Governorate of Livonia

Governorate of Livonia Лифляндская губерния Liflyandskaya guberniya
Governorate of the Russian Empire
← 1721–1918 →
Flag Coat of arms
Capital		Riga
History
•	Established (de facto)	28 July 1713
•	Established (de jure)	10 September 1721
•	Renamed	1796
•	Divided	1917
•	Treaty of Brest-Litovsk	3 March 1918
•	Disestablished	12 April 1918
Population
•	(1897)	1,299,365
Political subdivisions		9
Today part of		Estonia,  Latvia

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The Governorate of Livonia^[1] (Russian: Лифляндская губерния, Liflyandskaya guberniya (meaning Livonia province); German: Gouvernement Livland (meaning Livonia Province), also Gouvernement Riga; Estonian: Liivimaa kubermang, Latvian: Vidzemes guberņa) or Livland Governorate, also known as the Government of Livonia or Province of Livonia, was one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire, now divided between the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Estonia.

History

It was originally called the Riga Governorate (1721–1796) (Russian: Рижская губерния) after the city of Riga, the capital of Livonia. It was created 28 July [O.S. 17 July] 1712 out of Swedish Livonia, territories conquered from Sweden in the Great Northern War. Livonia had capitulated in 1710 and was formally ceded to Russia in the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. During subsequent administrative reordering, the governorate was renamed in 1796 into the Governorate of Livonia. It was also included uzeyds of Smolensk, Dorogobuzh, Roslavl and Vyazma between 1713 and 1726 due to dissolving of Smolensk Governorate.

Until the late 19th century, the governorate was not ruled by Russia but was administered independently by the local Baltic German nobility through a feudal Regional Council (German: Landtag).^[2] After the Russian February Revolution in 1917, the northern part of the Governorate of Livonia was combined with the Governorate of Estonia to form a new Autonomous Governorate of Estonia.

The Autonomous Governorate of Estonia issued the Estonian Declaration of Independence on 24 February 1918, one day before it was occupied by German troops during World War I. With the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on 3 March 1918, Bolshevist Russia accepted the loss of the Livland Governorate and by agreements concluded in Berlin on 27 August 1918, the Autonomous Governorate of Estonia and the Governorate of Livonia were severed from Russia.^[3]

Administrative division

The Governorate of Livonia was divided into 9 counties (Kreis).

Note: After the February Revolution based on declaration of the Provisional Government of Russia of 30 March 1917 "About the autonomy of Estland", the Government of Livland was divided: five northern counties (Kreis) with the Estonian population (Yuriev (Derpt), Pernov, Fellin, Verro and Ezel) as well as the populated by the Estonians townships of Valk county were all included into the composition of the neighboring Governorate of Estonia. However the new border between the Governments of Estonia and Livland was never installed.

List of governors

• 1712–1719 Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov
• 1719–1726 Anikita Repnin
• 1727–1751 Peter Lacy
• 1734–1736 Karl von Hochmuth (lieutenant governor)
• 1751–1753 Vladimir Petrovich Dolgorukiy
• 1753–1758 Pyotr Vojeikov (vice governor)
• 1758–1761 Vladimir Petrovich Dolgorukiy
• 1762–1791 George von Browne
• 1792–1798 Nicholas Repnin
• 1798–1800 Ludwig von Nagell
• 1800–1801 Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen
• 1801–1803 Sergei Fyodorovich Golitsyn
• 1803–1807 Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoeveden
• 1807–1810 Ivan Repjev
• 1810–1812 Dmitry Ivanovich Lobanov-Rostovsky
• 1812–1812 Johann Magnus von Essen
• 1812–1829 Filippo Paulucci
• 1829–1845 Carl Magnus von der Pahlen
• 1845–1848 Yevgeny Golovin
• 1848–1861 Alexander Arkadyevich Suvorov
• 1861–1864 Wilhelm Heinrich von Lieven
• 1864–1866 Pyotr Andreyevich Shuvalov
• 1866–1866 Eduard Baranov
• 1866–1876 Peter Bagrationi
• 1876–1883 Alexander von Üxküll-Güldenband
• 1883–1885 Ivan Shevich
• 1885–1895 Mikhail Zinovjev
• 1895–1900 Vladimir Surovcev
• 1901–1905 Mikhail Pashkov
• 1905–1906 Vasily Sollogub
• 1906–1909 Alexander Möller-Zakomelskiy
• 1909–1914 Nikolay Zvegincev
• 1914–1916 Arkadiy Kelepovskiy
• 1916–1917 Nikolay Lavrinovskiy
• 1917 Sergei Shidlovskiy
• 1917 Andrejs Krastkalns (Commissioner of the Russian Provisional Government from 18 March until 3 April)

Language

• By the Imperial census of 1897.^[4] In bold are languages spoken by more people than the state language.

See also

• Administrative divisions of Russia in 1713-1714
• Baltic governorates
• Courland Governorate
• Estonia Governorate
• Livonian Confederation
• Saint Petersburg Governorate

References and notes