The Lion of the North: An Alternate History Finland

Hello guys! Having lurked on the forums for quite a while, and recently having created my account I figured it's time I tried my hand at making a timeline of my own. The topic? My own homeland and possibly the most wanked nation on these forums... Finland. :cool:

The timeline begins in the year of our lord 1250 when Birger Magnusson af Bjälbo crushes the rebelling Tavastians and receives news of his son, Valdemar having been crowned the king of Sweden rather than himself.

Now keep in mind, this is my first timeline and being new at it I don't expect to get everything right at once, and will welcome any advice, help or even criticism I may receive.

Other than that... enjoy, comment and so forth. :D
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· 1250: Founding of the Kingdom

  • With the Second Swedish crusade in which Jarl Birger Magnusson finally crushed the last Finnic-tribes he became easily the most powerful person in Sweden at the time. However in his absence and with the death of King Erik the rebellious Jarls voted his under-age son Valdemar to be the King rather than Birger himself.
  • Understandably angered by what he felt as a betrayal of his loyalty, Birger Magnusson comes to a crossroads. He could quite easily return to Sweden and claim the position of a Regent until his son comes of age, or he could do something unexpected. Something that change the course of history in the North.
  • With the help of his old friend and comrade William of Modena, the Papal Legate, Birger writes a personal plea to the Pope, Innocentius VI.
  • The Pope still remembers how Birger aided him in transforming Sweden from a backwards land of heathens to a Catholic kingdom, and after some considerations gives his reply. Birger is given sanction to form a new kingdom in the lands he has conquered, his formal introduction is to be:"Birger Ensimmäinen, Suomen kuningas, Turun ja Uudenmaan Suuriruhtinas, Karjalan herttua ja Pohjolan isäntä." (“Birger the First, King of Finland, Grand-Duke of Åbo and Nyland, Duke of Karelia and Lord of the North.")
  • The Swedish nobility is outraged. However their rage is quite impotent due to the Papal support, and the de jure acknowledgement of the new kingdom which is christened as "Finland." As his heraldry, Birger chooses the rather popular red and gold colours that go well with the Lion emblem, as shown below.
  • Despite being a fairly large kingdom by the set of it's de jure borders, Finland has a low population and is exceedingly poor and set between the growing powers of Sweden and Novgorod. However, with a proper combination of cunning, vision and guidance the nation can grow and prosper as the border between the west and the east. The only question is... wil it? Or will the kingdom be extinquished like so many others? Only time will tell.

normal_vaakunamme.JPG
 
I'll be honest. Don't know anything about the period in the Scandinavian countries, but i would like to see where you take this.
 
I'll be honest. Don't know anything about the period in the Scandinavian countries, but i would like to see where you take this.

Thanks! Will try to do an update every few days, and make dashes of story for the important bits. Speaking of important bits... here's the "story" version of the crowning as shown above. I apologize in advance for all the spelling mistakes and the lack of historical characters (other than the Jarl himself, the Pope and William of Modena I couldn't find any historical Swedes :mad:).

Well... without further ado... here it is.
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Vanajavesi, Autumn 1249.
Lendsmann Sune Bååt took a deep breath and tried to concentrate. He was nervous and not even remotely ashamed of it. It wasn’t everyday that you met your future king in such a private fashion. At age 16 he was the youngest lendsmann in the Kingdom of Sweden, and though his lands were poor as such, he already had a bit of a reputation for being able to rub two florins together to make a third. He wondered if that was the reason why Jarl Birger af Bjålbö had asked for him to act as his quartermaster for this campaign.
“You may enter anytime you are ready lendsmann.” Came the deep voice from within the confines of the rather drab command tent of the Jarl. Straightening Sune entered even more nervous than before. With the sudden change in temperature from the rather nippy autumn evening of central Finland to the warmth of the tent (all the more so due to the brazier that had been lit near the middle), he took stock of the people in the tent.
One man, easily head taller than the rest was clearly Olaf Norddahl, the Norwegian head of Birgers hurscarl. Beside him stood two other men clad in full chainmail and carrying swords. Most likely the Jarls company commanders. Whilst both stood tall, proud and scarred from long years of combat they were not who Sune paid the most attention to. It was the ageing and seemingly unassuming man that was looking at a rough map of the area.
Only a few centimetres taller than Sune himself, the man was clearly nearing his fifth decade. Life had not been kind to him and his back stood a bit stooped, but it was clear from the brightness of his eyes that there was a fierce intellect and determination there. With grey eyes and rough blonde hair, Jarl Birger stood every inch the proper Norseman and future King.
“You sure took your sweet time about it. Got lost on the way from your mother’s milk?” Olaf Norddahls rough voice broke him from his reverie. Trying to keep from blushing he tried to direct an evil glare at the Norwegian, but the end result was only the man starting to laugh even louder.
“No, I got lost on my way from –your- mother.” Sune blurted out before he even knew what he was saying only for the tent to fall completely silent. There were some insults you just didn’t throw at a hulking nearly two meters tall muscle-bound warrior. Norddahl took a step forward and Sune’s hand found his saex hilt; however just as he was about to prepare himself for the afterlife a quiet laughter echoed from behind Norddahl. The Jarl was laughing. With him laughing the two others began to chuckle and even Norddahl soon was smiling.
“So you’ve some fire in you then.” Jarl Birger spoke as he walked up to Sune and offered his hand. Sune hastily took it,”You’ll need that if you want to survive the battles to come. The Tavastians are backwards as a people, but no less fierce than any vikingr.”
“I’ll do my best to not disappoint you.” Sune spoke and was surprised how ‘not whiny’ he managed to sound. The smile that Birger gave in return was calculated and he motion for Sune to follow him to the table. Now with all the commanders in one spot he waved at the rough “map.”
“Not much of a map, more like a picture of the general area.” Birger muttered frustrated.
“What can you expect from these primitives?” Laughed one of the commanders. Sune would later learn that his name was Karl af Munså. The last heir to the former Jarls of Uppland. The stern glare Birger gave him would’ve been enough to shut up a berserker, but it was Norddahl who surprisingly spoke.
“If the first mistake you make is underestimating these people it will also be your last. It is no coincidence that these tribes have remained independent till now, even when between Sweden, Norway and Novgorod.”
It was Jarl Birger whom continued,” These people have a good mind for warfare in their own way. They lack much in the way of iron weapons and armour, but they have built forts and love their bows and spears. I have very little doubt that tomorrow’s battle will only signal a beginning of at least a year long hunt for all their raiding parties.” Jarl Birger grimaced, "This could take half a decade if we don’t break them completely tomorrow. I don’t want to WIN tomorrow; I want to conquer them completely.”
“How many men do we have?” Sune wondered, he had just gotten to the camp and hadn’t had time to count the banners.
“Three hundred give or take. A hundred of them are my Hurscarls, the rest are troops under the commands of Karl and Gustaf here.” Birger motioned to the two men.
“And how many of them then?” Sune felt a bit more comfortable now that he was being allowed to ask questions.
“That’s the big soddin’ problem” Norddahl spoke as he spat on the ground, "There is somewhere between four and six hundred of the bastards waiting for us on top of that hill.”
Just as Sune was about to continue his questioning down the line of how they’d escape from overwhelming numbers, he was cut off by Birger,”You need not worry about the numbers lad. Just make sure that the men have the supplies they need and everyone gets paid in time. We’ll take care of the rest.”
Sune nodded, relaxing. It was good to know that the Jarl felt confident in their chances and that he only had to worry about his own end.
“That’s all for tonight lads. Get some sleep. We’ve a battle to win tomorrow.”
As Sune exited the tent he felt the cold breeze and shivered. Blast it, but this land was cold... much colder than his own farm in the confines of Småland. With Karl and Gustaf making their exits and polite good nights he followed them to their shared tent where he laid on the ground and wrapped his cloak around himself. Twice. To his surprise it did not take long for sleep to overcome him.

