United Baltic Duchy

The **United Baltic Duchy** is a puppet state of the German Empire on the Baltic Sea in Northeastern Europe. The Duchy is a Dual Monarchy ruled and governed by the elitist Baltic German aristocracy with Gustav von Biron as Grand Duke of the United Baltic Duchy. The Duchy is a Multi-Ethnic Duchy that consists of Latvians, Baltic Germans and Estonians.

## History

### Liberation from Russia

By 1916, the Eastern Front of World War I had stabilized and stable German rule could be introduced to the former Russian governorates of Grodno, Kovno, Vilna and Courland under the administrative name of *Ober Ost*. While the former three governorates were primarily inhabitated by Poles, Lithuanians, Jews and White Ruthenians, Courland was home to a large Baltic German population which had resided and ruled there ever since the Livonian Crusade of the 13th century.

The Baltic Germans wholeheartly began to cooperate with the *Ober Ost* administration, as they had suffered under the autocratic rule of the late Tsarist Regime. The Germans on the other hand supported cultural, political and economic initiatives of the Baltic Germans. By September 1917, local Baltic Germans began forming provincial councils.

In early 1918, the Imperial German Army advanced further north into the Governorates of Livland and Reval, as the Russians tried to delay the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. After that, even more Baltic Germans found themselves under German rule - However, many more ethnic Latvians and Estonians as well, which would become a problem later that year.

On 8 March 1918, the local Baltic German-dominated Assembly of Courland declared the restoration of the old Duchy of Courland, which was formally recognised by Kaiser Wilhelm II on 15 March 1918. On 12 April 1918, a Provincial Assembly composed of 35 Baltic Germans, 13 Estonians, and 11 Latvians passed a resolution calling upon the German Emperor to recognize the Baltic provinces as a monarchy and make them a German protectorate; The idea of a so-called "United Baltic Duchy" was born.

The capital of the new state was to be Kuressaare. It was to be a confederation of seven cantons: 'Kurland' (Courland), Riga, 'Lettgallen' (Latgale), 'Südlivland' (South Livonia), 'Nordlivland' (North Livonia), 'Ösel' (*Saaremaa*), and 'Estland' (Estonia).

Germany then invaded St. Petersburg and drove the Communist Revolutionaries away from the city as they made the Russian Empire into a puppet state known as the Tsardom of Russia which consists of the whole entire Ingria which is the geographical area located along the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordered by Lake Ladoga on the Karelian Isthmus in the north and by the River Narva on the border with the Duchy itself in the west.

### Creation of the Duchy

The Duchy was created as a Puppet State as Wilhelm then elected Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg as the Grand Duke. The Duke ruled briefly until a succession crisis happened after his wife died giving birth to his daughter. Because of this Adolf Friedrich then decided to elect Gustav Biron von Curland, the current head of the former royal Family of the Duchy of Courland as Grand Duke of the United Baltic Duchy in which he was crowned Gustav von Biron, Grand Duke of the United Baltic Duchy.

Duke Adolf Friedrich governed the United Baltic Duchy as Reichkommissar as he first organized it as a regular monarchy. Later on Adolf then after having problems with the first Government not going well with the Latvians and Estonians decided to then turn the Country into a Constitutional Dual Monarchy with Latvia, Courland and Estonia having three Parliaments and three Prime Ministers.

## Government

The Government of the United Baltic Duchy is a Constitutional Dual Monarchy ruled by a Grand Duke who rules beside a Reichkommissar who governs the country and appoints members of the three Latvian, Courland and Estonian Parliaments who vote for the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister chooses his cabinet as his cabinet has control over the communities of people.

The central government is composed of the **Landtag** and the **Land College**. The Baltic Landtag is elected via the Prussian three class franchise. All voters in the United Baltic Duchy are divided into three groups, of highest earning, medium earning and lowest earning, each one divided in such a way that each group pays one third of the tax to the treasury, and each group gets allocated a third of the representatives. This artificially inflates the power of the wealthy landowners and the business classes, while disenfranchising the Latvians and Estonians.

