Timeline Latvia / Livonija
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Remnants of the Liv tribe (Livonians), a coastal
Finno-Ugric group, live in Mazirbe, Latvia.
(CNT, 3/04, p.145)(www.virmus.com)
365Mil BC In
2008 scientists unearthed a skull, dating to about this time, of the
most primitive four-legged creature in Earth's history, which should
help them better understand the evolution of fish to advanced
animals that walk on land. The fossil skull, shoulders and part of
the pelvis of the water-dweller, Ventastega curonica, were found in
Latvia.
(AP, 6/25/08)
1190s After trade was
established between Germany and Livonia the German missionary
Meingard, later made bishop, preached among the Livonians and
converted a good number.
(H of L, 1931, p.25)
1198 A German Bishop shipped up
the Baltic with armed forces and attacked the native people of
Livonia. The attack was repulsed.
(Ist. L.H., 1948, p.39-40)
1200 Bishop Albert was selected
leader of the Knights of the Cross. He led 23 ships of armed
soldiers up the Baltic to Livonian lands at the mouth of the Dauguva
River.
(Ist. L.H., 1948, p.39-40)
1201 The Germans founded the
city of Riga in Livonia, now Latvia, and built a castle under
the direction of Bishop Albert, leader of the Knights of the Cross.
(Ist. L.H., 1948, p.39-40)
1211 In Latvia construction
began on Riga’s Lutheran Cathedral.
(SSFC, 7/22/07, p.G5)
1228 A record in the Livonian
Statute of A.D. 1228 stated that the death penalty will be imposed
on those attempting to debase silver by adding to it even 1/16 part
of other base metals. This is the reason why silver bar kapas /
roubles, whenever found in Baltic States, are always nearly pure.
(VilNews, 12/17/10)
1249 Feb 7, The Christburg
Peace Treaty forced the Prussians to recognize the rule of the
Teutonic Knights. Within about 50 years the Teutonic Knights and
Knights of the Cross had overcome most of Prussia and established
German as the dominant culture and language. The German orders then
turned to Lithuania.
(H of L, 1931, p.25)(LHC, 2/7/03)
1261 Feb 3, Samogitian fighters
defeated the Livonian Knights of the Cross at Lielvarde.
(LHC, 2/3/03)
1263 Feb 9, A Lithuania army
under Treniota defeated the Livonian Knights of the Cross.
(LHC, 2/9/03)
1270 Feb 16, In the Karusa Ice
war in Estonia, Lithuanian forces defeated the Livonian Knights of
the Cross.
(LHC, 2/16/03)
1279 Mar 5, Lithuanians
overcame Livonian forces at Aizkraukle.
(LHC, 3/5/03)
1297 The people of Riga rose
against the Teutonic Knights. The local Bishop asked Vytenis of
Lithuania to help and the Knights were pushed back. This opened a
northern trade route for Vytenis for weapons and supplies.
(Ist. L.H., 1948, p. 50)
1298 Mar 30, Duke Vytenis
joined with Riga and its archbishop against the Livonian order.
(LHC, 3/30/03)
1324 Feb 10, The pope
officially chastised the Knights of the Cross for ill treatment of
Catholics and for pushing pagans away from Christianity.
(LHC, 2/10/03)
1330 Mar 23, Riga surrendered
to the Livonian Order.
(LHC, 3/23/03)
1336 Feb 25, The Knights
of the Cross sieged the Pilenai Castle in Samogitia. The defenders
burned all their goods and committed suicide.
(LHC, 2/25/03)
1361 Mar 21, Grand duke
Kestutis was captured by the Knights of the Cross.
(LHC, 3/21/03)
1402 Mar 2, In
Marienburg Svitrigaila crossed over to the Knights of the Cross and
promised to uphold the Salyn treaty that was broken by Vytautas.
(LHC, 3/1/03)
1416 Feb 6, A Samogitian
complaint against the Knights of the Cross was read at the Catholic
Church Council at Constance.
(LHC, 2/6/03)
1416 Feb 13, A Lithuanian and
Polish delegation read their grievances against the Teutonic Knights
at the Church Council at Constance.
(LHC, 2/13/03)
1501 Mar 1, Lithuania
and Livonia established a 10-year union for protection against
Russia.
(LHC, 3/1/03)
1561 Poland-Lithuania gaining
control over Livonia. In response Sweden seized the territory of
Estonia with the major port of Reval. Denmark, also invested
in the war, seized the Livonian Islands.
(http://tinyurl.com/bngyy)
1562 Mar 4,The Archdiocese of
Riga was attached to Lithuania.
(LHC, 3/4/03)
1569 Jul 1, Latvia Parliament
accepted the Union of Lublin and was incorporated into Poland.
(MC, 7/1/02)
1581 Jan 14, The city of Riga
joined the Polish-Lithuanian union.
(LHC, 1/14/03)
1582 Jan 15, Russia ceded
Livonia and Estonia to Poland, and lost access to Baltic.
(MC, 1/15/02)
1605 Sep 27, Jan Karol
Chodkiewicz (1560-1621), Lithuanian Hetman (Jonas Karolis
Katkevičius-Katkus), led Lithuanian and Polish forces to victory
against a Swedish army at Kircholm, Latvia. Chodkiewicz carried the
day in a victory that, taking into account the disparity of power
and strategic result, was huge. It is estimated that 6000 Swedes
died. Sweden’s King Charles IX was wounded.
(www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/images/kircholm_27_sept.htm)
1651 Oct 26, Courlander Gambia
was established as a Latvian colony.
(http://www.vdiest.nl/gambia.htm)
1700 Feb 22, Augustus II
(the Strong), elector of Saxony (1694-1733) and King of Poland
(1697-1706, 1709-1733), with the help of the Saxon army attacked
Swedish controlled Riga. This began the Northern War (1700-1721).
(LHC,
2/22/03)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_II_the_Strong)
1840 Cheap land in Russia,
Siberia and the far East promoted Latvian immigration and by WW I
some 500 ethnic colonies were established. Half of these were in
Bashkiria and Siberia.