Early Next Morning.
Sune was awoken by the sudden blasting of the horns. One he recognized the horn that this army was using to signal an enemy approaching, but the second sounded higher. In his sleepy state he still managed to figure out who it belonged to: the Tavastians. Clearly the enemy had elected to come down from the hill they had been holding so far.
The only thing that saved the army from complete annihilation was the fact that they had all been sleeping in their clothes and armour due to the cold, and the fact that the sentries had managed to alert them just before the Tavastians reached the plain. Thanks to these factors when they did get within a hundred meters of the Swedish, the army of the Jarl was already assembling into their respective units, and ready for combat.
For Sune this would be his first battle. Thankfully his role would be that of support rather than frontline combat. As such he hurried over to the supply wagons and after checking that the men he had brought with him were prepared, he began to watch. He had a good view of the battlefield atop a small hill, and in front of him stood the Norse battle lines, and opposite to them the Tavastians. Jarl Birger was standing behind the formation with an even better view of the action than Sune had. He was already shouting orders and encouragement to his men, but he would not enter the melee himself.
Jarl Birger was no Hårdråde and would not throw his life away fighting in the frontlines. His tactical acumen and pure presence was what mattered, not his fighting skills. Everyman in the formation knew that the Jarl was watching them, and would fight twice as hard as they did ordinarily to impress him.
As the lines were drawn I noticed the clear difference between the Norse and the Tavastians. Whilst the Norse were wearing as much armour as each man could afford and wielding iron weapons, mostly axes, seaxs and the odd sword, the Tavastians hardly had any armour on! Some certainly were clad in leather or fur-tunics that might deflect a weak blow, but there was not a suit of armour anywhere. In addition many were wielding weapons that seemed to be made of bronze. Iron seemed more like the exception than the rule.
However what they lacked in the quality of melee weapons they seemed to more than make up for in the number of bows. At least a man in three carried a bow of some kind and I had very little doubt they could use them with deadly proficiency. This battle would be decided on how many they managed to shoot down before the Jarls men got within melee range.
Before my very eyes I saw an extremely tall and muscular man part from the Tavastian “formation”. The man carried a large iron axe and after taking a half dozen steps to bring himself far enough from his own formation to be seen, but not too far as not to get shot, he began to roar and motion at my own people. As the Tavastians began to hammer their weapons on their wooden shield and shout what I assumed was the mans name,”Urho!” I understood. It was an old tradition, calling for a champion from the enemy. The battle might not be decided by which man would win, but the winners’ side would obviously feel stronger and the losers would begin to doubt.
I shook my head sadly. Obviously the Tavastians were hoping to break our morale and then crush us with the weight of their numbers, but they had chosen the wrong way to do it. I saw as Norddahl leaned over to hear what the Jarl had to say before hefting his spear and moving through the formation to meet his challenger. This would be over quickly.
As Norddahl broke through the final ranks of our formation, I could hear my own people begin to chant his name as well. The hammering of axes, seaxs and swords on shields was thunderous and Norddahl clearly enjoying the attention turned and did a sweeping bow. He had been ordered to make a show of it then. After his bow, he continued moving to meet the Tavastian champion.
There are many legends to the west of the Briton and Frankish champions called “knights” meeting on the battlefield. The challengers would bow, maybe hold a small speech and kiss a maiden before beginning their honourable duel. It was a beautiful image that still holds sway over our hearts. However we were not in the lands of the Franks or Britons. We were in the North, and as the champions got within range they immediately began to hack away at each other.
Norddahl struck first, his massive spear having even longer range than the great axe that the Tavastian was using. His first thrust would’ve taken the man’s head off had he not side stepped and countered with a lightning quick downward chop on the spear itself. Norddahl however was familiar with the manoeuvre and simple pulled the spear to the side to avoid having his weapon being cut in half.
And so it went. Norddahl would use a combination of stabs and sweeps with his spear to keep the Tavastian at bay, whilst the man would use chops and slashes to try and disarm or disleg his opponent. I still maintain that dislegging is a perfectly valid word. The battle however inspired only awe in me. I was seeing two skilled warriors going at it with the best they could. They both moved at a speed that seemed unlikely given their size.
The battle ended quickly however, when Norddahl thrust his spear one last time only for the Tavastian to catch it with his off-hand. I grimaced. No doubt the splinters of the spear were now digging into the man’s palm, but the only sound he was making was one of triumph as his axe began to come down on Norddahl. Then Norddahl revealed his ace in the hole. He let go of his spear and rather than trying to step out of the way, he stepped closer until he was within the Tavastian Champions guard. He quickly unsheathed his seax and with a practiced motion disembowelled the man.
As his guts and blood alike spilled out of his body the Tavastian fell on his knees where Norddahl finished him off by slitting his throat before picking up his spear and cleaning his dagger on the man’s tunic. With his typical swagger Norddahl advanced on the Tavastian lines and then shouted in what I assumed was their native tongue. I later asked one of the warriors whom had been closer what he had said.
“IS THERE NONE ELSE TO CHALLENGE ME!?” With nobody stepping forward Norddahl simply returned to his place next to the Jarl and with a final blow of the horn the men began to advance. For a moment it seemed like the Tavastians would simply wait, but then their leader got his will back and an order was given.
Nearly two hundred bows were nocked, drawn and loosened. The men simply went on one knee and put their shields above their heads as the rain of feathered death fell on their shields. When the rain of arrows ended they picked themselves up again and continued to advance, until another volley was upon them. Certainly, maybe a dozen men died from the arrows during the four or so volleys it took the Norsemen to get within range, but it was nothing. Losses could be taken if they were of this scale.
When the Norsemen finally reached the Tavastian lines, the battle truly began in earnest. At first it seemed like the Tavastian numbers might win them the day, but it soon became apparent that the quality of the Norse weapons and armour was taking its toll. A Tavastian would need a solid hit to do any sort of damage, whereas the Norsemen only needed to get a single strike in, and it would typically be enough to bring down his opponent.
The battle lasted for over an hour. An hour of bloodshed and pain and misery that I watched from afar. Dozens died on both sides, but soon the Tavastians started to hesitate. They had so far paid for each kill with at least 2:1 odds, and sometimes even 3:1 and their numbers were starting to dwindle. However they did not retreat. With a roar and a blast of the horn the Norsemen moved backwards a dozen or so pace and then I saw a sight I had never thought to see.
Jarl Birger Magnusson af Bjålbö moved through the ranks and stepped in front of the enemy. Soon after whom I assumed was his opposite number moved to meet him. The man was tall, taller than our Jarl and was clad in finely woven wool tunic. To this day I do not truly know what was negotiated between the two, but after half an hour of discussion the Tavastians agreed to leave the field. Their Chief would come with Birger to Åbo. He was no prisoner however and was allowed to bring his honour guard.
The battle of Vanajavesi was over.
