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Early Finnish wars are scattered descriptions of conflicts involving Finnish tribes or Finland prior to the gradual Swedish conquest of Finland in 13th and 14th centuries. Earliest historical accounts of conflicts involving Finnish tribes, such as Tavastians, Karelians, Finns proper and Kvens, has survived in Icelandic sagas and in German, Norwegian, Danish and Russian chronicles as well as in Swedish legends and in Birch bark manuscripts. The most important sources are Novgorod First Chronicle, Primary Chronicle and Eric Chronicles.
Contents
- Saga sources
- German sources
- Medieval Swedish legends
- Conflicts with Norwegians
- Conflicts with Danes
- Conflicts with Novgorod
- List of early Finnish wars
- References
Fortifications are known from Finland already from the Stone Age onwards. In Yli-Ii by the Iijoki river is located the Kierikki Stone Age fortress, which was built on piles and fortificated with palisade. Also the approximately 40 Giant's Churches from the Neolithic period (3500-2000 BC) found from the northwest coast of Finland may have served as fortifications. Bronze Age hillforts have also been found from Finland, such as Hautvuori in Laitila and Vanhalinna in Lieto. In the Merovingian period belligerence and military hierarchy has been emphasized. Hillforts get more common from Iron Age forward. According to the earliest historical documents in the Middle Ages Finnic tribes around the Baltic Sea were often in conflict with each other as well as against other entities in the area.
Saga sources
Ynglingasaga tells about the first known military expedition to Finland. Based on saga's internal chronologies, the war presumably took place at the end of the 4th century, 6 generations before the semi-historical Swedish king Ohthere (Vendelkråka): However, it is disputed whether the Old Norse concept Finland refers always to the present country of Finland; alternatively it could have meant the land of the Sámi.
It happened one summer that King Agne went with his army to Finland, and landed and marauded. The Finland people gathered a large army, and proceeded to the strife under a chief called Froste. There was a great battle, in which King Agne gained the victory, and Froste fell there with a great many of his people. King Agne proceeded with armed hand through Finland, subdued it, and made enormous treasure.
Norna-Gests þáttr saga tells that Kvens (probably referring to a group of Finns) were raiding in Sweden in the mid-8th century.
Sigurd Ring (Sigurðr) was not there, since he had to defend his land, Sweden (Svíþjóð), since Curonians (Kúrir) and Kvens (Kvænir) were raiding there.
In the late 9th century, king Eric Anundsson was said to have conquered Finland, with several other eastern countries.
My grandfather Thorgny could well remember the Upsala king Eirik Eymundson, and used to say of him that when he was in his best years he went out every summer on expeditions to different countries, and conquered for himself Finland, Karelia, Courland, Estonia, and the eastern countries all around --
However, all other accounts of the king exclude Finland from his conquests.
German sources
Finland was probably the same as Terra Feminarum which was attacked by Sweden in the 1050s, as described in Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum (Deeds of Bishops of the Hamburg Church) by Adam of Bremen in 1075 CE. According to the source, the attack ended in the Swedish defeat, and led to the death of the king's son who was in charge of the campaign. Information on the conflict is however convoluted.
Medieval Swedish legends
The best-known Swedish war against Finland presumably took place in the 1150s known as the legendary First Swedish Crusade. Whether it ever actually happened, is however not certain as the information is based on the late 13th century legends.
Sweden eventually took over Finland during the so-called Second Swedish Crusade around 1249. By the end of the century, records of independent Finnish military activities ceased to surface.
Conflicts with Norwegians
Norwegian Ohthere tells in the Old English Orosius from 890 that Norwegians and Qwenas (Kvens) were in conflict with each other from time to time:
The Kvens (Qwenas) harry the Norwegians across the moor, sometimes the Norwegians them. And there are very many fresh water lakes beyond the moors; and the Kvens carry their ships overland into the moors, whence they harry the Norwegians, they have very small and very light ships.
Legendary Orkneyinga saga tells about Nor who travelled from Kvenland to Norway and took over the entire country. Based on saga's internal chronologies, the war would have taken place on the 6th or 7th century. Another version of the saga, Hversu Noregr byggdist, however omits the Kvenland part completely.
Saga of Olaf Haraldson tells how the Saint Olaf himself, the King of Norway, plundered in Finland around 1007 and almost got killed at the Battle at Herdaler.
According to Icelandic chronicles, Kvens were raiding in northern Norway in 1271:
Then Karelians (Kereliar) and Kvens (Kvænir) pillaged widely in Hålogaland (Hálogalandi).
Conflicts with Danes
Vague chronicle entries briefly mention Danish expeditions to Finland in the 1190s and 1202. Nothing is known about their results except what can be read from a papal letter from 1209 to the Archbishop of Lund which lets the reader understand the church in Finland be at least partly established by Danish efforts.
Conflicts with Novgorod
Finnic groups and the Republic of Novgorod waged a series of wars during the 12th and early 13th centuries. They probably contributed to the Finns' eventual subjugation to the Catholic Church and the Kingdom of Sweden.