Rundāle Palace – Ernst Johann von Biron’s Summer Residence (and a Slice of the Old Duchy of Courland)
The story of one of the great homes of the European nobility begins with the ambitions of a young man, before his fall from grace, and ends with the clemency of one of Russia’s greatest rulers. The history of this home is that of the treacherous German nobility at large during their years serving the Russian Empire. Rundale is more than a home, it represents the relationship between two of Europe’s greatest players; the new queen Catherine the Great and the old regent Ernst Johann von Biron
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Baltic Germans
Germans have long established ties to the Baltic Region, with trading links established in Hanseatic League ports, a Northern European trading organization, as well as through territories captured under the rule of the crusading Livonian and Teutonic Orders. In Livonia (a territory now consisting of large swaths of Estonia and Latvia) and Courtland (East Latvia), where our Palace is located, the German occupied much of the positions in the petty nobility. These Germans would conspire against any that would try to revoke their hereditary powers, eg to enslave the local Latvian. When these territories were ruled by the Polish-Luthuanian Commonwealth, and later the Swedes. When these states tried to limit the power of these unruly nobles, the Baltic Germans would side with Russia who promised them that they would retain their autonomy.
Who is the Duke? And What is Courland?
The Duchy of Courland emerged from the ashes of the theocratic Livonian Order, while technically a vassal of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and later Russia, the dukes operated autonomously from 1561 until 1795, when the last Duke of Courland Peter von Biron, son of Johann was forced to give up the Duchy to Russia for cash compensation.
Ernst Johann von Biron was elected Duke of Courland by his peers after the extinction of the Kettler branch of dukes that had ruled since the beginning. Educated in nearby Prussian Königsberg (Kalliningrad today), through his sister, a lady-in-waiting he would a gain flavor at the court of Courland via Empress Anna of Russia, then but the regent of Courland after the death of her husband the 17 year old Kettler heir. It is rumored that Anna and Johan had an affair, concealed by Anna when she married him off to one of her ladies in waiting. It is Anna who would have him elected Duke of Courland in 1737 by way of her accent and influence thus reviving the autonomy of the Duchy.
When Anna acceded the throne, Biron and his new wife moved to Russia where he became her principle river, drawing ire from rivals. He was a good administrator, yet unloved due to his heavy handed nature and high taxation. He took the empire through troubled times, battling with the nobility and having thousands of enemies executed. For his work he was richly rewarded, money that he put into his new palatial digs in Courland. His influence was such that his sleeping quarter were beside the empresses and all bribes went though him. At Anna’s death he was made regent of Russia for the child Ivan VI. Three weeks late his enemies struck, capturing him and sentencing him to death. His sentence was commuted but he was forced into exile, at first in Siberia, for a total of 22-years.
In 1763,a miracle happened. Catherine II of Russia, the great empress, summoned him and restored his position as Duke, with his son as heir. He would live his last years at the palace, ruling over his subjects justly.
Fun Fact
The tiny Duchy actually was the smallest nation to get in on the colonial race! Outposts were completed in the Caribbean at the islands of Tobago and Trinidad. In Africa a settlement was established at James Island at the mouth of the Gambia River.
Exploring the Palace
Built on a flat piece of land, you enter the Palace via a highly visible red painted outer wall. This area leads to a massive courtyard that will make you feel awed at the scale of the structure. There is literally nothing in sleepy/rural southern Latvia that compares remotely to this thing.
Behind it stands a yellow painted square building with a courtyard at its center. This is the main part of the palace. The neoclassical beauty stands serene, if a little lonely. Over the years much damage has come to the structure and has necessitated much reconstruction and due to its remote location it gets little tourism. One can only hope that the work gets out about his beauty as the nearby Bauskas, as well as the palace, can benefit from an uptick in tourism. It felt as if there were only a dozen people on the grounds at one one time.
The palace was slowed down in construction due to the resources used to constructed Jelgava (then Mitau) Palace. The seat of the Dukes of Cortland and the location of the family crypt if you want to continue your courlish education. The work was left unfinished during the exile of the Duke and only restarted after his return. The architect was Bartolomeo Rastrelli, an Italian known for his works in Russia.
The inside may surprise you after seeing the lavish exterior. It is pretty bear as room reconstruction is still ongoing. But why is this? The Duke was surely a wealthy man as was noticed by many foreign observers. After the Palace passed into Russian hands it was used as a field hospital by the French Army (I also heard they used it as a stable but could not confirm this fact) during their 1812 march on Russia and then as a headquarters for the German army during the First World War. The larger part of the damage was inflicted by the Russians as they retreated during the 1919 Latvian War of Independence. Somehow what was left of the palace was used by the ministry of agriculture and was used as flats for military veterans as well as a school. In the 1924 it was made into a protected monument.
The building was dealt a setback when the Soviets took control of the nation. The building was used to store grain and the school continued operations but the old ducal dining room was turned into a gymnasium. Restoration stated in the 1970’s and would not be complete until 2015, over 40 years later.
At the back of the castle you will find its lavish gardens. In front of the Palace is a massive fountain that provided much relief to wet my face on a hot day!
You will also find an extensive collection of grape vines built as tunnels, with one of my favourite signs instructing people not to climb the vines!
I hope you enjoy Rundale as much as I did. Remember to try popping into nearby Bauskas is you have a chance!
