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46-597: The wars' effect on the Finns' society contributed to the eventual Swedish conquest of western Finland in around 1249. The term used in Russian chronicles to refer to Novgorod's enemy, the Yem , is unclear and probably referred to several different groups, even though etymologically it derives from the Finnish word Häme , which means Tavastia . Some of the groups identified as Yem may have been

92-624: A trade embargo against the "barbarians" that threatened the Christianity in Finland. The nationality of the "barbarians", presumably a citation from Archbishop's earlier letter, remains unknown, and was not necessarily known even by the Pope. However, as the trade embargo was widened eight years later, it was specifically said to be against the Russians. Russian sources mention Swedish-Yem co-operation in 1240 at

138-483: A factor contributing to the eventual Swedish conquest of Finland around 1249. Under Swedish rule, the wars continued to rage in Finland as a part of Swedish-Novgorodian Wars . Second Swedish Crusade In the Holy Land (1095–1291) Later Crusades (1291–1717) Northern (1147–1410) Against Christians (1209–1588) Popular (1096–1320) The Second Swedish Crusade

184-608: A foothold within Finland, specifically Finland Proper since the First Swedish Crusade . Swedish missionary attempts, possibly having been led by the bishop Thomas , were present within Tavastia in c.  1230 . The Tavastian uprising from 1236–1237 led to a justification for the Swedes to invade Tavastia, with Pope Gregory IX calling the Swedes to attack them. All details of the crusade are from Erik's Chronicle , which

230-603: A great famine in 1123. The chronicle leaves any further developments of the conflict open, including the whereabouts of the fight. Yem pillaged Novgorodian territory in 1142, but were defeated near Ladoga with 400 casualties. Coincidentally or not, Swedes attacked the Novgorodians in the same year as well. The Korela, now under Novgorodian influence, were at war with Yem in the following year, but were forced to flee, losing two ships. Yem attacked Russian soil again in 1149 with 1000 men. Novgorodians, totaling 500, went in pursuit of

276-525: A land on the coast, where the enemy was waiting. The Chronicle also mentioned that a castle called taffwesta borg was established after the war. The Chronicle also linked the Crusade to a contest with the Orthodox Russians, making a point of the fact that the "Russian king" had now lost the conquered land. The so-called " Detmar Chronicle ", originating from Lübeck around the year 1340, confirmed

322-497: Is also impossible to confirm whether the 1191 war resulted in a brief Novgorodian rule in parts of Finland or Karelia. However, a later chronicle entry from the mid-1220s said that Russian princes had not been able to dwell in the land of Yem. At the same time, Sweden and Novgorod were in conflict as well . Pope Alexander III , in his letter to the Archbishop of Uppsala and Jarl Gottorm of Sweden in 1171 (or 1172), perhaps refers to

368-793: Is from the Laurentian Codex which records in passing that the Novgorodian Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich was at war with the "Yam" in 1042 AD. The Yam are also mentioned as tributaries to Novgorod in the Primary Chronicle , but they disappear from sources later on. Conflicts certainly began in the early 12th century, however information on them remains very scarce. According to the Novgorod First Chronicle , another Prince of Novgorod, Vsevolod Mstislavich , and his troops from Novgorod were at war with Yem during

414-608: Is known about the situation in Finland in the following decades. That is partly because Western Finland was now ruled from Turku and so most of the documents remained there. As the Novgorod forces burned the city in 1318 during the Swedish-Novgorodian Wars , very few of the documents about what had happened in the previous century remained. The last Swedish Crusade to Finland took place in 1293 against Karelians . Ericus Olai Ericus Olai ( c.  1420–1486 )

460-524: Is largely propagandist in nature, written a century after the events, amidst internal unrest and a war against Novgorod. The chronicle places the crusade between the Battle of Sparrsätra in 1247 and the death of King Erik Eriksson in 1250, and presents the pagan Tavastians ( the hedna taffwesta ) as the Swedes' opponents. According to the chronicle, the expedition was prepared in Sweden and then conducted over sea to

506-450: Is not clear whether he took his forces to fight in the land of Yem or to defend his country against an intrusion. Reasons for the renewed fighting have not been identified. Korela accompanied Novgorodians for yet another attack against the Yem in 1191. This time the fighting is clearly said to have taken place "the land of the Yem", the first such entry in Russian chronicles. The assailants "burned

