Peter Hollander Ridder
Encyclopedia
Peter Hollander Ridder was the governor
of the Swedish colony
of New Sweden
from 1640 until 1643.
Peter Hollander Ridder's father was a Dutchman
living in Ekenäs, Finland
. Peter Hollander Ridder was serving in the Swedish Navy
when he was appointed as governor of New Sweden. After a difficult journey he arrived to New Sweden, together with a handful of settlers, on board the Kalmar Nyckel
on her second expedition April 17, 1640. Upon arrival Ridder wrote back to Sweden to Admiral Claes Fleming and Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna
requesting more colonists and skilled workmen. This request was fulfilled when Kalmar Nyckel and Charitas arrived to the settlement on November 7, 1641 with additional settlers including many Forest Finns
.
He purchased more land from Lenape Indians
north of modern day Philadelphia. This parcel was along the Delaware River
between the Falls of the Delaware and Schuylkill River
, between what is today Trenton, New Jersey
and Morrisville Pennsylvania
. When Johan Björnsson Printz
took over as governor of New Sweden, Ridder returned to Sweden to serve in the Swedish Navy
. He became a major
in 1660 and served as the governor of Vyborg
(Swedish: Viborg) in Karelia
from 1666 until 1681. Vyborg, the easternmost outpost of the Realm of Sweden
, is today located in Leningrad Oblast
, Russia
.
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the Swedish colony
Swedish colonization of the Americas
The Swedish colonization of the Americas included a 17th-century colony on the Delaware River in what is now Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, as well as two possessions in the Caribbean during the 18th and 19th century....
of New Sweden
New Sweden
New Sweden was a Swedish colony along the Delaware River on the Mid-Atlantic coast of North America from 1638 to 1655. Fort Christina, now in Wilmington, Delaware, was the first settlement. New Sweden included parts of the present-day American states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania....
from 1640 until 1643.
Peter Hollander Ridder's father was a Dutchman
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
living in Ekenäs, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Peter Hollander Ridder was serving in the Swedish Navy
Swedish Navy
The Royal Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...
when he was appointed as governor of New Sweden. After a difficult journey he arrived to New Sweden, together with a handful of settlers, on board the Kalmar Nyckel
Kalmar Nyckel
The Kalmar Nyckel was a Dutch-built armed merchant ship famed for carrying Finnish and Swedish settlers to North America in 1638 to establish the colony of New Sweden. A replica of the ship was launched at Wilmington, Delaware, in 1997.-History:The Kalmar Nyckel was constructed in about 1625 and...
on her second expedition April 17, 1640. Upon arrival Ridder wrote back to Sweden to Admiral Claes Fleming and Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre , Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of first Gustavus Adolphus and then Queen Christina.Oxenstierna...
requesting more colonists and skilled workmen. This request was fulfilled when Kalmar Nyckel and Charitas arrived to the settlement on November 7, 1641 with additional settlers including many Forest Finns
Forest Finns
Forest Finns are people of Finnish descent in the forest areas of Eastern Norway and Central Sweden...
.
He purchased more land from Lenape Indians
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
north of modern day Philadelphia. This parcel was along the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
between the Falls of the Delaware and Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
, between what is today Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
and Morrisville Pennsylvania
Morrisville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Morrisville is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,728 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Morrisville is located at . It is situated on the Delaware River directly across from Trenton, New Jersey...
. When Johan Björnsson Printz
Johan Björnsson Printz
Johan Björnsson Printz was governor from 1643 until 1653 of the Swedish colony of New Sweden on the Delaware River in North America.-Early Life in Sweden:...
took over as governor of New Sweden, Ridder returned to Sweden to serve in the Swedish Navy
Swedish Navy
The Royal Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...
. He became a major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in 1660 and served as the governor of Vyborg
Vyborg
Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
(Swedish: Viborg) in Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
from 1666 until 1681. Vyborg, the easternmost outpost of the Realm of Sweden
Realm of Sweden
The Realm of Sweden or Svenska väldet is a term that historically was used to comprise all the territories under the control of the Swedish monarchs.-Lands of Sweden:...
, is today located in Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Other sources
- Johnson, AmandusAmandus JohnsonAmandus Johnson was an American historian, author and founding curator of the American Swedish Historical Museum...
. The Swedish Settlements on the Delaware Volume I, Their History and Relation to the Indians, Dutch and English, 1638-1664 (Philadelphia: The Swedish Colonial Society, 1911) - Johnson, AmandusAmandus JohnsonAmandus Johnson was an American historian, author and founding curator of the American Swedish Historical Museum...
. The Swedes in America 1638-1900: Volume I, The Swedes on the Delaware 1638-1664 (Philadelphia: The Swedish Colonial Society, 1914) - Johnson, AmandusAmandus JohnsonAmandus Johnson was an American historian, author and founding curator of the American Swedish Historical Museum...
. The Swedish Settlements on the Delaware 1638-1664, Volume II (Philadelphia: The Swedish Colonial Society, 1927) - Weslager, C. A. New Sweden on the Delaware: 1638-1655 (Wilmington, DE: The Middle Atlantic Press, 1988)