Duchy of Estonia (1561–1721)
Duchy of Estonia | |||||||||
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| 1561–1721 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms
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 Baltic provinces of Swedish Empire in the 17th century. | |||||||||
| Status | Dominion of the Swedish Empire | ||||||||
| Capital | Reval | ||||||||
| Common languages | German, Estonian, Swedish | ||||||||
| Religion | Lutheranism | ||||||||
| Government | Dominion | ||||||||
| King | |||||||||
| Governor-General | |||||||||
• 1674–1681 | Anders Torstenson | ||||||||
• 1687–1704 | Axel Julius de la Gardie | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | June 4, 1561 | ||||||||
| September 10, 1721 | |||||||||
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| History of Estonia |
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| Chronology |
 Estonia portal |
The Duchy of Estonia (Swedish: Hertigdömet Estland, Estonian: Eestimaa hertsogkond, German: Herzogtum Estland), also known as Swedish Estonia,[1] (Swedish: Svenska Estland) was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1561 until 1721 during the time that most or all of Estonia was under Swedish rule. The land was eventually ceded to Russia in the Treaty of Nystad, following its capitulation, during the plague, in the Great Northern War.
The dominion arose during the Livonian War, when the northern parts of present-day Estonia — Reval (Tallinn) and the counties of Harjumaa, Western Virumaa, Raplamaa and Järvamaa — submitted to the Swedish king in 1561, and Läänemaa in 1581. It is also colloquially known as the "good old Swedish times"[2] (Estonian: vana hea Rootsi aeg) by Estonians, but this expression was not used before the following Russian rule, in the beginning of which the situation of Estonian peasantry declined rapidly; to gain the support of the German Baltic nobility, Russia gave them more power over the peasantry.
Head of Dominion[]
- Governors (1561–1674)
- Friherre of Nynäs, from Sundholm (August 2, 1561 – February 27, 1562)
- of Åminne (acting) (August 1561)
- Henrik Klasson Horn from Kankas (1st time) (February 27, 1562 – June 1562)
- Svante Stensson Sture (June 30, 1562 – July 27, 1564)
- from Lechtis (1564–1565)
- Henrik Klasson Horn from Kankas (2nd time) (January 30, 1565 – 1568)
- from Mörby (November 1568 – 1570)
- from Lepas (October 9, 1570 – 1572)
- (November 6, 1572 – 1574)
- Pontus De la Gardie (June 4, 1574 – December 1575)
- from Kankas (1st time) (January 1576 – May 1578)
- Nilsson Hans Eriksson Finn from (acting) (April 19, 1576 – 1577)
- (1st time) (August 1, 1577 – 1580)
- from Kyala (1580–1581)
- Göran Boije af Gennäs (2nd time) (April 25, 1582 – 1583)
- Pontus De la Gardie (1583 – November 5, 1585)
- (November 8, 1585 – 1588)
- Hans Wachtmeister (acting) (July 1588 – October 13, 1588)
- from (October 13, 1588 – 1590)
- af Lindö (1590 – July 1592)
- Göran Boije af Gennäs (3rd time) (1592 – June 1600)
- Karl Henriksson Horn from Kankas (2nd time) (acting) (1600 – January 30, 1601)
- Count of Raseborg (1601 – October 1602)
- ... (October 1602 – May 1605)
- Nils Turesson Bielke (May 10, 1605 – June 1605)
- (1605–1608)
- ... (1608–1611)
- Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna (1611–1617)
- Anders Eriksson Hästehufvud (1617–1619)
- Jakob De la Gardie (July 1619 – 1622)
- Per Gustafsson Banér af (1622 – January 1626)
- Friherre of (1626 – October 1628)
- from Arnö (1628 – July 17, 1642)
- Friherre of Kimito (July 26, 1642 – 1646)
- , Count of (September 9, 1646 – 1653)
- (1st time) (acting) (May 1653 – August 16, 1653)
- , Count of Thurn (August 16, 1653 – 1655)
- Wilhelm Ulrich (2nd time) (acting) (1655 – August 1655)
- Bengt Skytte (1655–1656)
- Wilhelm Ulrich (3rd time) (acting) (1655– August 2, 1656)
- (August 2, 1656 – November 1674)
- Wilhelm Ulrich (4th time) (acting) (1656–1659)
- (acting) (1674)
- Governors-General (1674–1728)
- Andreas Lennartson Torstensson (1674–1681)
- Robert Johannson Lichton (April 1681 – 1687)
- Nils Turesson Bielke (January 20, 1687 – April 19, 1687)
- Axel Julius De la Gardie from Läckö Castle, Lidköping (1687 – December 1704)
- Wolmar Anton von Schlippenbach (December 1704 – July 6, 1706)
- Niels Jonsson Stromberg af Clastorp (July 6, 1706 – October 23, 1709)
- Carl Nieroth (October 23, 1709 – October 10, 1710)
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See also[]
- Estonia under Swedish rule
- Dominium maris baltici
- Dominions of Sweden
- Swedish Livonia
- Estonian Swedes
- Governorate of Estonia
- Uniformity policy
References[]
- ^ Michael Roberts (March 8, 1984). The Swedish imperial experience 1560–1718. p. 30. ISBN 0-521-27889-9.
- ^ Baltic Postcolonialism By Violeta Kelertas, p. 397
Sources[]
- Tarkiainen, Kari; Tarkiainen, Ülle (2013). Provinsen bortom havet. Estlands svenska historia 1561-1710 (in Swedish). Atlantis. ISBN 978-91-7353-652-3.
- Online encyclopedia – WorldStatesmen.org
- 1721 disestablishments in Europe
- States and territories established in 1561
- Dominions of Sweden
- History of Estonia by period
- Estonia–Sweden relations
- 1561 establishments in Sweden