Swedish Ingria

Swedish Ingria
*Svenska Ingermanland*
Swedish Ingria Svenska Ingermanland
1583–1595; 1617–1721
	Flag Coat of arms
	Baltic provinces of Swedish Empire in the 17th century.
Status	Dominion of the Swedish Empire
Capital	Narva
Common languages	Swedish, Finnish, Ingrian, Votian
King of Sweden
• 1568–92	John III
• 1592–99	Sigismund
• 1611–32	Gustav II Adolf
• 1720–51	Frederick I
Governor-General
• 1617–	Carl Carlsson Gyllenhielm
• 1659–1673	Simon Grundel-Helmfelt
History
• Conquered by Sweden	1583
• Ceded to Russia	18 May 1595
• Treaty of Stolbovo	17 February 1617
• Great Northern War	1700–21
• Conquered by Russia	1708
• Treaty of Nystad	30 August 1721
Population
• 1644	15,000
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Tsardom of Russia
Ingermanland Governorate

Swedish Ingria (Swedish: Svenska Ingermanland, ‘land of Ingrians’) was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1583 to 1595 and then again from 1617 to 1721 in what is now the territory of Russia. At the latter date, it was ceded to the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Nystad, at the end of the Great Northern War between the two empires.

History

In 1617 Russia ceded Ingria and the County of Kexholm to Sweden under the Treaty of Stolbovo. This area was along the basin of the Neva River, between the Gulf of Finland, the Narva River, and Lake Peipus to the southwest, and Lake Ladoga to the northeast. Kexholm and Swedish Karelia were bordered by the Sestra (Rajajoki/Systerbäck) river to the northwest.

Ingria had fallen to Sweden in the 1580s, was returned to Russia by the Treaty of Teusina (1595), and again ceded to Sweden in the Treaty of Stolbovo (1617). Sweden's interest in the territory was strategic: as a buffer zone against Russian attacks on the Karelian Isthmus and present-day Finland; and Russian trade was to pass through Swedish territory. In addition, Ingria was used as a destination for Swedish deportees.

Ingria remained sparsely populated. In 1664 the population was counted as 15,000. Swedish attempts to introduce Lutheranism were met with repugnance by the Orthodox peasantry obliged to attend Lutheran services. Although converts were promised grants and tax reductions, Lutheran gains were chiefly due to voluntary resettlements from Savonia and Karelia. Ingria was enfeoffed to noble military and state officials, who brought their own Lutheran servants and workmen to the area. The indigenous inhabitants of Ingria have always been Finnic with Finnic culture and language.

Nyen became the trading centre of Ingria, and in 1642 was made its administrative centre. In 1656 a Russian attack badly damaged the town, and the administrative centre was moved to Narva in neighbouring Swedish Estonia.^[1]

In the early 18th century the area was reconquered by Russia in the Great Northern War after a century under Swedish possession. The new Russian capital, Saint Petersburg, was founded in 1703 on the site of the Swedish town Nyen (Finnish Nevanlinna, meaning Castle of Neva). This territory, close to the Neva river's estuary at the Gulf of Finland, is now part of Leningrad Oblast, Russia.