Fort Casimir or Fort Trinity was a
Dutch fort
The Dutch Fort is a fort in Pangkor Island, Manjung District, Perak, Malaysia. The ruins are the remnants of an outpost of Dutch attempts to control trade in the Malay peninsula. In the Malay language, the fort is called ''Kota Belanda''. The D ...
in the seventeenth-century colony of
New Netherland
New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...
. It was located on a no-longer existing
barrier island
Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of Dune, dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything fro ...
at the end of Chestnut Street in what is now
New Castle, Delaware
New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 5,285.
History
New Castl ...
.
Background
The Dutch called the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
the ''Zuyd Rivier'', or South River, and considered the lands along it banks and those of its
bay to be the southern flank of its colony of
New Netherland
New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...
. In 1638, the
Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation and 68th largest city in the world as of 2020. The toponym Delaware Val ...
began to be settled by Swedes, Finns, Dutch, and
Walloons
Walloons (; french: Wallons ; wa, Walons) are a Gallo-Romance ethnic group living native to Wallonia and the immediate adjacent regions of France. Walloons primarily speak '' langues d'oïl'' such as Belgian French, Picard and Walloon. Walloo ...
and became the colony of
New Sweden
New Sweden ( sv, Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now the United States from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden form ...
, though this was not officially recognized by the
Dutch Empire.
Sovereignty
The fort changed hands several times.
Shortly after his arrival to take up his position as up as
Director-General of New Netherland
This is a list of Directors, appointed by the Dutch West India Company, of the 17th century Dutch province of New Netherland (''Nieuw-Nederland'' in Dutch) in North America. Only the last, Peter Stuyvesant, held the title of Director General. As t ...
in 1647,
Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Net ...
, attempted to re-assert control of the region and its lucrative trade. In his initial attempt at control, he effected the construction of
Fort Beversreede
Fort Beversreede (after 1633–1651) was a Dutch-built palisaded factorij located near the confluence of the Schuylkill River and the Delaware River. It was an outpost of the colony of New Netherland, which was centered on its capital, New Ams ...
near the terminus of the
Great Minquas Path, at the mouth of the
Schuylkill. The location of earlier-built
Fort Nassau on the east bank (now
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
) of the river, had proved disadvantageous since the richest fur-trapping area of the native
Susquehannock
The Susquehannock people, also called the Conestoga by some English settlers or Andastes were Iroquoian Native Americans who lived in areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries, ranging from its upper reaches in the southern p ...
and
Lenape
The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...
populations was inland to the west. In 1651, Stuyvesant had the fort dismantled and relocated to the western bank downstream from
Fort Christina
Fort Christina (also called Fort Altena) was the first Swedish settlement in North America and the principal settlement of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1638 and named after Queen Christina of Sweden, it was located approximately 1 mi (1.6 ...
, the first and one of the larger Swedish settlements. He named it Fort Casimir. Fort Beversreede was abandoned and the Dutch presence was consolidated.
On
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity, Western Christian liturgical year, liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the ...
in 1654,
Johan Risingh
Johan Classon Risingh (1617 in Risinge – 1672) was the last governor of the Swedish colony of New Sweden.
Biography
Risingh was born in 1617 in Risinge, Östergötland, Sweden. After gymnasium at Linköping, he attended the University of Upp ...
, Commissary and Councilor to
New Sweden
New Sweden ( sv, Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now the United States from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden form ...
Governor Lt. Col.
Johan Printz Johan
* Johan (given name)
* ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller
* Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group
** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group
* Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada
* Jo-Han, a manu ...
, officially assumed his duties and his attempts to expel the Dutch from the
Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation and 68th largest city in the world as of 2020. The toponym Delaware Val ...
. Fort Casimir surrendered to the Swedes and was renamed Fort Trinity (in Swedish ''Fort Trefaldighet''). On June 21, 1654, the native peoples met with the Swedes to reaffirm their alliance.
Stuyvesant led a Dutch force which retook the fort on September 11, 1655, renaming it
New Amstel
New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 5,285.
History
New Castl ...
(in Dutch ''Nieuw Amstel''). Fort Christina, located to the north fell on September 15, 1655.
Fort Nya Elfsborg, on the east bank, was abandoned and set afire by departing Swedish forces.
New Sweden
New Sweden ( sv, Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now the United States from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden form ...
came under the control of the Dutch. John Paul Jacquet was immediately appointed vice director, making New Amstel a regional stronghold of the Dutch colony,
subordinate to
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...
. It has been suggested that the
Peach War
The Peach Tree War, also known as the Peach War, was a large-scale attack on September 15, 1655 by the Susquehannock Indians and allied tribes on several New Netherland settlements along the North River (Hudson River).
