Duchy of Livonia
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Legend: 1. Poland, 2. Lithuania, 3. Livonia, 4. Courland, 5. Prussia. compared with today's borders
The Duchy of Livonia was a territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that existed from 1561 to 1621.
Livonia had been part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1561, after Livonian Brothers of the Sword were secularized in Union of Wilno and the Livonian Confederation dissolved in the Livonian Wars. Part of Livonia formed the Duchy of Courland and Semigalia, while the south-west part of today's Estonia and north-east part of today's Latvia were ceded to Lithuania. Gotthard Kettler was the first ruler of the territory.
In 1566 it was declared as the Duchy of Livonia according to the Treaty of Union between the landowners of Livonia and authorities of Lithuania. The first Governor of the Duchy of Livonia became Jan Hieronimowicz Chodkiewicz (1566-1578). After the Union of Lublin in 1569, it became a joint domain of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Part of the Duchy was conquered by Swedes during the Polish-Swedish Wars, and their gains were recognized in the Treaty of Altmark (1629). The Commonwealth retained eastern parts of the Duchy, known as Inflanty, till the first Partition of Poland in 1772, when it was annexed by the Russian Empire.
[edit] Administrative division
- Dorpat Voivodeship (województwo dorpackie, Dorpat) from 1598 to the 1620s
- Parnawa Voivodeship (województwo parnawskie, Parnawa) from 1598 to the 1620s
- Wenden Voivodeship (województwo wendeńskie, Wenden) from 1598 to the 1620s
- Livonian Voivodeship (województwo inflanckie, Dyneburg) from the 1620s
