Chapter 4.3: The Aftermath

The constant wars were devastating on the land. None of the powers managed to cement their power, instead they had to rely on temporary military control. The once rich Livonia was left in ruins: castles had been destroyed during sieges, churches and manors had been looted, a large portion of the peasantry was killed. Russians deported the citizens of captured cities to Russia en masse. Several plague epidemics coincided with the period of constant fighting.

As a result, the population had fallen from 300 000 in 1550 to merely 110 000 in 1600. a -63% drop.

Around 70% of fields in the former bishopric of Dorpat were abandoned, in Northern Estonia that percentage was around 50% and in Saaremaa around 30%.



A caricature showcasing Russian atrocities in Livonia, published in Nuremberg 1561. (NB, propaganda)

The Polish government started a campaign of converting the captured Lutheran territories into Catholicism. Jesuit colleges were established in Tartu and Riga, and missionaries were sent to the countryside. As the latter Swedish documents would confirm, the conversion efforts amongst the peasants were somewhat successful.

In the meantime the Swedes had to start a revitalization of the Lutheran faith in the North. Many parishes were left without a pastor, and the ones that did have one usually had the issue that the pastor, who had been from Germany, Sweden or Finland, would not typically speak Estonian. Nevertheless, over time, the situation improved.

In 1643-1645 Sweden fought a war against its eternal enemy Denmark. The peace treaty gave Sweden control over, among other places, Saaremaa. With that island, Sweden had finally achieved control over the entirety of modern day Estonia.

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