Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia

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Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia
Siege of Riga (1710)
Drafted15 July – 10 October 1710 (N.S.)
LocationRiga, Pernau, Reval
Parties
  • Estonian and Livonian nobles
    and major cities
  • Russia
LanguageGerman

With the Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia in 1710 the

serfs
to subjects of the Crown, was reversed.

The

Sweden's and the beginning of Russia's time as a great power.[8] The Baltic provinces retained their special status until the late 19th century.[9]

Background

In the pretext of the

Pernau capitulated.[11] At this time, the main Swedish army was captured at the Surrender at Perevolochna following the Battle of Poltava. Peter the Great had in person launched the first shells in the siege of Riga, in November 1709.[2]

Terms

In the Estonian and Livonian capitulations, Russia largely confirmed local law and privileges, especially the

Johann Reinhold von Patkul to successfully lobby for war against Sweden in the pretext of the war,[13] and their confirmation was to assure loyalty of the Baltic elites,[15] who in the majority had fiercely resisted Russian conquest,[14] to the tsar.[15] The capitulations were concluded exclusively by the Baltic German burghers and noble class, the Estonian and Latvian speaking population was not mentioned.[16]

The confirmation of local law and administration resulted in many Swedish laws and decrees remaining in effect under Russian rule.[17] For example, an incomplete list of 122 still effective Swedish decrees was published in Reval in 1777,[18] and the Swedish ecclesiastical order was only replaced in 1832.[19]

The capitulation of Livonia violated

August the Strong's claims as outlined in the Treaty of Preobrazhenskoye (1699) and renewed on 9–10 October (O.S.) / 20–21 October 1709 (N.S.) in the Treaty of Thorn.[4] When in these treaties the allies had partitioned the Swedish dominions among themselves, August was to gain Livonia.[4] Ignoring Gerhard Johann von Löwenwolde's urge to heed these treaties, Boris Sheremetev had the Livonians swear allegiance to Peter the Great.[4] Löwenwolde, formerly serving August the Strong, was made Peter's plenipotentiary in Livonia and held that office until 1713.[20]

Consequences

The Baltic provinces before 1710/1721
The Russian Baltic governorates Riga/Livonia and Estonia (established 1713) and Courland (established 1795)

Before the Swedish-Russian hostilities were concluded in Nystad (1721), the Swedish government did not accept the capitulation.[11] Swedish intelligence operated in the occupied areas and interrogated people who escaped from these provinces to Sweden proper.[11] In 1711 and 1712, Swedish naval units made several landfalls on the Estonian coast, burning villages and estates.[21] Greater expeditions were planned during the same time, including a naval assault on Ösel (Saaremaa) in 1711[11] and a subsequent landfall with all Swedish troops stationed in Finland, but these plans were not executed.[22] The last plan for a military recovery of the Baltic provinces was made in 1720, but this one too was not executed.[22] The Swedish government further maintained an exiled administration of the Baltic dominions, and assigned vacant administrative positions until 1720.[22] The Russian administration, under supreme command of Boris Sheremetev, reacted by prohibiting contacts of the local population to Sweden.[7]

On 30 August 1721, the Treaty of Nystad formalized Russia's acquisition of the Baltic provinces and the respective capitulations in articles IX, X, XI and XII.[23] Sweden had to relinquish her claims "forever", and strike the provinces from the royal title.[17] Peter the Great in turn changed his title from tsar to imperator, and amended it with kniaz Estlandskyi, Livlandskyi i Korelskyi, i.e. duke of Estonia, Livonia and Karelia.[17] However, reconquest of her former Baltic dominions remained a Swedish war aim in the century following the Great Northern War,[24] since these territories were of high strategic importance and Livonia had been a major Swedish source for grain.[8] Yet, none of the respective attempts during the Russo-Swedish wars of 1741–1743, 1788–1790 and 1808–1809 was successful.[24] As Loit (2004) put it:

