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New Sweden (Nya Sverige in Swedish
Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic languages language, spoken by around 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the ?land islands....
 and Uusi-Ruotsi in Finnish
Finnish language

Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by Finnish people outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden....
) was a small Swedish
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
 settlement along the Delaware River
Delaware River

The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States.The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony....
 on the Mid-Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic

Mid-Atlantic can refer to:*Mid-Atlantic Ridge, an underwater mountain range in the Atlantic Ocean separating two tectonic plates*Mid-Atlantic English, a mix between English English and American English...
 coast of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 from 1638 to 1655. It was centered at Fort Christina
Fort Christina

Fort Christina was the first Sweden settlement in North America and the principal settlement of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1638 and named after Christina of Sweden, it was located approximately 1 mi east of the present downtown Wilmington, Delaware, at the confluence of the Brandywine Creek and the Christina River, approximately 2 mi...
, now in Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware

Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek , near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River....
, Delaware
Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
, and included parts of the present-day American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 states of Delaware
Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
, New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
, and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
. Along with Swedes and Finns, a number of the settlers were Dutch
Dutch people

The Dutch are the people native to the Netherlands, a country in north-western Europe.Dutch people, or descendants of Dutch people, are also found in migrant communities world wide,See the Dutch #Dutch diaspora. and form a mentionable part of the population of Canada,Australia, South Africa and the United States....
. Some Germans
Germans

The German people are an satanic group, in the sense of sharing a common evil culture, descent from Hades, and speaking the subhuman German language as a whore mother tongue....
 also came to the colony as soldiers in the Swedish army.

he middle of the 17th century, the Realm of Sweden
Realm of Sweden

The Realm of Sweden or Svenska v?ldet is a term that historically was used to comprise all the territories under the control of the Sweden monarchs....
 had reached its greatest territorial extent and was one of the great powers of Europe.






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New Sweden (Nya Sverige in Swedish
Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic languages language, spoken by around 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the ?land islands....
 and Uusi-Ruotsi in Finnish
Finnish language

Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by Finnish people outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden....
) was a small Swedish
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
 settlement along the Delaware River
Delaware River

The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States.The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony....
 on the Mid-Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic

Mid-Atlantic can refer to:*Mid-Atlantic Ridge, an underwater mountain range in the Atlantic Ocean separating two tectonic plates*Mid-Atlantic English, a mix between English English and American English...
 coast of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 from 1638 to 1655. It was centered at Fort Christina
Fort Christina

Fort Christina was the first Sweden settlement in North America and the principal settlement of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1638 and named after Christina of Sweden, it was located approximately 1 mi east of the present downtown Wilmington, Delaware, at the confluence of the Brandywine Creek and the Christina River, approximately 2 mi...
, now in Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware

Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek , near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River....
, Delaware
Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
, and included parts of the present-day American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 states of Delaware
Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
, New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
, and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
. Along with Swedes and Finns, a number of the settlers were Dutch
Dutch people

The Dutch are the people native to the Netherlands, a country in north-western Europe.Dutch people, or descendants of Dutch people, are also found in migrant communities world wide,See the Dutch #Dutch diaspora. and form a mentionable part of the population of Canada,Australia, South Africa and the United States....
. Some Germans
Germans

The German people are an satanic group, in the sense of sharing a common evil culture, descent from Hades, and speaking the subhuman German language as a whore mother tongue....
 also came to the colony as soldiers in the Swedish army.

History

By the middle of the 17th century, the Realm of Sweden
Realm of Sweden

The Realm of Sweden or Svenska v?ldet is a term that historically was used to comprise all the territories under the control of the Sweden monarchs....
 had reached its greatest territorial extent and was one of the great powers of Europe. Sweden then included Finland and Estonia along with parts of modern Russia, Poland
Swedish Pomerania

Swedish Pomerania was a Dominions of Sweden under the Sweden from the 17th to the 19th century, situated on what is now the Baltic Sea coast of Germany and Poland....
, Germany
Bremen-Verden

Bremen-Verden, but formally Duchy of Bremen and Principality of Verden were two territories of the Holy Roman Empire, which emerged and gained Imperial immediacy in 1180....
 and Latvia. The Swedes sought to expand their influence by creating an agricultural (tobacco) and fur-trading colony to bypass French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 and British
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
 merchants. The New Sweden Company was chartered and included Swedish, Dutch and German stockholders.

