Chairmen of the Executive Committee Izpildkomitejas priekedetāji 1919 Rudolfs Endrups 1878 - 1938 1919 Sīmanis Bergis 1887 - 1943 Mayor (2) Bürgermeister 1919 Woldemar Pussull 1883 - 1939 City Heads Pilsetas Galvas 1919 - 1920 Gustavs Zemgals (3x) 1920 - 1921 Andrejs Frīdenbergs 1875 - 1941 1921 - 1928 Alfreds Andersons 1879 - 1937 1928 - 1931 Ādams Krieviņ 1889 - 1951 1931 - 1935 Hugo Celmiņ 1873 - 1941 1935 - 1936 Roberts Garselis 1892 - 1936 1936 - 1939 Roberts Liepiņ 1900 - 1978 Lord-Mayors Lielvecākie 1939 - 1940 Roberts Liepiņ s.a. 1940 Jānis Pupurs 1901 - 1977 1940 Jekabs Ermsons 1900 - 1978 Chairman of the Executive Committee Izpildkomitejas Prieedetajs 1940 - 1941 Arnolds Deglavs 1904 - 1969 Mayor Vecākais 1941 Pavils Dreimanis Acting Lord-Mayor Kommissarischer Oberbürgermeister (directly subordinated to the Generalkommissar of Latvia) 1941 - 1944 Hugo Wittrock 1873 - 1958 Chairman of the Executive Committee Izpildkomitejas Prieedetajs 1944 - 1951 Arnolds Deglavs (2x) (2) After the expulsion of the Soviets in 1919 Riga had for some time Military Governors : Subordinated to the German Commanders in the Baltic 1919 Maj. Alfred Fletcher (Germ.) 1875 - 1919 Gen. Friedrich Bertram Sixt von Arnim (Germ.) 1851 - 1936 Subordinated to the Allied Commanders in the Baltic 1919 -LtCol. Sir Stephen George Tallents (UK) 1884 - 1958 -LtCol. Ernest J. Dawley (US) 1886 - 1975
LATVIAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
Lutheranism was introduced in Latvia in the 16th century, gradually replacing Roman Catholicism as main religion. ____________________________________________________________________________HEADS OF THE COMMUNITY
President of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Consistory (3) Latvieu Evaņgeliski Luteriskās Konsistorijas Prezidents 1917 - 1922 Kārlis Irbe 1861 - 1934 Bishop of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Latvijas Evaņgeliski Luteriskās Baznīcas bīskaps 1922 - 1931 Kārlis Irbe s.a. Bishop of German Parishes of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Latvijas Evaņgeliski Luteriskās Baznīcas vācu draud u bīskaps 1922 - 193. P. Pelchau Archbishop of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Latvijas Evaņgeliski Luteriskās Baznīcas Arhibīskaps 1932 - 1945 Teodors Grīnbergs 1870 - 1962 (3) Before 1920 there was no single jurisdiction. Since the "Church Law for the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Russia" promulgated in 1832 the following regional consistories, all headed by presidents, were in existence : - Kurland (first established in 1570) - Riga (first established in ...) - Livland (first established in 1622) In 1890 Riga was merged with Livland , while Kurland continued its separate existence until 1920.
LATVIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Orthodox Christianism was introduced in parts of Latvia as early as the 11th century. In the course of the following centuries it however lost most of its adherants, to the Roman Catholic and Lutheran Churches. After the Russian conquest, as a result of Russian missionary work, the faith regained some importance. This evolution justified the erection, in 1850, of a separate Eparchy of Riga - detached from Pskov Eparchy - which incorporated not only the Latvian provinces but also Estonia. In 1921, after Russia had recognized the independence of Latvia, the Russian Patriarchate granted autonomy to the Latvian Church. In 1936 this autonomy was confirmed by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In 1941, after the Soviet annexation of Latvia the autonomy was abolished and Riga became again an Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, as part of the Patriarchale Exarchate of Estonia and Latvia. note - Autonomous = with a separate organization while remaining however subject to the overall authority of the Patriarchs in religious matters. _____________________________________________________________________________HEADS OF THE COMMUNITY
Bishops and Archbishops of Riga 1870 - 1874 Venyamin Karelin 1874 - 1877 Serafim Protopopov 1877 - 1882 Filaret Filaretov 1882 - 1887 Donatus Babinski-Sokolov 1887 - 1897 Arseniy Bryantsev (1893 : Archbishop) 1839 - 1914 1897 - 1910 Agafangel Preobrazhenskiy (1904 : Archbishop) 1854 - 1928 1910 - 1918 Ioann Smirnov 1918 - 1921 vacant Archbishops of Riga and all Latvia 1921 - 1934 Jānis Pommers 1876 - 1934 1934 - 1936 vacant Metropolitan of Riga and all Latvia 1936 - 1941 Augustins Petersons 1873 - 1955 Patriarchal Exarch of Latvia and Estonia 1941 - 1944 Sergiy Voskresenskiy, Metropolitan of Vilnius 1898 - 1944 Bishops of Riga 1941 - 1943 Sergiy Voskresenskiy*, Metropolitan of Vilnius (4) s.a. 1943 - 1944 Jānis (Garklavs) 1898 - 1982 1944 - 1947 vacant (4) Augustins was invited to continue in office. As he refused the Exarch became himself acting head of the Church.
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