Treaty of Peace between Sweden and Russia (May 18, 1595)

[Ferran]

Treaty of Peace between Sweden and Russia

concluded at Teusina in the Ivangorod side on River Narva, on 18th of May, 1595.

Original document on vellum is stored in the Archives of Russian Foreign Ministry.4)

We plenipotentiary grand envoys of Sweden, acting on behalf of the mightest lord King Sigismund and the Swedish Crown, I Sten Baner from Händelö and Bro, Knight and High Councellor of Sweden, I Christer Claesson, Master of Åminne, I Göran Boije from Gennäs and Kulla, High Commander of Reval [now Tallinn] and Estonia, I Arvid Erikson from Lindö och Grabbacka, Colonel of Knights and High Commander of Narva, and we, Niclas Rask from Mälstad and Hans Kranck6), both secretaries, have assembled with plenipotentiary grand envoys of his royal highness, magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, Prince Ivan Samsonovits Turenin, margrave and High Commander of Koluskoga, and Ostafi Mikhalovits Pushin, royal squire and High Commander of Yelatom, and clerks Gregori Ivanofsin Klabukov and Posnik Dimetrua, at River Narva on the Ivangorod side in Teusina to make a decision about peace and fine good things; and we both grand envoys have concluded and agreed on an everlasting peace so that after this date no one on either side will ever begin or undertake to war, and that the same everlasting peace will be held firm and irrevocable, and therefore:

The grand envoys of the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Feodor Iwanowitz, autocrat over all Russia, have given up the Duchy of Estonia with all her castles, which are Narva, Reval, Weissenstein [now Paide], Wesenberg [now Rakvere], Padis [now Kloostri], Tolsborg [now Toolse], Nyslott [now Vasknarva], Borckholm, Haapsalu, Lohde [now Koluvere], Leal [now Lihula] ja Fickell [now Vigala], with all their counties and estates, whatever they might be called to Swedish Crown; and the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Feodor Iwanowitz, autocrat over all Russia, shall no more take any measures on the before-mentioned castles and estates, now beloging to Sweden, but for ever keep all this firm, irrevocable and unbroken.

And we great envoys of Sweden, on behalf of the mightest lord King Sigismund and the Swedish Crown have given back to the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Iwanowitz, autocrat over all Russia, the castle of Kexholm [Finn. Käkisalmi], an inheritance of his royal highness, with all its lands and estates, which have from earlier times belonged to the Great Novgorod as they were when King John conquered them. And this everlasting peace shall be kept between the folks of our mightest King and the Kingdom of Sweden as whole and the folks of the magnificent lord and royal highness, thus that from Sweden, Finland, Estonia or from Lapland and Kvenland, or from the castles situated anywhere along the Swedish coast, not a slightest war will be launched or harm inflicted to the Great Novgorod or to her castles, Ivangorod, Yama [now Kingisepp], Coporje, Kexholm, Nöteborg [now Petrokrepost'], Ladoga or to the whole province or lands of Novgorod or to Pskov and the castles, province or lands of Pskov, neither to castles in Kolmogorod and lands of Dvina [coast of Arkhangelsk] including the monastery of Solovetsk, Suma, Kargopol and the whole land of Kargopol and Kola castle with all the provinces along the coast, so that no troops of soldiers, small or large, by land or sea, will be sent against them and so that no violence is instigated.

In response, no war will be launched or harm of any kind inflicted from the Great Novgorod or Pskov, either from castles of Novgorod or Pskov, or from Kexholm or from all the lands of Novgorod and Pskov, Kolmogorod or Dvina, or either from Kola or from other sites on the coast, against the Kingdom of Sweden, Finland, Viborg, Nyslott7) or other castles and provinces situated in Finland, either to castles of the Estonian Duchy, Narva, Weissenberg, Tolsborg, Reval, Wittensteen, Lode, Leall, Haapsalu, Padis, Borckholm, Nyslott or Fickell, or either to Kvenland or any other area up to the coast, or against Lapland, so that no troops of soldiers, small or large, by land or sea, will be sent against them and so that no violence is used on either side.

