Finland under Swedish rule
Finland, 1104–1809. Draft, not yet reviewed
Finland was a part of Sweden from the Middle Ages until 1809. Historical evidence of the establishment of Swedish rule in Finland exists from the middle of the 13th century onwards. Swedish rule ended in 1721 in most of so-called Old Finland, the south-eastern part of the Finnish territories, as a result of the Great Northern War. Swedish rule over the rest of Finland ended on 17 September 1809, when the signing of the Treaty of Hamina ended the Finnish War.
Seat of power: Turku
Rulers
Blot-Sweyn
Monarch of Sweden, 1084–1118
He was said to have replaced his Christian brother-in-law Inge as king when Inge refused to hold the pagan sacrifices at the Temple at Uppsala. His historicity is disputed.
Canute I of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1173–1196
The long reign of Knut brought Sweden closer to a Catholic-European state model. He also issued royal coins after c. 1180.
Portrait of Canute I of Sweden: Unknown painter (at Old Dädesjö Church), Public domain, file
Valdemar
Monarch of Sweden, 1250–1275
Birger Jarl was the effective ruler of the kingdom until his death in 1266, even after Valdemar reached adulthood. He was deposed in 1275 by his younger brother Magnus Ladulås.
Portrait of Valdemar: Ragnar Sigsjö for Southerly Clubs, Public domain, file
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Birger, King of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1290–1319
His reign was dominated by conflict with his younger brothers, Dukes Erik and Valdemar. He was deposed and forced to flee to Denmark in 1318.
Portrait of Birger, King of Sweden: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
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Magnus IV of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1319–1364
His long reign saw major legal and administrative reforms, including a law code intended to apply throughout the Swedish countryside. He was also King of Norway from 1319 to 1355.
Portrait of Magnus IV of Sweden: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
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Albert, King of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1364–1389
At the nobles' request, Albert launched an invasion of Sweden supported by several German dukes and counts and several Hanseatic cities in Northern Germany.
Portrait of Albert, King of Sweden: Jacob Truedson Demitz for Ristesson., Public domain, file
Margaret I of Denmark
Monarch of Sweden, 1389–1412
She founded the Kalmar Union, which joined the Scandinavian kingdoms together for over a century. She was known as a wise, energetic and capable leader.
Portrait of Margaret I of Denmark: Jacob Truedson Demitz assisted by Emil Eikner for Ristesson, Public domain, file
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Eric of Pomerania
Monarch of Sweden, 1396–1439
He ruled over the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439. He was ultimately deposed from all three kingdoms of the union.
Portrait of Eric of Pomerania: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Gustav I of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1523–1560
During his reign, Gustav initiated the Protestant Swedish reformation, transformed the country from an elective to a hereditary monarchy and established a standing army and navy.
Portrait of Gustav I of Sweden: Jacob Binck, Public domain, file
John III of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1568–1592
He is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap between the newly established Lutheran Church of Sweden and the Catholic Church, as well as his conflict with and possible murder of his brother. In 1581, he assumed the title Grand Duke of Finland.
Portrait of John III of Sweden: After Johan Baptista van Uther, Public domain, file
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1611–1632
During his reign, Sweden rose from the status of a Baltic Sea basin regional power to one of the great powers of Europe. He was assisted by Count Axel Oxenstierna, the Lord High Chancellor of Sweden.
Portrait of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden: Presumably Jacob Hoefnagel, Public domain, file
Christina of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1632–1654
She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus at the age of five, but only began ruling the Swedish Empire when she reached the age of eighteen. Her lavish spending habits pushed the state towards bankruptcy, sparking public unrest.
Portrait of Christina of Sweden: Sébastien Bourdon, Public domain, file
Charles XI of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1660–1697
He worked to correct the country's neglected political, financial and economic situation, and sustained peace during the remaining 20 years of his reign.
Portrait of Charles XI of Sweden: Attributed to David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl, Public domain, file
Carl XII of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1697–1718
He assumed power at the age of fifteen, and won multiple victories despite being significantly outnumbered. The campaign ended in heavy losses at Poltava, and Charles spent the following years in exile in the Ottoman Empire.
Portrait of Carl XII of Sweden: Workshop of Hyacinthe Rigaud, Public domain, file
Frederick I of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden, 1720–1751
His reign was powerless, and the parliamentary government dominated by Hat Party politicians ventured into a war with Russia, which ended in defeat.
Portrait of Frederick I of Sweden: Martin van Meytens, Public domain, file
Culture
- Though the Finnish provinces were an integral part of the Kingdom of Sweden with the same legal rights and duties as the rest of the realm, Finnish-speaking Swedish subjects faced comparative challenges in dealing with the authorities as Swedish was established as the sole official language of government.
- Finland was the eastern frontier of the realm, which brought many wars and raids to the areas.
- In this period Finnish adopted the Latin alphabet as its writing system and approximately 1100 Swedish loanwords, though most of them are originally from Latin or Greek.
- The castle served as a bastion and administrative center in the historical region of Finland until the early 19th century.
Picture
Turku Castle is a medieval structure in the city of Turku, Finland, and the largest surviving medieval building in Finland.
Image: Otto Jula, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
- Finland under Swedish rule (Wikipedia)
- Finland under Swedish rule (Wikidata)
- About the picture (Wikipedia)
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.