Tavastian uprising (1236–1237)
In the winter of 1236–1237, there was a rebellion by dissatisfied Tavastians against Sweden at a time when the Catholic Church had not yet firmly established its presence in the region.[1] The rebels received assistance from the Novgorod Republic, which sought to diminish Swedish influence in Finland in order to bolster its own position.[1]
| Tavastian uprising | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Swedish–Novgorodian Wars | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Sweden |
Tavastian insurgents Supported by: Novgorod | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Eric XI | Unknown | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
Pope Gregory IX described the event in a papal letter dated 9 December 1237 and addressed to Jarler, archbishop of Uppsala.[2]
He describes how the Tavastians returned to their pagan beliefs from Christianity and destroyed the Catholic church in Häme. He goes into detail describing other atrocities committed by the Tavastians.[2] This has been seen as papal propaganda.[3] Finally, he issued a call for a crusade against the rebels.[1][2] Ultimately, harsh measures were employed to quell the uprising.[1]
In 1237, Russia experienced its first Mongol invasion. Although the Mongol incursion did not directly threaten northwestern Russia and Novgorod, the fear of raids still loomed over Novgorod, leading to a decrease in activity in Finland.[1]
References
- Sundberg, Ulf (1999). Medeltidens svenska krig (in Swedish) (1st ed.). Stockholm: Hjalmarson & Högberg Bokförlag. p. 65. ISBN 978-91-89080-26-3.
- Linna, Martti, ed. (1989). Suomen varhaiskeskiajan lähteitä. Historian aitta. p. 64. ISBN 951-96006-1-2.
- Tarkiainen, Kari (2010). Ruotsin itämaa. Porvoo: Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. p. 94.