Trade and export commerce for foreigners, whoever they are, should be channelled through Viborg and Reval but free and without restrictions as it has been from old times. And shall all Swedish subjects be free to sail with their ships and merchandise to Narva from all towns in Sweden, Finland and Estonia, but not from cities abroad. And trade shall take place on the Narva side, but not on the Ivangorod side, with balances, steelyards, bitzmars and other weights, and respectively with ells, arsins, barrels and kylmets, as it should be.

Russians and other foreigners, who are freely allowed to trade on the Narva but not on the Ivangorod side, should not carry to either side anything which is falsified or rotten or do trade with such merchandise which is unregistered, and registration and loading should also take place there.

And all the Swedish subjects are free to sail and travel to Nöteborg, Ladoga, Kexholm, Novgorod and wherever they will on Lake Ladoga and to other places by ships, yawls, barges or boats as far as it is possible for them to come to sell and trade; and on the both coasts of River Narva from its mouth up to Peipse, Pskov and other towns as far as they can on the same lake come.

Subjects of the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, are allowed to sail and travel unhindered to all those Swedish, Finnish and Estonian towns they will to sell and trade as it were in old times. And subjects of our mightest King as well as of the magnificent lord, his royal highness, are obliged to pay customs for their merchandise equally on both sides. Nobody from foreign towns shall sail to Narva or search for other ports in Russian side, not in Lübeck5), Nyen or elsewhere; but subjects of the Swedish Crown are free to enter all ports and towns on the Russian side with their ships, yawls and barges all over Russia in east, west, north and south, and in Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov and in many other cities, be they of any name, as well as in the countries that God later hands over to the magnificent lord, his royal highness from foreign, Tartar or other supremacy. Furthermore, houses and premises, with all rooms and privileges, which have been used by subjects of the Swedish Crown in Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov and elsewhere in Russia should be restored to them, and in cities, where there earlier have been no houses reserved to them, such premises should be given them without objections and delivered to them for storing their merchandise; and, subjects of the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, should be treated likewise in Viborg, Reval, Turku and other localities. All Swedish, Finnish or Estonian merchants, who live as subjects to the Swedish Crown, and who have outstanding claims in Russia, irrespective of their kinds but of which they have a document or of which respectable men are aware, they all have right freely and without obstruction claim them, as can be done by subjects of the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia regarding subjects of our mightes lord King Sigismund in Sweden, Finland and Estonia.

And those outstanding claims which the Swedes, Finns or Estonians owe to subjects of the magnificent lord, his royal highness, as well as what has been taken over by our mightest King, all this should be paid with good things or plain cash at Viborg or Narva, wherever it might most easily be done; likewise, everything, big or small, which is claimed in Russia by subjects of our mightest King, even if it is taken for the personal use of the magnificent lord, his royal highness, should be paid, and those receivables which are owed by his subjects whatever their kinds, should be paid with good things or plain cash at Narva or Viborg, wherever it might most easily be done, ensuring that neither party will suffer any harm or damage.

In case, where a ship, yawl or boat, loaded with merchandise or otherwise some other ship or yawl, which belongs to our mightest lord, King of Sweden, nobility or army should drift to the shore on the Russian side, whatever its way or cause, a request for assistance can be imposed on subjects of the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, which people without presenting no excuses and without hiding the rescued goods, together and without delay search for it and without no ostruction will let it be carried to the Swedish side. The Swedes will do the same to subjects of the magnificent lord, his royal highness.

Not a slightest obstacle shall be set by the his royal highness's orderlies and other subjects of the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, to orderlies of our mightest King when collecting taxes from people of Lapland from Osthrobotnia up to the Varanger, who have from old times been subjects to the Swedish Crown giving their taxes to the Swedish King, and till marking the boundary is done by both parties through sincere investigation, neither party will collect any taxes from the Lapps on sites where disputes come up. Likewise, the Swedish orderlies will set no obstacles to royal orderlies of the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, in collecting taxes from those Lapps who are subordinate to Dvina, lands of Kexholm and castle of Kola.

