Latgale

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Latgale or Latgalia (Latvian: Latgale, Latgalian: Latgola; Polish: Łatgalia; German: Lettgallen; Russian: Латгалия) is one of the four cultural regions of Latvia recognised in the Constitution of the Latvian Republic. It is the easternmost region north of the Daugava river. While most of Latvia is historically Lutheran, Latgale is historically predominantly Roman Catholic.

The region has a large population of ethnic Russians, especially in Daugavpils, the largest city in the region. Many of the Russians who lived in Latgale before the Soviet occupation are Old Believers. Rēzekne, often called the heart of Latgola, Krāslava, and Ludza are other large towns in the region, which also has a Belarusian minority. There is still a significant Polish minority (Daugavpils has almost as many Poles as Latvians). As part of the Polotsk and Vitebsk guberniyas, the region was part of the Pale of Settlement and had a very large Jewish population -- but most of the Jews perished in the Holocaust and much of the remainder has emigrated.

The region is one of the poorest in the European Union, and unlike in the rest of Latvia a majority of voters was opposed to EU membership in the referendum on accession.

Due to its history several different names are historically used for Latgale.

Other names for the region include Lettigallia, Latgallia, and Latgola.
The people are called latgalieši in Latvian (as distinct from latgaļi, which refers to the ancient tribe, though some modern Latgalians [especially separatists] prefer latgaļi) -- latgalīši in Latgalian, sometimes latgali -- Latgalians, Latgallians, or Lettigalls in English, and are sometimes referred to as čangaļi (sometimes derogatory -- the reference is to a novel, and Latgalians often call other Latvians "čiuļi"). The term latgalieši dates only to the early 20th century, and before that Latgalians were long refrred to as Vitebsk Latvians or Inflantians (in Latgalian, vitebskīši, inflantīši).
The language or dialect is called Latgalian.

[edit] History

Originally territory of nowadays Latgale was populated by the Eastern Balts. They spoke some unknown East Baltic language, which became a basis for the Latgalian dialect of Latvian language. The dialect is still spoken by many Latgalians and has a standardized written form, for which reason some consider it to be a separate language. During the 10th–12th centuries two principalities--of Jersika and Atzele existed on the territory of nowadays Latgale; in addition, the land of the so-called Eastern Latgalians included parts of what is today Vidzeme and Russia. In the second decade of 13th century principality of Jersika became a part of Lithuania, but in 1270s it was conquered by the German crusaders of the Livonian Order and incorporated into Livonia.

In 1559-1562 territory of nowadays Latgale was annexed by Lithuania, and in 1569 it was reorganized into lithuanian-polish condominium. In 1620s most of Livonia was ceded to Sweden, but a part of Livonia including Latgale remained under Lithuanian-Polish control; this land became known as Inflantia. Creation of Polish Inflanty is the birth of the region we know today by the name Latgale. During this period the Latgalian dialect of the Latvian language developed separately from the Latvian spoken in other parts of what is now Latvia and was influenced by Polish.

In 1772 Latgale was annexed by the Russian Empire, and in 1865 a period of Russification, as part of Russia's anti-Polish policies, was begun, during which the Latgalian language (written in Latin script) was forbidden. This ban was lifted in 1904, and a period of Latgalian reawakening began. Many Latgalian public figures sought a reunification with the rest of Latvia in 1917 at the Congress of Rezekne, while some preferred autonomy (Kemps) or incorporation in Russia (bureacracy). Decisions of 1917 Congresses and declaration of independence on 18th November 1918 with Latgale as part of Latvian state moved both Latvian armed forces as well as local partisan movement to struggle for liberation of Latgale. Tough enough task, taking into account territorial interests of both bolshevik Russia and Poland. In 1920 as a result of nation-building irredentist war Latgale was incorporated into Latvia. By the peace treaty of 1920 with Soviet Russia, territories of Pskov guberniya were incorporated into Latvia to please it's economic interests. United with other "original" Latvian territories, as claimed by the declaration of independence (ethnographic borders as national borders), they formed district of Jaunlatgale, later Abrene district.

In 1944, at the beginning of the second occupation of Latvia by the USSR, the eastern civil parishes of the Abrene district were incorporated into Russian Federation. Now they are de facto a part of Russia.