Latvia/Latvians: Development of a Nation
How Latvia became Latvia, and how the Latvians became Latvian.

How Latvians as a people, and the country of Latvia as a nation-state, evolved and materialized into current form, in terms of ancestral bloodlines, the Latvian language, borders, culture, and even how they received their name.

Ancestral Background
Development of Language
Formation of Borders
Etymology (How Name Received)
Culture
Latvia in 2008

Latvian Ancestral Background:
 

1. 3000 BC – The Proto-Balto-Slavic population (based on speakers of the Proto-Balto-Slavic language) materialized around modern Lithuania.
2. 1000 BC – A division in the Proto-Balto-Slavic population occurs, as a group moves southeastward toward modern Ukraine and Moscow. This break-away group represented the earliest Slavs. The group that remained behind in the region south of Baltic Sea became the basis of the Balt nationality. In the following centuries, the Balts proceeded to establish themselves throughout modern Latvia, Lithuania, and northern Poland.
3. As Crusaders from Germany expanded to the east during 12^th and 13^th centuries, Balts consolidated in modern Lithuania and Latvia, forming a loosely-affiliated band of Baltic tribes.
4. The Livonian Order (Germanic Catholic order of knightly priests, also know as Teutonic Knights) captured the territory that comprised modern Latvia (along with Estonia), separating it from Lithuania. Those Balts remaining in Lithuania resisted the invasions, resulting in two distinct Balt nations from that point forward - Latvians and Lithuanians. Latvians would remain largely Baltic in lineage, with minor Germanic genetic contributions, along trace amounts of Swedish, Polish, Russian as these other nations would assert control over Latvia.

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Development of Latvian Language:
 

1. 3000 BC – The Proto-Balto-Slavic language (branch of Proto-Indo-European) is spoken by Proto-Balto-Slavic group centered around Lithuania.
2. After a split in the Proto-Balto-Slavic nation around 1000 BC, the language of those that migrate east and south evolves into Slavic (thus the origin of Slavic peoples). The language of those that remain in the Baltic region evolves into Baltic.
3. Sometime between 400 and 600 AD, the Baltic languages split into Western Baltic (ancestral to languages such as Old Prussian) – all of which are extinct, and Eastern Baltic (ancestral to Latvian and Lithuanian) - with descendant languages still in use to this day.
4. By about 800, Latvian and Lithuanian began to develop as dialects of Western Baltic, the divergence between the two would spawn separate but related languages.
5. Since Latvia largely toiled under German control (Livonian Order) from the 13^th century to the 16^th century, it was influenced by German, further differentiating it from sibling language of Lithuanian.
6. During 19^th century, in time of intense Latvian nationalism, Latvians conscientiously root out elements of Germanization from the Latvian language.
7. During Russian rule from the 19^th century, and during the Soviet era in particular, a policy of Russification was implemented by the USSR. As a result, Latvian was removed from the public forum, but it managed to survive, although with a Russian influence.
8. Since independence in 1990, Latvians have been making a concerted effort to remove Russian influence from language.

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Formation of Latvian Borders:
 