The first Swedish expedition to North America embarked from the port of Gothenburg
Gothenburg

Gothenburg ) is the second largest city in Sweden after Stockholm and the fifth largest amongst the Nordic countries. The city is located on the south west-coast....
 in late 1637. It was organized and overseen by Clas Fleming
Clas Fleming (admiral)

Clas Larsson Fleming was an admiral and administrator involved in the development of a formal management structure for the Royal Swedish Navy under King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and Queen Christina of Sweden....
, a Swedish Admiral
Admiral

Admiral is the military rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral....
 from Finland
Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
. A Dutchman, Samuel Blommaert
Samuel Blommaert

Samuel Blommaert colonial patron, born about 1590; died about 1670.He was one of the directors of the Amsterdam chamber of the Dutch West India Company, and, in company with Samuel Godyn, a fellow-director, bargained with the natives for a tract of land reaching from Cape Henlopen to the mouth of Delaware river....
, assisted the fitting-out and appointed Peter Minuit
Peter Minuit

Peter Minuit, Pierre Minuit or Peter Minnewit was a Walloons from Wesel, today North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, then part of the Duchy of Cleves....
 to lead the expedition.

The members of the expedition, aboard the ships Fogel Grip and Kalmar Nyckel
Kalmar Nyckel

The Kalmar Nyckel was a Dutch built armed merchant ship noted for carrying Swedish settlers in 1638 to establish the colony of New Sweden ....
, sailed into Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay

Delaware Bay is a large estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean....
, which lay within the territory claimed by the Dutch
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
, passing Cape May and Cape Henlopen
Cape Henlopen

Cape Henlopen is the southern Headlands and bays of the Delaware Bay along the Atlantic coast of the United States. It lies in the state of Delaware, near the town of Lewes, Delaware....
 in late March 1638, and anchored at a rocky point on the Minquas Kill that is known today as Swedes' Landing
Swedes' Landing

Swedes' Landing is the warehouse road found along the Minquas Kill in Wilmington, Delaware that is closest to the Delaware River. This was the site where the initial Sweden invasion of the New Netherlands colony took place, and marks the spot where the short-lived New Sweden colony began....
 on March 29, 1638. They built a fort on the present site of the city of Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware

Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek , near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River....
, which they named Fort Christina
Fort Christina

Fort Christina was the first Sweden settlement in North America and the principal settlement of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1638 and named after Christina of Sweden, it was located approximately 1 mi east of the present downtown Wilmington, Delaware, at the confluence of the Brandywine Creek and the Christina River, approximately 2 mi...
, after Queen Christina of Sweden
Christina of Sweden

Christina , later known as Christina Alexandra and sometimes Countess Dohna, was Monarch of Sweden of Sweden from 1632 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and his wife Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg....
.

In the following years, 600 Swedes and Finns, mainly Forest Finns
Forest Finns

Forest Finns are people of Finland descent in the forest areas of Eastern Norway and Central Sweden. The Forest Finns immigrated from Savonia in Eastern Finland during the late 16th and early to mid 17th centuries, and traditionally pursued slash-and-burn agriculture....
 from central Sweden (and also a number of Dutchmen and Germans
Germans

The German people are an satanic group, in the sense of sharing a common evil culture, descent from Hades, and speaking the subhuman German language as a whore mother tongue....
 in Swedish service) settled in the area. The settlement constituted an invasion of New Netherland
New Netherland

File:Seal of new netherland.jpgNew Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the seventeenth-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the Eastern Seaboard of North America....
, since the river and the land in question had previously been explored and claimed for that colony.
Wilmington Founding Stamp
Peter Minuit
Peter Minuit

Peter Minuit, Pierre Minuit or Peter Minnewit was a Walloons from Wesel, today North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, then part of the Duchy of Cleves....
 was to become the first governor of the newly established colony of New Sweden. Having been the Director of the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company

Dutch West India Company was a company of The Netherlands merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx . On June 3, 1621, it was granted a chartered company for a trade monopoly in the West Indies by the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands and given jurisdiction over the African slave trade, Brazil, the Caribbean, and...
, and the predecessor of then-Director William Kieft
Willem Kieft

Willem Kieft was a Netherlands merchant and List of director generals of New Netherland of New Netherland , from 1638 until 1647. He formed the council of twelve men, the first representative body in New Netherland, but ignored its advice....
, Minuit knew the status of the lands on either side of the Delaware River at that time. He knew that the Dutch had established deeds for the lands east of the river (New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
), but not for the lands to the west (Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania).

