Johan Björnsson Printz

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Johan Printz, Governor of New Sweden

Johan Björnsson Printz (July 20, 1592 – May 3, 1663) was governor from 1643 until 1653 of the Swedish colony of New Sweden on the Delaware River in North America. He was a very large man, reputably over 400 pounds, which earned him the nickname "Big Belly," from the native people, the Lenni Lenape Indians

Born in Bottnaryd, Jönköping County, in the province of Småland, Printz served under King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden both in Poland and in the Thirty Years' War. In 1642 he was ennobled and appointed to be the first royal governor of New Sweden. He arrived in the colony on 15 February 1643 with two ships, Fama (Fawn) and Svanen (The Swan).

Under his rule the Swedish colony initially prospered, and he built Fort Nya Elfsborg on the east bank of the Delaware and Fort New Gothenburg on Tinicum Island (to the immediate SW of today's Philadelphia), where he also built his own manor house which he called Printzhof. Before long, however, problems with the surrounding Dutch and English colonies became increasingly severe. Short of supplies from Sweden, Printz was unable to prevent the Dutch and the English from practically monopolizing the beaver fur trade in the area. His main adversary was Peter Stuyvesant, Director General of New Netherlands.

In the end, Printz found his position impossible and in 1654 he returned to Sweden where he spent the next three years without an official position. In 1658 he was appointed Governor of Jönköping. His son-in-law Johan Papegoya succeed him as the governor of New Sweden.