Chappington

(Really sorry for putting this off, I posted the video some time >a month ago, but have been busy with other things and haven't gotten around to updating it here yet...) Dominion of New England: 1688-89 As of 1688, Skrælige was now administered as part of the Dominion of New England. Trade restrictions with other colonies and European powers had been enacted for some time, but enforcement stepped up dramatically. Agricultural taxation increased, and scrutiny of land records led to confiscation by English authorities. These factors led to a great deal of unrest in Skrælige - no open rioting occurred, but local authorities frequently stonewalled and resisted enforcement actions. The start of the Dominion's fall began later that year with the Glorious Revolution in England, where William of Orange was invited to invade England to depose King James II (& VII) and become King William III (& II). News of the revolution reached some individuals in New England by late March 1689, and an organized mob revolted against the Dominion on the 18th of April, 1689. Governor Edmund Andros and other officials were arrested by the mob, which led to the de facto end of the Dominion. The New England colonies seized control and reverted to their previous governments. Revolt spread to New York, where Jacob Leisler led a rebellion in May, forcing Lt. Governor Francis Nicholson to flee to England. With both the governor and lieutenant governors out of power, the Skræligen Þing declared all of Skrælige to be an independent colony under the English crown on the 3rd of July, 1689. Independent Colony of Skrælige: 1689-91 King William III was busy in Europe due to the Nine Years' War, and so there was no immediate English reaction. While Skrælige still declared itself subject to the King, the declaration of independence from New York was done without permission of the crown, so the legality of the move was questionable. The Þing chose to elect a governor for the first time in its history, selecting Nikolai Ragnarsson*. Confiscated land was returned, trade restrictions removed, and laws were essentially reset to what they were 1688. The independent government would remain in effect through 1691, when Governor Henry Sloughter was appointed to rule New York, and put down Leisler's Rebellion. At this point it was only a matter of time until English authority was reasserted. Then on the 7th of October, 1691, a new charter for the Province of Massachusetts Bay was issued, combining the colonies of Massachusetts Bay & Plymouth, along with islands south of Cape Cod (including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket), the Skrælig Islands, and the present day territories of Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia (the last three heavily contested by New France). William Phips was appointed governor, and he ordered the exile of Governor Ragnarsson. This was a generous offer, considering that Jacob Leisler had been executed for his rebellion (a punishment which Phips found abhorrent), and so Ragnarsson and some of his loyalists escaped to Acadia. *By this point, the use of family surnames was dominant over patronymics, and Ragnarsson was Nikolai's surname. Patronymics were banned by the English government in 1678 by then-Governor of New York Edmund Andros, but this was difficult to enforce and was repealed in 1689 by Ragnarsson. Province of Massachusetts Bay Skrælig County was now a part of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, and Northney was transferred from York County to Skrælig County. The colonial leadership was much more involved than it had been before due to a number of reasons: The colonial capital was much closer: Boston was less than 100 miles away by sea, whereas New York was almost 200 miles as the crow flies, and much further by sea due to the need to go around Cape Cod. Skrælige occupied a strategic position in the on-and-off conflicts with the French to the north, which were becoming more frequent. The rebellions in Skrælige, New England, and New York* meant that the crown wanted to keep a closer eye on the northeastern colonies. While New York had been a mostly secular colony with relatively free practice of religion (even for non-Christians - for instance, Jews have lived in New York since at least 1654), the Province of Massachusetts Bay was a merger of two Puritan colonies. The new government was more free than the previous Puritan governments, as freedom of worship was guaranteed for all non-Catholic Christians, and the voting franchise was changed from religious requirements to land ownership. However, the Congregational Church still had a significant presence in the lower levels of the government, and the lack of protections for Catholics and worshippers of other non-Christian religions was a negative change. *Despite the short period of time in the Dominion of New England, New York is not considered part of the US region of New England. Modern New England consists of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. The Colonial Þing The Skræligen Þing began as the main government of Skrælige back in the 11th century, and remained as the sole government until 1598 at the start of Danish rule. Originally the Þing was a council of the heads of households, and morphed into a sort of elected council where each town would nominate a set number of people to the Þing. In 1598 it lost its sovereignty, but managed to remain as a powerless local council. The ability to (somewhat) willingly cede power and still exist was crucial for its survival later. When the colonial power changed over to Sweden in 1645, the Þing had the opportunity to take more power for itself. They managed to gain more power during rule from New York (both Dutch and English), and so there was a degree of autonomy over the last few decades. After the Declaration of Autonomy was shut down in 1691 though, the powers the Þing had gained over the last decades were quickly revoked. While the Þing was not entirely abolished (due to both its centuries-old presence and the desire to not provoke further revolt), its power was rolled back to an advisory council. In practice, it had even less power, as it was subordinate to the government in Boston. Skræligens were able to vote to send two representatives per town to the General Court of Massachusetts (its legislative body), which did allow for some representation. This presented a new problem though - if Skrælige now had representation within Massachusetts, what was the purpose of the Þing? This existential question persisted throughout the next several decades, but the council continued to exist under its own inertia. King William's War (1688-97) During the autonomous Skræligen period and the beginning of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, the Nine Years' War broke out in Europe between France and the Grand Alliance - basically every other major European power. This manifested in North America as King William's War, where war broke out between New France and the New England colonies. The Iroquois Confederacy was allied with the English, and had been in conflict with the French over the fur trade. The Wabanaki Confederacy was allied with the French to help fight off the encroaching English settlers. This indirect conflict became direct in April 1688, when Governor Andros of New England plundered the home and village of Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin, a French officer and Abenaki chief, on Penobscot Bay to the northeast of Skrælige. In retaliation, Castin and the Wabanki Confederacy began raids along the border of New England and Acadia - while claims overlapped, in practice the border area was just to the north of Skrælige. This fighting escalated in 1689 with English raids on Acadia and further French & Abenaki raids on Maine. This led to the second razing of Northney in late August. Attacks continued back and forth, including the Battle of Falmouth (present day Portland, ME) in 1690, leaving Maine nearly completely depopulated of English settlers, and the Battle of Port Royal (the capital of Acadia) later that year. Skrælige attempted to remain neutral throughout the conflict, but was brought into the fray once it was merged into Massachusetts Bay in 1691. Combined French and Abenaki forces (mostly from the continent) attacked and burned down Egilstead in February of 1692, and they continued down to Abenakiborough. After some fighting the fort still stood, but many villagers had been killed or captured, and the