The culture within Latvian society has been cultivated through its unique geographic location as well as its saddening history of several occupations from major powers.

Latvians descended from Baltic tribes that remained largely untouched for most of history until the Middle Ages when in the 12th and 13th centuries German crusaders came to conquer parts of modern-day Latvia. Up until this time, ethnic Latvians were largely able to practice their pagan religious practices in peace, a factor that contributes to the cultural significance of such practices today. The German crusaders forced those in the region to Catholicism and from this point forward, German culture had a considerable impact on Latvian culture[1] which can be seen in much of the medieval architecture of Latvia such as that in Old Town Riga.

As the crusades came to a halt, Latvia was taken over by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Despite the Polish-Lithuanian rule during this period, a portion of Latvia was part of the German-ruled Duchy of Courland-Semigalia. This was a powerful regime in its own right and had enough power and influence to “partake in the colonization of the Americas.”[2] Life under the Duchy was not perfect but still provided Latvian peasants a more appealing life than what former conquers offered and is overall remembered as a high time in Latvian history. [3]

In the 17th century, the power of Poland-Lithuania wavered and for a short period of time, Sweden took control of Riga and Northern Latvia starting in 1621 for what proved to be a short period. Soon after this rule, Russia took over the whole of Latvia in a series of wars from 1700 to 1795.

During the reign of the Russian Empire in Latvia, Latvia became an important industrial center from 1860 to 1914. During a period dubbed the Latvian National Awakening, some Latvian peasants excelled in art, business, and urban jobs, while Latvians began to develop more reverence for their own culture and language. Leaders began to call for Latvian independence soon after Latvian nationalism came to a head Latvia claimed independence in 1918 when both Russia and Germany lost WWI.

Unfortunately, during WWII, Latvia was occupied once again by both the Soviets and the Nazis. Ultimately, the Soviets won alongside the Allied Powers and began a reign over Latvian territory which would last until 1991. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Latvia has since been able to regain power over its territory and reclaim its culture and its language once again. [4]