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552-473: The Gothicismus movement of Swedish Romantic nationalism in his Chronica Regni Gothorum , an account of Swedish history until 1468 (completed before 1475). Chronica was first edited in 1615 by historian John Messenius (1579–1636) and became influential in early modern Swedish historiography. Chronica has been preserved in three medieval manuscript copies from the first decades of the sixteenth century at

598-656: The Neva campaign , which would in Gallén's dating have followed the crusade. The only Russian source to mention "Berger" as the leader of the Neva campaign is the apocryphal Testament of the Swedish King Magnus from the mid-14th century. John H. Lind has argued that in other cases the Testament contains historically accurate details, and cannot be refuted as a reliable source with respect to

644-530: The Saga of Haakon Haakonarson —written 1264–1265 and considered more reliable than Erik's Chronicle —a Swedish-Norwegian crisis forced Birger Jarl to stay near the Norwegian border until it was resolved in the summer of 1249, leaving no time for an expedition to Finland that year. The saga also describes the election of the new king after King Erik's death. In contrast to the chronicle, the saga holds that Birger's arrival

690-586: The Tavastian uprising and following Pope Gregory IX 's call to launch a crusade against the Tavastian pagans. Gallén's dating would also place the crusade before the unsuccessful expedition to the Neva , in which the Swedes were beaten by the Novgorodian prince Alexander Nevsky . Swedish historian Dick Harrison also finds the theory of an early crusade most probable, based on the papal letter, which would also make

736-537: The University of Siena (Magister de Sacra Theologia. 1475). He became a professor of theology at Uppsala University in 1477 and dean at Uppsala Cathedral in 1479. He died on Christmas eve in 1486 and was buried in Uppsala Cathedral. His tomb was the center of a substantial local tradition of veneration of the "holy doctor Ericius". His tombstone was destroyed in a fire in 1702. Olai initiated what would become

782-593: The 1280s, when the position of the Duke of Finland was established. In 1249, the situation was also seen clear enough to establish the first monastery in Finland, a Dominican convent . The convent was next to the bishop's fortification in Koroinen until the end of the century. Erik's Chronicle tells of how, as an unexpected side effect, the expedition seems to have cost Birger the Swedish crown. When King Erik died in 1250, Birger

828-488: The Finns' struggle against Novgorod by demanding Sweden take over Finnish fortresses in exchange for protection. In the late 15th century, historian Ericus Olai claimed that Bishop Kol of Linköping (died c. 1196) had been the "Jarl of Finland" ( Dux Finlandiae ), possibly leading Swedish troops temporarily situated in Finland. He may have been in a military role similar to that of Jon Jarl , who allegedly spent nine years overseas fighting against Novgorodians and Ingrians at

874-550: The Karelians on the southwest coast of the Ladoga) and Izhorians are all mentioned as allies of Novgorod, said to have been fighting against the Yem even without Novgorod's direct involvement, possibly over control of land area in central and eastern Finland; this territorial feud manifested in annual retaliatory expeditions that featured merciless treatment of the settlers of the opposing tribe. The earliest possible mention of hostilities

920-426: The Neva campaign. The Chronicle mentions a fortress that was built by the Swedes, taffwesta borg . This has traditionally been interpreted as Häme Castle (Swedish Tavastehus ), but nowadays the nearby Hakoinen Castle is considered the more likely candidate. In 16th century sources, Hakoinen Castle is referred to as the "Old Häme Castle". Probably in an effort to prevent other parties from getting involved in

966-409: The Norwegian border in summer, but rather in winter, possibly March. Russian historian Igor Pavlovich Shaskol'skii also supported the traditional dating, and added an argument based on Paavali Juusten's Bishop Chronicle, according to which Bishop Thomas fled his see in 1245 because of an attack by "Curones" and Russians, and according to Shaskol'skii this would have provided the reason for mounting

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1012-405: The Yem and Swedes fighting against Novgorod. Some historians have seen it as a direct reaction to the failed Yem expedition in 1149, associating it with the co-operation mentioned by the Pope 20 years later. In 1221, Pope Honorius III was again worried about the situation after receiving alarming information from the Archbishop of Uppsala . He authorized the unnamed Bishop of Finland to establish

1058-431: The Yem, utterly defeating them with Votes, a Finnic tribe in alliance with Novgorod. Votes, today almost extinct, lived south of the present-day Saint Petersburg , probably making this the deepest attack that Yem ever made into Russian territory. After a long pause in open hostilities—at least in the chronicles—a Novgorodian called Vyshata Vasilyevich led his troops against Yem in 1186, returning unharmed with prisoners. It