We both grand envoys have agreed and decided that all noble and lowly prisoners, high and lesser, should be set free on both sides without ransom or compensation, and no one should be forced to stay excluding those who voluntarily want to stay where they are. Thus all prisoners, be they Swedes, Finns or Estonians, who had been kept on land or in castles which now belong the the Swedish Crown or have they been captured on lands where they have served the Swedish Crown, those prisoners should be released without delay; as well as those from Russia or Tartary or elsewhere who have been captured and kept in castles or land by the Swedish Crown, should be released; and all prisoners of both parties should without any harm be escorted to the border. The Russians are allowed freely to send their people to seek all Russian prisoners in Sweden, Finland and Estonia, and they should without obstruction be set free. Likewise, the Swedes, Finns and Estonians are allowed freely to seek their prisoners in Russia and they all should be similarly set free without hindrance.

If by an act of Providence it might happen that our mightest lord, King of Sweden would die, then his successor will send a message to the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, letting by this his government be known, and this peace will be confirmed on both sides by envoys sent to the border and thus making it inviolate. The same will and should be done in the same way on the Russian side.

If some rogues on either side have committed a crime or inflicted damage by murdering, robbery, arson or by other crookery, the prevailing peace should not be violated, or war be undertaken, but high commanders and orderlies of both sides should assemble to the boundary at the site of the incident, for investigation and to set a punishment and correction on their sides. If someone on either side has escaped because of betrayal, murder, stealing, debt or other treachery, neither party should on either side take no other conduct than to transfer him back, as soon as a demand for it has been presented.

When the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, sends his grand envoys, messages or mail to the Swedish Crown, these grand envoys, messages and mail should be given a free passage to our mightest lord, King Sigismund, into Sweden and back, freely and without any hampering, obstacles or violations; and similarly, when our mightest lord, King Sigismund, sends his grand envoys, messages or mail to the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, these shall be free to go there and back without any hampering, obstacles or violations.

And this everlasting peace will be confirmed by the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, and our mightest lord, King Sigismund by personally kissing the cross and it should be kept unbroken on both sides; and our lord the King will confirm and ratify this ever-lasting peace when he returns to Sweden from Poland.1) The castle of Kexholm and the province around it will be ceded to voivodes of the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, at the time when boundaries are fixed and old boundary marks are set, laid and agreed between the province of Kexholm, Finland and Lapland at Äyräpää, Jääski, Savo, the province of Nyslott7) and from Ostrobothnia and Norrbotten up to Varanger along the Lappish boundary up to the Arctic Ocean2). All these boundaries should be furnished with fixed boundary marks, as it were from old times, based on documents and the truthful accounts of long-established inhabitants, so that there will be no rise to new disputes or discontent; the same is done from the outlet of River Narva up to Peipse. Both sides should send voivodes to these boundaries at three sites in this summer of the year ninetyfive, at the time of Petrus-Paulus8). From the mouth of Systerbäck [Finn. Siestarjoki or Rajajoki] to Puumala 'constabulary' in the province of Nyslott7); the others start from Puumala constabulary to Repola village3), on the Russian border not far from Norrbotten; the third one from Repola through Lapland up to the Arctic Ocean. And the voivodes should assemble when it best suites to either one.

At the time, when his royal voivodes of the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, as well as the voivodes of out mightest lord, King Sigismund, both set to investigate and fairly lay the boundaries according to old times, assemble at the boundary of Kexholm Province and Finland, all Russian subjects who live in Kexholm Province at the border between Kexholm and Finland at all sites are, as subjects of his royal highness, obliged as we have decided, to tell the royal voivodes the truth about the old course of the border between Kexholm Province and Finland without any distortion.

If the royal voivodes need horses for transport or barges or boats on lakes, those subjects who live at the Kexholm border are obliged to furnish them with horses and boats without setting any obstacles and the Swedish High Commander in Kexholm will give an order to Swedish, Finnish and Kexholm homesteaders to tell the truth about borders and to give assistance to royal voivodes with horses, yawls and boats.

The voivodes of the magnificent lord, his royal highness should use no dominance against people of Kexholm before the borders, in accordance with old times, have been fairly marked. When the voivodes of his royal highness send mail from the border to Russia, or when they receive or forward mail to Russia, it should be given a carriage on land and water without obstruction or seizure, and no violation or mistreatment should be inflicted on it. And may his royal highness send to the border voivodes or squires of any kind, no violence or hampering should be inflicted on them by people in Finland or Kexholm; the same should apply to them from people living in Lapland.