casualty count on the French & Abenaki side was high. The Skræligens did not have sufficient strength in their militia to launch any counteroffensives, but defenses were improved enough to ward off future raids. After a few years of an uneasy ceasefire on Skrælige, and continued fighting on the continent, the war in both Europe and North America came to a close with the Peace of Ryswick in 1697, declaring status quo ante bellum. Egilstead was rebuilt with a fort in 1697, and Northney was rebuilt (again) in 1698. The peace would barely last five years though, when a new conflict broke out in both Europe and North America... Queen Anne's War (1702-13) One question had been looming over Europe for the past decades - who is going to inherit the Spanish throne and its territories? King Charles II of Spain was in ill health throughout his life (possibly due to the high level of Hapsburg inbreeding), and lived for longer than most anticipated. Still, he died without children on the 1st of November, 1700, and the fight over his territories turned into the War of the Spanish Succession in July 1691. The English and French wanted to keep their North American colonies neutral, but they had their own grievances with each other. The English population greatly outnumbered the French, and continued growth pushed them to encroach of Abenaki territory as well. The Peace of Ryswick hadn't actually dealt with anyone's conflicts with each other, and so the war spread to North America as Queen Anne's War. As in the last war, the French encouraged many Native Americans to launch raids against the English colonies, including an infamous one on Deerfield, MA in 1704. Many settlers were captured as slaves, both for ransom and adoption into Mohawk families. These events shocked the English settlers, even if they were expected by some due to the war. The English settlers attempted to raid native settlements in revenge, but usually found them empty on arrival. After three years of sporadic skirmishes and truces, the Massachusetts Bay government issued an ultimatum to the Abenaki on Skrælige: assimilate and recognize our sovereignty, leave the islands, or face capture or death. Most Abenaki chose to stay put - at this point, most of those who had any intention of assimilating into Skrælige had already done so. And so, a Massachusetts militia marched up the shores of the Siguan River towards the main Abenaki settlement north of Egilstead on the 14th of March, 1708. A bloody battle ensued, with high casualties on both sides. At the end of the day though, the Massachusetts forces had destroyed most of the village and forced the survivors to flee into the surrounding woods. The forces established a new fort and settlement, named Bradstreet for the former governor. Some Abenaki continued to live up in the mountains and occasionally come into conflict with the Skræligens, but the loss of their main village was devastating. Many fled across Casco Bay to the continent, and the Abenaki would never recover from the disaster. Queen Anne's War continued into 1712, and the peace was finalized in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. After capturing the southern portion of Acadia (renamed Nova Scotia), Britain was awarded Acadia, Hudson Bay, and Newfoundland. (France contested the specifics of the agreement, interpreting that Britain was only given the lower Acadian peninsula. They de facto retained control of the northern portion, modern day New Brunswick.) This treaty completely ignored any of the Native Americans, so Governor Dudley of Massachusetts Bay & New Hampshire (at this time they were separate colonies, but had the same governor) signed the Treaty of Portsmouth with the Eastern Abenakis on July 13th of 1713. One common underhanded "tactic" of British treaties at the time (and in much of their colonial history) was to hide some of the most disagreeable parts in just the English version. This treaty was no different, as the English version had the Abenaki ceding their sovereignty to the British Crown. However, the Abenaki later argued that this was not in the verbal translations given at the time. At any rate, the British failed to fulfill their obligations in the treaty (such as setting up official trading posts), and conflict would continue throughout the following decades, including Dummer's War from 1722-25. New Buildings Skrælingborough c. 1740 Middleton c. 1740 Skrælige continued to grow in population during all this time, both in natural growth and immigration. While growth in Skrælingborough and the surrounding area was not as substantial as in Boston, for example, it was growing faster than at any point in its history. Combined with a more hands-on government, several new buildings and services were added. Skrælingborough Synagogue The first Jews to have immigrated to Skrælige came around 1684 when it was part of New York. At the time, Jews were not able to publicly practice their religion in New York - Rhode Island was the only colony in North America where this was allowed. They were allowed to freely live, trade, and travel, which led to a small group moving to Skrælingborough. When Skrælige became autonomous in 1689, they gained the freedom to practice publicly, and built a small temple in the city in 1690. This presented an issue in 1691, where the laws of Massachusetts Bay did not give any protections to Jewish people. Colonial officials were divided on whether to take over the temple, but they reached a compromise where they would be able to stay - as long as they didn't do so "publicly". What this meant was left up to interpretation - in practice, services could continue in secret, and local authorities rarely investigated. Skrælingborough Latin School Skrælingborough Latin School is the oldest public school in Skrælige. Skrælingborough Latin is based on the same philosophy as Boston Latin School, which holds the classics (especially Latin) to be the basis of a proper education. This was probably the largest influence of Massachusetts early on - much like in New York and the other middle colonies, education was mainly private and religious. Skrælingborough Latin was founded in 1698 at the site pictured above. Phips College Along with Skrælingborough Latin School, the new Massachusetts government established a college in Skrælige, just across the Siguan River in Northstead. Named after the former governor of Massachusetts, Phips College began in 1701 as sort of an Anglican counterpart to Puritan (de facto) Harvard. The college was sort of an artifact of the Puritan/Anglican power struggle on the mainland, otherwise there wouldn't have been a need for the province to have two colleges. Skrælingborough Necropolis The new cemetery grew over time, and with the future plans it is now referred to as the "Necropolis". Town of Ragnarsson Ragnarsson was founded in 1718 after the Abenaki were decimated by Queen Anne's War. It was named of the governor of Autonomous Skrælige, a somewhat contentious name choice within the Massachusetts government. This was the first settlement on the northwestern coast of the island. Expansion of Skrælige In addition to Ragnarsson and Bradstreet, three other towns were built in the aftermath of Queen Anne's War: Thorfall (also known as Þorrfjall for the nearby mountain) was built in 1721 to the northeast of Littlevik. Northbay was built on the northern coast of Storreyn in 1724. Improved Abenaki trails connected it across mountain passes to Bradstreet and the rest of the Siguan River Valley. Southfall was built on the southern end of Miðrsun in 1731. Census of 1740 The Þing commissioned another census in 1740 for the Skrælig Islands. Massachusetts as a whole was resistant to taking a census due to suspicion of British authorities, but Governor Jonathan Belcher (appointed by the Crown) was happy to allow a census of the islands. Massachusetts itself would not conduct a census until 1764. The results were as follows: Abenakiborough: 86 (+16) Havant: 231 (+65) Middleton: 348 (+174) Northstead: 522 (+180) Newhope: 680 (+273) Main Town: 584 (+177) Stefnabjarg: 96 Fort Charles: 160 (+10) Copperstein: 199 (+66) Skrælingborough: 1912 (+707) Central Area: 1765 (+662) New Jorvik: 147 (+45) Ragnarsson: 113 Littlevik: 157 (+37) Raskrom: 122 (+79) Middlesun: 89 (+27) Egilstead: 116 (+41) Southreyn: 22 Freydiston: 39 Northney: 43 Bradstreet: 32 Thorfall: 35 Northbay: 21 Southfall: 14 Total: 4941 (+1994) ---- Thanks for reading! You can also find the video version at https://youtu.be/1hn4Hrr4ihA

