Ingria is a historical region located in what is currently northwestern European Russia. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Finland and is bordered by Lake Ladoga on the Karelian Isthmus to the north and the River Narva to the west, which forms the border with Estonia.
The earliest known modern inhabitants of the region were indigenous Finnic ethnic groups, specifically the Izhorians and Votians. These groups converted to Eastern Orthodoxy over several centuries during the late Middle Ages. They were later joined by Ingrian Finns, who are descendants of 17th-century Lutheran Finnish immigrants. During that period, both modern Finland proper and Ingria were part of the Swedish Empire.