Pastor and writer who headed Latvia's pro-German government of 1919
A Lutheran pastor and one of the leading novelists of Latvian literature, he opposed the revolution of 1905 and took a conservative line of cooperation with the Baltic German landowners. After the Liepāja coup of 16 April 1919 drove out the Ulmanis government he became head of a government backed by von der Goltz on 10 May, and entered Riga when the German formations retook it on 22 May. His regime collapsed when the Landeswehr was beaten by the Estonians at Cēsis in June and Ulmanis returned under Allied mediation in July. He fled to Germany, returned to Latvia in 1924, was tried for treason and expelled. He died in Riga in 1942. In Latvia his name long served as a synonym for 'traitor', and his standing in literary history diverges from his standing in political history.
Related historical events
- 1918–1922The Civil War and Foreign InterventionHead of Latvia’s pro-German government in 1919A pastor and writer, he headed the pro-German government formed after the Liepāja coup. His government fell after Cēsis; independent Latvia later tried him for treason and expelled him to Germany.
- 1918.11–1920.10Baltic wars of independence and border settlementsHead of Latvia’s pro-German government in 1919Became head of the pro-German government backed by von der Goltz on 10 May 1919 after the Liepāja coup, and fled to Germany when the regime collapsed after Cēsis in June.
Revolution and independence wars
A pastor and writer, he headed the pro-German government formed after the Liepāja coup. His government fell after Cēsis; independent Latvia later tried him for treason and expelled him to Germany.