Wow, that's some massive growth - I think they (well, you) really pulled it off though, really impressive working with the rough terrain. That football field requires quite a trek though!

Finally got to reading this - those Kralingenburgh houses really fit in well!

Thanks! Honestly I need those maps just to keep track of everything myself

(Sorry for the wait, I had posted the video and website already but hadn't got around to posting it here...) ---- Skrælig Islands, New York Now under English control, Skrælige was now known as the Skrælig Islands. Town names changed yet again: Skraalingborg became Skrælingborough (often pronounced Skrælborough) Middentong became Middleton Litenvik became Littlevik Noordstadt became Northstead Kopersteen became Copperstein Nieuwehoop became Newhope Raskromming became Raskrom Middensunfort became Middlesun Egilstadt became Egilstead Willemfort became Fort Charles Abenakiborg became Abenakiborough, often shortened to Nakiborough Storreyn, Miðrsun, and Suðreyn were transferred to the Province of New York, and Northney remained with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. However, Mass. Bay was displeased about this - it claimed all of the islands for themselves. And of course, this ignored the original inhabitants of the islands, the Abenaki. Despite the conflict on paper, life in Skrælige continued as it had been. The first English governor of New York, Richard Nicolls, was occupied with New York City and the surrounding area, and was content to delegate rule to the Skræligen Þing - with ultimate veto power if need be, of course. English rule was formalized in 1667 with the Treaty of Breda, ending the Second Anglo-Dutch War. Third Anglo-Dutch War Fort Charles, Skrælige After less than 5 years, the English and Dutch were at war again. King Charles II of England had agreed to a secret treaty with the French, planning to support a French invasion of the Dutch Republic. This invasion began in 1672, sparking the Franco-Dutch War and the Third Anglo-Dutch War. While the French were initially very successful, taking most of the Netherlands short of Holland, the Dutch regained control of most of their land by the end of the year. Support for the war had already been somewhat weak in the English Parliament, and now that hopes of a quick victory were gone, that support nearly vanished. The Anglo-French fleet had failed to blockade the Netherlands, and instead England found itself locked out of Baltic Sea trade. With the war going less than stellar in Europe, North America was about to get involved as well. In late June 1673, a Dutch fleet arrived outside of Fort Charles, Skrælige. They vastly outnumbered the English forces there, who promptly surrendered, returning the island to Dutch rule*. The bulk of the fleet then moved on to New York, capturing it in July. The Dutch reoccupation of both places was short-lived, however. The English Parliament refused to support the war, eventually leaving Charles II without funding. England withdrew from the war, and the Treaty of Westminster was signed on the 19th of February, 1674. Among other terms, the treaty returned territory to status quo ante bellum, putting New York (and Skrælige) back in English hands. *Unlike previously, this was under the Dutch government, not the Dutch West India Company. King Philip's War (1675-8) Over on the North American continent, tensions between the Native Americans and English colonists grew. The different tribes and colonies had developed their own separate relations and agreements with each other, but continued expansion and diplomatic violations strained this uneasy peace. One significant figure was Metacomet (also known as King Philip to the English), Grand Sachem of the Wampanoag Confederacy from 1662. The Wampanoag tribe had entered into an alliance with the Plymouth Colony, but colonists continued to encroach on their lands, and so Metacomet began to negotiate with other Algonquian tribes against them. One of Metacomet's advisers was John Sassamon, a Native convert to Christianity (a so-called praying Indian) and Harvard College graduate who was often a mediator between the natives and the colonists. Sassamon had reported Metacomet was planning to gather allies to attack colonial settlements, which led to Plymouth Colony threatening to confiscate Wampanoag land and guns if there were any further reports. Soon after this, Sassamon was found dead in Assawompset Pond, and three Wampanoag men were convicted of the murder by a jury that included six Native elders. The three men were executed on the 8th of June, 1675. In response, a band of Pokanokets (part of the Wampanoag tribe) attacked and destroyed the town of Swansea, Plymouth on the 20th of June. The war spread throughout Southern New England, bringing in the Podunk and Nipmuc tribes against the Puritan colonies of Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, and Connecticut (New Haven had been absorbed into CT). Rhode Island was notably not involved at this point - their governor Roger Williams was an exile from Mass. Bay and had good relations with the native Narragansetts there, who were also neutral. This dramatically changed when Plymouth led a colonial militia against the Narragansetts on the 2nd of November. The Narragansetts retreated into a fort in a nearby frozen swamp. On the 19th of December, a combined force of Plymouth, Connecticut, and Massachusetts militia found the fort and attacked in what became known as the Great Swamp Fight. The colonists killed about 600 Narragansetts and burned the fort down. Most of the remaining Narragansetts escaped into the swamp, and later began raiding and burning colonial settlements including Providence. When colonists in Maine heard of the start of the war, they demanded that the nearby Wabanakis (a broad group that included the Abenaki) turn over their guns and ammunition as a "sign of goodwill". Despite this being an affront to their sovereignty and their reliance on firearms for hunting, many complied. This led to mass starvation, and after English colonists continued violence against the Wabanki, they began raiding English settlements. As a result, English settlements in most of Maine were annihilated, and Northney in Skrælige was completely destroyed. Hostilities only ceased in 1677, when the Wabanaki heard that the Mohawk were joining the war on the side of New England and sued for peace. At this time Maine came under the legal control of New York, who signed the Treaty of Casco with the Wabanaki in 1678. The English were allowed to return, but would owe the natives one peck of corn annually per family as a sort of land use tax. Northney was reestablished, but was now formally a part of New York. The war was devastating to everyone in New England - more than half of the New England towns were attacked, many completely destroyed. The Colony of Rhode Island was devastated, with most of its settlements outside of the island itself destroyed, including its capital Providence. However, the Narragansetts, Wampanoags, Podunks, and Nipmucs suffered the most. More than 3,000 of the approximately 10,000 natives died, and the remainder met varied fates including enslavement to Bermuda, and becoming refugees in the north and west. In contrast to those in the south, the Wabanaki came out victorious. In the following years they formed the Wabanaki Confederacy, and often found themselves allied with France. Growth, Development and Immigration Site of the new cemetery, west of the city walls of Skrælingborough An example of Skrælig Colonial architecture in Northstead Skrælingborough was growing quite substantially at this point, and land within the walls was become scarce. The large cemetery near the market had run out of room, so a new cemetery was designated to the west of the walls in 1668. While it wasn't very large at the time, there were contentious plans to exhume some of the dead in the old cemetery and rebury them here. Due to the unpopularity of the plan, it had not been enacted yet, but there was a moratorium on new burials within the walls. A new type of architecture