United Baltic Duchy

The United Baltic Duchy (German: Vereinigtes Baltisches Herzogtum) was a short-lived client state of the German Empire during the final stages of World War I, proclaimed by political leaders of local Baltic Germans in regions of Courland, Livonia and Estonia, but never fully realized. It was established on 5 November 1918 in Riga, while those regions were still under the military occupation of the Imperial German Army. The newly proclaimed state was headed by the Regency Council, presided by baron Adolf Pilar von Pilchau. The throne was offered to duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg, who remained in Germany and never took over the throne. Since Germany lost the War by 11 November, the newly created national states of Estonia and Latvia emerged in the region, and the Regency Council was abolished already on 28 November, thus marking the end of the attempted creation of a united state in the Baltics.

The failed creation of the United Baltic Duchy was preceded by similar attempts, aimed at creation of pro-German client-states in regions of Courland (since March 1918), and Livonia-Estonia (since April 1918). Initially, the re-establishment of the Duchy of Courland was proclaimed on 8 March (1918) in Mitau (modern Jelgava), by political leaders of local Baltic Germans, who also proposed the creation of a wider Baltic state, that would include Courland, Livonia and Estonia. Already on 15 March, Germany decided to recognize Courland as an independent country, and the question of possible creation of a wider Baltic state was postponed.