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Åbo, Spring 1250.
It had been nearly a year now since our victory at Vanajavesi and we had settled down in Åbo to wait for the winter to pass. It had been an interesting experience to say in the least to spend so much time with so many interesting people. I was a bit depressed now that the snows were melting and we would soon return to Sweden. Soon I’d be back on my tiny tilt of land in Småland and might never see these people again.
However when a ship arrived in the small port earlier than we managed to leave I was surprised and suspicious. It came in bearing the insignia of the Papal States and the herald that had made the journey requested an audience with the Jarl. To my biggest surprise yet, he invited me to be there when this man... this William of Modena would make his announcement.
The castle in Åbo was closer to a fort than any true castle, but it was the largest fortified settlement in these lands and it had played host to a number of the most important leaders. The Jarl as well as several dozen of the local chiefs had spent the winter here together and negotiated on many of the future matters. Or so I thought.
We were all sitting in the large dinner table of the keep eating our fare when the herald walked in. Jarl Birger stood up immediately and the two men embraced like old friends. I would later learn that the Jarl had been the foremost supporter of the changes that had taken place in Sweden, and that he and William of Modena had for years worked together to bring the Popes will to fruition. Now the man was here to honour his friendship.
Upon being ushered to a seat and being offered something to eat or drink, he refused and then spoke the words I would never forget.
“Birger, King Erik has died.” Whilst such news were grave, it would be a lie to say that the news came as a surprise or even truly grave to us. Norddahl even had the guts to laugh.
“Well I suppose congratulations are in order Jarl Birger, or should I say ‘King’ Birger now?” I remained quiet the whole time. There was something in the man’s tone that said that he had not been done. The Jarl had come to the same conclusion at least.
“What else?” His voice was frosty.
“The Jarls have elected your son Valdemar to be the King in your place.”
“Valdemar is only twelve. He cannot be king.”
“The Jarl’s think otherwise. He was elected and promptly removed from your estates in Östergoterland to Stockholm where he is under heavy guard and being raised to be the King.”
I was shocked. No, I was stunned. I also felt a rise of indignation. Yet again the Jarls, the upper crust had denied a righteous king in favour of creating a new pawn to do their bidding. As Jarl Birger stood and moved to look out of the window I could not even imagine how he felt. He had fought for Sweden many times. The Neva, Burning of Novgorod and Vanajavesi, only for the Jarls that remained at home to betray him.
The discussion waned and became muted. Norddahl asked if the rest of the Jarls family were safe, and they apparently were. They had only taken Valdemar. There was already talk of raising an army and rebelling against the Jarls.
“Yes, the rightful king is here!” Shouted Karl af Munso. Even I was swept up in the plan, but before I could voice my support the Jarl turned around and thundered.
“THEY HAVE MY SON!” The hall fell silent as a tomb. It had become clear that Birger would not raise up any armies to oppose his own son, no matter how enraged he was.
“Leave us. Not you Sune, you, Norddahl and William stay.” I had been about to leave with the others, but under the command I remained in my seat as did the Italian diplomat and the giant hurscarl. As the others filed out I wondered what the Jarl wished to say to me. Perhaps I had done something wrong?
Pouring himself a cup of wine the Jarl sat opposite to us before looking at the diplomat.
“Tell me my old friend, what can we do?”
Sighing the Italian removed his strange hat and ran his hands through his thick black hair before speaking,”For Sweden? Nothing. The Jarls have convened and it is legally binding. Valdemar is now the King of Sweden for good or ill. The best you could try for is to be named Regent, but I find that... improbably since the Jarl of Värmland has been given that honour.”
“Haakon the old bastard...” Norddahl muttered and drained his cup before pouring himself another.
“But there is something you can do.” The Italian smiled only to have each of us leaning on our seats to catch every word. Clearly the man had a plan and even the Jarl was intrigued,” Do you remember what we spoke about fifteen years ago?”
Birger scoffed,” That? Utter nonsense.”
“It could work. Under a strong king anything is possible. You could be that king.”
“And how long would it last? A month? A year? It would take no more than that for the other Jarls to muster their levies and March.”
I could no longer keep my silence and spoke out,” If I may beg your pardon sire, but what are we discussing here?”
The Jarl merely smiled at me,” An independent Kingdom. Myself and William discussed this several times in the past... if this land this... ‘Suomi’ were to become an independent kingdom rather than a part of Sweden.”
“That is why I wished for you to stay. If this plan is to work, this land will need talented landowning nobles to run it. Some will come from the native population, but I want people I can trust in the most important positions.”
I swallowed,” What is it you are saying?”
Birgers smile only broadened,” I would name you the Duke of... well whatever place you were to wish for. I will with the sweep of my hand make you into one of the most powerful men in this new kingdom if you so desire.”
“I have land of my own in Sweden, sire.” I knew my doubts were showing clearly on my face and voice, but I felt I had to say it.
“Indeed you do.” The Jarl spoke and his intense gaze locked onto my own,” It is easy to return home. To tilt the land you own, maybe get married to the neighbouring lendsmanns daughter. It could be a good life, soft and wealthy as well. What I am offering you is hard. It is pain and suffering. It is glory and war. I am asking you to leave behind everything you have and accept only my word that you will receive anything. I will fully understand if you were to say no. But if you say yes... you will have my friendship always.”
I could only stare at this man. This Jarl whom would declare himself king and make me a noble as well as his friend. I realized that he too would be leaving behind everything. His Jarldom... what were my few fields when compared to the swathes of land and people he controlled back home? If he could leave it, why shouldn’t I? My parents were long since dead and I had no wife. No children. In that moment I knew what I would choose. What I would always choose.
I stood up and moving around the table I knelt before Jarl Birger,”I would offer my fealty to you my Jarl... no, to you my –King-.” I still wonder how I managed to say those words without choking up. Even Norddahl and William remained silent and expectant as Jarl Birger rose from his seat and drew his sword.
“Repeat after me.”
“I, Sune af Bååt do hereby solemnly swear fealty and allegiance to King Birger Magnusson, the King of the Finns and the rightful King of the Swedes and the Geats. From this hour henceforth I shall serve him with my every breath until his death, or my own.”
“Rise Lord Sune Bååt, Duke of... Tavastland.” My King smiled down on me and I arose a new man.
A week later Jarl Birger was officially coroneted as the King of Finland by the local Bishop. His official introduction was to be,“Birger the First, King of Finland, Grand-Duke of Åbo and Nyland, and the Duke of Karelia." But as the natives... the Finnish Chiefs began to chant his name in their native tongue a new title was incorporated into his titles.
“Lord of the North.”
It was not long when William of Modena returned from the Papal State and brought with him the legalisation he had obtained from the Pope himself. Finland was now not just a de facto kingdom without any documentation. It was a fully legal de jure land with a proper set of papers to back it up. If anyone were to attack it now they would draw the Papal wrath on their heads.
So began the Kingdom of Finland. As Jarl Birger said, it would not be easy... it would be hard, cold and pain, and the fledgling kingdom would bend and buckle, but in the end it would hold.
 
