List of wars involving Latvia

This is a list of wars that the Republic of Latvia has participated in through-out its history as a duchy (1561–1795) and as a modern-day republic (19181940; 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 – 5

Defeat – 2

Another result* – 4

Ongoing – 1

*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.

Duchy of Courland and Semigallia

17th century

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 Denmark–Norway cedes Scania, Halland, Blekinge, Bohuslän and Ven to Sweden. Poland–Lithuania recognizes Swedish sovereignty in Livonia and Swedish ownership of Estonia and Ösel^[2] Poland–Lithuania grants the Duchy of Prussia sovereign status. Dutch Republic acquires New Sweden.
1658	Invasion of Courland	Duchy of Courland	Sweden		Swedish victory Sweden occupies Courland and Mitau Tobago occupied by the Dutch.^[3]

18th century

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 The Tsardom of Russia becomes the Russian Empire Decline of the Swedish Empire Decline of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Treaty of Nystad, Treaties of Stockholm, Treaty of Frederiksborg and Treaty of the Pruth

Republic of Latvia

20th century

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 Start of the Polish-Soviet War
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] Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty Independence of Republic of Latvia Latgale integrated into Republic of Latvia Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic dissolved Death of 3,046 Latvians^[7]
1919–1921	Polish–Soviet War	Poland Ukraine (1920) Belarus (1920) Latvia (1920)	Russian SFSR Ukrainian SSR Byelorussian SSR Polrewkom		Polish victory Peace of Riga Independence of Poland Ukraine and Belarus merged into Soviet Union
15‒16 May 1934	1934 Latvian coup d'état	Pro-Ulmanis Groups Government of Latvia Latvian Farmers' Union Aizsargi	Anti-Ulmanis Groups Saeima Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party Pērkonkrusts		Pro-Ulmanis victory Coup d'état successful
1939–1945	World War II Occupation of the Baltic states	Republic of Latvia (1940)	Soviet Union Latvian SSR	Nazi Germany Reichskommissariat Ostland (1941–44)	Nazi German defeat; Soviet victory Soviet occupation (1940)^[6] German occupation (1941)^[6] Soviet re-occupation (1944)^[6]
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

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 Central African Armed Forces MINUSCA (since 2014) Rwanda Russia Wagner Group South Africa (2013) MISCA (2013–2014) EUFOR RCA Latvia	Coalition of Patriots for Change Anti-balaka MPC		Ongoing

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

Central African Armed Forces

MINUSCA (since 2014)

Rwanda

Russia

Wagner Group

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

Latvia

Coalition of Patriots for Change

Anti-balaka

MPC

Ongoing

Notes

^ Pro-Swedish Lithuanian nobility and military forces.

References

^ Hrushevsky (2003), pp. 327ff.
^ "Swedish Military - Hans Högman".
^ "Archaeologia or Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity". 1832.
^ 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.
^ Thomas & Boltowsky (2019), p. 23. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFThomasBoltowsky2019 (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Letland §5. Geschiedenis". Encarta Encyclopedie Winkler Prins (in Dutch). Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum. 2002.
^ Latvijas Brīvības cīņas, page 15 (in Latvian)