"It was the acquisition of Estonia in the year of 1561, which marked the first step to Sweden's emergence as a European great power, and it was when the Baltic provinces were lost to Russia in 1710 (1721), during the Northern War, that Sweden was transformed into a second-class power again."[nb 4]

The acquisition of Estonia and Livonia introduced a new class of

Catherine II had introduced Russian as second official language, and in the 1880s, Russian was introduced as the second lingua franca.[25]

Notes

  1. ^ Capitulation of Reval, first paragraph, excerpt: "[...] dasz von Ihro Grosz Czarischen Maytt. vor sich und ihren hohen Successoren ihnen allen von denen Königen in Dänemarck, denen Hoch Meistern, Herren Meistern, Königen in Schweden von Zeiten zu Zeiten der Stadt und ihren Einwohnern gegebene privilegia, pacta, Immunitäten, Freyheiten alle wohl hergebrachte christlöbl. Gewohnheiten, Königl. Resolutiones in genere und in specie sowohl in spiritualibus als temporalibus werden confirmiret, und zu allen Zeiten nach dem Wortverstande ohne einige andere Deutung fest gehalten werden." Luts (2006), p. 162.
  2. ^ Capitulation of the Livonian nobles, tenth paragraph, excerpt: "In allen gerichten wird nach Liefländischen Privilegien wohl eingeführten Gewohnheiten, auch nach dem bekannten alten Lief-Ländischen Ritterrechte, und, wo diese deficieren möchten, nach gemeinen Teutschen Rechten, dem landesüblichen Processform gemäss [...] decidiert [...]" Luts (2006), p. 160.
  3. ^ Capitulation of the Estonian nobles, second paragraph, excerpt: "Alle Privilegia, Donationes, Statuten, Immunitäten, Alte wohlhergebrachte Landes Gewohnheiten von deren Glorwürdigsten Königen in Dennemark, item denen Hoch- vnd Herr Meistern dem Lande und Adel gegebene und von Zeiten zu Zeiten confirmirte Praerogativen, wie Selbe in Ihrem tenore von Wort zu Wort lauten, zu confirmiren und zuerhalten." Luts (2006), p. 161.
  4. ^ "Es war die Inbesitznahme Estlands im Jahre 1561, die den ersten Schritt auf dem Weg Schwedens zu einer europäischen Großmacht bildete, und es war der Verlust der baltischen Ostseeprovinzen an Rußland 1710 (1721), der Schweden wieder in eine Macht zweiten Ranges verwandelte." Loit (2004), p. 69.

References

  1. ^ Luts (2006), p. 159
  2. ^ a b c Frost (2000), p. 294
  3. ^ a b Luts (2006), p. 160
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bushkovitch (2001), p. 294
  5. ^ Luts (2006), p. 161
  6. ^ Hatlie (2005), pp. 115–116
  7. ^ a b Loit (2004), p. 72
  8. ^ a b Loit (2004), p. 69
  9. ^ a b c Hatlie (2005), p. 116
  10. ^ Frost (2000), p. 228
  11. ^ a b c d e Loit (2004), p. 70
  12. ^ Dauchert (2006), p. 56
  13. ^ a b Bushkovitch (2001), p. 217
  14. ^ a b Kappeler (2008), p. 68
  15. ^ a b Dauchert (2006), p. 54
  16. ^ Dauchert (2006), p. 55
  17. ^ a b c Loit (2004), p. 76
  18. ^ Loit (2004), pp. 76–77
  19. ^ Loit (2004), p. 77
  20. ^ a b Bushkovitch (2001), p. 295
  21. ^ Loit (2004), pp. 70–71
  22. ^ a b c Loit (2004), p. 71
  23. ^ a b Luts (2006), p. 162
  24. ^ a b Loit (2004), pp. 70, 77ff
  25. ^ Koch (2002), pp. 59–60

Bibliography

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