began to show up at this point in time, Skrælig Colonial, common throughout Skrælige in the 17th and 18th centuries. Given a large influx of immigration from all over Europe (as well as refugees from King Philip's War), Skrælige needed a way to build large amounts of housing. In order to do so in a somewhat orderly fashion, a standardized method of building houses was devised. Similar to colonial buildings on the mainland, a wooden house was built on top of a stone foundation. Trees were still plentiful on the islands, making a lumber an inexpensive building material. The difference between structures on the mainland and on Skrælige was the standardization - common dimensions were enumerated by the Skræligen Þing so that towns could be more easily planned. While there wasn't always formal city planning the way we would think of it today, this did mean that there would at least be some organization in their growth. While the Skrælig Colonial houses were built within the established towns, the best examples of their use were in three new settlements: Abenakiborough, New Jorvik, and Havant. Overhead view of Abenakiborough The fort of Abenakiborough Abenakiborough (sometimes shortened to Nakiborough, though this name is no longer preferred) had been founded as a fort in 1454 after the Massacre of Abenakiborg the prior year. In 1669 the fortification was turned into an actual village on the shores of Lake Asærban. New Jorvik, named for the Norse name for York, was settled in 1675 partway between Skrælingborough and Middleton along the Almannavegr. Finally, Havant was founded in 1681 by English immigrants who had initially immigrated to New England. This was the first town in Skrælige to be settled on a formal grid pattern. In the centre was a large town common with the church on the north side, and is now the oldest public park in all of Skrælige. Centre of Havant, with Havant Common in the middle Village of New Jorvik Incorporation of Skrælig County The border between Middleton (left) and New Jorvik (right), part of Skrælingborough Overhead view of the Siguan River valley. Note the continuous area of farming along the south bank. Up until this point in history, none of the towns of Skrælige had clearly defined territory. This wasn't really necessary, since there was unsettled land separating every town from each other. However, this changed in the 1670s with the expansion of farmland along the Almannavegr between Skrælingborough and Middleton, and the founding of New Jorvik in that continuous zone of farmland. Boundaries were unclear, which caused conflicts between local authorities. A chance to clarify and codify these boundaries came in 1683, when the province of New York was divided into 13 counties, including Skrælig County for all of Skrælige. (This included Northney, which was in fact administered as part of York County in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, due to conflicting claims.) The Þing took this opportunity to further subdivide the county into the towns of Skrælingborough, Middleton, Copperstein, Newhope, Northstead, Abenakiborough, Egilstead, Havant, Raskrom, Littlevik, and Middlesun. New Jorvik was to be annexed into Skrælingborough. The boundaries included a great deal of completely untouched land, with Middlesun containing less than 100 people and the whole island of Miðrsun. A line was drawn across the width of Storreyn north of Egilstead, and everything north of this line was designated as "Abenaki Lands" - though this was a unilateral decision without any input from the Abenaki themselves. (The Abenaki Lands were also claimed by New York, but the Þing declined to actually press this.) After demarcating the 11 towns of Skrælig County (not including Northney) and the Abenaki Lands, there were four main areas left unincorporated: The island of Suðreyn The southernmost peninsula of Storreyn (Freydisskagi) The west coast north of Northstead The east coast north of Littlevik Plans were made to settle the first two areas within the decade in order to exert more control over the area and organize expansion. The coastal areas did not have settlements planned yet - while they were south of the "Abenaki Lands", these were still areas where the Abenaki hunted and gathered, and a small number lived there. After witnessing King Philip's War, Skrælige did not want to risk antagonizing the Abenaki. These new settlements were soon established: Southreyn on the northern end of Suðreyn in 1685, and Freydiston on the west coast of the Freydisskagi in 1686. Skrælig County Census of 1684 After establishing Skrælig County and demarcating the constituent towns, the Þing commissioned a census. Dutch authorities had compiled a great deal of documentation during their last occupation, and so the additional work to update it was not very substantial. The results were as follows: Abenakiborough: 70 (+61) Havant: 166 Middleton: 174 (+76) Northstead: 342 (+124) Town Centre: 216 (+91) North Harbour: 121 (+36) Outskirts: 5 (-3) Newhope: 407 (+223) Main Village: 359 (+198) North Village: 20 (+9) South Village: 28 (+16) Fort Charles: 150 (+22) Copperstein: 133 (+62) Skrælingborough: 1205 (+405) Church & Market District: 512 (+151) Middle & Newport: 437 (+64) Central Area, Outside the Walls: 84 (+32) Left Road Village: 43 (+29) Right Road Village: 27 New Jorvik: 102 Littlevik: 120 (+47) Raskrom: 43 (+27) Middlesun: 62 (+25) Egilstead: 75 (+40) Total: 2947 (+1278) Dominion of New England England had quite a variety of different colonies in North America at this time. Some of them were started as commercial ventures (Virginia Colony being a notable example), but the colonies of New England were founded for mostly religious reasons. Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and New Haven were all Puritan colonies, and non-Puritans were barely tolerated - this even applied to supporters of the Church of England, the official church in England. In addition to their theocratic rule, their economies were problematic for England. The geology of the area meant that growing cash crops was not economically feasible, and so their economies were based around trade - not just with other English colonies, but with other European powers and their colonies. This meant that their merchants were competition for English merchants, and they were beginning to build workshops that would directly compete with English manufacturing. The English Parliament passed a series of laws known as the Navigation Acts to restrict this trade, but these were resisted and circumvented via smuggling. Massachusetts was the biggest offender in the eyes of King Charles II, who repeatedly tried to change and reform the government of Massachusetts, but was unsuccessful. And so, the charter for the colony was formally annulled in June 1684. Plans were then made to create a unified administration to bring the colonies in line with England and better coordinate them in matters of defense. And so the Dominion of New England began on the 25th of May, 1686, including Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony, and the Provinces of New Hampshire & Maine. Connecticut and Rhode Island were included later that year. The Dominion of New England was very unpopular, especially in Massachusetts where several towns refused to enforce new taxation laws. Other new restrictions included heavily restricted town meetings and challenging the validity of many land claims. Despite being adjacent to Massachusetts (including Maine) and New Hampshire, Skrælige was part of New York, and was therefore not subject to the Dominion of New England (with the exception of Northney). However, the provinces of New York, East Jersey, and West Jersey were added to the Dominion on the 7th of May, 1688, although these three provinces were run by Lieutenant Governor Francis Nicholson, rather than Governor Edmund Andros, due to their distance from Boston. This led to a strange quirk though - despite being unified with New England, they were still indirectly ruled via New York, a situation that lessened (but did not fully negate) the impact of the Dominion.