(BN, 10/96, p.1)
1877 The 1st passenger train
from Riga, Latvia, reached the beach town of Jurmala. By 1911 a
direct route reached to Moscow.
(CNT, 3/04, p.150)
1898 Jan 10, Sergei M.
Eisenstein (d.1948), Russian director (Alexandr Nevski) [OS], was
born in Riga, Latvia. He became a renowned film director in Russia.
In 1999 Ronald Bergan published the biography: "Sergei Eisenstein: A
Life In Conflict."
(SFEC, 5/2/99, BR p.1,10)(MC, 1/10/02)
1899 Rudolf Heinrich Zirkwitz
designed a building in Riga in the Art Nouveau style that in 1997
housed the Latvian insurance firm Riga-Phoenix.
(BN, 7/97, p.6)
1901-1912 George Armistead (1847-1912), a British
citizen, served as mayor of Riga, Latvia.
(www.riga-cd.infolatvia.com/notes/note0505.html)
1903 Sep 25, Mark Rothko
(d.1970), [Marcus Rothkovich] US émigré painter (Green
on Blue), was born in Dvinsk, Russia, later Daugavpils, Latvia. His
family moved to Portland, Ore. in 1913. His work included "Subway"
(1936/1939), "Street Scene" (1936/1938), "Untitled" (1942),
"Untitled" (1942/1943), "Phalanx of the Mind" (1945), "The Source"
(1946), "Sacrificial Moment" (1946), "Number 18" (1948), and
"Untitled" (1945-1946).
(V.D.-H.K.p.362)(SFC,1/21/97, p.B1,2)(AP,
11/11/03)
1904 Abram Games (1914-1996),
master of graphic arts, received the Order of the British Empire in
1958 for his WW II posters. His parents were Latvian immigrants from
1904.
(SFC, 9/27/96, p.A24)
1905 Walter Zapp (d.2003) was
born in 1905 in Riga, Latvia. He later invented the Minox mini
camera which was featured in spy movies. Zapp died in Switzerland.
(AP, 7/28/03)
1905 Mihails Eizensteins, the
premier Art Nouveau architect of Latvia, built a mansion in Riga. In
1997 it housed the Latvian campus of the Stockholm School of
Economics.
(BN, 7/97, p.6)
1905 Peteris Kuzis (aka Janis
Berzins) was active in the Communist Revolution in Latvia. He was
caught by the czarist police but spared due to being under 18.
(BN, 10/96, p.1)
1909 Jun 6, Isaiah Berlin
(d.1997) was born in Riga. He became a professor at Oxford and wrote
numerous essays on the history of political ideas and concepts of
liberty. The family moved to Britain in 1919.
(SFC,11/6/97, p.C14)
1914-1919 Some 850,000 Latvians moved to Russia to
escape the war zone. In the ensuing war some 300,000 Latvians died.
(BN, 10/96, p.1)
1917 Sep 3, German troops
overran Riga Latvia.
(MC, 9/3/01)
1917 Sep 17, The German Army
recaptured the Russian [Latvian] Port of Riga from Russian forces.
(HN, 9/17/98)
1917 Karlis Ulmanis founded the
Farmer’s Party. He later became president and is considered by many
as the “father of independent Latvia.”
(BN, 10/97, p.1)
1918 Feb 15, Estonia, Latvia
& Lithuania adopted the Gregorian calendar.
(440 Int’l., 2/15/99)
1918 Feb 22, Germany claimed
the Baltic states, Finland and Ukraine from Russia.
(MC, 2/22/02)
1918 Mar 3, Germany,
Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and Russia signed the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which ended Russian participation in World
War I. Germany and Austria forced Soviet Russia to sign the Peace of
Brest, which called for the establishment of 5 independent
countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine. The
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which ended Russian participation in World
War I, was annulled by the November 1918 armistice. The treaty
deprived the Soviets of White Russia.
(HN, 3/3/99)(LHC, 3/1/03)(AP, 3/3/08)
1918 Dec 11, Latvia proclaimed
independence.
(LC, 1998, p.30)
1918-1939 During the period of Baltic independence
some 236,000 Latvians returned from Russia.
(BN, 10/96, p.1)
1919 Jan 5, British ships
shelled the Bolshevik headquarters in Riga.
(HN, 1/5/99)
1921 Apr 9, Russo-Polish
conflict ended with the signing of the Riga Treaty.
(HN, 4/9/98)
1926 A Soviet census indicated
that 202,000 persons living in the USSR called themselves
“Latvians.”
(BN, 10/96, p.1)
1933-1945 In 2008 Latvian filmmaker Edvins Snore,
directed “Soviet Story.” It shows the close
connections—philosophical, political and organizational—between the
Nazi and Soviet systems beginning in 1933 thru WWII.
(www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11401983)
1934 Sep 12, Estonia, Latvia
& Lithuania signed the Baltic Entente in Geneva against the
USSR.
(LC, 1998, p.24)(MC, 9/12/01)
1935 Latvia erected its Freedom
Monument, a 42-metre (138 ft) high structure in Riga, as a
symbol of resistance to foreign rule.
(Reuters, 2/19/08)
1936 Peteris Kuzis led a
volunteer battalion against fascism in Spain.
(BN, 10/96, p.2)
1937 Jan, Peteris Kuzis
received an “Order of Lenin” medal for his service in Spain.
(BN, 10/96, p.2)
1937 Nov, Peteris Kuzis was
called to the Kremlin and denounced as a spy. He was arrested and
executed.
(BN, 10/96, p.2)
1939 Mar 22, Germany marched
into Klaipeda (Memel), Lithuania. The Lithuanian warship Prezidentas
Smetona was left without a harbor. The ship soon settled at Latvia’s
port of Liepaja. In December Ltn. P. Labanauskas was named captain.
In 1940 Soviet occupiers called for the ship to raise the Soviet
flag, but Captain Labanauskas sailed the ship out of Soviet
territory. The ship was later handed over to the Soviet Baltic
fleet. On Jan 11, 1945, it hit a mine and sank off the coast of
Finland.
