International Law and Justice Working Papers - IILJ
International Law and Justice Working Papers - IILJ
International Law and Justice Working Papers - IILJ
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colonies through their connection <strong>and</strong> independence, so it remained a duty to the colonizers to<br />
defend their most dear goods.” 106<br />
In other words, the Baltic Germans had to fight for their national self-rule <strong>and</strong> autonomy on their<br />
own. The next centuries were difficult from the point of view of the Baltic German self-rule.<br />
Bulmerincq recounted how Pol<strong>and</strong> started in the early 17 th century to implement its plans for the<br />
destruction of the German religious <strong>and</strong> linguistic autonomy of the provinces. 107 Similarly<br />
disappointing was in Bulmerincq’s interpretation the Swedish rule since it was ultimately<br />
directed towards the destruction of the “uniqueness of the country” (i.e. autonomy). 108<br />
Bulmerincq further recounted that when Estonia <strong>and</strong> Livonia were finally conquered by Russia<br />
from Sweden in the course of the Nordic war (1700-1721), the Baltic Germans <strong>and</strong> the cities<br />
presented to the Russian tsar their conditions of subjugation (Accord Punkten). The Baltic<br />
German nobility wanted its earlier rights <strong>and</strong> privileges, ultimately its political, linguistic <strong>and</strong><br />
religious autonomy to be confirmed. Peter the Great accepted those conditions through an act of<br />
grace on 30 September 1710. 109<br />
And now was 1865: “The colonies established at the Baltic Sea have started their life with a<br />
fight, lost independence in a fight but have notwithst<strong>and</strong>ing all fights preserved their Lutheran<br />
religion, their German language, their German education, their German law <strong>and</strong> their unique<br />
administration.” 110 Nevertheless, Bulmerincq held the view that under the Emperor Alex<strong>and</strong>er II,<br />
106 P. 10.<br />
107 P. 10-11.<br />
108 P. 13.<br />
109 P. 15.<br />
110 P. 19.