With the input of the Duke, the Four Baltic Knighthoods form the national Land College, and this Land College chooses a **Chairman**, considered to be the Head of Government of the United Baltic Duchy, currently Rüdiger von der Goltz. He does not get to form a cabinet of ministers, however - the Land College, as a collective, manages the day to day affairs of the state. The powers which the Land College has over specific parts of state management are undefined, however, and the Landtag, headed by a **Land Marshal**, is able to form its own temporary offices to resolve issues which need to be resolved. This turns the government system of the Duchy into a bipolar system. The Landtag and the Land College are effectively independent of one another and do not answer to one another, yet need to cooperate in order to maintain stability in the country, lest this antiquated structure collapses and the government is left completely powerless.

#### **Administrative Cabinet of the Congress Duchy of Latvia**

* **Grand Duke:** Gustav von Biron
* **Reichkommissar:** Rüdiger von der Goltz
* **Prime Minister:** Kārlis Ulmanis
* **Foreign Minister:** Oskars Dankers
* **Armament Minister:** Ludvigs Ctis
* **Minister of Defense:** Vilis Gulbis
* **Minister of Intelligence:** Hermanis Apsītis
* **Chief of Staff:** Rūdolfs Bangerskis
* **Chief of Army:** Otto Hellmich
* **Chief of Navy:** Tomas Spāde
* **Chief of Air Force:** Jānis Indāns
* **Chief of the Military Police:** Fricis Celmins

#### **Administrative Cabinet of the Congress Duchy of Estonia**

* **Grand Duke:** Gustav von Biron
* **Reichkommissar:** Rüdiger von der Goltz
* **Prime Minister:** Konstantin Päts
* **Foreign Minister:** Hjalmar Mäe
* **Armament Minister:** Karl Selter
* **Minister of Defense:** Kaarel Eenpalu
* **Minister of Intelligence:** Oskar Angelus
* **Chief of Staff:** Johannes Soodla
* **Chief of Army:** Alfons Rebane
* **Chief of Navy:** Voldemar Mere
* **Chief of Air Force:** Richard Tomberg
* **Chief of Military Police:** Juhan Tuuling

#### **Administrative Cabinet of the Grand Duchy of Courland**

* **Grand Duke:** Gustav von Biron
* **Reichkommissar:** Rüdiger von der Goltz
* **Prime Minister:** Friedrich von Samson-Himmelstjerna
* **Foreign Minister:** Heinrich Freiherr von Stackelberg
* **Armament Minister:** Friedrich von Samson-Himmelstjerna
* **Minister of Defense:** Eugen Ludwig Müller
* **Minister of Intelligence:** Baron Rolf Edvard Clemens von Ungern-Sternberg
* **Chief of Staff:** Pytor Wrangel
* **Chief of Army:** Wessel Oskar Karl Johann Freiherr
* **Chief of Navy:** Alexander von Salza
* **Chief of Air Force:** Wilhelm Oxenius
* **Chief of Military Police:** Wessel Freytag von Loringhoven

## Military

The **Baltische Landeswehr** (*Baltic Territorial Army*) is the standing army of the United Baltic Duchy and one of the most professional forces within the German sphere. While arguably small in size, all soldiers (most of them ethnic Germans) are trained to become the best of the best; Equipped with elite equipment from Germany and formed by some of the most decorated veterans of World War I, like Rüdiger von der Goltz, once one of the most powerful men in Eastern Europe, they vastly outrank the forces of nearby Lithuania and Poland and even most of the German *Heer*.

The *Landeswehr* was set up in the early stages of the Estonian War of Independence; Since its formation, it has been under the firm control of Rüdiger von der Goltz. Goltz, former commander of the German Baltic Sea Division in Finland notorious for his high discipline and wide-reaching ambitions, would use it over time to deeply entrench his power basis in the Duchy. The Landeswehr has a ministry-like institution in the Ducal government, the "*Landeswehrkommission*", but is staffed by officers from the army. This makes them effectively independent from the government. The Landeswehr is comprised of several ground divisions and has a small navy and air force to safguard its territory. Service is voluntary and in theory open to all Ducal citizens, however the units are segregated into Baltic German, Estonian and Latvian detachments each having their own General Staff, Army, Air Force. Navy and Military Police.

The Landeswehr's air force comprises two 25 plane squadrons, one interceptor squadron of Fokker D. XVII's, and one tactical bomber squadron of Junker Ju 86's. The Ducal Navy's surface fleet consists of seven destroyers, while it's screening detachment consists of five submarines.

## Foreign Relations

* Great Relations with the German Empire, Kingdom of Finland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Norway, Kingdom of Denmark and the Polish-Lithuanian Empire.
* Bad Relations with the Tsardom of Russia.