(Voruta #27-28, Jul 1996,
p.2)(http://tinyurl.com/cs545k)
1939 Aug 23, German Foreign
Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and Soviet Commissar for Foreign
Affairs Vyacheslav M. Molotov signed a Treaty of Non-Aggression, the
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact freeing Hitler to invade Poland and Stalin
to invade Finland. Secret protocols, made public years later, were
added that assigned Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Bessarabia to be
within the Soviet sphere of influence. Poland was partitioned along
the rivers Narev, Vistula and San. Germany retained Lithuania
enlarged by the inclusion of Vilnius. Just days after the signing,
Germany invaded Poland, and by the end of September, both powers had
claimed sections of Poland.
(WP, 6/29/96, p.A16)(AP, 8/23/97) (HNPD,
8/22/98)(HN, 8/23/98)
1939 Oct 5, The Soviets signed
a mutual defense pact with Latvia that allowed 30,000 troops to be
stationed there.
(DrEE, 10/26/96, p.4)
1939 The USSR census indicated
126,000 Latvians.
(BN, 10/96, p.1)
1940 Jun 17, The Soviet Union
occupied Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
(HN, 6/17/98)
1940 Jun 18, Soviet occupation
was completed.
(DrEE, 10/26/96, p.4)
1940 Jul 21, The new
USSR-organized parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania held
simultaneous sessions. They declared their countries to be soviet
socialist republics and applied for admission to the USSR.
(www.historycommission.ee/temp/conclusions_frame.htm)
1940 Aug 3, The Supreme Soviet
officially registered the acceptance of Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania into the USSR.
(SC,
8/3/02)(www.historycommission.ee/temp/conclusions_frame.htm)
1940 Aug 25, The ‘parliaments’
of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania declared themselves ‘provisional
Supreme Soviets’ and adopted new constitutions that were composed
according to the example of the constitutions of already existing
union republics of the USSR.
(www.historycommission.ee/temp/conclusions_frame.htm)
1940 Aug, The Armies of
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were reorganized as territorial rifle
corps of the Red Army and placed under the control of the political
leaders of the Red Army.
(www.historycommission.ee/temp/conclusions_frame.htm)
1941 Apr 18, In the village of
Audrini, Latvia, Boleslavs Maikovskis, chief of police for the
second precinct of Rezekne, ordered the arrest of all the 200-300
people in the village after Soviet partisans shot and killed several
policemen. He also ordered every house to be burned down. 200
villagers were then executed, but he claimed to have nothing to do
with the slaughter. He was charged with mass murder in Germany and
his trial began in 1988 but in Feb 1994 the court ruled that he was
too frail to continue.
(SFC, 5/8/96, p.C-2)
1941 Jun 14, The Russian secret
police gathered up some 40,000 men, women and children and exiled
them to Siberia in cattle cars. This was the first of many
shipments. Some 10,000 Estonians, more than 15,000 Latvians and
between 16,000 and 18,000 Lithuanians were herded onto cattle trains
and transported to the far eastern reaches of the Soviet Union,
where many of them died.
(WP, 6/29/96, p.A16)(http://tinyurl.com/5jxmas)
1941 Jul 4, Latvia partisans
shot 416 Jews dead.
(Maggio)
1941 Jul 8, All Jews living in
Baltic States were obligated to wear Star of David.
(MC, 7/8/02)
1941 Oct 14, The 1st mass
deportations took place at Kovno, Lodz, Minsk & Riga.
(MC, 10/14/01)
1941 Nov 29, In Riga the Nazis
separated the men over 16 from their families. That night half the
ghetto population were massacred.
(SFEC, 11/1/98, p.A15)
1941 Dec 1-7, During the first
week of the month some 20-30,000 Jews were taken by the Nazis from
the Riga ghetto to nearby Rumbuli forest, shot and buried in mass
graves. In 2000 Konrad Kalejs (86) fled Britain to Australia under
allegations that he was linked to the murder of over 30,000 people,
mostly Jews, in Latvia. In 2000 Latvia and Australia signed an
extradition treaty.
(SFEC, 11/1/98, p.A14)(SFC, 1/7/00, p.D3)(SFC,
7/15/00, p.A13)
1941 Dec 8-9, A final sweep of
the Jewish ghetto in Riga resulted in over 800 bodies burned and
thrown into a mass grave at a cemetery next to the ghetto. These
events were later recalled in the book “Endless Miracles,” by
survivor Jack Ratz, who was 14 at the time, but went with the men on
Nov 29.
(SFEC, 11/1/98, p.A15)
1941 The Germans seized Latvia
and many Latvians joined the Nazi ranks. The Latvian Legion was
formed under the German Waffen SS and its 2 divisions helped prolong
the war by defeating the Soviet Army in several battles. Viktors
Arajs headed the feared Kommando unit that was responsible for war
crimes against Jews.
(SFC, 4/8/98, p.A14)
1941-1942 Nearly 80,000 Jews, or 90% of Latvia's
prewar Jewish population, were killed during this period.
(AP, 3/16/11)
1941-1944 About 250,000 Latvians fought alongside
either the Germans or the Soviets during this period. Some 150,000
Latvians died in the fighting.
(AP, 3/16/11)
1943 Nov 2, Jewish ghetto of
Riga, Latvia, was destroyed.
(MC, 11/2/01)
1944 Mar 27, Forty Jewish
policemen were shot in the Riga Latvia ghetto by the Gestapo.
(HN, 3/27/98)
1944 Oct 13, Riga, Latvia, was
freed.
(MC, 10/13/01)
1944 The Communists regained
control of Latvia. They sent the captured members of the Latvian
Legion, who had fought under the German Waffen SS, to prison camps
in Siberia.
(SFC, 4/8/98, p.A14)
1944 Vasily Kononov (21) led a
small band of pro-Soviet partisans in Latvia. He was arrested in
1998 for ordering the execution of 9 civilians in the village of
Mazie Bati, whom he suspected of pro-Nazi sympathies, but maintained
his innocence. In 2000 Latvia sentenced Kononov to 6 years in prison
but he was soon freed pending further investigation. Russian
president Vladimir Putin granted Kononov Russian citizenship.
