Treaty of Novgorod (1557)
Encyclopedia
The Treaty, Truce or Second Peace of Novgorod was concluded in March 1557. It ended the Russo-Swedish War (1554–1557), a series of skirmishes in the Vyborg
and Oreshek areas resulting from Swedish attempts to keep Livonia
, where the Teutonic Order
's rule had collapsed, out of the Russian sphere of influence.
had attempted to draw the Livonian gentry into an alliance with Sweden, Denmark-Norway and Poland-Lithuania, but Livonia refused. Thus, Gustav I started negotiations for a Russo-Swedish peace with Novgorod's governor, prince Mikhail Vasil'evich Glinsky. Novgorod was the traditional
Russo-Swedish contact point, and Russian tsar
Ivan IV "the Terrible"
refused to negotiate with Sweden directly since he regarded elected king Gustav I to be of lower status than a hereditary tsar
as himself. However, in this case he made an exception, and allowed the Swedish delegation to leave Novgorod for an audience in Moscow
, where they met him in person.
The Swedish delegation comprised a hundred men led by Sten Eriksson Leijonhufvud, Gustav I's brother-in-law and Laurentius Petri
, Archbishop of Uppsala
. The delegates had entered Russia after Turku
clergy Knut Johanneson had acquired the necessary permit in Moscow in 1556. The delegates had arrived in Moscow already on 24 February 1557, but the conclusion of the treaty was delayed until the end of March by the fasting period.
The treaty was then signed between Novgorod and Sweden, and introduced a Russo-Swedish truce set to expire in forty years. Sweden further agreed to not support Livonia or Poland-Lithuania in case of a war between those and Russia. In addition, Swedish envoys were again barred from ever meeting the Russian tsar, and referred to Novgorod for further contacts.
On 2 April, in Novgorod, the treaty was put into effect by kissing the cross, following Russian tradition as demanded by Ivan IV. Michael Agricola, who translated the New Testament
into Finnish
and is regarded "father of the Finnish written language", was also part of the delegation. He died of illness on their way back, in Uusikirkko (now Polyane).
. Russia reacted promptly and invaded Livonia, starting the Livonian War
between Denmark, Livonia, Poland-Lithuania, Russia and Sweden (1558–1583). The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order State in Livonia, Gotthard von Kettler, subordinated the order's territory and himself to Poland-Lithuania in the Treaties of Vilna (1559 and 1561). Yet, these measures did not prevent Russian occupation of most of Livonia.
Eric XIV
, Swedish king since 1560, coveted the Livonian port of Reval
(Tallinn), and the Russo-Swedish truce was re-negotiated and set to last twenty years in August 1561 with Reval subordinating itself to Swedish rule. In the Treaty of Dorpat
(Tartu, May 1564), Ivan IV of Russia
accepted the subordinance of Reval and some Livonian castles to Erik XIV, and in turn Erik XIV accepted the subordinance of the rest of Livonia to Ivan IV. Russian-Swedish relations deteriorated when prince and later king John III of Sweden
married Catherine Jagellon who before had rejected Ivan IV. In early 1565, another truce was signed with Sweden, this time set to last seven years. In 1566, Russia and Poland-Lithuania held talks about an expulsion of the Swedes from Livonia and a partition of Livonia among themselves. In 1570, Magnus of Livonia
was made king of Livonia
in Moscow
as a vassal of Ivan IV, and pursued to siege Reval supplied with 20,000 Russian soldiers and 15,000 rubels granted to him by the tsar.
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...
and Oreshek areas resulting from Swedish attempts to keep Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
, where the Teutonic Order
Livonian Brothers of the Sword
The Livonian Brothers of the Sword were a military order founded by Bishop Albert of Riga in 1202. Pope Innocent III sanctioned the establishment in 1204. The membership of the order comprised German "warrior monks"...
's rule had collapsed, out of the Russian sphere of influence.
Negotiations and ratification
Since 1554, Gustav I of SwedenGustav I of Sweden
Gustav I of Sweden, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known simply as Gustav Vasa , was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death....
had attempted to draw the Livonian gentry into an alliance with Sweden, Denmark-Norway and Poland-Lithuania, but Livonia refused. Thus, Gustav I started negotiations for a Russo-Swedish peace with Novgorod's governor, prince Mikhail Vasil'evich Glinsky. Novgorod was the traditional
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic was a large medieval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries, centred on the city of Novgorod...
Russo-Swedish contact point, and Russian tsar
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
Ivan IV "the Terrible"
Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich , known in English as Ivan the Terrible , was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost one billion acres,...
refused to negotiate with Sweden directly since he regarded elected king Gustav I to be of lower status than a hereditary tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
as himself. However, in this case he made an exception, and allowed the Swedish delegation to leave Novgorod for an audience in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where they met him in person.
