Delaware Colony in the North American Middle Colonies consisted of land on the west bank of the Delaware River Bay. In the early 17th century the area was inhabited by Lenape and possibly the Assateague tribes of Native Americans. The first European settlers in the area were Swedes, who were Lutheran Protestants, and the Dutch, who practiced Protestant Calvinism. The English took control in 1664, after defeating the Dutch in New Netherland (New York).