(SFC, 4/26/00, p.A16)
1944-1956 Some 180,000 Latvians were sent to
Siberia in the years immediately following the war. Some deportees
were allowed to filter back after the death of Stalin and the
beginning of Khrushchev’s “thaw.”
(BN, 10/96, p.2)
1947 Feb 27, Gidon Kremer,
violinist (Tchaikovsky Prize 1970), was born in Riga, Latvia.
(MC, 2/27/02)
1948 Jan 16, Anatoli
Yakovlevich Solovyov, cosmonaut (TM-5,9,15,26, STS 71), was born in
Riga, Latvia.
(MC, 1/16/02)
1948 Jan 27, Mikhail
Baryshnikov, ballet dancer, was born in Riga, Latvia.
(MC, 1/27/02)
1950 Apr 8, A US Navy Privateer
airplane flew from Wiesbaden, West Germany, to spy over the Soviet
Union with 10 people on board. Soviet reconnaissance spotted the
plane over Latvia and shot it down.
(SFEC,12/21/97,
p.A26)(www.coldwar.org/articles/50s/baltic_incident.html)
1958 Ludmilla Chiriaeff
(1924-1996), Latvian-born dance pioneer, founded the Les Grandes
Ballets Canadians.
(SFC, 9/24/96, p.B2)
1961 An experimental nuclear
reactor was built at Salapilis. It was closed in 1998.
(BN, 10/98, p.6)
1971 The top secret Russian
Skrunda radar station was opened.
(BN, 10/98, p.1)
1986 Einars Repse graduated
from Latvia State Univ. in physics and became a founding member of
the Latvian Popular Front.
(WSJ, 12/11/02, p.B5B)
1986 A citizen’s forum was
organized by Mikhail Gorbachev in Jurmala, Latvia. 2,000 handpicked
Communists faced 220 Americans on televised debates shown to the
Soviet public.
(SFEC, 9/15/96, Parade p.22)
1988 The mass production of
kvass, a popular traditional drink made of stale rye, sugar and
yeast, ceased. Popularity of the drink made a comeback in 1997.
(WSJ, 9/8/00, p.A17)
1989 Aug 23, Approximately two
million people joined their hands to form an over 600 km (373 mi)
long human chain across the three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia,
and Lithuania. This original demonstration was organized to draw the
world's attention to the common historical fate which these three
countries suffered. It marked the 50th anniversary of August 23,
1939, when the Soviet Union and Germany in the secret protocol of
the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact divided spheres of interest in Eastern
Europe, which led to the occupation of these three states.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Way)
1990 Mar 19, Latvia's political
opposition claimed victory in the republic's first free elections in
50 years, and reformers also claimed victories in crucial runoffs
held in Russia, Byelorussia and Ukraine.
(AP, 3/19/00)
1990 May 4, Latvia's parliament
voted 138-0 (1 abstention) for Independence. The Russophone
Ravnopraviye (Equal Rights Movement) boycotted this resolution by
walking out of parliament.
(http://countrystudies.us/latvia/20.htm)
1990 May 12, The presidents of
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania forged a united front by reviving a
1934 political alliance in hopes of enhancing their drive for
independence from the Soviet Union.
(AP, 5/12/00)
1990 May 14, In separate
decrees, Soviet President Gorbachev declared that the republics of
Estonia and Latvia had no legal basis for moving toward
independence.
(AP, 5/14/00)
1991 Jan 8, Pro Soviet
demonstrators protested price rises and surrounded the parliament in
Vilnius. Fresh Soviet troops began rolling across Baltic borders
from Pskov, Russia, allegedly to deal with Baltic youth who have
been evading the Soviet draft.
(www.balticsww.com/news/features/crackdown.htm)
1991 Jan 20, In Latvia, “black
beret” commandos of the Soviet Interior Ministry attacked the
republic’s Interior Ministry headquarters, killing five people.
Communist leader Alfred Rubiks supported a Soviet crackdown against
a move by his countrymen for independence.
(SFC,11/6/97, p.C3)(AP, 1/20/01)
1991 Mar 3, Latvia and Estonia
voted to become independent of the USSR.
(SC, 3/3/02)
1991 Aug, Alfred Rubiks was
jailed for his support of the Soviet crackdown against independence
in Jan. He was released in 1997 for good behavior.
(SFC,11/6/97, p.C3)
1991 Sep 6, In the Soviet
Union, the State Council, a new executive body composed of President
Mikhail S. Gorbachev and republic leaders, recognized the
independence of the Baltic states. All three were admitted into the
United Nations later this month.
(AP,
9/6/01)(http://countrystudies.us/lithuania/25.htm)
1991 Sep 14, US Secretary of
State James A. Baker III met with leaders of the Baltic nations,
which had declared independence from the Soviet Union.
(AP, 9/14/01)
1991 Sep 17, The U.N. General
Assembly opened its 46th session, welcoming new members Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania, North and South Korea, the Marshall Islands and
Micronesia.
(AP, 9/17/01)
1991 Independent Latvia
recognized only the citizens of the pre-1940 Latvian state and their
descendants. Some 740,000 Russian-speaking residents were made
aliens and barred from voting and government sector employment.
(WSJ, 3/11/05, p.A9)
1992 Mar 5, In Copenhagen the
Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany,
Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden, in the
presence of the representative from the European Commission, opened
a 2-day meeting and decided to establish a Council of the Baltic Sea
States to serve as a forum for guidance and overall coordination
among the participating states. Iceland joined the CBSS in 1995
(Econ, 6/7/08,
p.63)(www.bmwi.de/English/Navigation/European-policy/baltic-market.html)
1993 Jul 8, Guntis Ulmanis was
sworn in as president.
(BN, 10/97, p.3)
1993 The Latvian Government
Training Center opened. It was funded by the US Baltic Foundation
DemNet program.
(USBF, V.7, #2, p.5)
1994 Jul 6, President Clinton
stopped by Latvia, then traveled to Poland as part of a four-nation
European tour.
(AP, 7/6/04)
1994 Aug 31, Russia officially
ended its military presence in the former East Germany and the
Baltics after a half-century.
