Korela Fortress (; ; ) is a medieval fortress in the town of
Priozersk
Priozersk (; ; ) is a town and the administrative center of Priozersky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located at the northwestern shore of Lake Ladoga, at the estuary of the northern armlet of the Vuoksi River on the Karelian Isthmus. It i ...
,
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast (, ; ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of and a population of 2,000,997 (2021 Russian census, 2021 Census); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Russian census ...
, Russia.
Origin
The original fortification was built by
Karelians
Karelians (; ; ; ) are a Baltic Finnic ethnic group who are indigenous to the historical region of Karelia, which is today split between Finland and Russia. Karelians living in Russian Karelia are considered a distinct ethnic group closely ...
but the castle seen today is from
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
times.
It was first mentioned in a
Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...
ian chronicle of 1143 as ''Korela'', and archaeological digs have revealed a layer belonging to the 12th century.
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
chronicles first reported of the settlement of ''Keksholm'' in 1294. Until the 16th century, the fortress belonged to the
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic () was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. Its capital was the city of Novgorod. The ...
, followed by
Muscovy Muscovy or Moscovia () is an alternative name for the Principality of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721).
It may also refer to:
*Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555
*Muscovy duck (''Cairina mosch ...
. Novgorodians built the current stone bastions and towers in 1364 after a fire had destroyed the original wooden fortress in 1360.
During a Swedish-Novgorodian war in 1314, a small Karelian force re-captured their fortress from the representatives of Novgorod. They invited Swedes to keep it against
Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...
; however, the Novgorodians reconquered the fortress. The fortress was confirmed as belonging to
Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...
in the
treaty of Nöteborg
The Treaty of Nöteborg, also known as the Treaty of Orehovsk (; ; ), is a conventional name for the peace treaty signed at Shlisselburg Fortress, Oreshek (; ) on 12 August 1323. It was the first agreement between Sweden and the Novgorod Republic ...
of 1323.
Principality of Korela
In the 1330s, the
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic () was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. Its capital was the city of Novgorod. The ...
gave the castle of Korela (and practically the entire , including the forts of
Oreshek and
Ladoga), to duke
Narimantas
Narimantas or Narymunt (baptized ''Gleb''; 1277 or just before 1300 (according to Wasilewski 1992) – 2 February 1348) was a Lithuanian duke and the second eldest son of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. During various periods of his life, h ...
of Lithuania. In 1383 Korela, Oreshek and
Koporye
Koporye (; Finnish: ''Kaprio''; ) is a historic village ('' selo'') in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located about west of St. Petersburg and south of the Koporye Bay of the Baltic Sea. Its population in 2017 was 1,603.
History
The first w ...
were inherited by Narimantas' son,
Patrikas
Patrikey Glebovich or Patrikas Narimantaitis (, Finnish: ''Patrika Narimantinpoika'') was a grandson (or great-grandson) of Gediminas who exchanged his lands in and near Starodub in Siveria for the Korela and Oreshek fortresses in the Novgorod Re ...
, the forefather of the
Galitzine
Galitzine is an alternative romanization of Golitsyn, a surname chiefly associated with members of the House of Golitsyn of Lithuanian-Russian origin.
Notable people with the surname include:
House of Golitsyn
* Alexandra Pavlovna Galitzine ...
princely clan. The following year local burghers lodged a complaint about his administration, and Patrikas was forced to exchange Korela for Ladoga and
Russa. Patrikas occupied his lands in
Ingria
Ingria (; ; ; ) is a historical region including, and adjacent to, what is now the city of Saint Petersburg in northwestern Russia. The region lies along the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordered by Lake Ladoga on the Karelian ...
and Karelia at least from 1383 to 1397. In 1408, it is recorded that he settled in Moscow under the protection of
Vasili I
Vasily I Dmitriyevich (; 30 December 137127 February 1425) was Grand Prince of Vladimir and Moscow from 1389. He was the heir of Dmitry Donskoy, who reigned from 1359 to 1389.
He entered an alliance with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1392 an ...
, together with his younger sons, Georgi and Fyodor, who had grown up in Ingria.
