jjares reviewed History of Finland: A Captivating Guide to Finnish History (European Countries) on + 3429 more book reviews
Before reading this, I thought Finland was part of Scandinavia. After looking at a map, it is easy to see why Finns and Estonians are closer in an ethnic relationship than the Finns are to the Swedes. This book is the engaging story of how Finland came to be. Much of Finland is dense forest. Early life in Finland began in 7000 - 8000 BCE. Because of their small population, small tribal groups formed the early civilization.
It was eye-opening to learn that other countries ruled the Finns for such a long time. The other major surprise was to learn of the three Swedish Crusades. Generally, they were Swedish religious campaigns against pagan groups. They were against the pagan Finns in the 1150s, the Tavastians in south-central Finland (who were Orthodox, not Catholic) in 1249, and the Karelians, who lived along the border with Russia in 1293. This again was over Orthodox vs. Catholic religion. This third crusade was more violent than the others.
The last chapters were about Finland's tightrope to achieve independence. Sweden ruled Finland for much of its history. However, in 1800, Russia became more influential. Because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland (two neutral countries) are being fast-tracked into NATO membership to avoid bullying by Russia.
Another interesting tidbit added was the Christmas tree and the yule log. They are carryovers from pagan practices that Christian churches adapted to be inclusive of "heathen" rites. This is a lively discussion of Finland's old and current history and environs. The maps and illustrations help immeasurably. Captivating History's companion piece, The Winter War, explains more about the Finland-Russia controversies.
It was eye-opening to learn that other countries ruled the Finns for such a long time. The other major surprise was to learn of the three Swedish Crusades. Generally, they were Swedish religious campaigns against pagan groups. They were against the pagan Finns in the 1150s, the Tavastians in south-central Finland (who were Orthodox, not Catholic) in 1249, and the Karelians, who lived along the border with Russia in 1293. This again was over Orthodox vs. Catholic religion. This third crusade was more violent than the others.
The last chapters were about Finland's tightrope to achieve independence. Sweden ruled Finland for much of its history. However, in 1800, Russia became more influential. Because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland (two neutral countries) are being fast-tracked into NATO membership to avoid bullying by Russia.
Another interesting tidbit added was the Christmas tree and the yule log. They are carryovers from pagan practices that Christian churches adapted to be inclusive of "heathen" rites. This is a lively discussion of Finland's old and current history and environs. The maps and illustrations help immeasurably. Captivating History's companion piece, The Winter War, explains more about the Finland-Russia controversies.