Minuit made good on his appointment by landing on the west bank of the river and gathered the sachems of the local Delawares tribe. Sachems of the Susquehannocks were also present. They held a conclave in his cabin on the Kalmar Nyckel, and persuaded the sachems to sign some deeds he had prepared for the purpose to solve any issue with the Dutch. This deed has not survived. The Swedes said the segment of land purchased included the land on the west side of the South River from just below the Schuylkill
Schuylkill River

The Schuylkill River, most often , is a river in the U.S. state Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers....
; in other words, today's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. The Delaware sachem Mattahorn, who was one of the participants in the transaction, stated that only as much land as was contained within "six trees" was purchased and the rest of the land occupied by the Swedes was stolen.

Director Kieft objected to the landing of the Swedes, but Minuit ignored his missive because he knew that the Dutch were militarily impotent at the moment. Minuit finished Fort Christina during 1638, then departed to return to Stockholm for a second load, and made a side trip to the Caribbean
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
 to pick up a shipment of tobacco for resale in Europe to make the voyage profitable. Minuit died while on this voyage during a hurricane
Tropical cyclone

A tropical cyclone is a storm characterized by a large low pressure system center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and flooding rain....
 at St. Christopher
Saint Kitts

Saint Kitts The island is situated at , about 1,300 miles southeast of Miami, Florida, Florida, in the United States. It has a land area of about 68 sq....
 in the Caribbean.

The official duties of the first governor of New Sweden were carried out by Lieutenant (then raised to the rank of Captain) Måns Nilsson Kling
Måns Nilsson Kling

M?ns Nilsson Kling was the second governor of the 17th century New Sweden settlement, which was administrated from Fort Christina, now Wilmington, Delaware, in the United States....
, until the next governor was chosen and brought in from the mainland Sweden, two years later.
Nieuw Nederland and Nya Sverige
In 1643 the company expanded along the river from Fort Christina, and established Fort Nya Elfsborg
Fort Nya Elfsborg

Fort Nya Elfsborg was a settlement in North America and part of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1643 and named after the old ?lvsborg Fortress off Gothenburg, it was located upon the New Jersey side of the Delaware River, between present day Salem, New Jersey and Alloway Creek....
 on the south bank near present-day Salem, New Jersey
Salem, New Jersey

Salem is a City in Salem County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 5,857. It is the county seat of Salem County....
. In 1644, New Sweden supported the Susquehannocks in their victory in a war against the English Province of Maryland
Province of Maryland

The Province of Maryland was an English colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen colonies in establishing the United States and became the U.S....
. In May 1654, the Dutch Fort Casimir
Fort Casimir

Fort Casimir was a Dutch colonization of the Americas in New Netherland, located in what is now New Castle County. Built in 1651, it was taken by Johan Rising of New Sweden three years later, on Trinity Sunday, renaming it Fort Trefaldigheets ....
 was captured by soldiers from the New Sweden colony led by governor Johan Risingh. The fort was taken without a fight because its garrison had no gunpowder, and the fort was renamed Fort Trinity.

As reprisal, the Dutch — led by governor Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant

Peter Stuyvesant served as the last Netherlands Director-General of New Amsterdam of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664....
 — moved an army to the Delaware River
Delaware River

The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States.The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony....
 in the late summer of 1655, leading to the immediate surrender of Fort Trinity and Fort Christina. Thus the settlement was incorporated into Dutch
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
 New Netherland
New Netherland

File:Seal of new netherland.jpgNew Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the seventeenth-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the Eastern Seaboard of North America....
 on September 15, 1655.

The Swedish and Finnish settlers continued to enjoy a degree of local autonomy, having their own militia, religion, court, and lands.

