Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sweden started another chess game with Russia in Savo and Kainuu, using its Finnish
subjects as pawns to settle areas well beyond the agreed boundaries. Russia retaliated, and
most of the new settlements were razed in the bloody Kainuu War of the late 16th century.
The 17th century was Sweden's golden age, when it controlled much of the Baltic. Fin-
land was put under the control of various governors.
During the Thirty Years' War in Europe, political power in Finland was exercised by
Count Per Brahe, who travelled around the country and founded many towns. He was a
larger-than-life figure who made his own rules: once censured for having illegally bagged
an elk, he responded curtly that it had been on its last legs and he had killed it out of
mercy.
Although Finland never experienced feudal serfdom to the extent seen in Russia, ethnic
Finns were largely peasant farmers forced to lease land from Swedish landlords.
In 1697 the Swede Karl XII ascended the throne. Within three years he was drawn into
the Great Northern War (1700-21), between Sweden and allied forces of Russia, Denmark
and other Baltic powers, which marked the beginning of the end of the Swedish empire.
For more details on Finnish history, head to
www.finland.fi
, which has excellent essays
written by experts on various periods.
Duke Karl, regent of Finland, didn't care much for the family business. Campaigning
against his nephew the king, he encouraged a peasant mutiny in 1596 and finally de-
posed him, exacting brutal revenge on his opponents.
From Sweden to Russia
Peter the Great took advantage of Sweden's troubles and, though losing early engage-
ments, soon stormed through Finland, which had been recently decimated by famine.
From 1714 to 1721 Russia occupied Finland, a time still referred to as the Great Wrath,
when several thousand Finns were killed and many more taken into slavery. The 1721
Treaty of Uusikaupunki brought peace at a cost - Sweden lost south Karelia to Russia.
Finland again paid the price for thwarted Swedish ambitions in the war of 1741-43;
Russia again occupied the country, a period called the Lesser Wrath.
