Estonian Declaration of Independence

Estonian Declaration of Independence
A printed copy of the Estonian Declaration of Independence
Original title	Manifest Eestimaa rahvastele
Created	21 February 1918
Presented	23 February 1918
Date effective	24 February 1918
Location	Stenbock House
Author(s)	Juhan Kukk, Jüri Vilms, Ferdinand Peterson, Karl Ast, Jüri Jaakson
Signatories	Elders' Council of the Estonian Provincial Assembly
Purpose	To announce and explain separation of Estonia from the Russian Empire
Full text
et:Manifest Eestimaa rahvastele at Wikisource

The Estonian Declaration of Independence, formally titled the Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia (Estonian: Manifest Eestimaa rahvastele), is the founding document which established the independent democratic Republic of Estonia in 1918. Issued during a period of intense political upheaval and foreign occupation in the wake of World War I and the Russian Revolution, the declaration asserted Estonia's national sovereignty and commitment to democratic governance. The declaration announces and explains the separation of Estonia from the Russian Empire.

The Declaration was authored under the supervision of the Estonian Salvation Committee and adopted on 21 February 1918 unanimously by the Estonian Provincial Assembly's Council of Elders. It was read publicly for the first time on 23 February 1918, at 8 p.m. from the balcony of the Endla Theatre in Pärnu by Hugo Kuusner, a delegate of the Provincial Assembly. This historic act marked the formal proclamation of Estonia's independence. The proclamation in Pärnu preceded the official declaration in Tallinn on 24 February 1918, when the Estonian Provisional Government assumed control.

The Estonian Declaration of Independence formally proclaimed Estonia as a sovereign democratic republic, delineated within its historical and ethnographic boundaries. Rooted in historical, cultural, and ethnic claims, the manifesto was both a political statement and a symbolic act of national self-determination. It outlined the principles of a free and democratic state, guaranteed civil liberties, and established the pathway for building Estonia's national institutions. The declaration served as a cornerstone for the Republic of Estonia, influencing its legal and political framework and inspiring the nation's struggle for independence throughout the 20th century.

Since then, the 24 February has been celebrated as the Estonian Independence Day, the national day of Estonia.