Finn's Fate: Constant Wars With the Neighbor. (1656-58)

Russia Swallows the Orthodox Karelians

The wars with the Slavs continue indefinitely. The Rupture War was a comando-like raid which resulted in the evacuation of the Orthodox Karelians from Ladoga Karelia e.g. Käkisalmi (Keksholm) to Tver near Moscow and the virtual elimination of the Karelian dialect in Western part which remained under Sweden-Finland. Many moved to the Olonets and settled there, over 70% landless, peasants of peasants. In Tver they were given land which had been previously devastated by the Lithuanians, though officially these "refugees" were not recognized legally, but were protected and employed by the Orthodox Church in many cases. Historical Web sites in Russia that research old documents just state that these people were fleeing the bad conditions under Lutherans. But the real reason was that Lutherans were beginning to evangelize the Orthodox "Christians" who worship Idols (icons and statues) and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Of course they were right in correcting these Karelians from idolatry, but these believers wanted to remain Orthodox - so they left. (Finns have been fleeing bad conditions, going from "bad" to worse for hundreds of years - worse if they choose to go East, better if the choose West) There is still a Karelian settlement (140000 people in 1926) in Tver. This is why the Karelian dialect is spoken mainly in Eastern (Russian) Karelia. Karelia (Finnish) would be emptied once more in 1944. This time the people moved to Finland - and we know how prosperous Finland is, and how poor Russians are.  Karelian History
Outnumbered 10:1, the Finns had to fight the Russians in 1656-58 on a 1000 km front that stretched from Riga to Kajaani. Most of the Finnish army was away fighting wars for Sweden's Kaarle X in Europe. The local civilian guard had to stand up to a powerful army composed of many Orthodox brethren of the Slavs. In 1696-97, the famine which had ravaged Europe in the last half of the century hit Finland hard and 25% of the population died.

When finally Sweden-Finland was able, with its superior weapons, to throw the Russians back to Onega - Viena (White Sea) where the natural border should have been, the Swedish King instead attacked Denmark without provocation, and got all of Europe on his neck. Finland had to settle for unfavourable borders in the Treaty of Kardis.

The continuing misadventures of Swedish kings, who took the Finnish army away from Finland to conquer Poland (and then march on Moscow), gave the Slavs the opportunity to establish their window to the west in the Gulf of Finland. The Swedish army was so badly beaten on the same road as Napoleon, that Sweden was finished as a Baltic power. The Russians prevented supplies from getting through from Poland, and the army died of hunger and cold. The King (Charles XII) escaped to Turkey with a thousand soldiers. The Ingerian people now had new settlers on their land from the east, and the construction of a new city had begun. The goal of Russia has always been, with limited success, to move its borders to the Baltic. In 1703 Peter I established St. Petersburg on Ingerian land in the Gulf of Finland. The border would be moved west again in 1944 when Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin rearranged Europe to suit Stalin.

The limit of the Finnish advance in WW 2 Continuation War was in the area of Syväri river (Svir). (Photos)
Finland und Sweden - Finland in the Swedish Empire.
Literature
Back to Early Finnish History
Back To Map of Laskela
Back To Photo Gallery