Historical Timeline

Timeline of Latvia

32 dated events spanning the recorded history of Latvia.

Chronology

32 events spanning the history of Latvia. BCE/CE dating.

2500 BCE – 1500 BCE
Finno-Ugric and proto-Baltic tribes settle on Baltic shores.
Finno-Ugric and proto-Baltic tribes settle on Baltic shores.
1 – 100
Early Baltic peoples experience rapid cultural progress.
Early Baltic peoples experience rapid cultural progress and expansion of trade with Roman Empire and Germanic tribes.
701 – 1300
Scandinavian Vikings and, subsequently, Slavic tribes engage in trade and war with Baltic peoples.
Scandinavian Vikings and, subsequently, Slavic tribes engage in trade and war with Baltic peoples.
1201
Northern Estonia conquered by Danes and rest of Estonia and Latvia by Germans.
Northern Estonia conquered by Danes and rest of Estonia and Latvia by Germans.
1710
Russian tsar Peter I (the Great) succeeds in wresting control of Estland and Livland.
Russian tsar Peter I (the Great) succeeds in wresting control of Estland and Livland (southern Estonia and northern Latvia) from Sweden
1905
Tsarist Russian authorities respond with violence and repression.
Tsarist Russian authorities respond with violence and repression to Baltic demands for radical political change during Revolution of 1905.
1918 – 1920
Baltic states engage in war to defend independence.
Baltic states engage in war to defend independence; Bolshevik, White Russian, German, Polish, and other forces struggle for control of territories.
1918
Latvia proclaims independence.
Latvia proclaims independence.
1920
Baltic states sign peace treaties with Soviet Russia.
Baltic states sign peace treaties with Soviet Russia; Moscow recognizes their independence and renounces all claims to their territories.
1921
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania admitted to League of Nations.
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania admitted to League of Nations.

1934
State of emergency declared in Estonia and Latvia amidst growing political instability.
State of emergency declared in Estonia and Latvia amidst growing political instability; parliaments suspended and authoritarian regimes introduced.
1939
Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact signed.
Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact signed; Estonia, Latvia, and, soon, Lithuania assigned to Soviet sphere of influence.
1940
Red Army occupies Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Red Army occupies Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania; pro-Soviet governments “elected,” and Baltic states annexed to Soviet Union.
1941 – 1945
Soviet authorities arrest and deport tens of thousands.
Soviet authorities arrest and deport tens of thousands of Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians to Siberia; deportations interrupted by Nazi Germany’s invasion of Soviet Union; Lithuanian resistance movement launches revolt against Soviet rule. Baltic states under German occupation; Nazi regime institutes compulsory draft of Balts into labor or military service; Jews and Gypsies subjected to mass annihilation; nationalist and communist resistance movements active.
1944 – 1945
Soviet forces reoccupy Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Soviet forces reoccupy Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania; hundreds of thousands of refugees flee to West.
1945 – 1952
Anti-Soviet guerrilla war in Baltic republics claims tens of thousands of casualties on both sides.
Anti-Soviet guerrilla war in Baltic republics claims tens of thousands of casualties on both sides.

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Timeline of Latvia

Chronology

Finno-Ugric and proto-Baltic tribes settle on Baltic shores.

Early Baltic peoples experience rapid cultural progress.

Scandinavian Vikings and, subsequently, Slavic tribes engage in trade and war with Baltic peoples.

Northern Estonia conquered by Danes and rest of Estonia and Latvia by Germans.

Russian tsar Peter I (the Great) succeeds in wresting control of Estland and Livland.

Tsarist Russian authorities respond with violence and repression.

Baltic states engage in war to defend independence.

Latvia proclaims independence.

Baltic states sign peace treaties with Soviet Russia.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania admitted to League of Nations.