HOME | DD

Description
An old map that tells about the more successful fate of the Duchy of Courland. The story begins with Jacob Kettler , the most successful ruler of Courland, who managed to build a meritocratic system. Later, Frederick the Great himself would speak flatteringly of him, and take an example from the reforms of Courland for the rise of Prussia. Jakob received a good education at the universities of Rostock and Leipzig.After graduating from the university, he went to travel to other countries, and in Amsterdam he studied shipbuilding. He built manufactories, developed agriculture, created a merchant and military fleet that surpassed the fleet of Brandenburg, as well as Hamburg, Lubeck and other German cities combined, founded Courland colonies in West Africa (near the Gambia River) and on the island of Tobago off the coast of America. Tobago was received from King Charles I of England for the supply of ships and weapons, and the lands of the Gambia were bought from local chiefs. He also acquired the possession of Piltenskoye and left behind him, Courland in material terms at the height of prosperity. The brother of Jacob's wife and his close friend, the Elector of Brandenburg-Friedrich Wilhelm I warned of future confrontations against Poland and Sweden. Being a formal vassal of Poland, Jacob Kettler decided to take advantage of the moment. At the beginning of the Swedish flood, Courland and its close ally Brandenburg immediately announced their accession to the Swedish troops. This allowed Jacob to avoid exile and cruel ruin by the Swedish troops, as well as to expand his personal possessions. Later, Brandenburg and Courland changed sides when Sweden began to suffer defeats. The Arab world has consolidated the status quo for a long time, allowing the participating countries to lick their wounds. Ferdinand Kettler, the youngest of Jacob's sons, personally participated in the war, and became the main "hawk" at the court. He insisted on expanding the army, increasing the means for defense and subsequent protection from the Swedish or Russian threat. Courland has concluded an alliance not only with the fraternal Brandenburg, but also with the Netherlands. Jacob's heir was his first-born Ladislav Friedrich-originally brought up in the Polish court. The newly-made duke was a devout Catholic, and offered the Holy See a new attempt to make a major expedition to Australia and Oceania. Earlier, Jacob Kettler tried to arrange this, but the death of Pope Innocent X and the Northern War put an end to the adventure. Ladislav achieved more success and even founded a couple of small colonies in the Pacific Ocean, which were formally a condominium with the Papal Region. New missionaries were sent to remote Trinidad and Tobago in order to teach the natives to the Christian faith. Friedrich Casimir, the second of Jacob's sons, surrounded himself with luxury from early childhood and spent a lot of money on court life, creating an Italian opera, having stables with Arab horses and building greenhouses with pineapples. He even had a chance to cross paths with the young Peter I, which, according to rumors, turned into "a very unusual relationship". Kazimir remained in memory as an exquisite aesthete and lover of etiquette, but an absolutely terrible administrator. Friedrich Casimir died in 1698 shortly before the outbreak of the Northern War, but managed to conclude a profitable marriage for his minor son Friedrich Wilhelm with Princess Anna Ioannovna. Jacob tried in every possible way to increase his income and the income of the state. A striking example is the planning and the beginning of construction of a shipping channel connecting the Lielupe River with the sea in the west and with the Daugava in the east; Ladislav spent a lot of money on the implementation of the project. Courland became richer due to the continuation of the course of Jacob, as well as the mass influx of immigrants from France and Germany. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, the Kettlers ' tolerant policy attracted a lot of French Huguenots and craftsmen, which even gave rise to a small French diaspora, slightly inferior to the Dutch. When the papal emissaries arrived in Courland, they found a meritocracy duchy that was self-sufficient, flourished, had a strong and well-armed army, participated in trade with a number of European and Asian countries, and was also able to develop and supply small colonies on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, in the Gulf of the Gambia, as well as in the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, a diplomatic union was signed between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Electorate of Saxony. August the Strong managed to suppress the Tarnogrodsk Confederation, and at the expense of the Saxon bureaucratic apparatus to suppress the principle of Liberum Veto and begin a slow but consistent transformation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Polish-Saxon union was on the path of relative transformations, and the Brandenburg Electorate and the Duchy of Courland were interested in preserving the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as a counterweight to the growing aggression of Sweden and Russia. Ladislav Kettler called himself a loyal ally