Latgale

Livs and Estonians have lived in Latvia's only landbound region since the pre - Christian era. During the first centuries AD, they were driven out by the Baltic tribes of Latgals, the largest tribe in the huge territory of Latgale, (then known as Vidzeme,) and the people from whom Latvia takes its name. In the 12th century the Latgals formed the region into four lands, each with its towns fortified by castles, under the rule of the Prince of Polock. It was in Latgale that Orthodoxy was introduced to Latvia, although the Prince later rejected the Germans and the Livonian Order. In 1212, the Latgals became associated with the Crusaders, but were later ruled by them; the Catholic church was and remains strong in the region and many Russian refugees, escaping persecution for their faith, settled here from the 17th century onwards. In 1561, after the fall of the Livonian Order, Latgale, with Vidzeme, became part of the Dukedom of Pardaugava, which was under Lithuanian rule until 1569, when it was taken over by Poland. In 1628, after the Swedish - Polish war, the region remained in Polish hands, and in 1772, was subsumed into Belarus, part of the Russian empire.

Latgale's position on the border with the eastern Slavic nations has influenced its culture. In 1897 a report claimed that the people of the region, in comparison with the rest of Latvia, were illiterate; and while the traditional architecture, costume and tools all show their Latvian origins, they are also clearly influenced by the ethos of countries such as Poland, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania, and by the Catholic church itself.

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