Swedish rule and administration
Soon after their
seizure of Korela in 1580, the Swedes rebuilt the fortress following a Western European pattern of
bastion
A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...
fortifications. In the
Treaty of Teusina
The Treaty of Teusina (, Russian: ''Тя́взинский ми́рный догово́р'') was concluded by Russian diplomats under the boyar Afanasiy Pushkin and ambassadors of the Swedish king at the village of (, ) in Ingria on 18 May 159 ...
of 1595 Sweden undertook to return Korela to Russia. This was effected in 1597. During the subsequent
Ingrian War
The Ingrian War () was a conflict fought between the Swedish Empire and the Tsardom of Russia which lasted between 1610 and 1617. It can be seen as part of Russia's Time of Troubles, and is mainly remembered for the attempt to put a Swedish duk ...
starting 1610,
Gustavus Adolphus
Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...
restored Swedish control of the castle and the whole area. During the
Time of Troubles
The Time of Troubles (), also known as Smuta (), was a period of political crisis in Tsardom of Russia, Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Feodor I of Russia, Feodor I, the last of the Rurikids, House of Rurik, and ended in 1613 wit ...
, Korela was a prize promised by
Vasily IV of Russia
Vasili IV Ivanovich Shuisky (, 12 September 1612) was Tsar of all Russia from 1606 to 1610, after the murder of False Dmitri I. His rule coincided with the Time of Troubles. He was the only member of House of Shuisky to become tsar and ...
to
Jacob De la Gardie
Field Marshal and Count Jacob Pontusson De la Gardie (20 June 1583 – 22 August 1652) was a wikt:statesman, statesman and a soldier of the Swedish Empire, and a Marshal from 1620 onward.
He was Privy Council of Sweden, Privy Councilor from ...
as part of the Swedish
De la Gardie Campaign to assist Russia against the
Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth. They were incorporated with Sweden as
Kexholm County
Kexholm County (, ) was a county of the Swedish Empire from 1634 to 1721, when the southern part was ceded to the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Nystad. The capital of the county was Kexholm (), which today is Priozersk.
History
The coun ...
in the
Treaty of Stolbovo
The Treaty of Stolbovo (; ) was a peace treaty that ended the Ingrian War (), which had been fought between the Swedish Empire and the Russian Tsardom between 1610 and 1617.
History
After nearly two months of negotiations, representatives from ...
in 1617. The fortress and the region remained with Sweden until
Peter the Great
Peter I (, ;
– ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...
captured the fortress and parts of Kexholm County during the
Great Northern War
In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...
.
Grand Duchy of Finland
After losing the
Finnish War
The Finnish War (; ; ) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...
in 1809 Sweden ceded its eastern half to Russia and in 1812 Kexholm () was incorporated into
Viipuri Province
Viipuri Province was a Historical provinces of Finland, historical province of Finland from 1812 to 1945.
History
The predecessor of the province was Vyborg Governorate, which was established in 1744 from territories ceded by the Swedish Empi ...
of the
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed from 1809 to 1917 as an Autonomous region, autonomous state within the Russian Empire.
Originating in the 16th century as a titular grand duchy held by the Monarc ...
.
In the mid-18th century, the fortress was turned into a political prison of
Imperial Russia
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* ...
. Some participants of the
Decembrist Revolt
The Decembrist revolt () was a failed coup d'état led by liberal military and political dissidents against the Russian Empire. It took place in Saint Petersburg on , following the death of Emperor Alexander I.
Alexander's brother and heir ...
(1825) were confined there.
Republic of Finland
In early-December 1917
Finland declared independence and Käkisalmi became part of the independent Finland. In 1940, following the
Winter War
The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...
, Käkisalmi and the eastern portion of
Finnish Karelia
Karelia (: ) is a historical province of Finland, consisting of the modern-day Finnish regions of South Karelia and North Karelia plus the historical regions of Ladoga Karelia and the Karelian Isthmus, which are now in Russia. Historical Kare ...
were ceded to the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. During the
Continuation War
The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet–Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II. It began with a Finnish declaration of war on 25 June 1941 and ended on 19 ...
in 1941–1944, Finland temporarily gained back Käkisalmi, until the Soviet Union managed to reclaim it. The town was renamed ''Priozersk'' on October 1, 1948.
In popular culture
In October 1996, the opening scene of the film ''
Brother
A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...
'' was filmed outside the walls of the fortress. In the scene, the protagonist, Danila Bagrov, walks onto a filming set for a
Nautilus Pompilius
The chambered nautilus (''Nautilus pompilius''), also called the pearly nautilus, is the best-known species of nautilus. The shell, when cut away, reveals a lining of lustrous nacre and displays a nearly perfect logarithmic spiral, equiangular s ...
music video.
References
External links
Photos of the fortress
{{coord, 61, 01, 46, N, 30, 07, 22, E, region:RU_type:landmark, display=title
Forts in Russia
History of the Karelian Isthmus
Star forts
Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Leningrad Oblast