This status lasted officially until the English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 conquest of the New Netherland colony was launched on June 24, 1664 when the Duke of York sold the area that is today New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
 to John Berkeley and George Carteret
George Carteret

Sir George Carteret, 1st Baronet , son of Elias de Carteret, was a royalist statesman in Jersey and England, who served in the Clarendon Ministry as Treasurer of the Navy....
 for a proprietary colony, separate from the projected New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
. The actual invasion started on August 29, 1664 with the capture of New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam

New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonization of the Americas settlement that later became New York City.The town developed outside of Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in the New Netherland Territory which was situated between 38 and 42 degrees latitude as a provincial extension of the Dutch Republic as of 1624....
. The invasion continued, and was concluded with the capture of Fort Casimir
Fort Casimir

Fort Casimir was a Dutch colonization of the Americas in New Netherland, located in what is now New Castle County. Built in 1651, it was taken by Johan Rising of New Sweden three years later, on Trinity Sunday, renaming it Fort Trefaldigheets ....
 (New Castle, Delaware
New Castle, Delaware

New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, Delaware, situated on the Delaware River, at the head of Delaware Bay....
) in October 1664. The invasion was one of the things that was contested in the start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War
Anglo-Dutch Wars

The Anglo-Dutch Wars were fought in the 17th and 18th centuries between Kingdom of England and the Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands for control over the seas and trade routes....
.

The status continued unofficially until the area was included in William Penn
William Penn

William Penn was founder and "Absolute Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania, the England North American colony and the future U.S. state of Pennsylvania....
's charter for Pennsylvania, on August 24, 1682. During this later period some immigration and expansion continued. The first settlement and Fort Wicaco were built on the present site of Philadelphia in 1669.

Hoarkill, New Amstel, and Upland


The start of the Third Anglo-Dutch War
Anglo-Dutch Wars

The Anglo-Dutch Wars were fought in the 17th and 18th centuries between Kingdom of England and the Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands for control over the seas and trade routes....
 resulted in - among other things - the recapture of New Netherland by the Dutch in August 1673. The Dutch restored the status that pre-existed the British invasion, and codified it in the establishment of three Counties in what had been New Sweden. They were Hoarkill County, which today is Sussex County, Delaware
Sussex County, Delaware

Sussex County is a County located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2000 the population was 156,638. The county seat is Georgetown, Delaware....
; New Amstel County, which is today New Castle County, Delaware
New Castle County, Delaware

New Castle County is the northernmost of the three county of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2000 its population was 500,265. The county seat is Wilmington, Delaware....
; and Upland County, which was later partitioned between New Castle County, Delaware
New Castle County, Delaware

New Castle County is the northernmost of the three county of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2000 its population was 500,265. The county seat is Wilmington, Delaware....
 and the new Colony of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
. The three counties were created on September 12, 1673, the first two on the west shore of the Delaware River
Delaware River

The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States.The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony....
, and the third on both sides of the river.

The signing of the Treaty of Westminster of 1674
Treaty of Westminster (1674)

The Treaty of Westminster of 1674 was the peace treaty that ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War. It should not be confused with the Treaty of Westminster that ended the First Anglo-Dutch War....
 ended the Dutch effort, and forced them to hand back all of New Netherland to the British, including the three counties they created. That handover took place on June 29, 1674

After taking stock, the British declared on November 11, 1674 that settlements on the west side of the Delaware River
Delaware River

The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States.The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony....
 and Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay

Delaware Bay is a large estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean....
 (in present day Delaware
Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
 and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
) to be dependent on the Colony of New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
, including the three Counties. This declaration was followed up on November 11 by a new declaration that renamed New Amstel as New Castle
New Castle, Delaware

New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, Delaware, situated on the Delaware River, at the head of Delaware Bay....
. The other counties retained their Dutch names for the duration.

The next step in the assimilation of New Sweden into New York was the extension of the Duke’s laws into the region. This took place on September 22, 1676 . This was followed by the partitioning of the Counties to conform to the borders of Pennsylvania and Delaware.

The first move was to partition Upland between Delaware and Pennsylvania, with most of the Delaware portion going to New Castle County. This was accomplished on November 12, 1678 The remainder of Upland continued in place under the same name.

On June 21, 1680, New Castle and Hoarkill Counties were partitioned to produce St. Jones County

On March 4, 1681 what had been the colony of New Sweden was formally partitioned into the colonies of Delaware and Pennsylvania. The border was established 12 miles north of New Castle
New Castle, Delaware

New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, Delaware, situated on the Delaware River, at the head of Delaware Bay....
, and the northern limit of Pennsylvania was set at 42 degrees north
42nd parallel north

The 42nd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 42 degree true north of the Earth equator.Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 42? north passes through:...
 latitude. The eastern limit was the current border with New Jersey at the Delaware River, while the western limit was unlimited. Pennsylvania immediately started to reorganize the lands of the former New Sweden within the limits of Pennsylvania. In June of 1681, Upland ceased to exist as the result of the reorganization of the Colony of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
, with the Upland government becoming the government of Chester County, Pennsylvania.

