Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia

Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia

Siege of Riga (1710)
Drafted	15 July – 10 October 1710 (N.S.)
Location	Riga, Pernau, Reval
Parties	Estonian and Livonian nobles and major cities Russia
Language	German

With the Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia in 1710 the Swedish dominions Estonia and Livonia were integrated into the Russian Empire^[1] following their conquest during the Great Northern War.^[2] The Livonian nobility and the city of Riga capitulated on 4 July (O.S.)^[3] / 15 July 1710 (N.S.),^[4] Pernau (Pärnu) in August,^[2] and the Estonian nobility and the city of Reval (Tallinn) on 29 September (O.S.)^[5] / 10 October (N.S.).^[4] Russia left the local institutions in place and confirmed the traditional privileges of the German nobles and burghers as was established in Privilegium Sigismundi Augusti, especially with respect to the Protestant faith.^[6] The land reform of the so-called reduction which had been introduced by the Swedish king Charles XI, and transformed many serfs to subjects of the Crown, was reversed.

The Swedish Empire formally accepted the capitulations in the Treaty of Nystad in 1721.^[7] The transfer of the Baltic provinces marked the end of Sweden's and the beginning of Russia's time as a great power.^[8] The Baltic provinces retained their special status until the late 19th century.^[9]