1. 3000 BC – The Proto-Balto-Slavic population materializes around modern Lithuania.
2. 1000 BC – A division occurs in the Proto-Balto-Slavic population. Those that migrate to the south and east toward modern Ukraine and Moscow become predecessors to the Slavic ethnogroup. Those that remain behind near the Baltic coast, around modern Latvia, Lithuania and Northern Poland become the forerunners to the Balts.
3. As Crusaders from Germany expand to the east during the 12^th and 13^th centuries, Balts consolidated in modern Lithuania and Latvia, forming a loosely-affiliated band of Baltic tribes.
4. By 1237, Germanic priestly knights (Livonian Order) conquered the Balts in modern Latvia and southern Estonia, which becomes Livonia. Livonian-ruled population was largely comprised of Balts (and Finnic Estonians to the north), with Germans as the ruling class.
5. In 1346, Denmark sold its rebellious Estonian provinces to the north to the Livonian Order, expanding Livonia to cover all of Estonia and Latvia.
6. Russia attempted to gain Baltic access, invading the Livonian Order in 1558. Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania and Poland joined the Order to restrain Russia. The Livonian Order/Teutonic Knights are wiped out in disastrous defeats to Russia in battle in 1560, ceding its Estonian territory to Lithuania (Duchy of Livonia), Sweden (the northern portion), and Denmark (island of Osel), which collectively went on to defeat Russia. This marked the end of the Livonian Order, and the Teutonic Knights outside of the Holy Roman Empire.
7. Poland and Lithuania combined to form the Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth in 1569, making the Duchy of Livonia part of this new political entity. It was dominated by Poland, as Lithuania was forced to combine with Poland due to the growing Russian threat.
8. In the Polish-Swedish War of 1625 – 1629 (battle for supremacy along the southern Baltic coast), Sweden gained Livonia, consisting of southern portion of Estonia and the northern portion of Latvia. Southern Latvia remained part of Poland-Lithuania.
9. In the Great Northern War (1700-21, battle over supremacy of Baltic Sea), Russia defeated Sweden, gaining all of Livonia. Southern Latvia remained with Poland-Lithuania.
10. As part of the First Partition of Poland in 1772, Russia took possession of the southeast portion of Latvia.
11. As part of the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, Russia took possession of the remainder of Latvia, along with most of modern Lithuania, and parts of Poland, Belarus and Ukraine. Latvians remained a distinct ethnicity within the expanded Russian Empire, setting the stage for the nationalism that would spark an independence movement in the 20^th century.
12. With the disarray caused by the Russian Revolution (1917 – 22) and German occupation, Latvia declared independence in 1918, after German withdrawal and surrender in WWI. The Russians and Bolsheviks (Communists) in Latvia fought to keep Latvia within the new USSR, but Latvia won independence in 1920, with its current borders.
13. As part of a secret pact between Nazi Germany and the USSR in 1939, the USSR claimed control over various Eastern European nations, including Latvia, under the agreement that Nazi would not interfere (as USSR would not interfere with German annexation of various central European nations). The USSR moved in to occupy Latvia in 1940, during World War II. In betrayal of the secret pact, Nazi Germany began its invasion of Russia in 1941, occupying Latvia in 1941. When the Red Army had the Nazis retreating a few years later, it reoccupied Latvia in 1944. Upon the defeat of the Nazis in WWII, the Soviets refused to withdraw from Latvia, establishing the Latvia SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic), as part of the USSR.
14. Upon the collapse of USSR, Latvia declared independence in 1990, becoming officially sovereign as the Republic of Latvia in 1991.

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Etymology (How Name Received):

Named after an ancient Baltic tribe from the region. Baltic for “land of bodies of water”.

Latvian Culture:

Original Latvian culture stems back before the Northern Crusades into the region during the 12th century, when most of Latvia was forcibly Christianized. This initiated a lengthy period of time where Latvians would almost continually languish under foreign rule. Consequently, Latvian culture would become heavily influenced by foreign rulers, such as German and Russian in particular.

However, Latvians were resilient over the centuries, until finally achieving independence briefly between WWI and WWII, and then since the 1990 collapse of the Soviet Union. Germans and Russians had tried to extinguish Latvia culture and language, but both have survived into modern times, although heavily influenced.

Latvia in 2008:

Economy: One of fastest growing economies in Europe since 2000, but now experiencing inflation and increased debt/real estate prices, fueling concerns of a possible economic bubble. Has privatized most of its economy with the exception of a few large, state-owned utilities.
Government: Democratic Republic
Religion: Mostly Christian or unaffiliated. Survey: 37% believe in God, 49% some other form of intelligent design, 10% atheist/agnostic.
Demographics: Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6% (long standing Russian rule), most of the rest Eastern Slavic (Belarusian, Ukrainian, Polish), Largely Latvian and Baltic German before Russian rule beginning in 18th century, through USSR era ending in 1990.
Foreign Policy: EU and NATO in 2004. Like Finland, wary of a powerful Russian state, due to centuries of unwanted rule/domination by Russia. Geopolitically vulnerable to Russia, due to long, hard-to-defend border with Russia (easy to transport troops across, no natural barriers), and low population density.
Population: 2,245,423 (2008)

 

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