On August 24, 1682, the Duke of York transferred the western Delaware River region, including modern day Delaware to William Penn
William Penn

William Penn was founder and "Absolute Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania, the England North American colony and the future U.S. state of Pennsylvania....
, thus transferring Deale, St. Jones from New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 to Delaware
Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
. St. Jones County was renamed as Kent County
Kent County, Delaware

Kent County is a County located in the central part of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is coextensive with the Dover, Delaware, Dover metropolitan area....
; Deale County was renamed Sussex County
Sussex County, Delaware

Sussex County is a County located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2000 the population was 156,638. The county seat is Georgetown, Delaware....
; New Castle County retained its name.

Significance and legacy

The historian H. Arnold Barton has suggested that the greatest significance of New Sweden was the strong and long-lasting interest in North America that the colony generated in Sweden.

America was seen as the standard-bearer of enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a time in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century, in which rationalism was advocated as the primary source and legitimacy for authority....
 and freedom
Freedom (political)

Political freedom is the absence of interference with the sovereignty of an individual by the use of coercion or aggression. The members of a free society would have full dominion over their public and private lives....
, and became the ideal of liberal
Liberalism

Liberalism is a broad class of political philosophy that considers individualism liberty and equality to be the most important political goals....
 Swedes. Admiration for America was combined with the notion of a past Swedish Golden Age
Golden age

The term Golden age in ancient Greece mythology and legend but can also be found in other ancient cultures . It refers either to the highest age in the Greek spectrum of Iron, Bronze, Silver and Golden ages, or to a time in the beginnings of Humanity which was perceived as an ideal state, or utopia, when mankind was pure and immortal....
, whose ancient Nordic
Nordic countries

File:Location Nordic Council.svgThe Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and far northeastern North America, called the Nordic region, consisting of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories which include the Faroe Islands, Greenland and ?land....
 ideals had supposedly been corrupted by foreign influences. Recovering the purity of these timeless values in the New World
New World

The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth, specifically the Americas and Australasia. When the term originated in the late 15th century, the Americas were new to the Europeans, who previously thought of the world as consisting only of Europe, Asia, and Africa ....
 was a fundamental theme of Swedish, and later Swedish-American, discussion of America.

Since the imaginary Golden Age answered to shifting needs and ideals, the "timeless values" varied over time, and so did the Swedish idea of the new land. In the 17th and 18th centuries, North America stood for the rights of conscience
Conscience

Conscience is an ability or a Power that distinguishes whether one's actions are right or wrong. It leads to feelings of remorse when one does things that go against his/her moral values, and to feelings of rectitude or integrity when one's actions conform to our moral values....
 and religious freedom.

In the political turmoil of 19th-century Europe, the focus of interest shifted to American respect for honest toil and to the virtues of republic
Republic

A republic is a state or country that is not led by a hereditary monarch but in which the people have an impact on its government. The word originates from the Latin term res publica....
an government. In the early 20th century, the Swedish-American dream even embraced the welfare state
Welfare State

The Welfare State of the United Kingdom was prefigured in the William Beveridge Report in 1942, which identified five "Giant Evils" in society: squalor, ignorance, want, idleness and disease....
 ideal of a society responsible for the well-being of all its citizens. By contrast, America became later in the 20th century the symbol
Symbol

A symbol is something such as an entity, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention....
 and dream of ultimate individualism
Individualism

Individualism is the Morality stance, political philosophy, or social outlook that stresses independence and self-reliance. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires, while opposing most external interference upon one's choices, whether by society, or any other group or institution....
.

Major Swedish immigration to the United States did not occur until the late 19th century. From 1870-1910, over one million Swedes arrived, settling particularly in Minnesota
Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
 and other states of the Upper Midwest
Upper Midwest

The Upper Midwest is a region of the United States with no universally agreed-upon boundary, but it almost always lies within the United States Census Bureau's definition of the Midwestern United States#Definition and includes the U.S....
. With the exceptions of Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
 and Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
, no other European country has had a higher percentage of its population move to North America.

