Tavastian uprising

Tavastian uprising
Part of the Swedish–Novgorodian Wars
DateWinter 1236–1237
Location
Tavastia
Result Swedish victory
Belligerents
History of Sweden (800–1521) Kingdom of Sweden Tavastians
Supported by:
Novgorod Republic
Karelians[1]
Commanders and leaders
History of Sweden (800–1521) Eric XI Unknown

The Tavastian uprising, also sometimes called the Häme uprising, was a uprising by Tavastians in Tavastia, Finland in the winter of 1236–1237. The rebellion was against the Kingdom of Sweden and against the Catholic Church.[2] The Tavastian rebels received aid from the Novgorod Republic, which sought to diminish Swedish influence in Finland in order to bolster its own position.[3]

Pope Gregory IX described the event in a papal letter dated 9 December 1237 and addressed to Jarler, who was the Archbishop of Uppsala. He describes how the Tavastians returned to their pagan beliefs from Christianity and destroyed a Catholic church in Häme. He goes into detail describing other atrocities committed by the Tavastians.[2] This has been seen as papal propaganda.[4] Finally, he issued a call for a crusade against the rebels.[3][2] Ultimately, harsh measures were employed to quell the uprising.[3]

Rough territorial extent of Sweden during the rebellion.

Due to the Mongol Invasion of Russia in 1237, support from the Novgorod Republic for the Tavastian rebels waned.[3] Following the uprising, the Swedes held the Second Swedish Crusade against the Tavastians and used the Pope's message as further justification for the crusades.[5]

  1. ^ "När Finland blev Sverige". December 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Linna, Martti (1989). Suomen varhaiskeskiajan lähteitä (in Finnish). Gummerus. ISBN 978-951-96006-1-1.
  3. ^ a b c d Sundberg, Ulf (1999). Medeltidens svenska krig (in Swedish) (1st ed.). Stockholm: Hjalmarson & Högberg Bokförlag. p. 65. ISBN 978-91-89080-26-3.
  4. ^ Tarkiainen, Kari (2010). Ruotsin Itämaa (in Finnish). Swenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. p. 94. ISBN 978-951-583-212-2.
  5. ^ Meinander, Henrik (2020-04-15). History of Finland. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-754003-9.