At least it looks like things are getting better! (And the houses I made look really good there, I'm glad they fit in!)

Just saw this, neat combo of Workers & Resources and Tropico! Looking forward to seeing how this develops.

Obviously you planned this beforehand, but I really like how nicely the ferry pier lines up with the E220 roundabout. Like despite the challenging terrain, it's really well thought out.

So good, the before/after pics are really helpful too!

Thanks! To be fair, the "research" has mostly been diving into Wikipedia/relying on Google translate for names, but yeah, everything just feels more real in CSL when there's a reason for every part of the city. Who knows how long I'll be able to maintain that, haha

Swedish Skrælige (Svenska Skrälig Öar): 1645-57 Skrälingborg (Skrælingborg), 1648 After the Peace of Brömsebro in 1645, Skrælige became a Swedish possession. Sweden already controlled land on the North American continent, an area known as Nya Sverige since 1638 (New Sweden - centered around present day Wilmington, DE, USA). Given the distance between Fort Christina and Skrælingborg, Skrælige was setup as its own self-governing colony, Skrälig Öar. Once the appointed Swedish governor arrived, a couple of significant changes happened. First of all, the trade monopoly was loosened - while trade with Sweden (incl. New Sweden) was preferred, trade with New England and New Netherlands was now legal. This change did a lot to put the Swedish government in the people's good graces - the new government was finally doing something that benefitted Skrælige, and was not solely to the benefit of Sweden. Second, a truce was made with the Abenaki. This was mostly a strategic decision on the part of Sweden: Skrælige was isolated from New Sweden, and was surrounded by other great powers. While the Abenaki were not a major threat, unnecessary aggression towards them would tie up military resources that might be needed elsewhere. The Abenaki were of course weary of the Skræligen government, but were glad to no longer be the focus of constant aggression. Governor's Residence, Skrälingborg, 1648 Nördställe (Norðstaðr), 1648 Folkräkning of 1648 With Skrælige changing hands multiple times over the last century, the population of the small settlement was becoming a bit more diverse. Back when Skrælige was originally settled, the population was mainly Norse-speaking immigrants, with some integration with Abenaki people. In the 16th century there was some trade with the Spanish (Castilian) colonies to the south. This did lead to a couple of Spanish merchants settling in Skrælingborg for extended stints, but there was no significant demographic shift. This changed in the 17th century, with immigration now coming from Denmark (as well as Norway, which was ruled by the same monarch, and Iceland). With Swedish rule, Swedes and Finns (who were currently ruled by Sweden) immigrated as well. In addition, a small number of English people left the Puritan New England colonies to settle in Skrælige instead, but this was a fairly minor source of immigration. After the immediate acts of the Swedish governor, work soon began on another census, this time called the Folkräkning. There were some delays as Sweden was still involved in the Thirty Years' War, but this was completed by 1648. The results were as follows: Skrälingborg (Skrælingborg): 800 (+328) Church & Market District: 361 (+189) Mittensätt & Nya Hamnen (Formerly Midtvej/Miðrway & Nyhavn/Nyjahofn): 373 (+136) Outside of the walls: 52 (+3) Vänsterväg (formerly Venstrevej/Vinstrileið) village: 14 (-) Mittentunga (formerly Midtunge/Miðrtunga): 98 (+56) Nördställe (formerly Nordsted/Norðstaðr): 218 (+151) Kopparsten (formerly Eirsten/Eirsteinn): 71 (+16) Nyhoppas (formerly Nyhåber/Nyrvænn): 184 (+34) Main Village: 161 (+34) North Village: 11 (+1) South Village: 12 (-1) Abenakiborg: 9 (-1) Karlsborg (formerly Christianborg): 128 Soldiers Litenvik (formerly Lillebugt/Smarvik): 73 (+38) Rasböja (formerly Rasbøje/Rasbeygja): 16 (+16, formerly abandoned) Mittensunborg (formerly Midtsunborg/Miðrsunborg): 37 (+16) Egilställe (formerly Egilsted): 35 Total population of 1669 (+823) The count also included 27 slaves. 145 of the Skræligens were recent immigrants from Sweden and Finland. The Danish and Old Skræligen* populations were substantially mixed by this point, with a Skræligen-speaking majority and a substantial Danish-speaking minority. (These refer to their native languages - there was a degree of mutual intelligibility, and many were bilingual.) *Descended from pre-Isolation Skræligens Start of the Second Northern War Meanwhile in Europe, a war known as either the "Second Northern War" or the "First Northern War", started in 1655. The conflict primarily began as a Swedish invasion of Poland-Lithuania, but expanded to include Brandenburg-Prussia, the Habsburg Monarchy, Russia, Denmark-Norway, the Dutch Republic, and others. New Sweden was settled on land that was also claimed by the Dutch, and so this war presented an opportunity to invade New Sweden. In the summer of 1655, Director-General Peter Stuyvesant of New Netherland led most of the colonial garrison to the Delaware River. They recaptured Fort Trinity* on the 11th of September, and besieged the capital Fort Christina. New Sweden surrendered on the 15th of September, but was able to maintain significant autonomy under the Dutch. Stuyvesant also had plans to invade Skrælige - Dutch claims extended further east than the settled areas of the Hudson Valley, and Skrælige would be a strategic position to occupy. This was planned to come after the invasion of New Sweden, but a new war broke out the very same day of Sweden's surrender - the Peach Tree War. The Susquehannock people were already distrustful of the Dutch due to their alliance with the Iroquois Confederacy (an enemy of the Susquehannocks). On the 15th of September, around 600 Susquehannock warriors landed in New Amsterdam, which was very lightly defended due to the invasion of New Sweden. Several outlying villages were destroyed, and hundreds of hostages taken and ransomed. (The death toll is unknown.) After this attack, some of the outlying towns were permanently abandoned, and the ones that were resettled were to be heavily fortified. Invasion plans for Skrælige had to be put on hold to carry out this work. *Fort Trinity was originally settled by the Dutch in 1651, named Fort Casimir for the Polish king. It was conquered by New Sweden in May 1654 and renamed Fort Trinity. Massachusetts Bay Settlement of Northney In the midst of the conflict to the southwest, the Colony of Massachusetts Bay saw an opportunity for expansion. Skrælige was arguably within the charter area of the colony, and in the spring of 1656 colonists settled the village of Northney on the northernmost island of Skrælige, what was known as Norþæn in Skræligen. Due to the war on the continent, the Swedish government in Skrälingborg did not try to capture the settlement, as doing so might antagonise the English. As long as the English stayed on their island, the