Johan Papegoja (died March 23, 1667) was a Swedish nobleman, soldier, and the fifth governor of the Swedish 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 ...
.
Johan Papegoja had been one of the early Swedish settlers on the Delaware. ''Papegoja'' is the Swedish word for ''parrot''. He served as a Lieutenant at
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 ...
under governor
Johan Björnsson Printz
Johan Björnsson Printz (July 20, 1592 – May 3, 1663) was governor from 1643 until 1653 of the Swedish colony of New Sweden on the Delaware River in North America.
Early life in Sweden
He was born in Bottnaryd, Jönköping County, in the prov ...
. During 1644, Johan Papegoja was married to
Armegott Printz
Armegot Printz (1625–1695) was a Swedish noble. She was the daughter of Johan Björnsson Printz, governor of New Sweden, and she married her father's successor, governor Johan Papegoja. She is the most well documented and known woman of New ...
, the daughter of Governor Printz. The marriage was known to be an unhappy one. Papegoja himself made several voyages between Sweden and 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 ...
colony. He traveled back and forth during 1643 aboard the ''Fama'', in 1647 on the ''Swan'' and during 1655 on board the ''Mercurius'' .
Papegoja was the acting governor of New Sweden from the time of the departure of Johan Björnsson Printz during October 1653 until the arrival of
Johan Classon Risingh during May 1654. Subsequently, Papegoja was assigned the duty of sailing to Sweden to transfer additional settlers to the colony. The ''Mercurius'' left
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
during November 1655 and arrived in 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 ...
during March 1656. By the time the ship arrived, New Sweden had surrendered to the
Dutch West India Company
The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...
. In short time, Johan Papegoja had a falling-out with the Dutch and departed for Sweden in 1656. Johan Papegoja is believed to have died at Ramstorp manor, Ångarp parish,
Skaraborg Skaraborg may refer to the following places:
* Skaraborg County, a former county of Sweden
*Västergötland, a historical province of Sweden that includes the area of the former county
*Västra Götaland County
Västra Götaland County ( sv, V ...
, now in
Västra Götaland, Sweden.
During 1662, Armegott Printz sold
The Printzhof
The Printzhof, located in Governor Printz Park in Essington, Pennsylvania, was the home of Johan Björnsson Printz, governor of New Sweden.
In 1643, Johan Printz moved his capital from Fort Christina (located in what is now Wilmington, Delaware) ...
, an estate which Governor Printz had owned. She received
partial payment
Partial payment refers to the offering of a payment by check for less than the full amount claimed by the creditor.
Such an offer for debt discharge by tender of a "payment-in-full" check is common practice. If the amount tendered is not grossly ...
with the remainder payable later. However, subsequent payment was refused. She brought suit for the recovery of the island. Ten years later in 1672, Armegott Printz recovered the estate. She subsequently sold the property a second time and returned to Sweden. She died on November 25, 1695 at
Läckö Castle
Läckö Castle (Swedish language, Swedish: '':sv:Läckö slott, Läckö Slott'' ) is a medieval castle in Sweden, located on Kållandsö island on Lake Vänern, 25 kilometers north of Lidköping in Västergötland, Sweden.
History
Brynolf Algo ...
(in Swedish: ''Läckö Slott'').
[''Chronology of Colonial Swedes on the Delaware 1638-1713'' (by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig. Swedish Colonial News, Volume 2, Number 5. Fall 2001) http://www.colonialswedes.org/History/Chronology.html]
References
Further reading
*Ashmead, Henry Graham ''History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania'' (Philadelphia: L. H. Everts & Co. 1884)
*
Johnson, Amandus ''Swedish Settlements on the Delaware'' (Philadelphia, PA: Swedish colonial Society. 1911)
*Munroe, John A. ''Colonial Delaware''. (Delaware Heritage Press, Wilmington. 1977)
*Weslager, C. A. ''New Sweden on the Delaware: 1638-1655'' (Wilmington, DE: The Middle Atlantic Press, 1988).
External links
Founding of New Sweden*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Papegoja, Johan
Governors of New Sweden
Swedish military officers
People of New Sweden
1667 deaths
Year of birth unknown