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The military chess match between the Dutch and the Swedish for
control of the Delaware River and its fur trade came to a climax
when Peter Stuyvesant became director-general of New Netherland
in 1647. His predecessor, Willem Kieft, had kept relations with
the Swedes friendly, recognizing that his real threat came from
the English. Stuyvesant, however, knew that the English would find
New Netherland all the more enticing if it was sliced into two parts
thanks to the Swedish incursion, and he decided to take bold military
steps. The Swedes had established a base at Fort Christina (present-day
Wilmington, Delaware), which gave them a better presence on the
river than the Dutch had at Fort Nassau. In 1651, therefore, Stuyvesant
built a new stronghold, which ouflanked Fort Christina. He called
it Fort Casimir; but it was to be shortlived under that name, for
the Swedes soon captured it and renamed it Fort Trinity. Not to
be outdone, Stuyvesant returned at the head of a large military
force in 1655 and defeated the Swedish once and for all, bringing
an end to New Sweden.
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