Põltsamaa

Põltsamaa grew beside a castle of the Livonian Order in the heart of Estonia. Its walls became the residence of a king whose realm was largely a promise. In 1570 Tsar Ivan IV made Magnus, a Danish prince and bishop of Ösel–Wiek, king of Livonia under Russian protection, and Põltsamaa was chosen as his seat. Magnus sought to take Tallinn but failed, and his relationship with the tsar deteriorated. After he sought Polish support, his followers surrendered the castle to Sweden in 1578; Russian forces recovered it later that year.