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The Historical Development of Finland in the Seventeenth Century
In Finland, the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf, who reigned from 1611 to 1632 in the seventeenth century, carried out a series of military reforms, transforming the Swedish army from the original peasant militia into an efficient weapon of war, and may even be One of the best armies in Europe.
He completed the occupation of Livonia and also gained territories lost by Russia in the Treaty of Stolbova. In 1630, Swedish and Finnish armies marched into Germany to participate in the Thirty Years’ War. The Finnish light cavalry formed by the Finns is known as the “Hakkapeliitat”.
After the signing of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Sweden became one of the most powerful countries in Europe. From 1637 to 1640 and from 1648 to 1654, Count Per Brahe, Governor of Finland, implemented some important reforms and built many cities during his tenure. Its measures are often seen as beneficial to Finnish development. For example, in 1640, Finland’s first university, Åbo Academy, was founded in Turku. The complete Bible in Finnish was also published in 1642.
But heavy taxes and constant wars and a cold climate (the Little Ice Age) made this period a bleak time for Finnish farmers. During the Second Northern War between 1655 and 1660, Finnish soldiers were sent to fight in Livonia, Poland and Denmark. Sweden’s political system is also becoming more and more autocratic.
In central and eastern Finland, there is a large export of bitumen, which is required by all European countries to maintain ships. One theory is that the spirit of early capitalism in the asphalt-producing province of Ostrobothnia may have been responsible for the witch hunts of the late 17th century. The people were developing more expectations and plans for the future, and when these were not realized, they were quick to blame witches-according to a belief system the Lutheran church had imported from Germany.
From 1638 to 1655, the Kingdom of Sweden also held the Delaware and Pennsylvania regions of today’s United States as colonies. At least half of these immigrants are of Finnish origin.
Finland in the 17th century was dominated by Lutheran ideas. In 1608, the Law of Moses was added to the secular laws. Things in all fields must abide by Lutheran beliefs, church attendance has become obligatory, and religious penalties are widely used. These regulations were published after the departure of Bishop Johan Terserus of Turku, whose catechisms were declared heretical in 1664 by the theologians of the Royal Academy of Turku.
Lutheranism, on the other hand, encouraged individual Bible study, making Finland’s first attempt to promote universal education. The church requires that every believer should have the ability to read the basic texts of Lutheran faith. Although these regulations may be achieved by memorizing texts, it also enables the ability to read to be communicated to the people.
A famine that occurred between 1697 and 1699 killed about 30% of Finland’s population.