(AP, 8/31/99)
1994 Estonia became the 1st
European country to introduce a flat tax (26%) on personal and
corporate income. Latvia and Lithuania soon followed suit.
(Econ, 3/5/05, p.54)
1995 The only Jewish synagogue
in Riga was bombed and caused $300,000 in damages.
(SFC, 4/8/98, p.A14)
1996 Sep 27, US Defense Sec.
William Perry said the 3 Baltic nations would not be among the first
new NATO members drawn from Eastern Europe.
(SFC, 9/28/96, p.A8)
1996 Agate Nesaule won an
American Book Award for her memoir: "A Woman in Amber--Healing the
Trauma of War and Exile."
(BN, V.15, No.55, p.1)
1996 A coalition government was
formed under Prime Minister Andris Skele. It was noted that the
Russian language was still the primary school language and the
language of communication between all non-Latvians.
(BN, V.15, No.55, p.1)
1997 Jun, Terms of the Baltnet
Group, an Air Surveillance System for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia,
were established in Oslo, Norway.
(http://tinyurl.com/a6o2n)
1997 Aug 8, The largest int’l.
military exercise in Latvia’s history will take place over 5 days at
the Adazi training center organized by the Northwest Europe Command.
Troops from 15 countries were to participate.
(BN, 6/97)
1997 Oct 2, Latvian violinist
Gidon Kremer led his Astor Quartet in a homage to Astor Piazzolla at
the Herbst Theater in Berkeley, Ca.
(SFC, 10/4/97, p.E1)
1997 Nov 5, Alfred Rubiks,
former Communist leader, was released from jail.
(SFC,11/6/97, p.C3)
1997 Nov 18, Holocaust
survivors from Latvia received the first checks from a $200 million
fund set up by Swiss banks. Individual survivors were to each
receive $1000.
(SFC,11/19/97, p.C4)
1998 Jan 16, Baltic leaders
signed an agreement, the US-Baltics Charter of Partnership, at the
White House strengthening US and NATO ties with Latvia, Lithuania,
and Estonia. The leaders also established a $15 million fund with
equal contributions from the Agency for Int’l. Development and
George Soros to promote nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
(WSJ, 1/16/98, p.A1)(SFC, 1/17/98, p.A8)
1998 Mar, Some 500 Nazi WW II
veterans held a parade in Riga.
(SFC, 4/8/98, p.A14)
1998 Apr 2, The only Jewish
synagogue in Riga was bombed.
(SFC, 4/8/98, p.A14)
1998 Apr 3, Pres. Guntis
Ulmanis fired the commander of Latvia’s army, Juris Dalbinsh, for
marching full uniform in a Nazi parade in March. He also fired
Police Chief Aldis Lieljuksis.
(SFC, 4/8/98, p.A14)
1998 Apr 6, An anti-personnel
mine exploded outside the Russian Embassy in Riga.
(SFC, 4/8/98, p.A14)
1998 Apr 8, The Democratic
Party Samnieks, the largest of the 6-party coalition, walked out of
Parliament accusing the nationalist prime minister of souring
relations with Russia.
(SFC, 4/9/98, p.A9)
1998 Aug 31, The Skrunda radar
base, the last Russian military outpost in the Baltic states, was
closed.
(SFC, 9/1/98, p.A9)
1998 Oct 3, In Latvia voters
approved a referendum to ease citizenship requirements for Russians
left there following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Voters also
selected members for the 100 seat unicameral parliament.
(WSJ, 10/5/98, p.A1)(BN, 10/98, p.1)
1998 Nov 18, The Swedish bank
Skandinavska Enskilda acquired a 32% stake in Eesti Uhispank, as
well as a 36% stake in Latvia’s Latvijas Unibanka.
(WSJ, 11/19/98, p.A16)
1998 Dec, In Sweden a Latvian
team won the first European championships in Fire Sculpture.
(SFC, 1/7/99, p.D5)
1998 The experimental nuclear
reactor at Salaspilis was closed. It was estimated that $50 million
would be needed to dismantle it.
(BN, 10/98, p.1)
1998 A documentary video on the
Baltic States: “Seven years of Success and Still Growing” was
produced.
(BN, 10/98, p.6)
1999 Feb 24, Latvia became the
first Baltic state to be a full member of the World Trade
Organization (WTO).
(BN, 3/99, p.1)
1999 Jun 17, Latvia's
parliament elected Vaira Vike-Freiberga (61), Canadian
émigré and retired university professor, as its first
female president.
(WSJ, 6/18/99, p.A1)(USAT, 6/11/04, p.5D)
1999 Jul 16, Parliament
approved the center-right government of Andris Skele. This ended the
6-year dominance of the centrist Latvia's Way Party.
(WSJ, 7/22/99, p.A26)
1999 Dec 10, The EU granted
preliminary consideration for membership to Bulgaria, Latvia,
Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Malta.
(SFC, 12/11/99, p.A16)
2000 Aug 17, In Latvia a bomb
exploded in Riga and 21 people were injured.
(SFC, 8/18/00, p.D6)
2002 Jul 6, In Latvia hopes
were high at a summit of 10 former communist countries aspiring to
join NATO, and many delegates already were looking ahead to the
responsibilities of membership.
(AP, 7/6/02)
2002 Oct 5, In Latvia the
pro-business New Era party appeared set to win the most seats in
parliamentary elections to choose the government that will lead this
ex-Soviet republic into the European Union and NATO. Einars Repse
led polls for election as prime minister.
(AP, 10/4/02)(AP, 10/6/02)
2002 Oct 9, The European
Union's executive Commission declared Bulgaria, the Czech Republic,
Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania,
Slovenia, and Slovakia nearly ready for EU membership and
recommended they be invited to join in 2004. Romania and Bulgaria
likely will be delayed until 2007 because of weak economies, the
Commission said, adding Turkey was the weakest link among
candidates.
(AP, 10/9/02)
2002 Nov 5, In Latvia Einars
Repse, a former head of the Central Bank who campaigned against
corruption, was nominated to be the next PM.
(AP, 11/5/02)
2002 Nov 7, Latvia's parliament
gave its approval to a new government headed by former Central Bank
president Einars Repse, who vowed to stop corruption in the
ex-Soviet Baltic republic.
