New Sweden

New Sweden
Nya Sverige (Swedish)
1638–1655
Flag of New Sweden
Map of New Sweden, c. 1650 by Amandus Johnson
Map of New Sweden, c. 1650
by Amandus Johnson
StatusSwedish colony
CapitalFort Christina
Common languagesSwedish, Finnish, Munsee, Unami
Religion
Monarch of Sweden 
• 1632–1654
Christina
• 1654–1660
Charles X Gustav
Governor 
• 1638
Peter Minuit
• 1638–1640
Måns Nilsson Kling
• 1640–1643
Peter Hollander Ridder
• 1643–1653
Johan Björnsson Printz
• 1653–1654
Johan Papegoja
• 1654–1655
Johan Risingh
Historical eraColonial period
• Established
1638
1655
CurrencySwedish riksdaler
Preceded by
Succeeded by
New Netherland
Lenape
New Netherland
Today part ofUnited States

New Sweden (Swedish: Nya Sverige)[1] was a colony of the Swedish Empire along the lower reaches of the Delaware River between 1638 and 1655 in present-day Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in the United States.[2] Established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great power, New Sweden formed part of the Swedish efforts to colonize the Americas.

Settlements were established on both sides of the Delaware River. Fort Christina, located in what is now Wilmington, Delaware, was the first settlement, named after Christina, Queen of Sweden. The settlers were Swedes, Finns, and a number of Dutch. New Sweden was conquered by the Dutch Republic in 1655 during the Second Northern War and incorporated into the Dutch colony of New Netherland.

Little Catechism of Martin Luther translated into local Native American languages by Swede Johannes Campanius (from 1696).
  1. ^ Finnish: Uusi Ruotsi; Latin: Nova Svecia
  2. ^ "Delaware". World Statesmen. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2015.

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