Yeah, doing a double post. Sue me. :p
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· 1260: Consolidation

  • [FONT=&quot][/FONT]Despite his impulsive decision King Birger was no fool. Upon being crowned he knew his kingdom was weak. The population was relatively low; the Novgorodians were pushing to the East and the Swedes to the west. He was not in any shape or size to take either of these foes on yet, so he began with modernizing the backward natives into shape. Building up the economy, roads and royal institutions as well as the first royal army he spent nearly two decades making Finland into a proper kingdom.
  • Instructing the populace to build a road system (not a very advanced one, but better than the dirt paths that crisscrossed the woodland realm. The roads were not cobbled except in the largest streets of the largest towns, but they were wide enough for carts to be drawn through. The purpose was to ease travel and encourage trade.
  • During this time he created the Rälssi/Frälse (a formal organization for nobility which were drawn from his close aides during the invasion and the local chiefs of the Finns), whose' purpose was to advice the King and act as feudal land-owners. Though no nobles beyond the rank of Count were created at this point.
  • In addition Birger arranged for marriages to his children. His heir-apparent Magnus was married to Sophia of Denmark to ensure the alliance with Denmark, whilst his eldest daughter Rikissa was married off to Haakon Haakonson, the younger co-king of Norway. These marriages ensured two alliances for the fledgling kingdom.
  • Despite these new improvements, with a population of just 50,000, Finland was far from ready for what would soon ensue. On the spring of 1269 became ill. His rule began to weaken as he had to spend most of the time in his chambers under the ministration of healers.
 