of Poland, but did not recognize himself as a vassal. The second person of the state was officially his younger brother, Ferdinand, who intended to raise the army of Courland by any available means. Count Moritz of Saxony, the bastard of August the Strong and a French military commander, was officially invited to serve in Courland. When a lull came in Europe around 1720, Moritz indulged in a dissolute life, which did not stop with his transfer to the French army, but did not prevent him from seriously studying mathematics, fortification and military affairs in general. The invitation of Ferdinand Kettler promised Moritz a promotion in his military career. Being an ethnic German, despite everything, he became the unspoken leader of the French diaspora and the commander-in-chief of the Courland Army. Under the leadership of Moritz, impressive defensive structures were erected on the borders of Courland, and the Courland troops themselves managed to defend their independence from the Swedish, Polish and Russian invaders. Duke Ladislav tragically died from a hunting accident, leaving no direct heirs. The Courland aristocracy opposed the accession of Ferdinand and preferred to see the young Friedrich Wilhelm on the throne, whom it could easily manipulate. One of the small – scale Ostsee nobles, Ernst Biron, managed to quickly rise through the career apparatus of the Duchy of Courland. The sickly Friedrich Casimir really had little influence on the life of Courland, while his wife Anna Ioannovna openly indulged her favorite and lover – Ernst Biron. It was Biron who became the de facto ruler of the Duchy of Courland, while Elizabeth I initially ruled in Russia. The only son of Friedrich Casimir and Anna Ioannovna was Karl Ernst Kettler, although there were many rumors that the real father of the child was Ernst Biron. When Frederick Casimir died suddenly, the power in the entire Duchy of Courland finally came under the control of Biron. Feeling dislike for the Russians, he deliberately concluded alliances with Western powers, including England and the Netherlands, defending the independence of his Homeland with all his might. Considering that Anna Ioannovna had a formal regency, this gave Russia the illusion of a" fraternal union " with Courland. By 1740, Courland had close economic and political ties with Brandenburg, the Netherlands and Great Britain; colonies in the Gambia and on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago; a developing economy and a continuous flow of migrants; a high-quality army and impressive fortifications on the border; one of the largest merchant and military fleets in the Baltic Sea.

Description
An old map that tells about the more successful fate of the Duchy of Courland. The story begins with Jacob Kettler , the most successful ruler of Courland, who managed to build a meritocratic system. Later, Frederick the Great himself would speak flatteringly of him, and take an example from the reforms of Courland for the rise of Prussia. Jakob received a good education at the universities of Rostock and Leipzig.After graduating from the university, he went to travel to other countries, and in Amsterdam he studied shipbuilding. He built manufactories, developed agriculture, created a merchant and military fleet that surpassed the fleet of Brandenburg, as well as Hamburg, Lubeck and other German cities combined, founded Courland colonies in West Africa (near the Gambia River) and on the island of Tobago off the coast of America. Tobago was received from King Charles I of England for the supply of ships and weapons, and the lands of the Gambia were bought from local chiefs. He also acquired the possession of Piltenskoye and left behind him, Courland in material terms at the height of prosperity. The brother of Jacob's wife and his close friend, the Elector of Brandenburg-Friedrich Wilhelm I warned of future confrontations against Poland and Sweden. Being a formal vassal of Poland, Jacob Kettler decided to take advantage of the moment. At the beginning of the Swedish flood, Courland and its close ally Brandenburg immediately announced their accession to the Swedish troops. This allowed Jacob to avoid exile and cruel ruin by the Swedish troops, as well as to expand his personal possessions. Later, Brandenburg and Courland changed sides when Sweden began to suffer defeats. The Arab world has consolidated the status quo for a long time, allowing the participating countries to lick their wounds. Ferdinand Kettler, the youngest of Jacob's sons, personally participated in the war, and became the main "hawk" at the court. He insisted on expanding the army, increasing the means for defense and subsequent protection from the Swedish or Russian threat. Courland has concluded an alliance not only with the fraternal Brandenburg, but also with the Netherlands. Jacob's heir was his first-born Ladislav Friedrich-originally brought up in the Polish court. The newly-made duke was a devout Catholic, and offered the Holy See a new attempt to make a major expedition to Australia and Oceania. Earlier, Jacob Kettler tried to arrange this, but the death of Pope Innocent X and the Northern War put an end to the adventure. Ladislav achieved more success and even founded a couple of small colonies in the Pacific Ocean, which