| The study of Dutch shipping and trade in the Gulf of Finland in early-modern times is actually a case-study on how different governments organised foreign trade differently and how that influenced the success of the shippers and traders working in the area. In the 16th and 17th centuries towns like Narva and especially Vyborg then both Swedish territory - played a significant role in the trade and shipping of Russian goods to Western Europe. The Dutch had an important share in this trade. During the 17th century, the Swedish government decided to build a new town in the same area. Nyen was its name, and the Swedish King had big plans with it, because of its unique geographical position (the delta of the river Neva had been one of the major export routes for Russian goods to Europe since the Middle Ages). Obivously, the Russian who were completely cut off the sea throughout the 17th century could not let this happen, and in 1703 Peter the Great conquered the area around Nyen. Making a huge step forward in the modernization of Russia, he decided to destroy Nyen and to make his dream of a New Amsterdam come through. In May 1703 St. Petersburg was founded. It had to become Russia s window on Europe as soon as possible, and hence Peter the Great did everything he could to promote this newly built town. The aim of my research is to show the differences in the approaches of Gustav Adolf on the one hand (Nyen) and Peter the Great on the other hand (St. Petersburg). At the same time, I use information on Narva and Vyborg, the two trading towns nearby, to make comparison possible. This leads to the following aspect of my research: the investigation of Dutch shipping and trade in the described area. This aspect makes this study what it is: a case-study on Dutch shipping and trade in a fixed period of time (1558-1760), in a specific area (the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland also known as Ingria) and from a specific point of view (how foreign politics influenced shipping and trade). |
