Österland
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Österland (Eastland) or Österlanden (Easternlands), one of the four traditional lands of Sweden, was a medieval term used for the southern part of Finland. The term occurs in documents approximately between 1350–1470 and gradually fell out of use by the end of the 15th century. Before this period the term was used in plural, Österlanden, Easternlands.[1]
With the exception of
Provinces
The following six provinces formed Österland:
- Finland Proper (Egentliga Finland)
- Karelia(Karelen)
- Uusimaa (Nyland)
- Satakunta (Satakunda)
- Savonia (Savolax)
- Tavastia (Tavastland)
History
Due to the Northern Crusades against Finns, Tavastians and Karelians and the Swedish Colonisation during the 13th century, the Kingdom of Sweden and the Catholic Church incorporated Southern Finland. The details of this process are not known. The conquest took place at the same time or later than Sweden was united under one king; and the Österlanden was seen as a constituent part of the Swedish kingdom. It was first represented in the elections of Swedish kings on 15 February 1362 (when Haakon Magnusson was elected as co-regent of his father).
In the wake of the crusades, possibly thousands of
In 1581, the provinces of the area were declared a grand principality by King John III of Sweden, who as a prince, in 1556, had been granted a part of that territory as a duchy created beside other duchies ruled by his brothers. The creation of that Duchy was chiefly a part of the legacy of King Gustav Vasa. While the Duchy did not last as an administrative unit, the titular grand principality did, for over two centuries and ultimately, after 1809, evolved into an autonomous duchy under the Russian Empire.
Legacy
Today, the area would comprise roughly ~189000 km2 and 4.9 million people. Österland would comprise most of Finland's regions except the northern regions of 1,2 and 3
See also
- Finland under Swedish rule
- Historical provinces of Finland
- Lands of Sweden
- Götaland
- Norrland
- Svealand
- Sweden–Finland
References
- ISBN 978-951-583-212-2.
- ISBN 9789524953634.)
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