United Baltic Duchy

United Baltic Duchy Vereinigtes Baltisches Herzogtum (German) Apvienotā Baltijas hercogiste (Latvian) Balti Hertsogiriik (Estonian)
1918
Flag of Baltic Germans Coat of arms
Proposed territories for the United Baltic Duchy
Status	Client state of the German Empire
Capital	Riga
Common languages	German Latvian Estonian Russian
Demonym(s)	German
Government	Provisional semi-constitutional monarchy under military occupation
Duke-elect
• 1918	Adolf Friedrich
Regent
• Nov 1918	Adolf Pilar von Pilchau
Historical era	World War I
• Treaty of Brest-Litovsk	3 March 1918
• Proclamation of Duchy by Baltic German nobility	12 April 1918
• Recognized by Germany	22 September 1918
• Regency Council established	5 November 1918
• German surrender	11 November 1918
• Regency Council disbanded	28 November 1918
Preceded by Succeeded by Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1918) Ober Ost Estonia Latvia
Today part of	Latvia Estonia Russia

The United Baltic Duchy^[1] (German: Vereinigtes Baltisches Herzogtum; Latvian: Apvienotā Baltijas hercogiste; Estonian: Balti Hertsogiriik), or alternatively the Grand Duchy of Livonia,^[2] was the name of a short-lived state during World War I that was proclaimed by leaders of the local Baltic German nobility.^[3]

The attempt to establish a new client state of the German Empire on the territory of what is now Latvia and Estonia was made in 1918, during the German occupation of the former Courland, Livonian and Estonian governorates of the Russian Empire; which had ceased to exist after the Bolshevik coup in 1917. The unsuccessful proclamation of a pro-German duchy was first made in April 1918, after the Republic of Estonia had already formally declared full independence.

The proposed ideas for the new state included the creation of a Duchy of Courland and Semigallia and of a Duchy of Estonia and Livonia, which would be in personal union with the Kingdom of Prussia.^[4]