| The new
difficult period for Tallinn started with the
Great Northern War. Already in 1699 the central
government introduced extraordinary taxe to fill
the state treasury that had been emptied out.
When on February 12, 1700 the saxon troops
attempted to seize Riga, hard days began for
Tallinn, too. Tallinn was the main harbour where
the Swedish troops to Estonia and Livonia
landed. From year to year (1701 excluded) the
town had to make contributions of 6000
rixdollars a year. Fortification, quartering
troops and compulsory conveyances were a trouble
and a burden. |
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| In the course of
the fortification work several suburbian
cottages and gardens were demolished. Besides
houses the soldiers needed beds and bed clothes,
heating and lighting. Grain export was banned.
The ban was very much felt in the economy of the
town. An exception was made in 1707 and the the
merchants could export 1000 lasts of rye abroad.
Then there was also the arbitrariness of the
recruiters. Although enlisting was supposed to
be based on a voluntary contract, it became
violent already at the beginning of the war.
Suburbs were especially hard hit by forcible
recruiting as the men living there were
considered cottagers and eligible to be
recruited, when necessary. This caused the
people flee from the suburbs and the places were
deserted. |
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