government was content to allow them to remain. Dutch Invasion of Skrælige Karlsborg under Swedish control, 1657 By the summer of 1657, New Netherland had sufficiently recovered from the Peach Tree War enough to plan its invasion of Skrælige. This was a controversial decision, given Skrælige's distance from New Amsterdam and the consequences of the last invasion. However, the war in Europe was still going, and the Dutch government saw Swedish Skrælige as an important strategic objective. Not only would taking the islands remove a potential Swedish threat, but it would also be a thorn in the side of New England. The English and Dutch previously had competing claims in the Connecticut River Valley (then also known as the Fresh River), and had taken over Fort Goede Hoop (present day Hartford, CT) in 1653, so a fortification on the other side of New England could put them in a better position. Director-General Stuyvesant sent a squadron of ships to the islands, landing a force at Rasböja and then sieging Litenvik (Smarvik) from both sides on the 3rd of August, 1657. Given the vast firepower discrepancy between the small settlement and the Dutch force, Litenvik surrendered without a fight. With the southern end of Storreyn under control, the Dutch forces moved north, blockading Skrælingborg from the west and south, and putting Karlsborg (formerly Christianborg) under siege. After putting up a fight, the lack of any reinforcements meant that continuing to fight would just postpone the inevitable. And so on the 9th of August, 1657, Skrælige became part of Nieuw Nederland. Dutch Skrælige (Part of Nieuw Nederland): 1657-64 Overhead view of Skrælige c. 1660. Skraalingborg (Skrælingborg) in the centre to the south of the Siguan River, Noordstaadt (Norðstaðr) to the north, Willemfort & Nieuwehoop (Nyrvænn) to the southwest, and Middentong (Miðrtunga) to the east. Noordstaadt (Norðstaðr) c. 1660 Linker Weg, Skraalingborg c. 1660 Governor's Residence c. 1660 With the Dutch invasion, Skrælige was now controlled by New Amsterdam. Now known as Nederlands Skraalig Eilanden, the region was given quite a bit of autonomy. The Skræligen Þing had existed under Danish and Swedish occupation as an advisory body, but was now given formal authority of the islands - still under the ultimate control of Director-General Stuyvesant though. Although no full census would be taken during this time, the official names of some settlements were renamed as follows: Skrälingborg was renamed Skraalingborg Mittentunga became Middentong Nördställe became Noordstaadt Kopparsten became Kopersteen Nyhoppas became Nieuwehoop Rasböja became Raskromming Mittensunborg became Middensunfort Egilställe became Egilstadt Karlsborg became Willemfort The Situation in Northney While the truce between the Skræligens and the Abenaki continued during this time, there was no such truce with the Northney settlement. The English settlers up north attempted to expand across the channel onto Storreyn itself. This would have been a much more significant violation of Dutch land claims - they were willing to put up with an incursion onto a mostly uninhabited island, but reaching the main island would be difficult to ignore. However, by this point in time the Abenaki were armed with muskets, and English attempts to cross over were easily repelled. The English Invasion Throughout the 17th century there was a significant commercial and maritime rivalry between England and the Dutch Republic, which led to frequent conflict. Even when the two countries were at peace, their trade companies had their own warships and were in conflict. Among other grievances were the English Navigation Acts, which required all trade with English ports (including the colonies) to be done with English ships. The First Anglo-Dutch war broke out between the Commonwealth of England and the Dutch Republic between 1652 and 54, and while England won the war, the commercial rivalry was entirely unresolved. With this context, the English were agitating for another war, including capturing the Dutch trading outpost on Cabo Verde in late 1663. Subsequently King Charles II granted his brother James (later King James II) the land from the Delaware River to the Connecticut River - land which included New Netherland. In May of 1664 Colonel Nicolls set out from Portsmouth, England, and after enlisting the support of English militias on Long Island, arrived at New Amsterdam on the 4th of September. Nicolls had proposed a fairly lenient surrender agreement, including continuation of property rights and freedom of religion, in order to encourage a peaceful surrender. While Peter Stuyvesant was initially inclined to resist this, the burghers and his son met with him to force him to concede, and the Articles of Surrender of New Netherland were signed on the 6th of September. The English sent troops up the Hudson River, and Fort Orange promptly surrendered on the 24th of September, to be renamed Fort Albany. Former New Sweden was captured in October, and then on the 24th of October a squadron of ships arrived outside Willemfort in Skrælige. Given the same terms as New Amsterdam, the Dutch garrison promptly surrendered, and Skrælige (apart from Northney) was to be part of the Province of New York. ---- Thanks for reading! (And sorry for the delay, I posted this last week on YouTube & my site, I just hadn't gotten around to putting it here - I don't like just linking to the video, Simtropolis deserves a proper post.) You can also see this on the website at https://www.skraelige.world/1645-64-swedish-and-dutch-skrælige, or in video form at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9p-rQIwYl8. Some additional author's notes: The lines on the "European Colonisation Around Skrælige" map are... kind of made up? There's a few different sources I used (listed below). One source was a map of towns in New England c. 1700 (i.e. from the future): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_England_Town_Lines_and_Borders_in_1700.png. I interpreted the presence of an incorporated town to mean it was probably actually controlled by the colony, and not just claimed. The outer borders of CT & MA are their modern ones - the border areas weren't really controlled by anyone anyway, and there were plenty of conflicting claims, even between English colonies. For the MA/CT border, I went with the 1700 one - there was a 1642 MA survey line, but again there was no actual colonial control so it didn't seem right to make a definitive line of control. NH/CT divide is based off of https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ctcolony.png, and I drew my own lines around settlements on Long Island. One slight error is that Stonington in the southeastern corner of CT was briefly controlled by Mass. Bay right around 1660, but I opted to just not include that since it switches back to CT so soon. New Netherland & New Sweden use this map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nieuw_Nederland_and_Nya_Sverige.svg. Obviously those lines are rough estimates and are not borders in the modern sense.

