{{unreferenced, date=April 2016 Provisional Land Council of Vidzeme (Latvian: Vidzemes Pagaidu zemes padome, Russian: Временный земский совет Лифляндской губернии) was created in the

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a Baltic governorate of the Russian Empire, now divided between Latvia and Estonia. Geography The shape of the province is a fairly rectangular in shape, with a maximum ...

on March 13, 1917 following the democratic

February Revolution The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and somet ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. Initially it supported ideas of Latvian land unity and self-determination, but by the second half of 1917 it came under increasing

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

influence and on January 2, 1918 it ceased to exist, relinquishing its authority to the Bolshevik

Iskolat The Iskolat (russian: Исколат, lv, Iskolats) was the Executive Committee of the Soviet of Workers, Soldiers, and the Landless in Latvia (Исполнительный комитет Совета рабочих, солдатских и бе� ...

. On March 12–13, 1917 the Congress of

Livonia Governorate The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a Baltic governorate of the Russian Empire, now divided between Latvia and Estonia. Geography The shape of the province is a fairly rectangular in shape, with a maximum ...

was held in

Valmiera Valmiera (; german: link=no, Wolmar; pl, Wolmar see other names) is the largest city of the historical Vidzeme region, Latvia, with a total area of . As of 2002, Valmiera had a population of 27,323, and in 2020 – 24 879. It is a state city ...

, attended by representatives from the Latvian inhabited regions. On March 30, 1917 the Russian Provisional Government allowed Estonian inhabited regions of Livonia to unite with the

Governorate of Estonia The Governorate of Estonia, also known as the Governorate of Esthonia (Pre-reformed rus, Эстля́ндская губе́рнія, r=Estlyandskaya guberniya); et, Eestimaa kubermang was a governorate in the Baltic region, along with th ...

. Meanwhile, in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

the power was controlled by the left-wing Council of workers. In order to bypass the liberal Provisional Land Council in April Bolsheviks organized the First Vidzeme Congress of Landless Peasants which created the Council of Landless Peasants. After some negotiations it was agreed that both Councils will merge on April 23, 1917. The new Council was dominated by the leftists. In July 1917 the Council convened autonomy Congress during which it was proclaimed that Latvian nation, just like all other nations, has the rights to complete self-determination. During the August 20 elections Social Democrats won 24,

Latvian Farmers' Union The Latvian Farmers' Union ( lv, Latvijas Zemnieku savienība, LZS) is an agrarian political party in Latvia. Initially formed in 1917 during the period of Latvian War of Independence, it was banned in 1934. It was re-established in 1990. It is ...

15 and Latvia’s Revolutionary socialist party 1 mandate. On October 10 Farmers Union left the Council, which ended its work on January 2, 1918 and gave all its authority to the

See also