Gustavstad

Gustavstad, formerly known as Veliky Novgorod, was the former capital of Novgorod and is currently a major city of Sweden.

Early History
Veliky Novgorod, as it was known then, was the capital of the Novgorod Republic. It was, and remains, a major trading city.

Swedish Conquest
The city and fortress was occupied by Sweden during the Novgorod War, and it was ceded to them in the Treaty of Borga on 27 March 1450. The occupation led to much of the trading facilities being burnt down, meaning that while it is still influential, it was not as influential as it was before. The city was more developed than Stockholm at the time of its conquest, and it remained so until 1462.

There has been discussion on renaming the city, as the nation of Novgorod no longer controls it. It was initially going to be renamed "Nystad" but the name was too similar to the province of Nyland in Finland. On 14 April that year, it was renamed Gustavstad, after King Gustav I.

On 17 October 1481, the trading infrastructure in Gustavstad was restored to how it was before the Novgorod War, and the city once more became influential. By this time however, Stockholm had already surpassed the city in terms of development.

On 2 July 1492, to appease them after he demanded diplomatic support, King Gustav II granted the province (as well as Skane) to the burghers.