History of Latvia: a Brief Survey

Rīga in 1612.However, during this time, the Duchy of Courland remained an object of interest for bothSweden and Poland. In 1621, during the Polish-Swedish war (1600-1629), Latgale remainedunder Polish control, but Vidzeme and Rīga came under Swedish rule, overshadowingStockholm as the largest and most developed city in the Swedish kingdom. Rīga waseconomically and culturally part of a growing urban network linking the major states andcultures of Western, Eastern and Northern Europe. During this period the region of Vidzemewas known as the ‘Swedish bread basket’ because it supplied the larger part of the Swedishkingdom with wheat.Awareness of the Latvian identity began in the 17th century. The Couronians, Latgallians,Selonians, Semigallians and part of the Livs began to identify as a culturally unified nation —the Latvians (latvieši). Most of the Latvian population were farmers and by the second half ofthe 17th century, most of them were serfs.In the early 18th century, the Great Northern War broke out, largely as a result of the RussianEmpire’s desire to expand its territorial claims to the strategically important territory of Latvia.One of its key goals was to secure and control the wealthy and prestigious city of Rīga.14