(AP, 11/7/02)
2002 Nov 21, The Baltic nations
of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania joined former communist states
Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia as the next wave of NATO
states.
(AP, 11/21/02)
2002 Dec 13, The EU reached
agreement to accept 10 new countries in 2004. These included Czech
Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta,
Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
(SFC, 12/14/02, p.A3)
2003 Jun 20, In Latvia Vaira
Vike-Freiberga easily won a second term as president.
(AP, 6/20/03)
2003 Sep 20, Latvians endorsed
membership in the EU.
(AP, 9/21/03)
2003 Dec 10, Four Latvian
climbers plunged hundreds of feet to their deaths on Mount Cook, New
Zealand's highest peak.
(AP, 12/10/03)
2004 Feb 5, Latvian Prime
Minister Einars Repse announced Thursday that his 14-month-old
government was stepping down, saying his Cabinet can't continue
working without a majority in parliament.
(AP, 2/5/04)
2004 Mar 29, Pres. Bush hosted
a White House ceremony to welcome Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania,
Latvia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia into the NATO alliance.
(WSJ, 3/30/04, p.A1)
2004 Mar, In Latvia the 12th
government in 13 years took office.
(Econ, 3/13/04, p.53)
2004 Apr 27, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov and EU officials signed an accord extending
the EU-Russia partnership accord to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and
Malta, which join May 1.
(AP, 4/27/04)
2004 May 1, Revelers across
ex-communist eastern Europe celebrated their historic entry to the
European Union. 10 new members (Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia,
Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia)
joined. Malta joined with 70 exemptions to EU rules. Poland had 43
exemptions. Latvia had 32. The Turkish occupied area of Cyprus was
suspended from entry.
(AP, 5/1/04)(Econ, 2/28/04, p.50)(Econ, 4/16/05,
p.16)
2004 Sep 23, In Latvia
lawmakers rejected a proposal to let nearly 500,000 ethnic Russians
vote in local elections, despite giving the same right to citizens
of EU countries who live in the Baltic state.
(AP, 9/23/04)
2004 Oct 28, Latvia's
government resigned after lawmakers refused to pass the 2005 budget
that had been proposed by PM Indulis Emsis.
(AP, 10/28/04)(WSJ, 10/29/04, p.A13)
2004 Dec, Latvia’s President
Vaira Vike-Freiberga appointed Aigars Kalvitis as PM, the 9th in 11
years.
(Econ, 12/11/04, p.48)
2004 Latvia passed an education
law requiring all students to take exams in Latvian by 2007.
(WSJ, 3/11/05, p.A9)
2004 Latvia’s highest court
upheld the conviction of Vasily Kononov for ordering the killing of
9 civilians while fighting for Soviet forces in Nazi-occupied Latvia
in 1944. Kononov's Soviet commando unit killed the unarmed Latvian
villagers, who were suspected of collaborating with Nazi Germany.
Kononov was sentenced to 20 months in prison, a much shorter
sentence than the 12 years prosecutors had requested, but he was
freed because he had already served that amount of time in pretrial
detention. In 2010 Europe's highest human rights court upheld the
war crimes conviction.
(AP, 5/17/10)
2005 Jan 1, Latvia was forecast
for 5.5% annual GDP growth with a population at 2.3 million and GDP
per head at $5,800.
(Econ, 1/8/05, p.88)
2005 Apr, A Latvian declaration
in late April about compensation for hardships suffered under Soviet
rule rankled Russia, caused Russia to cancel a proposed signing on
May 10.
(AP, 5/15/05)
2005 May 6, President Bush
arrived in Riga, Latvia, as he opened a fast-paced, four-country
journey to mark the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.
(AP, 5/6/06)
2005 May 7, In Riga, Latvia,
Pres. Bush said the Soviet domination of central and eastern Europe
after World War II will be remembered as "one of the greatest wrongs
of history" and acknowledged that the United States played a
significant role in the division of the continent.
(AP, 5/7/05)
2005 May 12, Latvia’s
parliament issued a declaration that said: "The Soviet Union
occupied and annexed the Republic of Latvia, destroyed its state
system, killed, tortured and deported hundreds of thousands of
people, robbed them of their property without any legal reason."
(AP, 5/15/05)
2005 Jun 2, Latvian lawmakers
voted to ratify the European Union constitution and challenged other
European nations not to give up hope that the charter can be
implemented.
(AP, 6/2/05)
2005 Oct 27, Latvian lawmakers
endorsed a new code of ethics designed to burnish the legislature's
reputation that would prohibit deputies swearing and smoking in
public.
(AP, 10/27/05)
2005 Nov 6, Paul Tergat of
Kenya won the NYC marathon by a third of a second in the closest
finish ever. Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia took the women’s race.
(WSJ, 11/7/05, p.A1)
2005 Dec 9, In Ireland more
than 10,000 labor union members protested in Dublin and other cities
over shipping company Irish Ferries' plan to replace its workers
with Latvians making $4.25 an hour, half the local minimum wage. It
was the country's most bitter industrial showdown in decades.
(AP, 12/09/05)(WSJ, 12/10/05, p.A1)
2006 Jun 7, Latvia's parliament
approved a bill to publish the names of nearly 4,500 suspected
Soviet secret police informants. The bill went to President Vaira
Vike-Freiberga for approval. Should she veto it, Parliament can
override it with a two-thirds majority vote.
(AP, 6/7/06)
2006 Sep 15, Latvian President
Vaira Vike-Freiberga joined the race to become the next UN
secretary-general, becoming the first woman vying for the UN's top
post.
(AP, 9/15/06)
2006 Sep 19, Einars Repse,
Latvia's former prime minister (2002-2004), accidentally killed a
pedestrian while driving on a remote road. He said he would stop
campaigning for parliament, although he will remain a candidate. The
EU's official statistics agency, Eurostat, said Latvia registered
222 traffic deaths per 1 million residents in 2004, the highest in
the union.
