The
Duchy of Livonia (; ; ) was a territory of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania — and later the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth — that existed from 1561 to 1621.
Livonia had been part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1561, since the
Livonian Order was
secularized by the
Union of Wilno and the
Livonian Confederation dissolved during the
Livonian Wars. Part of Livonia, formed the
Duchy of Courland and Semigalia, while the south-west part of today's
Estonia and north-east part of today's
Latvia, covering what is now
Vidzeme and
Latgale, were ceded to Lithuania.
In 1566, it was declared as the
Duchy of Livonia according to the Treaty of Union between the landowners of Livonia and authorities of Lithuania;
Jan Hieronimowicz Chodkiewicz became the first Governor of the Duchy (1566–1578). It was a province of
Grand Duchy of Lithuania until 1569. After the
Union of Lublin in 1569, it became a
joint domain of the
Polish Crown and the Grand Duchy.
Part of the
Duchy was conquered by
Swedes during the
Polish–Swedish Wars, and their gains were recognized in the
Treaty of Altmark in 1629. The Commonwealth retained eastern parts
Wenden Voivodeship, renamed to
Inflanty Voivodeship, till the
first partition of Poland–Lithuania in 1772, when it was annexed by
Catherine the Great's
Russian Empire. The title "Grand Duke of Livonia" was used by later
Russian Tsars.
Administrative divisions
See also
