The Izhora (Ingrians) live along the Neva, the Izhora river and the southern end of the Karelian isthmus; they are thought to have moved south-west out of Karelia after about 1000 (en.wikipedia Izhorians).
They hold the Neva, Novgorod's sea road between Lake Ladoga and the Gulf of Finland, and their watch on the river is what warns Novgorod of ships from the west (the elder Pelgusius' watch of 1240 is later). In 1200 they are Novgorod's tributaries and allies, self-governing and largely pagan. No fort stands on the Neva: Landskrona (1300) and Oreshek at the Neva's source (1323) are later.
Who holds it
- Name
- none named
- Title
- the Izhorian communities (no leader named)
- Confidence
- high
No Izhorian leader is named before Pelgusius in 1240 (later).
Overlord
Novgorod.
How things stand that morning
Novgorod's tributaries; the Neva open to the overseas merchants under the treaty of Yaroslav. North of the Sestra lie the Karelians of the isthmus (Scandinavia map).
Wealth
Fishing, farming, the river trade and pilotage on the Neva.
Military
Levies; the watch on the Neva.
Threats
- Swedish or Finnish ships on the gulf
Customs and assemblies
Village communities under their elders.
Overlord claims
Novgorod's tribute; the Swedes and the Germans are later rivals.
Places of note
- Oreshek (not yet built): the Neva source; Novgorod's fort here dates from 1323
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: First firm notices are of the 13th century; their place in 1200 is inferred.
On the map: The northern edge follows the Karelian line of the Scandinavia map at the Sestra; the southern edge is an estimate.
Primary sources for Novgorod
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Chronicle of Novgorod (kept year by year; the Synodal manuscript written in the 13th and 14th centuries). Novgorod's own record, kept at St Sophia. Read online
- The Laurentian Chronicle (the Suzdal continuation kept in the late 12th and 13th centuries; manuscript 1377). The court record of Vsevolod III of Vladimir. Read online
- The Livonian Chronicle of Henry, Henry of Livonia (1225 to 1227). The chief source for the Baltic mission. Read online
- The birch-bark letters (11th to 15th centuries). Excavated letters and notes on birch bark, dated by the layer they lie in. Read online
- The law of the Gotlanders; The saga of the Gotlanders (Guta lag about 1220, Guta saga about 1220 to 1275; manuscript of about 1350). The law and the short history of the self-governing island. Read online
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia (en): Izhorians
- The Chronicle of Novgorod 1016-1471 (Novgorod First Chronicle), tr. R. Michell and N. Forbes (1914): entries for 1164-1215 read through the archive.org full-text search (scan pp. 76-106)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.