Duchy of Courland

The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was a duchy in the Baltic region, specifically Livonia, that existed from 1561 to 1795. Initially a nominal vassal state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1561 to 1569, it then became part of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom from 1569 to 1726. In 1726, it was incorporated into the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The duchy was ultimately annexed by the Russian Empire on October 24, 1795, during the Third Partition of Poland.