Have you ever heard of Ingermanland? No, this country is not fictional and fabulous at all, but quite real. Some 100 years ago, it was located on the banks of the Neva, on the territory of the present Leningrad region. True, Ingermanlandia was officially listed as an independent state for only 1.5 years - from 1919 to 1920. Now it cannot be found on the maps of the world, but it has not disappeared from the memory of the people who inhabited it.
Izhora land
Despite such a short period of existence, Ingermanlandia can boast of a solid history that began in time immemorial, when the Izhorians settled on the shores of the Neva, Lake Ladoga and the Gulf of Finland. The first written mention of this Finno-Ugric people dates back to the 11th century. It was then, according to the Joachim Chronicle, that the Novgorodian prince Rurik, in gratitude for the birth of his son Igor, “gave a city with Izhora at the sea” to his wife Efande. A good gift - no words. However, many researchers doubt its reliability, and at the same time, such an early origin of the Izhora people. But on the other hand, they believe the bull of Pope Alexander III, in which he - either in 1164 or in 1181 - wrote to the first bishop of Uppsala about the pagans living in the country of Ingria - Ingria. This is how the Izhors were called in the West and their place of residence, which, for example,the same Novgorodians held the Izhora land.
Martyrs of faith
Izhora lands adjoined Novgorod lands in the south, capturing part of the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga. In the north, they bordered on Sweden. And that the Novgorodians, that the Swedes tried with all their might to convert the pagan Izhorians to the Christian faith. But they did not really want to say goodbye to the religion of their ancestors, and therefore they did not stand on ceremony with especially persistent bishops. One of the missionaries, who wanted to baptize them, was simply burned alive at the stake by the Izhorians. The other was first scalped, and then thrown into a cauldron of boiling water, where the poor fellow boiled. In a word, Christianity was slow on the shores of the Baltic. As a result, the Novgorodians decided not to put too much pressure on their pagan neighbors and tried to make friends with them. In particular, they often invited the Izhorians to participate in their military campaigns. Not for nothing, of coursebut for money or for providing military support to the Izhora land. But they say rightly: a fish is looking for where it is deeper, and a man - where it is better. Swedes also had money in their pockets …
Novgorod wanted to have a faithful neighbor close by. Therefore, having caught the Izhorians in relations with the Swedish knights, the Novgorodians simply launched a "red rooster" towards them. The Izhora land had to endure such a fire more than once or twice, until in 1228 it passed into the possession of the Novgorod Republic. And that, in turn, 250 years later became part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and then the Russian kingdom.
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New turn
In 1617, after the Russo-Swedish War, Russia and Sweden concluded the Stolbovsky Peace, as a result of which the Izhora lands became part of Sweden in the form of the newly formed province of Ingermanland. And the Finnish peasants, who lived in the territories of the Karelian Isthmus and the North-West Ladoga area, began to move there en masse, because there they received land for their own use. As a result, there were significantly more Finns in those places than Izhorians and Russians. And all together they were pretty mixed and eventually became Ingermanland.
But the music did not last long. During the Northern War, Russia conquered the Neva River valley from Sweden and regained the Izhora land. Actually, the city of St. Petersburg was built exactly on it.
So the Ingrians unexpectedly for themselves turned out to be residents of the Petersburg province. And by the way, together they worked hard to make St. Petersburg the way we see it. Honest, neat, diligent and efficient, the former Finns and Izhorians were in great demand in the city under construction. And all because they knew their business well: they supplied the townspeople with meat and dairy products of excellent quality, served as janitors and masons, chimney sweeps and cabs, joiners and carpenters …
Summer christmas
Having settled among the Russians, the Ingrians did not change their usual way of life much. They adhered to the old rules and guidelines, and even celebrated their own holidays.
With special zeal, Ingria celebrated the summer solstice, which in pagan times was the day of the fire god Ukko and was called Ukon Yukhla. At that time, the Izhorians knew for sure: on this day, the dark forces gain power over the earth. Therefore, they tried by all means to drive away evil spirits. They burned huge bonfires everywhere, sang and danced loudly. And in general, we tried to make as much noise as possible, and still eat and drink a lot, alcohol, of course. These titanic efforts, according to the beliefs of the Izhorians, contributed to an improvement in their financial situation, success in love affairs and a large harvest.
When Christianity replaced paganism, Ukon Yukhla turned into the day of John the Baptist - Juhannus - and became known as Juhannus. It was celebrated (and continues to be celebrated) always on the first Saturday after June 19. In terms of significance, it could well be compared with Christmas, and, in fact, summer Christmas - Kesayoulu - it was called. On this day, the Ingrian people got drunk to unconsciousness, and then went to swim, believing that in this way they would attract good luck.
Long live Northern Ingria
After the revolution in 1917, the Ingrian people first thought about national autonomy, since the Bolsheviks who came to power strongly oppressed them: they closed Finnish-language newspapers, dissolved volost governments, organized committees of the poor, which, to put it mildly, were not popular. Therefore, in 1918, peasant unrest began on the former territory of Ingermanland. People openly expressed their dissatisfaction, while others were not even averse to annexing Ingermanland to Finland. But it turned out differently.
At the beginning of the summer of 1919, mobilization into the Red Army began among the Ingrian people, from which the peasantry diligently evaded. The Soviet government responded with repression: hundreds of people were arrested and their property confiscated. And then the Ingrians decided that it was time to take power into their own hands. Armed, they captured the Kiryasalo area, which consists of five villages, and in fact separated from Soviet Russia. Their entire independent territory was limited to an area of 30 sq. km, but this was enough for them to proclaim the creation of the independent republic of Northern Ingria on July 9, 1919. They even elected a government - the Provisional Committee of Northern Ingria, and also created the North Ingermanland regiment. It was commanded by the Finnish officer Yurje Elfengren, who became head of the republic in November.
Alas, the happiness did not last long. In December 1920, after the signing of a peace treaty between Soviet Russia and Finland, the Republic of Northern Ingria ceased to exist. The flag was lowered and the regiment was disbanded.
At first, everything was fine. For a while, no one prohibited the same Finnish language: it was taught in school, broadcast on the radio, published newspapers and books. But the carrots ran out quickly, and whips were used. The tongue was the first to fall under the distribution, then the repressions began, as a result of which half of the Ingrians died. But it was not customary to remember this until recently …
Golden women
Ingermanland nannies and maids were valued by the wealthy residents of St. Petersburg for their weight in gold. And all because they ideally supported both at home and children. The pedantry and accuracy in the characters of the ladies were surprisingly combined with an unprecedented determination. So, it was customary for them to shave off all their hair and even eyebrows as a sign of mourning for deceased relatives. They did the same when they gave some vows, and started growing their hair only after fulfilling the promise.
Wedding gift
Ingermanlandia is a beautiful name, but where did it come from? There are several versions on this score. The most romantic of them tells the story of the Swedish princess Ingigerd, given as a wife to Prince Yaroslav the Wise. On the occasion of the wedding, she received a new name Irina, and in addition, the Ladoga lands, which in the west have since been called the lands of Ingigerda, that is, Ingria.
Journal: Steps of the Oracle # 4. Author: Ekaterina Kazanovskaya