Map of New-Netherland & New-Sweden Around 1650

Map found on WikimediaThe map above shows the relative positions and sizes of two of the American colonial eras forgotten powers, New Netherland and New Sweden in around the year 1650.

Here’s a little more about each of them:

New Netherland (1609–1664)

1. 1609 – Henry Hudson, an English explorer employed by the Dutch East India Company, explores the Hudson River and claims the region for the Dutch, leading to the establishment of New Netherland.
2. 1624 – The Dutch West India Company formally establishes New Netherland as a colony, with settlements in the Hudson River Valley. The first settlement is Fort Orange (modern-day Albany).
3. 1626 – Peter Minuit, the Director of New Netherland, purchases the island of Manhattan from Native Americans for trade goods. The settlement there is named New Amsterdam (modern-day New York City).
4. 1638 – New Sweden, a Swedish colony (see below), is established on the Delaware River, encroaching on New Netherland territory.
5. 1640s–1650s – New Netherland grows, and Dutch settlers face conflicts with Native Americans and competition with English settlers in New England. The colony also has border tensions with New Sweden.
6. 1655 – Peter Stuyvesant, the Director-General of New Netherland, captures New Sweden and incorporates it into New Netherland.
7. 1664 – The English, under James, Duke of York, capture New Netherland. New Amsterdam is renamed New York, and the entire colony becomes part of English territory.

New Sweden (1638–1655)

1. 1638 – Peter Minuit, who had previously been a Dutch official, leads the establishment of New Sweden under Swedish rule. The first settlement, Fort Christina, is founded in what is now Wilmington, Delaware.
2. 1638–1643 – The colony grows slowly with settlements along the Delaware River, trading with Native American groups, and establishing farms and outposts.
3. 1643 – Johan Printz becomes the governor of New Sweden and expands the colony’s defenses and trading activities.
4. 1655 – After tensions between New Netherland and New Sweden, Peter Stuyvesant leads a Dutch military expedition that successfully conquers New Sweden, which is then absorbed into New Netherland.

In 1664, when the English took over New Netherland, they also took control of what had been New Sweden.

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