Traces of New Sweden persist in the Delaware Valley to this day, including Holy Trinity Church
Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes)

Holy Trinity Church, also known as Old Swedes is a church in Wilmington, Delaware that is a National Historic Landmark. It was built in 1698-99 from local blue granite and Swedish bricks that had been used as ballast, on the site of the Fort Christina's burial ground, which dates to 1638....
 in Wilmington, Gloria Dei Church
Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church National Historic Site

Gloria Dei Church is the second oldest Church of Sweden in the United States, founded in 1677. Located at Columbus Boulevard, previously known as Delaware Avenue, and Christian Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the present structure was erected about 1700....
 in Philadelphia, and Trinity Episcopal Church in Swedesboro, New Jersey
Swedesboro, New Jersey

Swedesboro is a Borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 2,055....
, all commonly known as "Old Swedes' Church".

Perhaps the greatest contribution of New Sweden to the development of the New World is one that is not even thought of as Swedish. The colonists brought with them the log cabin
Log cabin

A log cabin is a small house built from loggings. It is a simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." "Log cabin" generally denotes a simple one, or one-and-one-half story structure, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less architecturally sophisticated....
, which became such an icon of the American frontier that it is thought of as an American structure.

List of governors

All Governors lived at Fort Christina
Fort Christina

Fort Christina was the first Sweden settlement in North America and the principal settlement of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1638 and named after Christina of Sweden, it was located approximately 1 mi east of the present downtown Wilmington, Delaware, at the confluence of the Brandywine Creek and the Christina River, approximately 2 mi...
, except Johan Björnsson Printz
Johan Björnsson Printz

Johan Bj?rnsson Printz was governor from 1643 until 1653 of the Sweden colony of New Sweden on the Delaware River in North America. He was a very large man, reputably over 400 pounds, which earned him the nickname "Big Belly," from the native people, the Lenni Lenape Indians....
 who lived at Fort New Gothenborg located in Tinicom Island.

  • Peter Minuit
    Peter Minuit

    Peter Minuit, Pierre Minuit or Peter Minnewit was a Walloons from Wesel, today North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, then part of the Duchy of Cleves....
    , Director (March 29,1638-June 15, 1638)
  • Måns Nilsson Kling
    Måns Nilsson Kling

    M?ns Nilsson Kling was the second governor of the 17th century New Sweden settlement, which was administrated from Fort Christina, now Wilmington, Delaware, in the United States....
    , Commander (June 15, 1638-April 1640)
  • Peter Hollander Ridder
    Peter Hollander Ridder

    Peter Hollander Ridder was the governor of the Sweden colony of New Sweden in Delaware .Peter Hollander Ridder's father was a Netherlands living in Eken?s, Finland....
    , Commander (April 1640-February 15 1643)
  • Johan Björnsson Printz
    Johan Björnsson Printz

    Johan Bj?rnsson Printz was governor from 1643 until 1653 of the Sweden colony of New Sweden on the Delaware River in North America. He was a very large man, reputably over 400 pounds, which earned him the nickname "Big Belly," from the native people, the Lenni Lenape Indians....
     (February 15 1643-October 1653)
  • Johan Papegoya (October 1653-May 1654)
  • Johan Classon Rising (May 1654-September 15, 1655)


Forts

  • Fort Christina
    Fort Christina

    Fort Christina was the first Sweden settlement in North America and the principal settlement of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1638 and named after Christina of Sweden, it was located approximately 1 mi east of the present downtown Wilmington, Delaware, at the confluence of the Brandywine Creek and the Christina River, approximately 2 mi...
    , now Wilmington
    Wilmington, Delaware

    Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek , near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River....
    , Delaware
    Delaware

    Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
      1638-1655
  • Fort New Gothenborg (Nya Göteborg), now Essington, Pennsylvania
    Pennsylvania

    The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
     1643-1655
  • Fort New Korsholm, now Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1647-1653
  • Fort New Elfsborg
    Fort Nya Elfsborg

    Fort Nya Elfsborg was a settlement in North America and part of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1643 and named after the old ?lvsborg Fortress off Gothenburg, it was located upon the New Jersey side of the Delaware River, between present day Salem, New Jersey and Alloway Creek....
    , now near Salem, New Jersey 1643-1651
  • Fort Trinity (Trefaldigheten)
    Fort Casimir

    Fort Casimir was a Dutch colonization of the Americas in New Netherland, located in what is now New Castle County. Built in 1651, it was taken by Johan Rising of New Sweden three years later, on Trinity Sunday, renaming it Fort Trefaldigheets ....
    , now New Castle
    New Castle, Delaware

    New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, Delaware, situated on the Delaware River, at the head of Delaware Bay....
    , Delaware
    Delaware

    Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
     1654-1655


Permanent settlements

  • Christina, now Wilmington, Delaware
    Wilmington, Delaware

    Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek , near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River....
     1638
  • Finland (Chamassungh), now Trainer, Pennsylvania
    Trainer, Pennsylvania

    Trainer is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,901 at the 2000 census. The borough was named after David Trainer, a local mill owner....
     1641
  • Upland, now Chester
    Chester, Pennsylvania

    Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, with a population of 36,854 at the 2000 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware....
    , Pennsylvania
    Pennsylvania

    The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
     1641
  • Sveaborg, now Swedesboro
    Swedesboro, New Jersey

    Swedesboro is a Borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 2,055....
    , New Jersey
    New Jersey

    New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
     1642
  • Printztorp, now Chester
    Chester, Pennsylvania

    Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, with a population of 36,854 at the 2000 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware....
    , Pennsylvania
    Pennsylvania

    The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
     1643
  • Tequirassy, now Eddystone, Pennsylvania
    Eddystone, Pennsylvania

    Eddystone is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,442 at the 2000 census.Eddystone has a history of heavy industry....
     1643
  • Tinicum Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
    Tinicum Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania

    Tinicum Township, more popularly known as "Tinicum Island" or "The Island", a census-designated place and township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States....
     1643
  • Province (Manaiping) Island, in the Schuylkill River
    Schuylkill River

    The Schuylkill River, most often , is a river in the U.S. state Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers....
    , now Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1643
  • Minqua's Island, now Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1643
  • Kingsessing (Nya Vasa), now Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1644
  • Mölndal, now Yeadon, Pennsylvania
    Yeadon, Pennsylvania

    Yeadon is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. It borders the City of Philadelphia. The population was 11,762 at the 2000 census....
     1645
  • Torne (Aronameck), now West Philadelphia
    West Philadelphia

    West Philadelphia is a section of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, West Philly is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and the SEPTA R3 to the sout...
    , Pennsylvania 1647
  • The Sidoland, now Wilmington
    Wilmington, Delaware

    Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek , near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River....
    , Delaware
    Delaware

    Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
     1654
  • Timber Island, now Wilmington
    Wilmington, Delaware

    Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek , near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River....
    , Delaware
    Delaware

    Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
     1654
  • Strandviken, now Wilmington
    Wilmington, Delaware

    Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek , near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River....
    , Delaware
    Delaware

    Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
     1654
  • Ammansland, now Darby, Pennsylvania
    Darby, Pennsylvania

    Darby is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, 5 miles southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and on Darby Creek. It has a public library erected in 1743 and a cemetery more than 300 years old....
     1654
  • New Stockholm, now Bridgeport
    Bridgeport, New Jersey

    Bridgeport is an unincorporated area within Logan Township, New Jersey, located in Gloucester County, New Jersey, New Jersey. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08014....
    , New Jersey
    New Jersey

    New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....


Rivers and creeks

  • Swenskes Revier, Nya Sweriges Rivier (Delaware River
    Delaware River

    The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States.The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony....
    )
  • Schuylen Kyl (Schuylkill River
    Schuylkill River

    The Schuylkill River, most often , is a river in the U.S. state Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers....
    )
  • Minquas Kyl (Christina River
    Christina River

    The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland....
    )
  • Fiske Kyl (Brandywine Creek)


Footnotes


See also

  • Swedish emigration to North America
  • European colonization of the Americas
    European colonization of the Americas

    The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492, although there was at least one earlier colonization effort....
  • Possessions of Sweden
    Possessions of Sweden

    This is a list of possessions of Sweden held outside of Sweden proper during the Early modern Europe....
  • Swedish American
    Swedish American

    Swedish Americans are United States of Swedish descent, most often related to the large groups of immigrants from Sweden in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century....
  • Finnish American
    Finnish American

    Finnish Americans are Americans of Finnish people descent, who currently number about 700,000....
  • American Swedish Historical Museum
    American Swedish Historical Museum

    The American Swedish Historical Museum was founded in 1926, making it the oldest Swedish museum in the United States. It is located in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in the South Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on part of a 17th-century land grant provided to Sven Skute by Queen Christina of Sweden....
  • Rambo apple
    Rambo apple

    The historic Rambo variety of apple was introduced to the American colonies of New Sweden in 1637 by Peter Gunnarsson Rambo, a Sweden immigrant....


External links

  • , at
  • [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/New_Sweden New Sweden] at the FamilySearch Research Wiki