Interesting idea.
It would be worth you looking into the origins of the Finnish and Karelian arms - since the Lion&Swords was formed in the late 1500s it's more likely that Birger would use a variant of his own arms:

200px-COA_family_sv_Birger_jarl.svg.png

(NB it's possible the roses are sealeaves/hearts as in his descendant's arms)
 
Interesting idea.
It would be worth you looking into the origins of the Finnish and Karelian arms - since the Lion&Swords was formed in the late 1500s it's more likely that Birger would use a variant of his own arms:

200px-COA_family_sv_Birger_jarl.svg.png

(NB it's possible the roses are sealeaves/hearts as in his descendant's arms)

I was under the impression those are the arms of House Bjälbo? The dynasty might ill-like it if the Jarl used them as the arms of his kingdom. Will have to look into it more I guess.

On another topic, what do you guys think on these borders? The lighter shades are the full de jure borders as set by the Pope, where as the darker shade is the extent of actual control the kingdom can enforce.

Grey: Norway
Blue: Sweden
Yellow: Denmark
Red: Finland
Green: Novgorod
Brown: The Livonian Order
90c7di.jpg
 
Another update guys. Be sure to tell me what you think. ;) Oh, and I have a question for you guys. Does anyone have solid figures for the size of the Novgorodian army at around this period? (13th century)
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A Look at the Military of the Kingdom (13th century)
Upon being conquered by Jarl Birger (now King Birger), the Kingdom's army was in a sorry state. The only truly professional troops were the hird of the Jarl himself, which numbered only a few hundred. Of those only about 1/5th were worthy of being considered truly elite, these troops being the Hurscarls, the bodyguards of the Jarl. In addition to these professional forces the king could call upon the hirds of the newly formed Frälse/Rälssi (nobility), though these were quite small, and the cadres of the local chiefs. In 1258, the kingdoms estimated overall strength was 5,000 men, though more than 4,000 of those were levies, untrained and unreliable in any true battle.

The overall organization was rather feudal. At the bottom of the ladder were the local chiefs, who would eventually become landsmen or barons. These men held sway over local areas, villages, small towns and even just near empty lands. They would muster the levies and deliver them to their local lord (typically a count or a duke), who would in addition to these levies raise his own hird and then bring his collective troops to the King. Below is a look at each such soldier and their equipment.

The Hurscarls
As with most things, the kingdom adopted their elite troops from their conquerors. The Hurscarl were at the sametime the bodyguard of their lord as well as the elite infantry of the kingdom. Though they were sometimes mounted, they typically preferred to fight on foot inside the shieldwall that was generally favoured by the Norse kingdoms.
2nkjjg2.jpg

The Hurscarl were at start the only class of warriors whom could afford chainmail. Typically entirely covered in mail they tended to wield axes, hammers or swords in combat. Though their fighting skills are legendary and many sagas speak of Hurscarls winning battles seemingly alone, the hurscarl class was small. At start it was around 1/5th of the fighting strength, but as the size of the hirds increased and cavalry became the predominant force on the field they slowly dwindled out of existance, only to be replaced by Knights.

The Hirdsmen
Or as they were more commonly known,"Men-at-arms" were soldiers, whom answered to a local noble. Each feudal land-owner had a responsibility to upkeep a certain amount of such men whom could be used to defend the kingdom in times of need. Trained and equipped as well as possible, these men would eventually become the core of the royal army.
xpbh9g.jpg

The Hirdsmen were typically armed similarily to hurscarls, though they often favoured spears over swords or hammers. The preference for spears over other weapons became exponential by the turn of the century due to the Novgorodian preference for cavalry rather than infantry. Their typical tactic was the usage of the shieldwall in which they'd attempt to outlast the enemy. The Hirdsmen were typically armoured with leather or gambesons.

The Levies
At the bottom of the run were the levies. Men whom were called into service during wars to supplement the more professional hirsmen and the elite hurscarls. They were armed and armoured as well as they could afford by themselves, and it was rare for them to be trained in anything, but the basics of "thrusting your weapon into the enemys innards."
35d7wqv.jpg

Typically a levy was armed with whatever he had (usually spears or axes), though a large number of them carried hunting bows as well. In fact the preferance for levies to wield bows was such that most nobles were willing to pay anyman whom could fire a bow suitably well better than the others, which eventually transformed the levies into large formations of skilled archers.