Looks great, especially like seeing before and after! (And always love some ped/bike infrastructure.)

Thanks for the overhead image, really helps to put everything into perspective! (And looks gorgeous too!)

Very cool! You probably have a good idea of what's going to happen in the next few decades of Skrælige then, haha. Is that a project you have available in public at all, or just the lore for your own city? Also I'm curious, if Nya Sverige extends up to Maine in your timeline, how do they deal with the English?

Initial Immigration & Folketælling of 1600 Once the Skræligen Þing signed their oath of fealty to King Christian IV, they held a feast for the expedition and celebrated the beginning of a new future. After a few days of recovery and restocking, most of the Danes made the journey back home, although 22 elected to stay in Skrælige. In early 1599, an additional 100 arrived, along with the new colonial governor, Egil Christiansen. The first priority was to begin recording the current state of Skrælige, which meant commissioning a "Folketælling" (i.e. Manntal). This was completed by 1600, and the results were as follows: Skrælingborg: 472 (-28), incl. 55 Danish immigrants Church & Market District: 172 (-10), incl. 13 Danish immigrants Midtvej & Nyhavn (Formerly Miðrway & Nyjahofn): 237 (-), incl. 42 Danish immigrants Outside of the walls: 49 (-15) Venstrevej (formerly Vinstrileið) village: 14 (-3) Nyhåber (formerly Nyrvænn): 150 (-15), incl. 24 Danish immigrants Main Village: 127 (-5), incl. 24 Danish immigrants North Village: 10 (-5) South Village: 13 (-5) Midtunge (formerly Miðrtunga): 42 (-2), incl. 8 Danish immigrants Nordsted (formerly Norðstaðr): 61 (-2), incl. 16 Danish immigrants Eirsten (formerly Eirsteinn): 55 (-1), incl. 15 Danish immigrants Abenakiborg: 10 (+2), incl. 2 Danish immigrants Lillebugt (formerly Smarvik): 35 (+3), incl. 10 Danish immigrants Rasbøje (formerly Rasbeygja): 0 (-21), abandoned after nearly being wiped out by smallpox Midtsunborg (formerly Miðrsunborg): 21 (-1), incl. 2 Danish immigrants Total population of 846 (-65), including 122 Danish immigrants. Skræligen Reformation The first big change for Skrælige was religion. The Protestant Reformation had spread throughout Europe in the 16th century, including Denmark-Norway. Denmark and Norway themselves converted their state religion to Lutheranism in 1536 and 1537, and the last part of the realm to convert was Iceland, which did so 1539-1550. Skrælige was still Catholic, although its isolation meant that its doctrines weren't 100% in line with the Papacy. Until coming under the Crown of Denmark in 1598, the ideas of the Reformation hadn't really made it into Skrælige, as the limited contact to the Old World was via Spanish trade. Incorporating the Lutheran doctrines into the church of Skrælige went more smoothly than most conversions in Europe - Skrælige had been separated from any real papal control for so long that there was not much reason for opposition. The main change was in language - what little Latin had been used was now all gone, replaced with Danish & Skræligen. A few Danish Bibles were brought over, and work began on a Skræligen translation. (This was largely based on the Icelandic translations, as that was the most similar language at this point.) Real conflict began in 1600 after the Folketælling was completed. With a thorough compilation of all property on the islands recorded, governor Egil Christiansen seized all church property on behalf of the King. Most of the churches on the islands reluctantly agreed, but the archbishop Jensi Karlsson fled across the Siguan River to the church in Nordsted (Norðstaðr). The fight with Danish officials carrying out the seizure led to the burning of the church, as well as the execution of the archbishop Jensi Karlsson. Danish Trade Monopoly & Absolute Monarchy While the imposition of Lutheranism was only strongly opposed by a small minority, the next royal act became much more controversial. After imposing a Danish monopoly on external trade in Iceland in 1602, Denmark enacted a similar set of laws for Skrælige. All trade would be controlled by the family of Karl Valtersson, a prominent merchant who was friendly with Governor Egil, and would only go straight to Copenhagen. As an effect of this, all trade with the Spanish territories was banned. This transition was painful - for nearly a century, the only external trade was with the Spanish territories. Now all trade had to make the much more arduous journey east across the North Atlantic, and wasn't even under Skræligen control anymore. While some smuggling south did occur, Skræligens didn't really have a choice but to comply. After all, being part of Denmark's empire was supposed to bring them prosperity, and this was the necessary cost of business. However, over time more European colonies were founded nearby. (See European Colonisation below.) Even though these new colonies were much closer, trade with them was still illegal. Despite bringing this up with the crown several times, no allowances were made for this local trade, building resentment among the Skræligens. The governing of Skrælige was no longer solely for the benefit of Skrælige, but for the benefit of the crown of Denmark. In fact, Skrælige's needs were barely considered beyond what was needed to enrich Denmark, and the Þing was reduced to a symbolic role. This change was quite a shock to Skræligens who were used to at least being listened to, even if the important leaders in the Þing did tend to be better off than the general population. The new leadership presented an ideological conflict between the self-governing group leadership of the old Skrælige and the Absolutism of Denmark, which showed no signs of going away any time soon. European Colonisation Over the next few decades, European powers began to colonise nearby lands. After an unsuccessful attempt at settling on St. Croix Island in 1604, the French founded Port-Royal on modern day Nova Scotia the next year. After an English attack in 1613, Port-Royal was temporarily abandoned, but later moved upstream. (Today it is now known as Annapolis Royal.) This part of New France became known as Acadia, and eventually expanded to the other side of the Bay of Fundy around modern day St. John, NB. English settlement was a lot closer to Skrælige, including the failed Popham Colony in 1607 which was just across the Norþæn Strait from the islands of Skrælige. The first successful English settlement nearby was Plymouth in 1620. More settlements soon followed, the main "first" settlements are labeled above. By the 1630s English settlements stretched north to the other side of the Skræligen Sea. There was minimal conflict