The Duchy of Estonia ( sv, Hertigdömet Estland, et, Eestimaa hertsogkond, german: Herzogtum Estland), also known as Swedish Estonia, ( sv, Svenska Estland, italic=no) was a

dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

of the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually ta ...

from 1561 until 1721 during the time that most or all of Estonia was under Swedish rule. The land was eventually ceded to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

in the

Treaty of Nystad The Treaty of Nystad (russian: Ништадтский мир; fi, Uudenkaupungin rauha; sv, Freden i Nystad; et, Uusikaupunki rahu) was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. It was concluded between the Tsardom of ...

, following its capitulation, during the plague, in the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swe ...

. The dominion arose during the

Livonian War The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pr ...

, when the northern parts of present-day

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

—

Reval Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ''m ...

(Tallinn) and the counties of , , and — submitted to the Swedish king in 1561, and in 1581. It is also colloquially known as the "good old Swedish times" ( et, 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 Baltic German nobility was a privileged social class in the territories of today's Estonia and Latvia. It existed continuously since the Northern Crusades and the medieval foundation of Terra Mariana. Most of the nobility were Baltic Germans, ...

, Russia gave them more power over the peasantry.

Head of Dominion

; Governors (1561–1674) *

Friherre (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

Nynäs Nynas AB is a Swedish manufacturer of specialty naphthenic oils and bitumen products. Founded in 1928 as a national oil company with a traditional range of products, the company today also supplies specialist products and niche markets. As well ...

, from Sundholm (August 2, 1561 – February 27, 1562) *

Klas Horn Baron Klas Kristersson Horn (1517 – September 9, 1566) was a Finnish born, Swedish nobleman and Naval Admiral who fought for Sweden in the Northern Seven Years' War of 1563–1570. Biography Horn was born at Åminne Manor in Halikko, Finla ...

of Åminne (acting) (August 1561) *

Henrik Klasson Horn Henrikki Laavunpoika of Kankainen, or Henrik Klasson Horn (c. 1512–1595), was a Swedish military officer and Governor-General of Finland. He was an ancestor of the noble Swedish family, Horn af Kanckas. Biography He was the son of Kl ...

from Kankas (1st time) (February 27, 1562 – June 1562) *

Svante Stensson Sture Svante Stensson Sture or Svante Sture the Younger (born 1 May 1517 in Stockholm, d. 24 May 1567 in the Sture Murders at Uppsala Castle) was a Swedish count, riksmarsk and statesman. From 1562 to 1564, during the Livonian War, he was governor of ...

(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) *

Clas Åkesson Tott Clas Åkesson Tott (c. 1530–1596) was a military Field Marshal (1572) and member of the Privy Council of Sweden (1575). In the Russo-Swedish War (1554–1557), he was the rittmeister of the cavalry squadron ''Upplandsfanan''. He became res ...

(November 6, 1572 – 1574) *

Pontus De la Gardie Baron Pontus De la Gardie (c. 1520 – 5 November 1585) was a French nobleman and a general in the service of Denmark and Sweden. Life and career He was born Ponce d'Escouperie in Caunes-Minervois (Aude), Languedoc, a son of Jacques Escop ...

(June 4, 1574 – December 1575) * from Kankas (1st time) (January 1576 – May 1578) * Nilsson Hans Eriksson Finn from Brinkala (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) *

(1583 – November 5, 1585) * (November 8, 1585 – 1588) *

Hans Wachtmeister Hans Wachtmeister af Johannishus, ( – ) was admiral general of the Swedish Navy and advisor to King Charles XI of Sweden and King Charles XII of Sweden. He served in the Scanian War of 1675–1679 and during the following twenty years of peac ...

(acting) (July 1588 – October 13, 1588) * Gustaf Axelsson Banér from Djurshom (October 13, 1588 – 1590) * af

Lindö Lindö is a locality situated in Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 4,915 inhabitants in 2010. It is situated just a few kilometers from the centre of the city of Norrköping and is often considered part of it. Lindö is ...

(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 Raseborg ( fi, Raasepori) is a town (administrative area) and municipality of Finland. It was created on January 1, 2009, when the municipalities of Ekenäs, Karis and Pohja were consolidated into a single town. Of these, Ekenäs now serves as ...

(1601 – October 1602) * ... (October 1602 – May 1605) *

Nils Turesson Bielke Nils Turesson Bielke (5 November 1569 – 17 December 1639) was a Swedish statesman, member of the privy council, son of Ture Pedersson Bielke. Career Nils Turesson Bielke was an ardent supporter of Duke Carl which rewarded his fidelity ...

(May 10, 1605 – June 1605) *

Axel Nilsson Ryning Axel Nilsson Ryning, born 1552, died 8 January 1620, was a Lord High Admiral of Sweden, Swedish Lord High Admiral, Marshal, Councilor, and Baron to Tuna farm in Österåker parish in the current Österåker Municipality, Österåker municipality i ...

(1605–1608) * ... (1608–1611) * Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna (1611–1617) * Anders Eriksson Hästehufvud (1617–1619) *

Jakob De la Gardie Field Marshal and Count Jacob Pontusson De la Gardie ( Reval, 20 June 1583 – Stockholm, 22 August 1652) was a statesman and a soldier of the Swedish Empire, and a Marshal from 1620 onward. He was Privy Councilor from 1613 onward, Govern ...

(July 1619 – 1622) * Per Gustafsson Banér af Tussa (1622 – January 1626) *

of Eckholm (1626 – October 1628) * from

Arnö Arnö is a locality situated in Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 3,871 inhabitants in 2010. Geography Arnö is situated on a peninsula on the south side of the bay, with Nyköping on the north side. Locally, Arnö is consi ...

(1628 – July 17, 1642) *

Kimito Kimito (; fi, Kemiö ) is a former municipality of Finland. On January 1, 2009, it was consolidated with Dragsfjärd and Västanfjärd to form the new municipality of Kimitoön. Prior to the consolidation, it was one of the four municipalities ...

(July 26, 1642 – 1646) * , Count of Södermöre (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 Bengt Skytte (1614–1683) was a Swedish courtier and diplomat. He was a follower of Comenius and proposed a pansophic city, "Sophopolis". Early life He was the son of Johan Skytte and Maria Näf (Neaf) and brother of Vendela Skytte. He matricul ...

(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) *

(January 20, 1687 – April 19, 1687) *

Axel Julius De la Gardie Axel Julius de la Gardie (1637–1710) was a Swedish Field Marshal and was appointed Governor-General over Estonia. Axel Julius was the son of military commander Jacob De la Gardie and Ebba Brahe. He became colonel of an infantry regiment and ...

from

Läckö Castle Läckö Castle (Swedish language, Swedish: '':sv:Läckö slott, Läckö Slott'' ) is a medieval castle in Sweden, located on Kållandsö island on Lake Vänern, 25 kilometers north of Lidköping in Västergötland, Sweden. History Brynolf Algo ...

, Lidköping (1687 – December 1704) *

Wolmar Anton von Schlippenbach Wolmar Anton von Schlippenbach (1653–1721) was Governor General of Swedish Estonia from 1704 to 1706. Biography Born in Livonia, into the Schlippenbach noble family participated as a captain in the Swedish army Scanian War under Charles XI and s ...

(December 1704 – July 6, 1706) *

Niels Jonsson Stromberg af Clastorp Niels Jonsson Stromberg af Clastorp (March 25, 1646 – August 16, 1723) was a Swedish soldier and Governor-General of Swedish Estonia from 1706 to 1709. He was born with the family name Brattman which was ennobled to Strömberg in 1674, and aft ...

(July 6, 1706 – October 23, 1709) * Carl Nieroth (October 23, 1709 – October 10, 1710)

References

Sources

*
Online encyclopedia – WorldStatesmen.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estonia, Duchy of, (1561-1721) 1721 disestablishments in Europe States and territories established in 1561 Dominions of Sweden

Duchy of Estonia (1561–1721) The Duchy of Estonia ( sv, Hertigdömet Estland, et, Eestimaa hertsogkond, german: Herzogtum Estland), also known as Swedish Estonia, ( sv, Svenska Estland, italic=no) was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1561 until 1721 during the time ...

Estonia–Sweden relations 1561 establishments in Sweden States and territories disestablished in 1721

Head of Dominion

See also

References

Sources