Krišjānis Berķis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Krišjānis Berķis
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| Born | 26 April 1884 Īslīce parish, Courland Governorate, Russian Empire
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| Died | 29 July 1942 (aged 58) Perm Oblast, Soviet Union
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| Allegiance | Russian Empire Latvia |
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Branch
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Army |
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General |
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Conflicts
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World War I Latvian War of Independence |
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Krišjānis Berķis (born April 26, 1884, died July 29, 1942) was a very important Latvian general. He became well-known as an officer in the Latvian Riflemen during World War I. Later, he was promoted to general during the Latvian War of Independence. After these wars, he worked in the Army General Staff, helping to lead the Latvian military.
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Early Life and Military Career
Krišjānis Berķis was born on April 26, 1884, in a place called Bērzkrogs in Īslīce parish, Courland. He went to a local parish school and then to Bauska city school. After finishing school, he decided he wanted to be a soldier. He joined the Vilnius military school and graduated in 1906 as a podporuchik, which is a junior officer rank.
He then served in the 2nd Finnish rifleman regiment in Helsinki. While he was serving in the Grand Duchy of Finland, he married a Finnish woman named Hilma Lehtonen. In 1909, he was promoted to poruchik, and in 1913, he became a stabskapitan. These were also officer ranks in the army.
Serving in World War I
In 1914, when World War I began, Berķis was an officer in the Finnish part of the Russian Imperial Army. He was sent to the front lines in East Prussia. He started as a commander of a small group of soldiers called a company. Later, he became the commander of a larger group, a battalion. He fought in battles near the Masurian lakes.
In January 1915, his unit moved to the southeastern front in the Carpathian Mountains. Berķis was promoted to captain. He took part in many important battles, including the Brusilov Offensive in 1916.
In 1917, he was promoted again to lieutenant colonel. After asking many times, he was finally moved to the Latvian Riflemen units. He became a battalion commander in the 6th Tukums Latvian rifleman regiment. From October, he commanded the entire regiment. With his regiment, he helped protect the main Russian units during their retreat from Riga in the Battle of Jugla.
In November 1917, he decided not to join the Red Army. Because of this, he was removed from his position. He then went to Finland to be with his family.
Role in the Latvian War of Independence
When the Finnish Civil War started in 1918, Berķis and his family moved to Smolensk, Russia. However, he later traveled through Latvia and Estonia to return to Finland. In the autumn of 1918, Berķis learned from newspapers that the Latvian republic had been declared. He also read that Latvia was forming its first military units.
In March 1919, he managed to reach Tallinn, where he met with representatives of the Latvian government. Soon after, he met with Colonel Jorģis Zemitāns. On March 21, he officially joined the Latvian Army.
He was given the task of forming a Latvian reserve battalion. After two months, this battalion grew into a full regiment. This unit later became the 2nd Cēsis infantry regiment, and Berķis was appointed its commander.
In May 1919, his regiment was sent to the front lines. They fought in battles in Vidzeme. On June 1, the regiment entered Valmiera and later Cēsis. After fighting in the Battle of Cēsis, his regiment chased the retreating Germans until a ceasefire was agreed upon.
On July 6, his regiment, along with other Latvian units, entered Riga. In August, Berķis was appointed commander of the Latgale infantry division. He was promoted to colonel in October. He participated in all the battles against the Bermontians and later helped liberate Latgale.
Post-War Service and Later Life
After the Latvian War of Independence, Krišjānis Berķis remained in the military. He continued his service as the commander of the 3rd Latgale infantry division. In 1925, he was promoted to the rank of general. In 1930, he completed an eight-month officer training course. Later, he was moved to the Army Headquarters.
General Berķis was a key supporter of Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis. He helped Ulmanis in a political change that happened on May 15, 1934. After this event, Berķis was appointed commander of the 2nd Vidzeme infantry division and commander of the Riga garrison.
He served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Latvian Army from 1934 to 1940. For a short time in spring 1940, he also became the Minister of War. During his time as minister, he tried to encourage Latvia to work closely with Estonia, Finland, and even Great Britain. However, it was too late to prevent what was coming.
After the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, he was removed from his position and retired from the army. He and his family managed to go to Finland. However, on July 12, he decided to return to Latvia. On his way back, some friends convinced Berķis not to go to Latvia, so he stopped in Tallinn.
In Tallinn, he was arrested by Soviet authorities. He was then sent to Perm Oblast, Siberia, in Russia. He died in a prison hospital there in 1942. His only child, Valentins, also died in Russia, and his grandson went missing. Krišjānis Berķis received the Latvian military award, the Order of Lāčplēsis, both 1st and 2nd class.
