The Russian Pillage ( sv, rysshärjningarna), is the name for the action of the Imperial Russian Fleet toward the Swedish civilian population along the Swedish east coast, as well as expeditions and the raids of single unit in the inland, during the finishing years of the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedi ...

in 1719–1721. The purpose was to pillage, sack, and burn to force the Swedish regime to concessions during the peace negotiations on

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1 ...

. The Swedish representative,

Georg Heinrich von Görtz Georg Heinrich von Görtz, Baron of Schlitz (1668 – 19 February 1719), diplomat in Swedish service, was born in Holstein and educated at Jena. Career He entered the Holstein-Gottorp service, and after the death of the duchess Hedwig Sophia, Ch ...

, was at the time stalling the negotiations in hope of military support from Great Britain.

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

, on the other hand, wished for a swift end to the war, which would make it possible for him to focus on inner reform.Ullman 2006 In the summer of 1719 a Russian fleet consisting of 132

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

s and several smaller boats, totalling 26000 men, assaulted Stockholm archipelago. The Russian fleet pillaged along the coast of

Uppland Uppland () is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. On the small uninhab ...

almost as far north as

Gävle Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Swede ...

, and the coast of

Södermanland Södermanland ( or ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latin form ''Sudermannia'' or ''Sudermania'', is a historical province or ''landskap'' on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanla ...

as far south as

Norrköping Norrköping (; ) is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, about 160 km southwest of the national capital Stockholm, 40 km east of county seat Linköp ...

. The archipelago was severely devastated by the assaults. On several of the larger islands, almost all buildings were burnt down. The entire city of

Trosa Trosa is a locality and the seat of Trosa Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 5,027 inhabitants in 2010 (town) and 11,417 in 2010 (municipality). The town is colloquially nicknamed ''Världens ände'' ("The world's end", specifically t ...

was burnt to the ground, save for the city church and bell tower. After receiving reinforcements, the Russian fleet attempted to attack

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

but were defeated on 12 August 1719. In 1720 Russian troops razed

Umeå Umeå ( , , , locally ; South Westrobothnian: ;). fi, Uumaja; sju, Ubmeje; sma, Upmeje; se, Ubmi) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County. Situated on the Ume River, Ume� ...

, and in 1721 the cities of

Hudiksvall Hudiksvall () is a city and the seat of Hudiksvall Municipality, in Hälsingland, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 15,015 inhabitants in 2010. Hudiksvall is also known as Glada Hudik ( en, Happy Hudik), a term that originated in the 19th century as ...

Sundsvall Sundsvall () is a city and the seat of Sundsvall Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden. It has a population of 58,807 as of 2020; more than 95,000 live in the municipal area. It is Sweden's 21st largest city by population. History Th ...

Söderhamn Söderhamn is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Söderhamn Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 11,761 inhabitants in 2010. Sports The biggest local sport is bandy. Broberg/Söderhamn Bandy play in the highest division E ...

Härnösand Härnösand () is a locality and the seat of Härnösand Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 17,556 inhabitants in 2010. It is called "the gate to the High Coast" because of the world heritage landscape just a few miles north of H� ...

and

Piteå Piteå () is a locality and the seat of Piteå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. Piteå is Sweden's 58th largest city, with a population of 23,326. Geography Piteå is located at the mouth of the Pite River ( sv, Piteälven), at th ...

. The Russian forces were stopped after a Swedish counterattack at the

Battle of Grengam The Battle of Grengam (russian: Гренгамское морское сражение, sv, Slaget vid Ledsund, or Slaget vid Föglöfjärden.), fi, Flisön taistelu of 1720 was the last major naval battle in the Great Northern War that took p ...

(Swedish: Slaget vid Ledsund) of which 43 of the total 61 galleons were destroyed. This resulted in the Swedish East Coast being saved. More similar encounters were repeated until the peace of

Treaty of Nystad The Treaty of Nystad (russian: Ништадтский мир; fi, Uudenkaupungin rauha; sv, Freden i Nystad; et, Uusikaupunki rahu) was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. It was concluded between the Tsardom of ...

Notes

References

* Ullman, Magnus (2006). Rysshärjningarna på Ostkusten sommaren 1719. Stockholm: Bokförlaget Magnus Ullman. Libris 10203442. {{DEFAULTSORT:Russian Pillage of 1719-21 Great Northern War 1719 in Sweden 1720 in Sweden 1721 in Sweden Sweden during the Age of Liberty