Swedish Livonia
Riga was the second largest city in the Swedish Empire at the time. Together with other Baltic Sea dominions, Livonia served to secure the Swedish dominium maris baltici. In contrast to Swedish Estonia, which had submitted to Swedish rule voluntarily in 1561 and where traditional local laws remained largely untouched, the uniformity policy was applied in Swedish Livonia under Karl XI of Sweden: serfdom was abolished, peasants were offered education as well as military, administrative or ecclesiastical careers, and nobles had to transfer domains to the king in the Great Reduction.
The territory in turn was conquered by the Russian Empire during the Great Northern War and, following the Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia in 1710, formed Riga Governorate. Formally, it was ceded to Russia in the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, together with Swedish Estonia and Swedish Ingria.
Governors-general
The dominion was ruled by appointed governors-general, but retained its own diet.
- Jacob De la Gardie (1622–1628)
- Gustaf Horn (1628–1629)
- Johan Skytte (1629–1633)
- Nils Assersson Mannersköld (1633–1634)
- Bengt Oxenstierna (1634–1643)
- Herman Wrangel (1643)
- Erik Eriksson Ryning (1644)
- Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna (1645–1647)
- Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie (1649–1651)
- Gustaf Horn (1652–1653)
- Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie (1655–1657)
- Axel Lillie (1661)
- Bengt Oxenstierna (1662–1665)
- Clas Åkesson Tott (the younger) (1665–1671)
- Fabian von Fersen (1671–1674)
- Krister Klasson Horn (1674–1686)
- Jacob Johan Hastfer (1687–1695)
- Erik Dahlberg (1696–1702)
- Carl Gustaf Frölich (1702–1706)
- Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt (1706–1709)
- Henrik Otto Albedyll (1709)
- Niels Jonsson Stromberg af Clastorp (1709–1710)
Military
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Coat_of_arms_of_Swedish_Livonia.svg/170px-Coat_of_arms_of_Swedish_Livonia.svg.png)
Swedish infantry and cavalry regiments
- Infantry regiments
- Garnisonsregementet i Riga (Garrison Regiment in Riga)
- Guvenörsregementet i Riga (Governor's Regiment in Riga)
- Livländsk infanteribataljon I (Livonian Infantry Battalion I)
- Livländsk infanteribataljon II (Livonian Infantry Battalion II)
- Livländsk infanteribataljon III (Livonian Infantry Battalion III)
- Livländsk infanteribataljon IV (Livonian Infantry Battalion IV)
- Livländskt infanteriregemente I (Livonian Infantry Regiment I)
- Livländskt infanteriregemente II (Livonian Infantry Regiment II)
- Livländskt infanteriregemente III (Livonian Infantry Regiment III)
- Livländskt infanteriregemente IV (Livonian Infantry Regiment IV)
- Livländskt infanteriregemente V (Livonian Infantry Regiment V)
- Cavalry regiments
- Laurentzens fridragoner (Wolter Wolfgang von Laurentzen's Free Dragoons)
- Lewenhaupts frikompani (Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt's Free Company)
- Adelsfanan i Livland och Ösel (Livonian and Öselian Banner of Nobles)
- Livländsk dragonskvadron I (Livonian Dragoon Squadron I)
- Livländsk dragonskvadron II (Livonian Dragoon Squadron II)
- Livländskt dragonregemente I (Livonian Dragoon Regiment I)
- Livländskt dragonregemente II (Livonian Dragoon Regiment II)
- Öselska lantdragonskvadronen (Öselian County Dragoon Squadron)
Temporary cavalry regiments:
- Livländska ståndsdragonbataljonen (Livonian Rank Dragoon Battalion)
- Öselska ståndsdragonbataljonen (Ösel Rank Dragoon Battalion)
See also
- Rise of Sweden as a Great Power
- Swedish Empire
- Realm of Sweden
- Duchy of Estonia (1561–1721)
- Estonia under Swedish rule
- Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek