United Baltic Duchy

The United Baltic Duchy (German: Vereinigtes Baltisches Herzogtum) was a short-lived client state of the German Empire during the final stages of the World War I, proclaimed by political leaders of local Baltic Germans in regions of Courland, Livonia and Estonia, but never fully realized. It was established on 5 November 1918 in Riga, while those regions were still under the military occupation of the Imperial German Army. The newly proclaimed state was headed by the Regency Council, presided by baron Adolf Pilar von Pilchau. The throne was offered to duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg, who remained in Germany and never took over the throne. Since Germany lost the War by 11 November, the newly created national states of Estonia and Latvia emerged in the region, and the Regency Council was abolished already on 28 November, thus marking the end of the attempted creation of a united state in the Baltics.

The failed creation of the United Baltic Duchy was preceded by similar attempts, aimed at creation of pro-German client-states in regions of Courland (since March 1918), and Livonia-Estonia (since April 1918). Initially, the re-establishment of the Duchy of Courland was proclaimed on 8 March (1918) in Mitau (modern Jelgava), by political leaders of local Baltic Germans, who also proposed the creation of a wider Baltic state, that would include Courland, Livonia and Estonia. Already on 15 March, Germany decided to recognize Courland as an independent country, and the question of possible creation of a wider Baltic state was postponed.

On 12 April 1918, the Assembly of political leaders from Livonia and Estonia (mainly Baltic Germans) was held in Riga, defining four principal goals: secession of Livonia and Estonia from Russia; creation of a state encompassing those two regions (Livonia and Estonia); possible creation of a wider Baltic state, encompassing those lands and also Courland; establishment of close political ties with Germany. The independence of Livonia-Estonia was recognized by Germany on 22 September 1918. By that time, a wider political solution, that implied unification of Livonia and Estonia with the neighboring short-lived state of Courland, prevailed among Baltic German leaders, thus leading to creation of the United Baltic Duchy on 5 November 1918.