When the voivodes of both sides have marked the borderline according to its old course, the castle of Kexholm with its province as it were when our mighty King John took it, should be delivered to voivodes of the magnificent lord, his royal highness, sent for this to Kexholm, right away without damage or wrongdoing and with all the outfit which can be found in Kexholm and which belong to the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia. No plundering through violence should be inflicted on Russian people living in Kexholm Province, and should no one be evacuated to Sweden or Finland, as agreed by both grand envoys, and the Swedish or Finnish people now living in Kexholm should not be denied of moving back to Finland. All Swedes, who live in Kexholm, can without hampering freely move from Kexholm to Finland with all their goods and what other things they own without any objections and help in their needs can be required from Russian people who own vehicles. The Swedish subject are free without hindrance or objections to take away from Kexholm outfits, ammunition, gunpowder, ships, yawls, barges, food, grain and other things they have and which belongs to the Swedish Crown; Russian subject should allow them a good escort and transfer without any hampering.

If somebody becomes an enemy of our mightest lord, King Sigismund, he will be not helped by manpower or valuables by the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia; similarly, anyone who becomes an enemy of the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, and company of his royal highness, will not be helped by our mightest lord, King Sigismund or the Swedish Crown in form of manpower or valuables.

When our mightest lord, King Sigismund, sends his envoys, messages or mail from Sweden to other potentates through the country of his royal highness, the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, those very envoys, messages and mail, shall pass freely without hampering, delays or violence from the side of his royal highness; and the envoys, messages and mail as well as potentates' servants who are on the way to our mightest lord, King Sigismund, in Sweden, those envoys, messages and mail as well as all kinds of servants are free unobstructedly go through the country of the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia. Likewise, envoys, messages and mail, directed to Pope in Rome, Emperor of Rome, King of Spain or other potentates sent by the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, through Kingdom of Sweden, Finland and Estonia, as well as envoys, messages or mail, sent by the Pope in Rome, Emperor of Rome, King of Spain of by other potentates to the magnificent lord, his royal highness and which will go through Sweden, Finland or Estonia, are undeniably protected without any delays or obstacles. Likewise, merchants who wish to carry their merchandise to the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, over the sea, from the Kingdom of Rome, Spain, England, Denmark, France, Lübeck or other places, wherever they might come with their merchandise and gems, which might be useful to the court of his royal highness, can travel through the Kingdom of Sweden, Finland or Estonia or using the houses set under Swedish subordination without hampering or delay or interrupt, by land or sea, right after their merchandise is shown and registerd in Viborg or Reval. Likewise, our mightest lord, King Sigismund, allows a fair conduct to doctors, barbers and servants of all kinds and officials wishing to travel to the magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia with no hampering or delays and letting no wrongdoings to happen them.

We grand envoys of Sweden, Sten Baner from Händelö and Bro, Knight and High Councellor of Sweden, Christer Claesson, Master of Åminne, Göran Boije from Gennäs and Kulla, High Commander of Reval and Estonia, Arvid Erikson from Lindö och Grabbacka, Colonel of Knights and High Commander of Narva, and we, Niclas Rask from Mälstad and Hans Kranck, both secretaries, acting on behalf of the mightest lord King Sigismund and the Swedish Crown, have concluded and decided with grand envoys of his royal highness, magnificent lord, Czar and Grand Duke, Fyodor Ivanovits, autocrat over all Russia, Prince Ivan Samsonovits Turenin, palatine and High Commander of Koluskoga, and Ostafi Mikhalovits Pushin, royal squire and High Commander of Yelatom, and clerks Gregori Ivanofsin Klabukov and Posnik Dimetrua, an everlasting peace and written the final document and attached our seals beneath this document and by our own hands signed it and, above all, kissed the cross to mark that our mightest lord King Sigismund will without changes keep this everlasting peace in accordance with the both documents, firm and irrevocable until everlasting times. Written on the Ivangorod side of the River Narva, beneath Ivangorod, at Teusina, on the eighteenth of May in A.D. fifteen hundred ninety five.

