After Sweden had also conquered Livonia in 1621 and Ösel (today Saaremaa island) in 1645, the German self-government received new structures. In 1632 Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden founded the university of Dorpat (today Tartu). At the end of the 17th century, the Swedish Crown confiscated numerous feudal estates for the purpose of household renovation, thus weakening the nobility ("reduction of estates"). At the same time, German pastors laid the foundations for a school system for the rural population and an Estonian and Latvian written language.
In the Great Nordic War (1700-1721) Sweden lost its supremacy to Russia under Charles XII of Sweden. The besieged city of Riga, suffering from the plague, and Reval (today Tallinn) surrendered to Tsar Peter I, Livonia and Estonia became autonomous Russian governorates, as did Courland in 1795. In the "capitulations" of 1710, the tsar granted privileges to the knighthoods and towns, which for two centuries enabled the continuation of German self-government in Livonia, Estonia and Courland.
Illustration:
Peter I., oil painting by Jean-Marc Nattier. Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg