Recreation of what the fortress looked like according to archeological data and Erik's Chronicles

The Swedish-Novgorodian war is a series of battles, incursions, and rivalries regarding mainly the control of what is currently known as the Gulf of Finland. It spans over two centuries, with periods of calm followed by flare-ups. This fortress is only an illustration among others regarding how those fights played out.

Structure of the fortress

The fortress was entirely made out of wood. Although originally the Swedes brought with them Italian fortress specialists to help, probably with the intent of building out of stone, available materials had them change the plan.

At the time of its destruction, it consisted of a rectangular wall, surrounded by two defensive moats with wood-reinforced slopes, with a trapezoidal cross-section. The ditches were 11 meters wide and 15 meters wide, 15 to 18 meters apart from each other, and of a depth of roughly 2.5 meters.

Inside this defensive perimeter, the fortress itself was 90x90m wide, with 8 wooden towers at the corners and in the middle of each wall.

Construction and destruction

In 1293, the Third Swedish Crusade was initiated, with the goal of converting pagans to Christianity. This included Orthodoxes. The Swedes founded the castle of Vyborg, which started administering the Karelian cities around it. The city of Vyborg grew as a major commercial harbor on the Vuoksa River, threatening the Neva River, Novgorod's only access to the sea.

In 1295, the Swedes briefly captured Korela, but were beaten back by the Novgorodians, who, this time, managed to put aside internal turmoil to muster an army.

The fortress was founded in 1300 in the middle of what is currently Saint Petersburg, at the confluence of the Neva and Okhta rivers. The goal was to capture key Novgorodian waterways by installing a fortress on the banks of the Neva River, capital to the republic's economy. The closest Novgorodian fortresses, Koporye and Ladoga, were still 3 days away, and maintaining a fortress closer to the sea at the time would have been a major expense.

Black pin - Location of the Landskrona fortress

The Swedes expected a strong opposition as soon as the construction would be discovered by the Novgorodians, and as such prepared a large army, provisions, and a quantity of ships. The Novgorodians started regrouping forces close by pretty soon, and a Swedish counterattack failing, they soon attacked the fortress being built: fire rafts were launched at the ships, but the Swedes managed to block them. A ground battle ensued, during which the Novgorodians were repelled, and they decided to fall back.

Once the fortress was completed, most of the Swedish soldiers departed, leaving a garrison of approximately 300 men, for whom the situation quickly turned dire: illness, lack of supplies, or any kind of contact with Sweden, and a hostile local population. In Erik's Chronicle, the oldest surviving Swedish chronicle, it is mentioned that only "sixteen men capable of fighting remained in the fortress", although archeological data show it is probably an exaggeration, as the fight was significant.

The Rus attacked in May in a fashion that is often described as typically Rus: when battle was near, the men travelled with their arms and armour, and did not pause to rest before attacking, thus conserving the surprise advantage. The Swedes made a sortie, which failed, and the fortress was captured on May 18, 13,01 by the Novgorodians and razed to the ground. 

Archeological elements

In 2006-2010, archeological work inspected about 70% of the fortress. This revealed several elements of weaponry, mainly arrowheads and bolts, with a few spears and javelins.

Elements of weaponry found near the defensive ditches of Landskrona

The largest quantity of equipment was found in the southeastern section of the fortifications, indicating which way the attackers came from. Significant fire damages were also discovered to the fortifications themselves, which, according to the Chronicles, happened before the fortress fell, during the battle.

Examples of the equipment found