The Dutch
that were at Fort Nassau strongly protested.
In 1640, a new Director Peter Hollander Ridder arrived at Fort Christina, with
reinforcements and a goodly number of Swedish colonists.Between 1638 and 1656, the Swedish sent to the colony 12 separate
expeditions.
In the fall of 1640 others Dutch colonists settled near Fort Christina, in 1641, two ships
and more Finnish colonists arrived from Sweden.
In 1641 the Dutch associates of the Company were forced to sell their part to the Crown of
Sweden.
During the first years of the New Sweden colony the immigrants were almost entirely Dutch.
In 1642, was inaugurated a windmill at Fort Christina.
A new company, the New Sweden Company, was formed and a new Governor, John Printz, was
appointed; he arrived in the colony in February 1643.
The new Governor, began to build a new fort, called Fort Nya Goteborg on the island of
Tinicum here he also built a Lutheran church (consecrated on 4 September 1646) and decided
to move the capital of the colony from Fort Christina. In the same time another fort, Fort
Nya Elfsborg, was built on the East bank of the South River (near today Salem, New
Jersey). Swedish colonists settled in Upland on the West side of the South River between
Tinicum island and Fort Christina.
A blockhouse called Fort Nya Vasa was built on a creek near the Schuylkill. Fort Nya
Korsholm was founded on an island west of the mouth of the Schuylkill (near present
Philadelphia).
New Sweden at this time counted a population of 200 inhabitants.
This Swedish expansion disturbed the Dutch. In 1648, the Dutch built a fortified trading
post called Fort Beversreede on the East bank of the Schuylkill to stop the Swedish
expansion.
In 1651 the Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant took the
offensive, and with 120 men, he dismantled old Fort Nassau and Fort Beversreede and built
a new fort, Fort Casimir, on the West bank of the South River (near today Newcastle,
Delaware), not far from the Swedish Fort Christina.
The Swedish Governor Printz in late 1653 left the colony in search of help in Sweden.
Meanwhile, on 2 February 1654 a new expedition of 350 emigrants under the command of the
new Governor Johan Rising, sailed for New Sweden. On 20 May 1654, the Swedish anchored
near fort Nya Elfsborg which was found in ruins, on 21 May, when this expedition arrived
off the Dutch Fort Casimir, the few Dutch soldiers in the fort submitted to the Swedish,
they renamed the fort Trefaldighet (Trinity); so the whole South River was now in the
power of the Swedes. They now numbered 500 colonists.
The Dutch reply arrived in 1655 when a Dutch army with more than 300 soldiers, after some
resistance, submitted the whole New Sweden on 15 September 1655.
After the Dutch conquest the settlements on the South
River were ceded to the city of Amsterdam.
Fort Christina was renamed by the Dutch Fort Altena.
In 1657 about 150 Dutch colonists settled at Fort Casimir which was named New Amstel.
In 1662 a Mennonites colony was founded at Whorekill (Lewes) on the South River.
In October 1664, an English force conquered the whole Dutch
colony.
Books
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