List of wars involving Latvia

This is a list of wars that the Republic of Latvia has participated in throughout its history as a duchy (1561–1795) and as a modern-day republic (1918–1940; 1990–present-day)

This list doesn't include the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic since according to the theory of state continuity of the Baltic states, the republic of Latvia existed as a de jure sovereign state from 17 June 1940 to 4 May 1990[citation needed] and was represented by the Latvian Diplomatic Service, which controlled limited state functions during its occupation. Latvia did not engage in warfare during this period.[citation needed]

  Victory
  Defeat
  Another result*
  Ongoing

*e.g. result unknown or indecisive/inconclusive, result of internal conflict inside Latvia, status quo ante bellum, or a treaty or peace without a clear result.

17th century

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Date Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Combatant 3 Result
1655–1660 Second Northern War

  Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
  Denmark–Norway (from 1657)
  Habsburg Monarchy
  Tsardom of Russia (1656–58)
  Crimean Khanate
  Brandenburg-Prussia (1655–56, 1657–60)
  Duchy of Courland (1656–58)
  Dutch Republic

  Swedish Empire
  Brandenburg-Prussia (1656–57)
  Principality of Transylvania
  Cossack Hetmanate (1657)[1]
  Wallachia
  Moldavia
Susquehannock (1655)
  Swedish Lithuania (1655–57)[a]

Treaty of Oliva
1658 Invasion of Courland

  Duchy of Courland

  Sweden

Swedish victory
  • Sweden occupies Courland and Mitau
  • Tobago occupied by the Dutch.[3]

18th century

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Date Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Combatant 3 Result
1700–1721 Great Northern War

  Tsardom of Russia
  Cossack Hetmanate
  Kalmyk Khanate
  Saxony
(1700–1706, 1709–1719)
  Duchy of Courland
(1700–1701)
  Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
(1701–1704, 1709–1719)
  Sandomierz Confederation
(1704–1709)
  Denmark–Norway
(1700, 1709–1720)
  Prussia (1715–1720)
  Hanover (1715–1719)
  Great Britain
(1717–1719)
  Montenegro
(1711–1712)
  Moldavia

  Swedish Empire
  Holstein-Gottorp
(1700–1714)
  Warsaw Confederation
(1704–1709)
  Ottoman Empire
(1710–1714)
  Crimean Khanate
(1710–1714)}
  Cossack Hetmanate
(1708–1714)
  Dutch Republic (1700)
  England (1700)
  Scotland (1700)
  Ireland (1700)
  Great Britain
(1719–1720)

Anti-Swedish coalition victory

Republic of Latvia

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20th century

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Date Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Combatant 3 Result
1918–1919 Soviet westward offensive of 1918–1919

  Latvia
  White Movement
  Estonia
  Poland
  Belarus
  Romania
  Ukraine
  France
  United Kingdom
  Ober Ost
Finnish, Danish, and Swedish volunteers[4]

  Russian SFSR
  Latvian SSR
  Soviet Estonia
  Lithuanian-Byelorussian SSR
  Provisional Polish Revolutionary Committee
  Ukrainian SSR
  Finnish Red Guards[5]

Soviet defeat in the Baltic states
1918–1920 Latvian War of Independence

  Republic of Latvia
  Republic of Estonia
  Second Polish Republic


  Baltische Landeswehr
(allied to Latvia, except in April–July 1919)

  Russian SFSR
  Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic

  West Russian Volunteer Army

Victory[6]
1919–1921 Polish–Soviet War

  Poland
  Ukraine (1920)
  Belarus (1920)
  Latvia (1920)

  Russian SFSR
  Ukrainian SSR
  Byelorussian SSR
  Polrewkom

Polish victory
15‒16 May 1934 1934 Latvian coup d'état

  Pro-Ulmanis Groups

  Anti-Ulmanis Groups

Pro-Ulmanis victory
  • Coup d'état successful
1939–1945 World War II
Occupation of the Baltic states
  Republic of Latvia (1940)   Soviet Union   Nazi Germany Nazi German defeat; Soviet victory
1945–1956 Guerrilla war in the Baltic states   Estonian partisans
  Latvian partisans
  Lithuanian partisans
  Soviet Union Soviet victory
  • Defeat of the partisans
1991
13–27 January
The Barricades
(part of the Singing Revolution)
  Latvia   Soviet Union Victory
  • Dissolution of Riga OMON [ru; lv]
  • Eventual independence of Latvia on 21 August 1991[6]

21st century

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Date Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Combatant 3 Result
2001–2021 War on terror

  United States of America
  United Kingdom
  Poland
  Latvia
(other allies)

  Al-Qaeda
  • various allies
Mixed results
2012- Central African Republic Civil War   Central African Republic

  MINUSCA (since 2014)

  Rwanda

  Russia

  South Africa (2013)
MISCA (2013–2014)
  EUFOR RCA

  Coalition of Patriots for Change

  Anti-balaka

  MPC

Ongoing

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Pro-Swedish Lithuanian nobility and military forces.

References

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  1. ^ Hrushevsky (2003), pp. 327ff.
  2. ^ "Swedish Military - Hans Högman".
  3. ^ "Archaeologia or Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity". 1832.
  4. ^ Per Finsted. "Boganmeldelse: For Dannebrogs Ære - Danske frivillige i Estlands og Letlands frihedskamp 1919 af Niels Jensen". chakoten.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  5. ^ Thomas & Boltowsky (2019), p. 23.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Letland §5. Geschiedenis". Encarta Encyclopedie Winkler Prins (in Dutch). Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum. 2002.
  7. ^ Latvijas Brīvības cīņas, page 15 (in Latvian)