1104-422: The bailiff and the people of Ladoga did not grant it; and they killed all the prisoners and ran into forests, after abandoning their ships. Many of them fell there, but their boats were burned. -- And of those who had come, 2000 or more were killed, God knows; and the rest (who had not fled) were all killed. The war seems to have been the end of independent Yem-Novgorodian conflicts. Based on Papal letters from 1229,

1150-469: The bailiff at Ladoga , and the people of Ladoga did not wait for the Novgorodians, but went after them (Finns) in boats where they were fighting, met with them and fought them; and then came night, and they (people of Ladoga) landed on an island, but Finns were on the coast with prisoners; for they had been fighting close to the lake near the landing place, and in Olonets . The same night they asked for peace, but

1196-564: The chronicles. After having secured his power in Novgorod by 1222, Grand Prince Yaroslav II of Vladimir organized a series of attacks against Estonia , Yem and Karelia . The offensive against Yem took place in winter 1226–27. The same winter Yaroslav , son of Vsevolod left Novgorod over the sea against Yem where no other Rus' prince had been able to dwell; and he conquered the land and returned to Novgorod praising God with many prisoners. When those who were accompanying him could not handle all

1242-421: The chronology. Since some of these events are almost contemporary to the chronicle, they cannot be regarded as mistakes, but indicate that the author used a wide artistic freedom with regard to chronology. The position that the crusade took place from 1247–1250 was defended in 1926 by Rolf Pipping  [ sv ] , who claimed that Munch misinterpreted the saga. According to Pipping, Birger did not stay on

1288-628: The conflict, Pope Innocent IV took Finland under his special protection in August 1249 but without mentioning Sweden in any way. The bishop of Finland , Thomas , probably a Dominican friar, had resigned already in 1245 and died three years later in a Dominican convent in Gotland . The seat being vacant, the diocese had probably been under the direct command of the papal legate , William of Modena , whose last orders to Finnish priests were given in June 1248. Bero

1334-449: The country and killed the cattle". The mid-16th century Chronicon episcoporum Finlandensium by Bishop Paulus Juusten records the Novgorodians burning Turku in 1198, at the time of Bishop Folquinus . It has been shown that this information is based on incorrect reading of 1318, which is the year of a well-known Attack on Turku by Novgorodians. After this, there is no information on further Novgorodian conflicts for several decades. It

1380-405: The crusade in late 1240s. However, a contemporary papal bull shows that Thomas was forced to resign his office due to misconduct, not due to an attack. According some Finnish historians, like Seppo Suvanto and Mauno Jokipii, the early dating is also problematic because Birger only became a jarl in 1248. However, Nordstrandh has pointed out that the author of Erik's Chronicle usually emphasizes

1426-585: The crusade is not directly mentioned in Erik's Chronicle , though the event is placed before King Erik's death in 1250. In the 16th century, Mikael Agricola dated the crusade to 1248, while Paulus Juusten gave the year as 1249 in one edition of Chronicon episcoporum finlandensium (Bishop Chronicle). The latter date has become the traditional date ascribed to the crusade. The dating to late 1240s has been challenged by later research. In 19th century, Norwegian historian Peter Andreas Munch pointed out that according to

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1472-403: The earliest; it was then that were mentioned as one of the Swedes' allies in the little-documented Battle of the Neva . The first reliable mention of Yem being a part of Swedish forces is from 1256, seven years after the conventional dating of the so-called Second Swedish Crusade . The final known conflict between Yem and Novgorod took place in the 1220s, following decades of peace, at least in

1518-399: The end of the 12th century. Also noteworthy is the so-called First Swedish Crusade , which, according to several 15th-century sources, took place in 1150. The crusade is only known from later legends that presented the expedition (if it ever took place) as a Christian mission, headed by a saint king to baptize heathens. However, it seems to have followed the exceptionally edgy 1140s with both

1564-485: The exact nature, remain the subject of debate. Although the chronicles attempted to paint the Crusade as a war of conquest, it was likely more of an unusually bloody phase in the ongoing process by which Finland was incorporated in the Swedish state. Sweden had a central government and a strong ideological force in the form of the Catholic church. The Finnish chieftains who joined gained power and prestige. The exact date of

1610-502: The expedition instead took place already in 1238–1239, shortly after the Tavastian uprising and before the Battle of the Neva against the Novgorod Republic . The castle that the Swedes began constructing during the expedition has traditionally been identified as Häme Castle , but it may also have been the older Hakoinen Castle . The Second Swedish Crusade consolidated and extended Swedish control over Finland . Sweden had held

