History of Estonia between 1561 - 1721
The Duchy of Estonia, also known as Swedish Estonia, was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1561 until 1721, when it was ceded to Russia in the Treaty of Nystad, following its capitulation, during the plague, in the Great Northern War.
The dominion arose during the Livonian War, when the northern parts of present-day Estonia (Reval (Tallinn) and the counties of Harjumaa, Western Virumaa, Raplamaa and Järvamaa) submitted to the Swedish king in 1561, and Läänemaa in 1581. It is also colloquially known as the "good old Swedish times" 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 support of German nobility, Russia gave them more power over peasantry).
Previous historical period: Danish and Livonian Order (1208-1560) | Next historical period: Part of the Russian Empire (1722-1918) Tallinn, Estonia
1597
Tallinn, Estonia
1718
Tartu, Estonia
1632
Kuressaare, Estonia
1660's
Pärnu, Estonia
1675-1686
Kuressaare, Estonia
1654-1670
Kuressaare, Estonia
1630's
Narva, Estonia
1688-1691
Rakvere, Estonia
1670
Ruhnu, Estonia
1644
Audru, Estonia
1680
Kambja, Estonia
1720
Paldiski, Estonia
1716
Helme, Estonia
1674
Viljandi, Estonia
18th century
Mikitamäe, Estonia
1709
Střekov Castle (Schreckenstein) is perched atop a cliff above the River Elbe, near the city of Ústí nad Labem. It was built in 1316 for John of Luxembourg, the father of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, to guard an important trade route to Germany. After changing hands several times, the castle was acquired by the Lobkowicz family in 1563. Its strategic importance led to occupations by Imperial Habsburg, Saxon, and Swedish forces during the Thirty Years' War, as well as successive sieges by Austrian and Prussian armies during the Seven Years' War.
Although Střekov Castle was heavily damaged during those conflicts and abandoned as a military installation by the end of the 18th century, the 1800s saw many poets and artists visiting the castle, drawn by a new trend of interest in romantic ruins.