The attack was motivated ...
attack was a retaliation, as the indigenous population considered the treaty with the Swedes to include a defence alliance.
In 1664, the Dutch surrendered control of
Fort Amsterdam
Fort Amsterdam was a fort on the southern tip of Manhattan at the confluence of the Hudson and East rivers. It was the administrative headquarters for the Dutch and then English/British rule of the colony of New Netherland and subsequently the ...
, and thereafter all of
New Netherland
New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...
fell to the English. Proceeding south the English peacefully took
Fort Altena
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
. Some resistance was offered at Fort Casimir, but the fort quickly succumbed. In 1673–1674 it came under Dutch control again, but reverted to the English after the signing of the
Treaty of Westminster.
The fort was abandoned around 1675 and the site was used for several different commercial purposes. Low laying areas around the old fort site were filled with ash. It is believed that presently a parking lot and several houses are located above the remains of the fort. A preliminary archeological survey of the area was conducted in 1986.
[
]
Name
Casimir
Casimir is classically an English, French and Latin form of the Polish name Kazimierz. Feminine forms are Casimira and Kazimiera. It means "proclaimer (from ''kazać'' to preach) of peace (''mir'')."
List of variations
*Belarusian: КазіР...
was the name of several Polish kings known for success in battle, as well as the contemporary John Casimir when the fort was named by Petrus Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Net ...
. Historian Joseph Wytrwal found that one of Stuyvesant's confidantes and trusted burghers was Daniel Liczko, a Pole, and Stuyvesant encouraged Polish tradesmen and soldiers to settle in New Netherland.
It has also been suggested that the fort was named for Ernst Casimir of Nassau-Dietz
Ernest Casimir I (22 December 1573 – 2 June 1632) was a Count of Nassau-Dietz and Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe.
Biography
He was the 11th child of John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, and Countess Elisabeth of Le ...
who was also Stadtholder
In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and H ...
of Friesland
Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...
, Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
and Drenthe
Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nov ...
, but there is no documentary evidence to support this idea.
See also
*Fortifications of New Netherland
New Netherland, or ''Nieuw-Nederland'' in Dutch, was the 17th century colony of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the northeastern coast of North America. The claimed territory included southern Cape Cod to parts of the Delmarva P ...
*New Netherland settlements
New Netherland (''Nieuw-Nederland'' in Dutch) was the 17th century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the northeastern coast of North America. The claimed territory was the land from the Delmarva Peninsula t ...
*Zwaanendael Colony
or was a short-lived Dutch colonial settlement in Delaware. It was built in 1631. The name is archaic Dutch for "swan valley." The site of the settlement later became the town of Lewes, Delaware.
History
Two directors of the Amsterdam ch ...
References
External links
New River Notes Delaware Historical Timeline
Other sources
* Johnson, Amandus: ''The Swedes in America 1638-1900: Vol. I, The Swedes on the Delaware 1638-1664''. (1914)
*Johnson, Amandus: ''Johan Classon Rising: The last governor of New Sweden'' (1915)
*Johnson, Amandus: ''The Swedish Settlements on the Delaware 1638-1664, Volume II'' (1927)
*Weslager, C. A.: ''The Swedes and Dutch at New Castle'' (1987)
External links
A Brief History of New Castle, Delaware
* ttps://wiki.familysearch.org/en/New_Sweden Family Search.com: Map of Delaware Valley in 17th century showing forts & settlements with date of founding
{{Coord, 39, 39, 42, N, 75, 33, 32, W, display=title
Buildings and structures in New Castle County, Delaware
Casimir
Casimir is classically an English, French and Latin form of the Polish name Kazimierz. Feminine forms are Casimira and Kazimiera. It means "proclaimer (from ''kazać'' to preach) of peace (''mir'')."
List of variations
*Belarusian: КазіР...
Casimir
Casimir is classically an English, French and Latin form of the Polish name Kazimierz. Feminine forms are Casimira and Kazimiera. It means "proclaimer (from ''kazać'' to preach) of peace (''mir'')."
List of variations
*Belarusian: КазіР...
Dutch-American history
Dutch-American culture in Delaware
New Netherland
Casimir
Casimir is classically an English, French and Latin form of the Polish name Kazimierz. Feminine forms are Casimira and Kazimiera. It means "proclaimer (from ''kazać'' to preach) of peace (''mir'')."
List of variations
*Belarusian: КазіР...
Populated places established by the Dutch West India Company
1651 establishments in the Dutch Empire
Swedish-American history
Swedish-American culture in Delaware
New Sweden
Forts of New Sweden
Polish-American history