Sten Baner. Jören Boije. Arvid Erickson.

I, Niclas Rasck from Mälstad, secretary of our most mightest King Sigismund, have signed this act of peace.

I, Hans Kranck, secretary of our most mightest King Sigismund, have signed this act of peace.


Källa/Source: Sverges Traktater med Främmande Magter (Foreign treaties of Sweden)
Jemte andra dit hörande handlingar (And other similar documents).
Femte delens förra hälft (First part of volume five).
1572-1632.
Published by O.S. Rydberg and C. Hallendorff.
Stockholm, 1903.


Comments by Rydberg: There is no signature by Christer Claesson, but his seal is attached there as second in order. The seals of the four envoys are in gold-plated silver boxes; those of the two secretaries are in smaller ungilded silver boxes. All seals hang in silk laces, winded around by a golden thread.

1) Confirmation of this peace treaty fell upon Duke Charles. King Sigismund never returned to Sweden until in summer 1598 when he led a Polish army. After the battle of Stångebro and settlement Linköping, never fulfilled by him, he returned to Poland without getting a hold of the Swedish government. He never returned from there. The article in the Teusina treaty stating that he will ratify the treaty after returning to Sweden remained thus unfulfilled. Neither did he make any sort of ratification in the following year before he was deposed. Czar Fyodor died already on January 7, 1598. Thus the treaty of Teusina was left without ratification by the sovereigns under whose authority it originally was concluded. However, its validity was never disputed on either side and carrying out of its stipulations was initiated. The borders were defined according to stipulations in 1595 and 1596 and the Kexholm province was returned to Russia in 1597. Czar Boris Godunov also refused to sign on the pretext that it was not either ratified by King Sigismund and that the conditions had also changed (Karamzin, Hist. de Russie, XI, 49), but later these were confirmed in so called Viborg Convention of Feb. 28., 1609 and after this in the Peace Treaty of Stolbova on Feb. 27, 1617, Art. 23.

2) Cf. (later in Rydberg's book) the paragraph regarding Finnmark in the peace treaty of Knäred of 1613 for delineation of the borderline "up to the Arctic Ocean" where the Swedish territory met that of Denmark-Norway.

3) The second border commission did not demarcate the border farther north than to Pisamäki, a high hill in Savonlinna province, so the protocol of the third border commission starts from there. The village of Repola, on the Russian side, at the present gouvernement of Aunus, is situated close to Rajasuo, the site for signing of the third border protocol.


Translator's notes: 3) Pisa, altitude 270 m, is situated in eastern Finland. On the top there are markings by both Swedish and Russian border commissions, cut into stone, from the year 1595.
4) According to Rydberg.
5) The name 'Lübeck' should be Luga (a note by Tshumikov in Russian translation). Luga or River Laukaa is situated in western Ingria to the east from River Narva.
6) Crown Councellor Sten Axelsson Banér, 1546-1600, owned farm Händelö in St. John's parish, in town of Norrköping, in Sweden, in the province of East Götaland. An estate called Bro lies probably nearby but because its name is rather common it cannot be fixed to this particular site.
Baron Krister Klausson Horn, n. 1555-1610, owned the manor of Joensuu (Åminne) in Halikko, southwestern Finland.
Laamanni Boije, c. 1540-1617, owned Gennäs in Pohja (Pojo). Kulla is common on many sites. One of those is in Inkoo (Ingå) and another in Tenhola (Tenala), all in southwestern Finland.
Arvid Erikson Stålarm, 1549-1620, owned the estate of Lindö in Tenholas. Grabacka could be Grabbacka in Karjaa (Karis).
Mälstad is known in a few locations in Sweden, one is in Husby County and another in Kårsta County in the province of Stockholm, and another one in Vallby County in the province of Södermanland. (Information about place-names have kindly been supplied by Ms. Ulla Swedell from Uppsala Place-name Archives.)
7) This Nyslott is what is called nowadays Olavinlinna in the town of Savonlinna, eastern Finland. The other one with no marking is in Estonia, and is now Vasknarva.
8) June 29.



Source & original Swedish version: http://www.histdoc.net/history/teusina.html