Abstract
This article deals with the period of Peter von Biron's rule in the Duchy of Courland. It analyses the Duke's relationship with Courland nobility, his foreign policy and the reasons for the ending of the independence of the Duchy.
Great emphasis is also placed on the influence of the issue of Courland on the foreign policy of Russia, Prussia and Poland. This article's research was conducted on the basis of Latvian and Polish archival sources.