were formally a condominium with the Papal Region. New missionaries were sent to remote Trinidad and Tobago in order to teach the natives to the Christian faith. Friedrich Casimir, the second of Jacob's sons, surrounded himself with luxury from early childhood and spent a lot of money on court life, creating an Italian opera, having stables with Arab horses and building greenhouses with pineapples. He even had a chance to cross paths with the young Peter I, which, according to rumors, turned into "a very unusual relationship". Kazimir remained in memory as an exquisite aesthete and lover of etiquette, but an absolutely terrible administrator. Friedrich Casimir died in 1698 shortly before the outbreak of the Northern War, but managed to conclude a profitable marriage for his minor son Friedrich Wilhelm with Princess Anna Ioannovna. Jacob tried in every possible way to increase his income and the income of the state. A striking example is the planning and the beginning of construction of a shipping channel connecting the Lielupe River with the sea in the west and with the Daugava in the east; Ladislav spent a lot of money on the implementation of the project. Courland became richer due to the continuation of the course of Jacob, as well as the mass influx of immigrants from France and Germany. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, the Kettlers ' tolerant policy attracted a lot of French Huguenots and craftsmen, which even gave rise to a small French diaspora, slightly inferior to the Dutch. When the papal emissaries arrived in Courland, they found a meritocracy duchy that was self-sufficient, flourished, had a strong and well-armed army, participated in trade with a number of European and Asian countries, and was also able to develop and supply small colonies on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, in the Gulf of the Gambia, as well as in the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, a diplomatic union was signed between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Electorate of Saxony. August the Strong managed to suppress the Tarnogrodsk Confederation, and at the expense of the Saxon bureaucratic apparatus to suppress the principle of Liberum Veto and begin a slow but consistent transformation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Polish-Saxon union was on the path of relative transformations, and the Brandenburg Electorate and the Duchy of Courland were interested in preserving the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as a counterweight to the growing aggression of Sweden and Russia. Ladislav Kettler called himself a loyal ally of Poland, but did not recognize himself as a vassal. The second person of the state was officially his younger brother, Ferdinand, who intended to raise the army of Courland by any available means. Count Moritz of Saxony, the bastard of August the Strong and a French military commander, was officially invited to serve in Courland. When a lull came in Europe around 1720, Moritz indulged in a dissolute life, which did not stop with his transfer to the French army, but did not prevent him from seriously studying mathematics, fortification and military affairs in general. The invitation of Ferdinand Kettler promised Moritz a promotion in his military career. Being an ethnic German, despite everything, he became the unspoken leader of the French diaspora and the commander-in-chief of the Courland Army. Under the leadership of Moritz, impressive defensive structures were erected on the borders of Courland, and the Courland troops themselves managed to defend their independence from the Swedish, Polish and Russian invaders. Duke Ladislav tragically died from a hunting accident, leaving no direct heirs. The Courland aristocracy opposed the accession of Ferdinand and preferred to see the young Friedrich Wilhelm on the throne, whom it could easily manipulate. One of the small – scale Ostsee nobles, Ernst Biron, managed to quickly rise through the career apparatus of the Duchy of Courland. The sickly Friedrich Casimir really had little influence on the life of Courland, while his wife Anna Ioannovna openly indulged her favorite and lover – Ernst Biron. It was Biron who became the de facto ruler of the Duchy of Courland, while Elizabeth I initially ruled in Russia. The only son of Friedrich Casimir and Anna Ioannovna was Karl Ernst Kettler, although there were many rumors that the real father of the child was Ernst Biron. When Frederick Casimir died suddenly, the power in the entire Duchy of Courland finally came under the control of Biron. Feeling dislike for the Russians, he deliberately concluded alliances with Western powers, including England and the Netherlands, defending the independence of his Homeland with all his might. Considering that Anna Ioannovna had a formal regency, this gave Russia the illusion of a" fraternal union " with Courland. By 1740, Courland had close economic and political ties with Brandenburg, the Netherlands and Great Britain; colonies in the Gambia and on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago; a developing economy and a continuous flow of migrants; a high-quality army and impressive fortifications on the border; one of the largest merchant and military fleets in the Baltic Sea.