(AP, 9/21/06)
2006 Oct 5, The Latvian and
Thai candidates dropped out of the race to become the next U.N.
chief on Thursday, leaving South Korea's foreign minister as the
lone remaining contender and near-certain successor to Kofi Annan.
(AP, 10/5/06)
2006 Oct 7, Latvians turned out
in their droves to choose the 100 men and women who will make their
laws for the next four years in the first general election since the
Baltic state joined the EU. Latvia's PM Aigars Kalvitis pledged to
continue stimulating economic growth if his centre-right government
was re-elected.
(AFP, 10/7/06)(Reuters, 10/7/06)
2006 Oct 8, Latvia's ruling
coalition kept its grip on power in general elections, making it
first sitting government to do so since the Baltic republic broke
away from the Soviet Union 15 years ago. PM Aigars Kalvitis has said
he was ready to form and lead a new, centre-right coalition
government.
(AP, 10/8/06)
2006 Oct 18, Queen Elizabeth II
praised Latvians' love of liberty and hailed the long-standing ties
between Britain and the Baltic state, where she began the first-ever
visit by a British monarch.
(AFP, 10/18/06)
2006 Nov 5, Marilson Gomes dos
Santos of Brazil won the NYC Marathon in 2:09:58. Jelena Prokopcuka
of Latvia won the women’s race for the 2nd year in a row in 2:25:05.
(WSJ, 11/6/06, p.A1)
2006 Nov 28, President Bush, in
Latvia to attend a NATO summit, said he will not be persuaded by any
calls to withdraw American troops from Iraq before the country is
stabilized. Bush also enlisted renewed commitments from the NATO
allies that have deployed 32,000 troops to Afghanistan.
(AP, 11/28/06)
2006 Nov 29, NATO leaders
finished a two-day summit without agreement on some members' refusal
to send troops into combat in Afghanistan's most dangerous regions.
NATO vowed to give its troubled mission in Afghanistan the "forces,
resources and flexibility needed" to tackle increasingly ferocious
Taliban fighters. Leaders invited Serbia, Montenegro and
Bosnia-Herzegovina to join a program considered a first step toward
eventual membership, but urged Serbia and Bosnia to fully cooperate
with the UN war crimes tribunal.
(AP, 11/29/06)(AFP, 11/29/06)
2006 Dec 3, Andris Piebalgs,
the EU Energy Commissioner from Latvia, signed an accord on nuclear
cooperation with Kazakhstan. The EU hoped to increase Kazakhstan
uranium sales to the EU from 3% to 20%.
(WSJ, 12/4/06, p.A6)
2006 Dec 4, The Estlink cable
connected power grids of the Baltic States with Finland. The cost of
Estlink, which measures 100 kilometers (60 miles), was around 110
million euros (132 million dollars). It was built by Swiss-Swedish
group ABB.
(AP, 12/4/06)
2006 Dec 27, Saddam Hussein's
Baath Party threatened to retaliate if the ousted Iraqi leader is
executed, warning in an Internet posting it would target US
interests anywhere. A car bomb explosion killing 8 civilians and
wounding 10 near an Iraqi army checkpoint in Baghdad. 2 Latvian
soldiers were killed and 3 were wounded when a roadside bomb
exploded under their Humvee in Diwaniyah.
(AP, 12/27/06)
2006 Latvia’s current account
deficit was 20%, the highest in the EU, due to a hot housing market
and credit boom. Latvia’s GDP grew nearly 12% as inflation neared
7%.
(Econ, 3/10/07, p.46)(WSJ, 5/15/07, p.A8)
2007 Feb 23, A fire raced
through a home for the elderly and disabled in western Latvia
leaving 25 people dead or missing.
(AP, 2/23/07)
2007 May 31, Latvia's
Parliament elected Valdis Zatlers, a surgeon with no political
background as, the Baltic country's next president. He will replace
outgoing President Vaira Vike-Freiberga in July when her second and
final term ends.
(AP, 5/31/07)
2007 Jun 6, Housing prices in
the major cities of Estonia, Latia and Lithuania were reported to
average around $202,375.
(WSJ, 6/6/07, p.B9)
2007 Jul 8, Valdis Zatlers, a
trauma surgeon with no prior political experience and widely
publicized tax problems, was sworn in as Latvia's third president
since the Baltic state gained independence in 1991.
(AP, 7/8/07)
2007 Nov 7, Latvia's PM Aigars
Kalvitis said that he would step down on Dec. 5 and that the
four-party ruling coalition would immediately begin searching for a
new head of government.
(AP, 11/7/07)
2007 Dec 5, Latvia's
center-right government resigned after coming under intense
criticism for firing a popular anti-corruption investigator and
failing to restrain inflation.
(AP, 12/5/07)
2007 Dec 20, Latvian lawmakers
approved a new center-right government that will face an uphill
battle to restore popular trust and prevent the country's red-hot
economy from abruptly reversing course. Ivars Godmanis (56) became
prime minister. He led a four-party coalition which is facing a
sharply slowing economy and record high inflation.
(AP, 12/20/07)(Reuters, 6/18/08)
2007 Dec 20, Estonia, Latvia
and Lithuania along with 6 other EU members halted land and sea
border controls at midnight, becoming the first in a wave of new
members of Europe's passport-free Schengen zone.
(AFP, 12/20/07)(WSJ, 12/21/07, p.A1)
2008 Jan 21, Latvia's Foreign
Ministry declared a Russian diplomat persona non grata, citing a
report that he was a threat to national security. On Jan 25 Russia
said it will expel a Latvian diplomat in apparent retaliation. Some
400,000 non-citizens lived in Latvia. Ethnic Russians accounted for
a third of the country's population of 2.3 million.
(AP, 1/25/08)
2008 Mar 12, The United States
signed agreements with EU members Latvia and Estonia that will
enable the tiny Baltic nations to join the U.S. visa waiver program
this year.
(AP, 3/12/08)
2008 May 31, In Latvia about
400 gay men and women and their supporters held a parade in Riga,
accompanied by a strong police presence and chants and insults from
anti-gay activists.
(AP, 5/31/08)
2008 Jun 18, Latvian PM Ivars
Godmanis suffered serious head injuries in a road accident in the
center of the capital while traveling in a car with a siren on.