The Fleet
If one looked at the military arm of the Kingdom one could see it was in a sorry state. However when one looked at what was the standing fleet one could only cry at the injustice of it all. Compared to the fleets of Norway (860 ships) and Denmark (nearly a thousand), the Finnish fleet stood at a strength of around 20 ships. Most of those being what the Jarl had brought with himself.

Though the Jarl immedietly attempted to strenghten the size of the fleet, it turned out to be difficult as the Finns weren't a seafaring people and had little experience in creating ships for anything, but lakes. Even these "ships" were usually made for fishing rather than carrying armed men to battle.
 
And so the House Harkonnen discretely started... :p:D;)

Though I understand the Dune reference I've no idea to what part of the post you are referring to. :confused: All I can say is... THE SPICE MUST FLOW!

Not normally a fan of Pre 1900 timelines, but I'm liking this one. Subbed.

Thank you for the kind comment! Always happy to have more readers.

Next up... a look at the Frälse itself and how the kingdom is actually organized. Then, we shall move onto the roaring 60's.
 
Though I understand the Dune reference I've no idea to what part of the post you are referring to. :confused: All I can say is... THE SPICE MUST FLOW!

The exact age (supposed, propaganda side) of the House I am not sure, but I think they said/they claimed it started by middle age, finnish, or perhaps swedish finn.... after all, the Atreides claim an older origin, Antiquity Greece and all.

Anyway, nice topic. Keep the work!
 
Frälse/Rälssi: The Nobility of Finland (13th Century)
When Birger Jarl created the Kingdom of Finland he purposefully took some distance from his former homeland. Rather than Jarls, the most powerful nobles would be called Dukes. Beneath these dukes would be counts, barons and knights and so forth. Taking the ranks from continental europe, in particular France and the Holy Roman Empire, he attempted to create a more orderly aristocracy than the Swedish one which was rife with nobles who could give a whit for what the king wished for. To limit the power of the nobility the King passed acts that would limit the power a lord was allowed to hold, even on their own lands. Courts were established and laws passed that would apply even to a noble, in essence undermining the feudal code.

To appease the newly formed nobility he kept the elective nature for kingship though. At the death of a king, the nobility would convene and elect a new king from either amongst themselves, or more often from the children or siblings of the deceased ruler. In addition the nobles would be allowed to keep all tax revenue from their lands, except during special cases such as war.

Below: The ranking of nobility in the Kingdom of Finland.
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Though the nobility grew quite powerful in the Kingdom, one must note that it never grew to the heights of their counterparts in France or even the Kievan Rus. Whilst they had the right to tax their peasants and call them to fight their battles, the peasants were never truly serfs. They could leave their lands if they so chose, and could own land. In addition the peasants and townsmen had the right to vote for their own mayors in the largest town in the region and hunt in the woodlands as well as fish in the lakes. Concept such as "kings forest" never truly stuck in the Finnish mindset and to this day the right to forage has been maintained.

This mindset is due to the low number of nobles in Finland. From it's inception the kingdom had only a handful of men that the King named into the feudal landowning caste, and those families never truly grew into staggering heights. Even after several generations and the insitution of knighthood, nobility never reached above 2% of the total population.
 
Hello guys! Having lurked on the forums for quite a while, and recently having created my account I figured it's time I tried my hand at making a timeline of my own. The topic? My own homeland and possibly the most wanked nation on these forums... Finland. :cool:

The timeline begins in the year of our lord 1250 when Birger Magnusson af Bjälbo crushes the rebelling Tavastians and receives news of his son, Valdemar having been crowned the king of Sweden rather than himself.

Now keep in mind, this is my first timeline and being new at it I don't expect to get everything right at once, and will welcome any advice, help or even criticism I may receive.

Other than that... enjoy, comment and so forth. :D

This is very nice, Olligarchy. It is good to see a new Finnish timeline, and especially here in the pre-1900 forum where our history has been underrepresented so far. Keep up the good work!

I'm interested to see how this Finland develops. This is such a major deviation from the OTL that the changes will be big, strange even. For example, how much is the new monarchy dependent on the support of the Church on one hand, and how much of the support of the Finnish tribes, still mostly pagan in all but name, on the other? I see the culture of this Finland in the future to be more based on many things Finnic than that of the OTL "Eastern Provinces", simply because the Crown here can't fall back on Stockholm's economic might and the Swedish military as much as those who ruled Finland did IOTL. The Swedish-speaking upper classes will be in a more precarious position, and in the north and the east, Åbo/Turku will have to rule more by consent than by the sword.
 
This is very nice, Olligarchy. It is good to see a new Finnish timeline, and especially here in the pre-1900 forum where our history has been underrepresented so far. Keep up the good work!

Good to have such interest shown. I'll try and answer some of your questions without giving away too much. :D

For example, how much is the new monarchy dependent on the support of the Church on one hand, and how much of the support of the Finnish tribes, still mostly pagan in all but name, on the other?

The King is absolutely dependent on Papal Support on this stage. Whilst he can handle internal matters (such as dealing with the chieftains), he still is in a far too precarious a position from external threats to handle them alone. Right now the Kingdom has pretty much two threats: The Swedes (Catholic) whom are a bit miffed about having what they were thinking of making the eastern half of the realm pulled from under them, and the Novgorodians (Orthodox) whom have some designs for the area that the kingdom currently holds. With Papal Support the Kingdom can mostly halt any attack from one side, and discourage it from the other.

As for the tribes. Most of the tribes had already been somewhat "civilized", especially those around Åbo/Turku area and the coast in general, but the king definetly needs the tribes to keep control of the inland provinces, especially those that surround Tavast/Häme. For now they can ignore the fact that they are mostly Pagan, and slowly convert them into the "proper faith". Not like they have any choice really. The natives outnumber the Swedish nobility around 100:1. :eek: And that is most likely lowballing it.