however - construction of fortifications in Skrælige (see Christianborg - Danish Military Fort in Skrælige below) was enough to ward off any English raids. However, the charter for the Massachusetts Bay Colony was unclear on whether it claimed Skrælige for itself - the Mass. Bay government claimed that the islands were in fact part of the colony, and this uncertainty loomed over the islands. New Construction The new immigration and leadership of Skrælige meant a lot of new construction as well. Most of the "urban" buildings in Skrælige were built in the 14th century or earlier - demand for housing disappeared with the Isolation and the migration into the surrounding countryside in the 15th century, and subsequently plummeted with the introduction of European plagues in the 16th century. Along with new half-timbered construction, new architectural styles arrived as well. Tall Baroque buildings, often referred to as "Copenhagen houses" in Skrælige, stood out with their bright colors among the more subdued whites and browns of the older constructions. One major new landmark in Skrælingborg was the Governor's residence, built between the church, the old Great Hall, and the Þing building. Completed by 1603, this was now the clearest sign of Denmark's presence in Skrælige. The structure holding the Þing had already been dwarfed by other buildings in the city, but was now further dwarfed by the new seat of power. While the residence was not substantially larger, it was much more ornate and modern. In comparison, the Þing began to look dilapidated, and the crown had no interest in preserving the building representing potential competing interests. The last new construction of note was a new church in Nordsted after the burning of the old church in 1600. After many delays, this church was completed by 1619. Now the largest church in Skrælige, the Bishop of Skrælige (the head figure of the church in Skrælige) moved across the Siguan River to Nordsted. Christianborg - Danish Star Fort in Skrælige The most significant construction project during Danish rule was the star fort of Christianborg, named after Christian IV. The existing fortifications on Skrælige were designed for protection against the Abenaki, and were not suited to defending against the European powers moving in nearby. Initial fortifications were built at the mouth of the Siguan River in the early years of Danish rule, but the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War demonstrated that more substantial fortifications might be required. Construction of Christianborg began in 1625, and the final structures were completed by 1630. The fort never actually saw battle though, instead just warding off any potential attacks. All of the Danish warfare was instead limited to the European continent, to the relief of the Skræligens. Upstream Invasion & Reintroduction of Slavery The construction of Christianborg was not the only Danish military action in Skrælige. In 1632 they launched a "scouting party" inland into the interior of the island, to scout out defensible areas to expand to. It would be more accurate to call it an invasion of the Siguan River Valley though, the "scouting party" was not even pretending to try to exist peacefully with the Abenaki. Many were killed, and a new village of Egilsted was founded on the ruins of an Abenaki village. Controversially, many Abenaki were kidnapped into slavery as well. Slavery hadn't been present on the island for centuries, and the capture of slaves during war was no longer practiced either. However, this was common practice on the mainland English colonies, and the Danish authorities saw no reason to not do the same. This was probably the beginning of the modern Skræligen abolition movement as well - while the Skræligen locals had no power to stop this at a government level, a significant number of Abenaki slaves escaped with the covert help of locals. Given the likelihood of Abenaki slaves to escape, the market shifted to importing African slaves instead. The first documented trade of an African slave in Skrælige occurred in 1639, one year after the first African slaves were traded in New England in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay. While Skræligens had lived alongside Abenaki in the past, and there was a small amount of mixing between the two cultures, this was not the case of African slaves. It was easy to drive up opposition to Abenaki slavery for these reasons, but while African slavery was not popularly supported, it was not strongly opposed either. Peace of Brömsebro, 1645 Over in Europe, the Thirty Years' War was devastating the continent. What originally began as a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics within the Holy Roman Empire eventually morphed into a massive conflict throughout the continent, no longer strictly on religious lines. Denmark intervened from 1625 to 1629 against the HRE, and was involved again from 1643-45 when the Swedes invaded Denmark in the Torstenson War. The conflict concluded for Denmark in 1645 with the Peace of Brömsebro, which transferred some Danish land to Sweden. As part of the peace treaty, Skrælige was also given to Sweden, and would now be administered as part of New Sweden (Nya Sverige). This was hard to get used to for Skrælige - for the first time, their rulers changed without them having any say whatsoever. Still, they were hopeful that a government based closer to home in Fort Christina (present day Wilmington, Delaware) would allow them more autonomy. ---- You can also read this on the Ministry of Sagas website, or view https://youtu.be/rF-eC7nQogg. Thanks for reading! ---- Author's Notes The Danish here is modern Danish - as far as I'm aware the language at the time was not radically different from modern Danish, the same way Shakespearean English isn't radically different from modern English, but I could be wrong here. Not every town name has been directly translated - some have, some have just been altered to sound more Danish, and others haven't been changed. The "Copenhagen houses" seem to have mostly been built in the second half of 17th century in Nyhavn, Copenhagen. I stretched them back a little to fit into Skrælige since I like the style a lot, so that's not 100% historically accurate. The height difference isn't a thing in real life as far as I know, but it is in Cities: Skylines since the assets are scaled differently by different creators. I originally planned on handing Skrælige over to the English in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, so if there's any references to 1648 left that's why. However, the more I thought about it, the more it didn't quite make sense - hence Nya Sverige instead.