The location of Riga was nearby a trade route from theVikings to theByzantine Empire. A shelteredharbor near the current location of Riga was created in the 2nd century. It was settled by aFinnic tribe called theLivonians.
During the earlyMiddle Ages, Riga began to develop as a center for Viking trade. In 1158,Germans began visiting Riga. They created an outpost nearby.
The monk Meinhard of Segeberg arrived and tried to convert the Livonianpagans toChristianity.
founded in 1201. It was a castle of theTeutonic Order. He built a castle and a church close to Riga. Meinhard died in 1196, and the Livonians continued to practice Paganism. In 1198, Bishop Berthold arrived with someCrusaders and tried to force the Livonians to become Christian. However, Berthold soon died and the Crusaders were defeated.
Pope Innocent III declared a crusade against the Livonians. Bishop Albert becameBishop of Livonia in 1199. In 1200, Albert landed in Riga with 23 ships and 500 crusaders.[9]
In 1282, Riga joined theHanseatic League. This gave Riga economic and political stability.
Riga came under the influence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after theTreaty of Drohiczyn in 1581. In 1621, Riga became part of the Swedish Empire after the Polish-Swedish War (1621-1625). Riga resisted a Russian siege during the Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658).
The German Army marched into Riga and captured it in 1917. In 1918 after the Russian surrender, Riga was made a part of theGerman Empire. On 11 November 1918, Germany surrendered and gave up Latvia. Latvia declared independence on 18 November. TheUnited Kingdom and Germany were Latvia's main trading partners.
In 1940, Latvia was occupied by theSoviet Union. A rigged election took place in Latvia. Many anti-Soviet men were arrested and many others were deported. Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, and occupied Riga. During the invasion, Latvian Jews were brought intoconcentration camps.[10] By the end of the war, most Jews were brought to Germany. The Soviet Union reclaimed Riga in 1944. Riga was made part of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. Latvia gained independence from the Soviet Union in August of 1991. Riga became the capital of Latvia.
The Riga inhabitants are named “Rīdzinieki” on Latvian and “рижане”(rizhani) on Russian.
Most of the people by ethnic origin are Latvian (45%) and 40% are Russian. Historically the city had largeGerman population. Among other ethnic groups there areByelorussians,Poles andJews.
In the 16th century, Riga was one of the largest cities on theBaltic Sea coast, with a population of about 16,000. The population fell to about 6000 in 1720, but grew rapidly later, reaching 517,000 in 1913. The world wars reduced the population. It reached its peak in 1990 with 909,135 people.