Also: Don't think I'm done messing with the religions yet. The Russians are about to face something that starts with "Golden" and ends with "Horde" to the south, and there might be some serious results for that, even so far north.
 
This is most definetly the last update for the day. Have to pace myself, though I am quite excited on finally writing this. ;)
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1270: The King is Dead! Long live the King!

  • [FONT=&quot]Despite being as good a king as any, Birger Magnusson was overcome by the frailties that will sooner or later envelope us all... old age. With his death on October 21st, 1270, the newly formed Kingdom of Finland was in dire straits. Despite the new changes and the generally supportive nature of the newly formed nobility, the succession was uncertain. On the one hand Valdemar was the Kings oldest son, but he was also acting as the King of Sweden to the west, and the local noble had no interest in kneeling to a "foreign" king.[/FONT]
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Above: Birger Magnusson, the first King of Finland. He was beatified half a century later after an inquiry was completed on his character and rule.


  • After nearly a week of debate, arguments and heated politicking, the nobility finally came to an agreement. The Kings second son, Magnus would be the crowned the new King of Finland. The nobility hoped for a soft and malleable king, but the young ruler proved them wrong. In addition to being cunning enough to use his marriage with the Danish Princess Sophia to his advantage, he gained the loyalty of the people by passing legislations that formalized the rights they had previously enjoyed.
  • [FONT=&quot]It was also during Magnus reign that the first book of Finnish Law (Lakikirja) was published. The book fully realized the idea of a "Judicial Monarchy." The idea of a Court of law that could overrule the local nobility was at first alien to most, but people (and even nobles) soon grew to appreciate the law for what it was: protection from the strong preying on the weak.[/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]To appease the nobles, Magnus also formalized the position of Duchies in the realm and named some of the most popular local chieftains to the positions. He kept the Grand-Duchy of Åbo and Nyland for himself, confirmed the House Bååts position as the Dukes of Tavastland, but gave away the duchies of Savonia and Kvenland. However despite Karelia and Lappland being a part of his de jure territories, he did not feel confident enough to name them yet.
    [/FONT]
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The Duchies in Finland.


  • [FONT=&quot]However even when he was taking risky steps that only succeeded due to the Kingdom being at it's infancy and the nobility not having enough power to stop a popular act, Magnus was also consolidating the Kingdoms position as a broker of power between the West and East in the Baltic. Taking some low interest loans from the Tuscan bankers he managed to nearly triple the size of the Fleet and purchase tools, weapons and other necessities for a civilized nation. It was a good thing that Magnus had loaned the money when he did, because he was going to need it.[/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Towards the latter half of the seventies, a rather large surprise came knocking on the Kingdoms door. Immigrants from the southern Russian Principalities were crossing the border. First in small groups, but eventually in large droves that resembled large caravans or even small towns. Upon being inquired on their reasons the people told of the horrors that were going on south. The Golden Horde had began it's attacks on most of the Principalities and these were the people that had either escaped from beneath the attacks, or barely survived them. They were now looking for a place to settle down again, as far away from the Horde as possible.[/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]The immigrants had heard of a new kingdom with plenty of land to spare and many had decided to head there in hopes of starting a new life behind the protective influences of Novgorod. At first the nobility and even King Magnus were hesitant in allowing foreigners to enter the kingdom, and ordered them to remain on the eastern borders, but when the mass of people began to grow they were allowed deeper inland. To this day there has not been an accurate estimate on the number of refugees, but most estimates range at around ten to even twenty thousand people having entered and settled down in Finland. By far the largest community that these people settled would later on be known as "Vyborg" or "Viipuri".[/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]However whilst the additional population and as such tax and manpower was nice to have indeed, the immigrants did bring some problems as well. Being from the East rather than the West, majority of them were Orthodox which caused severe discontent between the Catholic and Orthodox Bishops. To make the situation even more complicated, vast majority of the Finns were still pagan. Only the coastal areas to the west were truly Catholic, and the eastern areas in Karelia and around Vyborg were Orthodox. Both churches would attempt to convert the inland areas with haste rarely seen in ageing old priests.[/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Despite a few problems and the religious discontent, the early years of Magnus reign are historically seen as having been quite tolerable. Whilst the King kept pushing for more advancement which caused some problems, the Kingdom badly needed to push itself forward or it would become a backward backwater as it used to be.[/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Many of the advances would be tested in the eighties and nineties when the kingdom was thrust into war and everything that goes with it.
    [/FONT]
 
Now we're getting into the interesting bits of the 13th century. Now, for background the Swedish and the Novgorodian republic had been fighting a series of battles that would later on be called Swedish-Novgorodian Wars, as both sides attempted to establish control ove the Gulf of Finland. The last great battle before the Novgorodian invasion of Karelia was when Birger Jarl (supposedly) attacked the Neva and was driven off by Alexander Nevsky.

One of the historical changes if the fact that Haakon Haakonson (the young), didn't die in a freak accident. He outlived his father and was in fact crowned the sole monarch of Norway in 1263, but we will take a look around Europe at the conclusion of the 13th century and see the butterflies.