(AP, 6/18/08)
2008 Jul 25, Energy companies
in the three Baltic states and Poland agreed to set up a joint
venture to develop a nuclear power plant in Lithuania.
(Reuters 7/25/08)
2008 Aug 11, An Afghan police
officer was killed and two others were injured in a roadside bomb
explosion on the southeastern outskirts of Kabul. 3 civilians were
killed and 15 people were wounded, including three NATO troops, when
a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into a NATO military convoy
in Kabul. In the northern province of Maimana meanwhile a Latvian
ISAF soldier was killed and three others wounded when their vehicle
hit a roadside bomb.
(AFP, 8/11/08)
2008 Aug, Inflation in Latvia
stood at 17%.
(Econ, 8/16/08, p.53)
2008 Nov 20, Latvia said it is
looking to start talks with IMF and had formally entered into
negotiations with the European Commission on emergency financial
assistance.
(WSJ, 11/21/08, p.A10)
2008 Dec 16, The central banks
of Sweden and Denmark came to the aid of Latvia with currency swap
agreements. This enabled the Bank of Latvia, to borrow as much as
€500 million.
(WSJ, 12/17/08, p.C2)
2008 Dec 19, France’s finance
ministry unveiled a package of financial aid from the EU and others
totaling $10.7 billion to help Latvia.
(WSJ, 12/20/08, p.A8)
2009 Jan 13, In Latvia a
protest against economic reforms that drew thousands in Riga turned
violent as small pockets of rioters clashed with police and attacked
government buildings.
(AP, 1/13/09)
2009 Feb 20, Latvia's
center-right coalition government resigned after weeks of
instability brought on by the Baltic country's economic collapse.
President Valdis Zatlers said he accepted the resignation of PM
Ivars Godmanis and his administration, which had been in power since
December 2007.
(AP, 2/20/09)
2009 Mar 12, Latvia's
parliament approved a new center-right government with Europe's
youngest premier as the economic crisis in this Baltic state
deepened. A 67-21 vote made PM Valdis Dombrovskis (37) and his
5-party coalition Latvia’s third government in 15 months.
(AP, 3/12/09)
2009 Jul, Latvia’s leading
newspaper, Diena, along with sister publication Dienas Bizness, was
bought by Luxembourg based Nedela S.A. in a highly clandestine
transaction. The deal was initially structured as a loan to
Tralmaks' company Nedela, allowing it to buy the two papers from
then-owner, Sweden's Bonnier Business Press. The loan was later
restructured, placing the Rowlands as the new owners. The Rowland
Capital family office runs an asset management business, Blackfish
Capital Management, a London based company.
(http://tinyurl.com/yjgb4ls)(Econ, 10/17/09,
p.64)
2010 Feb 2, Latvia's government
said it will accept one inmate from the US prison at Guantanamo Bay.
(AP, 2/2/10)
2010 Feb 5, Latvia sold a
deserted town built around a Soviet-era radar station to a Russian
investor who bid $3.1 million at an unusual auction. The town,
formerly known as Skrunda-1, housed about 5,000 people during the
Cold War but was abandoned over a decade ago.
(AP, 2/5/10)
2010 Feb, Latvia’s unemployment
reached 22.8%, the highest in the EU.
(Econ, 2/27/10, p.59)
2010 May 11, In Latvia police
raided the home of Ilmars Poikans (31), an employee in the
artificial intelligence department of the Univ. of Latvia. He had
leaked embarrassing details to local press about top government
officials and business leaders pocketing bonuses while public social
benefits were cut as part of an austerity regime.
(SFC, 5/14/10, p.A2)
2010 Oct 2, Latvians went to
the polls, as the Baltic nation emerges from a savage economic
slump, with polls showing the Moscow-tied left being poised for big
gains. PM Valdis Dombrovskis's center-right coalition took 63 seats
in the 100-member parliament in the election. His Unity Party won 33
seats, while the Moscow-linked, left-wing Harmony Center won 29.
(AFP, 10/2/10)(AP, 10/3/10)(Econ, 10/9/10, p.74)
2010 Nov 4, In western Sudan 3
Latvian helicopter crew working for the United Nations were
kidnapped. They were contracted to the UN Humanitarian Air Service,
which delivers aid to poverty-stricken Darfur. On Dec 8 officials
said the men had been freed with no ransom paid.
(AP, 11/5/10)(AP, 12/9/10)
2011 May 20, The Embassy of the
United States of America announced the official opening of the
Office of the U.S. Secret Service in Estonia. The Secret Service
office will work closely with its law enforcement partners within
the criminal investigative infrastructure in the Baltic nations of
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
(www.estonianfreepress.com)
2011 May 26, In Latvia a vote
in the Saeima, or Parliament, blocked the country's anti-corruption
bureau from searching the home of Ainars Slesers, a powerful
politician known as one of Latvia's three oligarchs.
(AP, 5/28/11)
2011 May 28, Latvian President
Valdis Zatlers, in his final act in office, called for the
dissolution of the country's parliament after lawmakers blocked an
anti-corruption investigation against a prominent politician.
(AP, 5/28/11)(Econ, 7/30/11, p.49)
2011 Jul 8, Andris Berzins
(b.1944) took office as president of Latvia.
(Econ, 7/30/11, p.49)(http://tinyurl.com/6l7gnlx)
2011 Jul 23, Latvians voted by
a large majority to sack their Parliament in a historic referendum,
setting the stage for a snap election in September.
(SSFC, 7/24/11, p.A4)
2011 Sep 17, Latvia held snap
parliamentary elections. The left-leaning Harmony Center,
representing Latvia's large ethnic Russian minority, won over 29% of
the seats in the nation's legislature. An upstart party formed by
former President Valdis Zatlers was in second place with 20.5%,
while Unity, the senior partner in the current ruling center-right
coalition, was third with 18.2%. Approximately one-third of Latvia's
2.2 million people are minorities whose native language is Russian.
Many of them are so-called noncitizens who lack the right to vote.
(AP, 9/17/11)(AP, 9/18/11)
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