Swedish Livonia
Latvia, 1629–1721. Draft, not yet reviewed
Swedish Livonia was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1629 until 1721. Riga was the second largest city in the Swedish Empire at the time. In contrast to Swedish Estonia, which had submitted to Swedish rule voluntarily in 1561 and where traditional local laws remained largely untouched, the uniformity policy was applied in Swedish Livonia under Karl XI of Sweden: serfdom was abolished, peasants were offered education as well as military, administrative or ecclesiastical careers, and nobles had to transfer domains to the king in the Great Reduction. The territory in turn was conquered by the Russian Empire during the Great Northern War and, following the Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia in 1710, formed Riga Governorate.
Seat of power: Riga
Rulers
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1611–1632
During his reign, Sweden rose from the status of a Baltic Sea basin regional power to one of the great powers of Europe. He was assisted by Count Axel Oxenstierna, the Lord High Chancellor of Sweden.
Portrait of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden: Presumably Jacob Hoefnagel, Public domain, file
Christina of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1632–1654
She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus at the age of five, but only began ruling the Swedish Empire when she reached the age of eighteen. Her lavish spending habits pushed the state towards bankruptcy, sparking public unrest.
Portrait of Christina of Sweden: Sébastien Bourdon, Public domain, file
Charles X Gustav of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1654–1660
He led Sweden during the Second Northern War, enlarging the Swedish Empire.
Portrait of Charles X Gustav of Sweden: Sébastien Bourdon, Public domain, file
Charles XI of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1660–1697
He worked to correct the country's neglected political, financial and economic situation, and sustained peace during the remaining 20 years of his reign.
Portrait of Charles XI of Sweden: Attributed to David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl, Public domain, file
Carl XII of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1697–1718
He assumed power at the age of fifteen, and won multiple victories despite being significantly outnumbered. The campaign ended in heavy losses at Poltava, and Charles spent the following years in exile in the Ottoman Empire.
Portrait of Carl XII of Sweden: Workshop of Hyacinthe Rigaud, Public domain, file
Ulrika Eleonora I of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1718–1720
After agreeing to renounce the powers of absolute monarchy established by her father, she was recognized as successor by the Riksdag. She abdicated on 29 February 1720 in favour of Frederick, her husband.
Portrait of Ulrika Eleonora I of Sweden: Attributed to Georg Desmarées, Public domain, file
Frederick I of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1720–1751
His reign was powerless, and the parliamentary government dominated by Hat Party politicians ventured into a war with Russia, which ended in defeat.
Portrait of Frederick I of Sweden: Martin van Meytens, Public domain, file
Culture
- The church was built near the River Daugava in 1211 by Livonian Bishop Albert of Riga, who came from Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany.
- It is considered the largest medieval church in the Baltic states.
- Upon the castle's seizure by the Swedes, they constructed spacious annexes in 1641.
Picture
Riga Cathedral is the Evangelical Lutheran cathedral in Riga, Latvia, and the seat of the Archbishop of Riga.
Image: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.