Free City of Riga

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Ancient Latvia Kunda culture Narva culture Corded Ware culture Amber Road / Aesti Baltic Finns (Livonians, Vends) Balts Latgalians Curonians Selonians Semigallians
Middle Ages Principality of Jersika Principality of Koknese Tālava Livonian Crusade Livonian Brothers of the Sword Livonian Order Archbishopric of Riga Bishopric of Courland Terra Mariana Baltic Germans
Early modern period Livonian War Kingdom of Livonia Duchy of Livonia Inflanty Voivodeship Swedish Livonia Polish–Swedish Wars (1600–1629) Second Northern War Great Northern War Duchy of Courland and Semigallia Couronian colonization
National Awakening Governorate of Livonia Courland Governorate Vitebsk Governorate The First Latvian National Awakening New Current
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Free City of Riga (German: Riga Freie stadt, Latvian: Rīgas brīvpilsēta) is a city-state, which existed in modern times, one of the German state formations that arose in the medieval Baltic during the crisis of the Livonian Confederation at the end of the 16th century. The main governing body of the city during these years was the Riga City Hall. The city recognized itself as a vassalRzeczpospolita, but managed to avoid direct Polish-Lithuanian annexation for more than 20 years. On January 24 1582 it was annexed to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but for a long time after that, including in the Russian Empire, Riga retained special privileges, called Riga landfogtia.