1656-458: The expedition with a short note that Birger Jarl submitted Finland under Swedish rule. The " Lübeck Chronicle " states that in 1266, Finland become a part of the Kingdom of Sweden. Unlike the dubious First Swedish crusade , there seems to be little doubt that Sweden's effort to Christianize Finland reached a culmination in the middle of the 13th century. Still, many details, including the year and

1702-675: The inhabitants of Tavastland in south-central Finland, the West Finns in general, or a sub-group of Karelians on the northern coast of the Ladoga who descended from western Finns who had moved to the area earlier. The only known written sources on the Yem-Novgorodian wars are contained in the medieval Russian chronicles . The Russians and Yem had frequent conflicts from the 11th or 12th century onwards. The eastern Finnic Votes , Korela (interpreted as Karelians in general or more specifically as

1748-606: The prisoners, they killed some of them but released many more. The Yem retaliatory expedition in summer 1228 against Ladoga , allegedly with more than 2000 men ended in disaster, as described by the Novgorod First Chronicle. The Yem came to Lake Ladoga to war, and word about that came to Novgorod on the Ascension Day of the Christ (6.8). And Novgorodians took their barges and rowed to Ladoga with prince Yaroslav. Vladislav,

1794-451: The title jarl , but when describing the crusade Birger is only presented as the king's brother-in-law and a forman of the expedition. According to John H. Lind, no contemporary sources support the notion that only the jarl could act as a forman , and he finds it plausible that Birger could have been in command of the expedition even before he was appointed jarl. Seppo Suvanto has also pointed out that no contemporary sources link Birger to

1840-708: The unknown Bishop of Finland took advantage of the chaotic situation by taking over non-Christian places of worship and moving the see to a "more suitable" location. On the bishop's request, the Pope also enforced a trade embargo against Novgorodians on the Baltic Sea , at least in Visby , Riga and Lübeck . A few years later, the Pope also requested the Livonian Brothers of the Sword send troops to protect Finland. Whether any knights ever arrived remains unknown. Novgorodian wars were

1886-420: The war a properly sanctioned crusade, and the fact that Sweden was otherwise peaceful during that period. In 1990, literary historian Gisela Nordstrandh studied Erik's Chronicle as a work of poetry. According to Nordstrandh, the author of the chronicle uses a literary technique that suggests chronological links between episodes which are known to be separated by distance of some years, and sometimes even inverts

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1932-526: Was a Swedish theologian and historian. He served as a professor of theology at Uppsala University and dean at Uppsala Cathedral . Ericus Olai was the author of the chronicle Chronica regni Gothorum and was an early proponent of Gothicismus . Neither the date nor place of his birth are known with certainty. He was probably born during the 1420s. Olai studied at the University of Rostock (Magister Artium. 1452). After working as canon in Uppsala, he attended

1978-482: Was a military expedition by the Kingdom of Sweden into Tavastia ( Häme ) in southern Finland described by Erik's Chronicle . According to the chronicle, the Swedes defeated the pagan Tavastians under the leadership of Birger Jarl , and started building a castle in Tavastia. The expedition has traditionally been dated to 1249–1250 based on the chronology of the chronicle. However, some researchers have suggested that

2024-589: Was absent from Sweden. The Swedish lords, led by Joar Blå , selected Birger's underaged son Valdemar as the new king, instead of the powerful jarl himself. From 1249 onwards, sources generally regard Finland Proper and Tavastia as a part of Sweden. The Diocese of Finland proper is listed among the Swedish dioceses for the first time in 1253. In the Novgorod First Chronicle , Tavastians ( yem ) and Finns proper ( sum ) are mentioned on an expedition with Swedes ( svei ) in 1256. However, very little

2070-507: Was crucial to secure his son's election. However, if the saga is to be believed, Birger could not have been in Finland at the time, as only eight days passed between the death and the election. In 1946, Jarl Gallén pointed out that the chronicle contains obvious chronological mistakes and maintained that it cannot be used to date the crusade. He suggested that the Second Swedish Crusade could only have taken place in 1238–39, after

2116-434: Was eventually appointed as the new bishop in 1248/9, presumably soon after William's visit to Sweden for an important church meeting at Skänninge that ended on 1 March 1248. The so-called " Palmsköld booklet " from 1448 noted that it was Bero who gave the Finns' tax to the Swedish king. Bero came directly from the Swedish court, like his two successors. It seems that Swedish bishops also held all secular power in Finland until

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