The Swedish delegation comprised a hundred men led by Sten Eriksson Leijonhufvud, Gustav I's brother-in-law and Laurentius Petri
Laurentius Petri
Laurentius Petri Nericius was a Swedish clergyman and the first Evangelical Lutheran Archbishop of Sweden. He and his brother Olaus Petri are, together with the King Gustav Vasa, regarded as the main Protestant reformers of Sweden...
, Archbishop of Uppsala
Archbishop of Uppsala
The Archbishop of Uppsala has been the primate in Sweden in an unbroken succession since 1164, first during the Catholic era, and from the 1530s and onward under the Lutheran church.- Historical overview :...
. The delegates had entered Russia after Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
clergy Knut Johanneson had acquired the necessary permit in Moscow in 1556. The delegates had arrived in Moscow already on 24 February 1557, but the conclusion of the treaty was delayed until the end of March by the fasting period.
The treaty was then signed between Novgorod and Sweden, and introduced a Russo-Swedish truce set to expire in forty years. Sweden further agreed to not support Livonia or Poland-Lithuania in case of a war between those and Russia. In addition, Swedish envoys were again barred from ever meeting the Russian tsar, and referred to Novgorod for further contacts.
On 2 April, in Novgorod, the treaty was put into effect by kissing the cross, following Russian tradition as demanded by Ivan IV. Michael Agricola, who translated the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
into Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
and is regarded "father of the Finnish written language", was also part of the delegation. He died of illness on their way back, in Uusikirkko (now Polyane).
Consequences
Half a year later, an anti-Russian, Polish-Lithuanian-Livonian alliance was established by the Treaty of PozvolTreaty of Pozvol
The Treaty or Peace of Pozvol, Pasvalys or Pozwol was a peace treaty and an alliance concluded on 5 and 14 September 1557 between the Livonian Confederation and the Polish-Lithuanian union, whereby the former put its territories under Polish-Lithuanian protection...
. Russia reacted promptly and invaded Livonia, starting the Livonian War
Livonian War
The Livonian War was fought for control of Old Livonia in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of Denmark–Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.During the period 1558–1578,...
between Denmark, Livonia, Poland-Lithuania, Russia and Sweden (1558–1583). The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order State in Livonia, Gotthard von Kettler, subordinated the order's territory and himself to Poland-Lithuania in the Treaties of Vilna (1559 and 1561). Yet, these measures did not prevent Russian occupation of most of Livonia.
Eric XIV
Eric XIV of Sweden
-Family and descendants:Eric XIV had several relationships before his marriage. With Agda Persdotter he had four daughters:#Margareta Eriksdotter , married 1592 to Olov Simonsson, vicar of Horn....
, Swedish king since 1560, coveted the Livonian port of Reval
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
(Tallinn), and the Russo-Swedish truce was re-negotiated and set to last twenty years in August 1561 with Reval subordinating itself to Swedish rule. In the Treaty of Dorpat
Treaty of Dorpat
The Treaty of Dorpat was concluded in May 1564, during the Livonian War. Ivan IV of Russia accepted the subordinance of Reval and some Livonian castles to Erik XIV of Sweden, and in turn Erik XIV accepted the subordinance of the rest of Livonia to Ivan IV. Subsequently, Russia and Sweden agreed...
(Tartu, May 1564), Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich , known in English as Ivan the Terrible , was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost one billion acres,...
accepted the subordinance of Reval and some Livonian castles to Erik XIV, and in turn Erik XIV accepted the subordinance of the rest of Livonia to Ivan IV. Russian-Swedish relations deteriorated when prince and later king John III of Sweden
John III of Sweden
-Family:John married his first wife, Catherine Jagellonica of Poland , house of Jagiello, in Vilnius on 4 October 1562. In Sweden, she is known as Katarina Jagellonica. She was the sister of king Sigismund II Augustus of Poland...
married Catherine Jagellon who before had rejected Ivan IV. In early 1565, another truce was signed with Sweden, this time set to last seven years. In 1566, Russia and Poland-Lithuania held talks about an expulsion of the Swedes from Livonia and a partition of Livonia among themselves. In 1570, Magnus of Livonia
Magnus of Livonia
Magnus of Holstein was a Prince of Denmark and a member of the House of Oldenburg. As a vassal of Ivan IV of Russia, he was the titular King of Livonia from 1570 to 1578.-Early life:...
was made king of Livonia
Kingdom of Livonia
The Kingdom of Livonia was a nominal state in what is now the territory of the present-day Estonia and Latvia, declared as such by Ivan IV during the Livonian War but never properly established. On June 10, 1570 the Danish Duke Magnus of Holstein arrived in Moscow where he was crowned King of Livonia...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
as a vassal of Ivan IV, and pursued to siege Reval supplied with 20,000 Russian soldiers and 15,000 rubels granted to him by the tsar.