Estonian Study «History of Livonia» Now in Latvian Offers a Fresh, Non-National View of the Middle Ages

A large-scale historical study by Estonian authors, «History of Livonia», has been published in Latvian. It gives a detailed account of the medieval period in the territory of present-day Latvia and Estonia, and it has now reached Latvian readers for the first time.

On the Latvian Radio programme «Kultūras rondo», Gustavs Strenga, the scientific editor of the Latvian edition, said the book offers a new perspective on this era. In his words, it is not national in outlook and has become much more nuanced than it was 30 years ago.

Questions about research and translation

Strenga and the book's translator, historian Eva Eihmane, discussed several questions on the programme. They explained why Estonian rather than Latvian researchers carried out such an extensive study, and why the Latvian edition was translated from English rather than from Estonian.

The conversation also touched on how attitudes towards research in general differ between Latvia and Estonia. The book's publication thus prompted discussion not only about medieval history itself, but also about how historical research is approached and valued in the two countries.

A recording of the discussion is available through Latvian Radio's «Kultūras rondo».