| Ketteler Kettler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Germany, Latvia, Westphalia, Prussia, Poland-Lithuania |
| Founded | 15th century |
| Founder | Gotthard Kettler (Polish branch) |
| Final ruler | Ferdinand Kettler |
| Titles | Duke of Courland and Semigallia Master of the Livonian Order ContentsKomtur of Dünaburg |
| Deposition | 18th century |
| Cadet branches | German branch Polish branch |
The House of Ketteler (also Kettler) is the name of an old and distinguished Baltic German noble family that originated in Westphalia.
The family appeared in 1233 when Conrad von Hüsten was mentioned in the written documents as the Châtelain of Haus Hüsten. His descendant Conrad III von Hüsten genannt Ketteler (1285–1364) was a Knight and Châtelain of Rüthen. Goswin Ketteler zu Assen (c. 1400 – c. 1471) divided the property with his younger brother Röttger around 1440. He built a new house on his part of the ground and called himself since then Kettler Neu Assen. He changed the background of his coat of arms from silver to gold – the so-called golden line. The silver line still spells Ketteler and is called the silver line Ketteler Alt Assen.
The Polish branch of the family rose to prominence during the Livonian War when Gotthard Kettler, the master of the Teutonic Order, created and inherited the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia from the Treaty of Vilnius (1561) as a vassal of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1561 to 1569. It later became a vassal of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1726, and it was incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by Sejm in 1726.
His family ruled the duchy until 1737, and the family became Polonized and married other members of the Szlachta. The family became increasingly powerful and had a chance of becoming one of the biggest magnates when Frederick William, Duke of Courland married Empress Anna of Russia. The family hoped that all their descendants would become emperors and that the duchy would become more powerful. Unfortunately, Frederick died soon after the wedding and this dream was crushed. Empress Anna never married again.
After Fredrick died, his uncle inherited the duchy, and when he died childless, his line became extinct. However, German branch of the family which is named Ketteler zu Harkotten still has descendants. When the reigning branch became extinct in Poland, Empress Anna's lover, Ernst Johann von Biron, became the new duke. He was succeeded by his son Peter von Biron, but he abdicated under pressure. During the Partitions of Poland, Catherine the Great succeeded the Biron family and merged the duchy with Russia. The duchy is now part of present-day Latvia.
Livonia or in earlier records Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia.
Courland is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. Courland's largest city is Liepāja, which is the third largest city in Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were formerly held by the same duke.
Ernst Johann von Biron was Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1737 to 1740 and again from 1763 to 1769. He was also briefly the regent of the Russian Empire in 1740.
The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation.
The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was a duchy in the Baltic region, then known as Livonia, that existed from 1561 to 1569 as a nominally vassal state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and subsequently made part of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom from 1569 to 1726 and incorporated into the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1726. On October 24, 1795, it was annexed by the Russian Empire in the Third Partition of Poland.
Jelgava is a state city in central Latvia about 41 kilometres southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the administrative center of the Courland Governorate (1795–1918).
Gotthard Kettler, Duke of Courland was the last Master of the Livonian Order from 1559 to 1561 and the first Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1561 to 1587.
The Bishopric of Courland was the second smallest (4500 km2) ecclesiastical state in the Livonian Confederation founded in the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade. During the Livonian War in 1559 the bishopric became a possession of Denmark, and in 1585 sold by Denmark to Poland–Lithuania.
Prince Karl Christian Joseph of Saxony, also anglicized as Charles of Saxony, was a German prince of the House of Wettin. He was Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1758 to 1763. Born in Dresden, he was the fifth son of Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, and Maria Josepha of Austria. He is an ancestor of the Italian House of Savoy.
Friedrich Kettler was Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1587 to 1642.
Grobiņa Castle is a medieval castle located in the town of Grobiņa, in South Kurzeme Municipality in the Courland region of Latvia. The ancient Curonian castle hill is located only 100 m from the castle. It is supposed to be the famous Seeburg, which is mentioned in Scandinavian sources as early as the 9th century.
Jelgava Palace or historically Mitau Palace is the largest Baroque-style palace in the Baltic states. It was built in the 18th century based on the design of Bartolomeo Rastrelli as a residence for the Dukes of Courland in their capital of Mitau. The Dukes of Courland also had a summer palace by Rastrelli, about 40 kilometers to the southeast, called Rundāle Palace.
Frederick William was Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1698 to 1711. Frederick Wilhelm was the son of Friedrich Kasimir Kettler, Duke of Courland and Semigallia and Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg. During his reign the duchy was occupied by Swedish and later by Russian troops.
Aizupe Manor is a manor house built in late classicism style in Vāne Parish, Tukums Municipality, in the Courland region of Latvia. Construction of the manor was completed in 1823. The building housed a forestry school from 1939 to 1985.
The Treaty of Vilnius or Vilna was concluded on 28 November 1561, during the Livonian War, between the Livonian Confederation and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in Vilnius. With the treaty, the non-Danish and non-Swedish part of Livonia, with the exception of the Free imperial city of Riga, subjected itself to the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund II Augustus with the Pacta subiectionis (Provisio ducalis). In turn, Sigismund granted protection from the Tsardom of Russia and confirmed the Livonian estates' traditional privileges, laid out in the Privilegium Sigismundi Augusti.
Privilegium Sigismundi Augusti was established on 28 November 1561 in the Treaty of Vilnius between the Polish King and Lithuanian Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus and the last Landmeister in Livonia Gotthard Kettler, contractually negotiated and granted privilege, which sets the ratio of the Livland Estates Order on the Polish crown and sealed the end of the Teutonic Order and the Livonian Confederation. For the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia the Pacta Subiectionis was additionally signed, which in addition to the privileges governed the relationship of the nobility to the duke, the Polish king and the Reichstag.
Ferdinand Kettler was Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1730 to 1737. He was married to Johanna Magdalene of Saxe-Weissenfels in 1730.
Zaļenieki Manor, also called Zaļā Manor because of the German word Grünhof, is a manor house in the historical region of Zemgale, in Latvia. Surrounded by a 27-hectare landscape park with ponds and lakes, it was one of the oldest properties of the Livonian Order in Zemgale. Its architecture enables the manor to be evaluated as the first and greatest early classical model in Courland.
The House of Biron is the name of the Baltic German aristocratic family which was the ruling family of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. The family also enjoyed privileges and influence during the times of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and in the Russian Empire.
Landmeister in Livland was a high office in the Teutonic Order. The Landmeister administered the Livonia of the Teutonic Order. These lands had fallen to the Teutonic Order in 1237 by the incorporation of the former Livonian Brothers of the Sword. The seat of the Landmeister was castle Wenden. The Landmaster's function in Livonia lasted until 1561, when in aftermath of Livonian War the last Landmeister Gotthard Kettler relinquished the northern parts of the Mastery and in the Union of Vilna secularized the part still left to him and, as the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, took fief from the Polish king and Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund II Augustus. The non-recognition of this act by Pope, Holy Roman Empire and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order had no factual effect.
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