The
Saint Petersburg
region was originally
inhabited by Swedes.
It was conquered by
Russia during the Great
Northern War (1700-1721)
fought between Sweden
and a coalition of countries
led by Russia. In 1703
Russian tsar Peter the
Great chose a site on
Zayachy Island in the
Neva River and began
the construction of
the Peter and Paul Fortress,
named after the two
saints. Although the
site was cold, damp,
and poorly protected,
Peter was determined
to build a new capital
in the Neva delta to
replace Moscow, which
had served as Russia's
capital since the origins
of the Russian state
in the 1300s.
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