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The Birth Of Finland — From Swedish Crown to Russian Empire
The interesting and illustrious history of a small nation
In the 12th century, recently converted Christian Swedes ventured into Finland for the first time. The land was remote and filled with native pagan tribes. The land didn’t seem to pose much value. The farming was poor, the climate was cold, and the lands were incredibly isolated. Despite that, the early Swedish leaders began to consider the land of the Finns as their own. Before that, Finland was a frigid frontier unclaimed by any organized power.
These first tentative steps into Finland by the Swedes over 800 years ago began a relationship that endures to this day. From around 1150 CE until the 19th century, the region of Finland was considered to be a part of Sweden long before the traditional regional powers appeared on the scene.
From those footsteps and vague claims during the Middle Ages to Finland’s recent entrance into NATO, the nation has had an interesting history that is entwined with Sweden, Norway, and Russia.