As always, reviews, criticism and just "heys" are appreciated. :cool: Also; if you feel you have interesting ideas for stories set around this time, feel free to throw them at me, or post them yourselves!
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1280: The Novgorodian Invasion of Karelia

  • With the turn of the decade the rule under Magnus seemed likely to last forever. Wise reforms and building of the infastructure had already convinced most naysayers that Magnus would be a wise king in peace. However when the envoy from the neighbouring Republic of Novgorod which was lead by Andrei Alexandrovich arrived in 1285 and informed the court that they would send an army to lay claim to Karelia next spring, many doubted that the King could truly win the war.
  • With the kingdom in it's infancy, the army could not even hope to match the might of the Principality, so Magnus sent out envoys of his own to the courts that were most likely to send aid: Denmark and Norway. His wife, Sophia was the sister of the current King, and his own sister was married to the younger co-King of Norway, so on paper they would have to aid the Kingdom in defeating it's opponents.
  • The numbers were against the Kingdom even more than the spirit. The Army stood at a steady strength of 5,000, though more than 3,000 of those were levies and as such would be unreliable in any pitched battle against a disciplined foe. Only 2,000 could be counted on to stand their ground when the fighting would get tough. These men were the Hurscarls of the local lords and the hirds of the growing nobility.
  • The Novgorodians seemed to hold most of the cards. The Finns were expecting six to eight thousand soldiers, who had nearly 60% of the force mounted on horseback. Though many of these men would be green or even little more than levies, they had a comfortable numerical advantage on their side. Even if the army fell, it was likely that given some time the Republic could raise a similar force.
  • As the snows of winter slowly gave way to spring the reinforcements that the King had asked for arrived. To his surprise they were more notable than he had expected. The King of Denmark Eric V, being related to Magnus wife had sent a thousand soldiers to aid. The Kingdom of Norway had sent a similar number due to Magus sister Rikissa being married to the King of Norway Haakon Haakonson the Young.
  • By far the largest surprise was when Magnus elder brother Valdemars fleet arrived unannounced. At first suspecting treachery, the monarch was astounded to see his own brother land in Nyland and wave at him. The moment when the two brother monarchs embraced each other has forever been imprinted in the psyches of both Kingdoms. The event is also shown in the Cathedral in Borga (later Helsingfors) which was built half a century later.
  • With the assembled armies of the kingdoms now in Finland, the commanders began to make their battleplans. By far the largest problem was that due to the hard winter and logistical issues the Finnish could muster only a force of 3,000 men for the war itself. Though supplemented by another 3,000 from their allies, they were still outnumbered by the Novgorodian force quite easily.
  • Despite the troubles however, the war had to be fought and the kings came up with a plan that suited their temperaments quite well. A single knockout punch that would take the Republic out of the war and bring them to the table to negotiate terms.
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Above: The plan.


  • The plan was simple. The main force consisting of 2,000 Finns and the allied forces would sail to Karelia and from there attempt to find a viable location to fight a decisive battles. Another force consisting of 1,000 Finns would head north instead, and take control of Northern Karelia which was nominally under Novgorodian control. According to the latest intelligence which was deemed reliable enough, the Novgorodian army was marching in a single large formation and was not splitting apart as of yet.
  • Upon arriving at the banks of the Vuoksi river the army could not believe it's luck. The Novgorodian force had also just arrived on the otherside, and had yet to detect the smaller force. Deciding to ambush the crossing troops, the allies settled down in silence. As the Novgorodian army began to cross in dripples consisting of small ships, the army waited. When several thousand had crossed by their estimation, they attacked and destroyed them before they could find out their position, strength and report back to whomever was leading that army.
  • Sadly the idea to ambush each force as it would arrive was blown apart when the Novgorodians noticed the battle on the other side and began to move. With the allied army starting to manouver along with them, the Battle of Vuoksi river had just started. The armies manouvered for nearly a week until the Novgorodian general had enough and found a crossing. Deciding that he would cross here and nowhere else, he ordered his army to break the allied shieldwall on the other side.
  • Indeed, at first it seemed more like a certainty than insanity. The allied army despite having annhilated a part of the Novgorodian army still was outnumbered by around 2,000 men. As the Rus forces slammed into the shieldwall the battle was joined.
  • For a while the shieldwall seemed to hold, but when the large cavalry contingents within the Novgorodian army began to get involved and hammer into the shields, the center consisting of the inexperienced Finns seemed to start weakening. Focusing their efforts the Novgorodians pushed back the center until the shieldwall was nearly U shaped, with the more experienced Norse holding the flanks.
  • Just as it seemed that the wall would finally break, the plan was put into motion and the flanks that had until now been under steady attack, but having gotten the easy part after the Novgorodian troops at the back began to move to the center, slammed into the now trapped troops between them.
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Above: An overview of the Vuoksi river.

  • The Novgorodian troops soon began to rout, and as the allied forces chased them into the river and the massacre started. The only thing that saved the Novgorodian army from complete annhilation was the fact that the allies had practically no cavalry and once the Novgorodians were back on their own shore the cavalry could again effectively defend them.
  • Despite the decisive battle, the war lasted for nearly a year more. However at the beginning of 1286, the Republic sued for peace. The terms named by King Magnus were harsh, the Republic had to cede everything above Lakes Ladoga to the Kingdom. The new borders would put the Finnish borders so that they extended from the Baltic to the White Sea.
  • During the negotiations King Magnus also made clear to the Republic that they had no other territorial ambitions, and that the Finnish had no interest in being drawn into the Wars that were taking place between Sweden and the Republic.
  • Having survived it's first war, the future was looking up for the Kingdom. With the populace and wealth of Karelia added to the Kingdom itself, the Kings of Finland would continue building up the infastructure and road systems well into the 14th century.
 
Alright my dear readers, I am currently working out the kinks on the end of the 13th century, but before I post it I figured I'd ask you some questions, if you don't mind?


  1. How are you liking the story so far? Is there any particular pieces you like more, or stuff you'd rather have me change in future bits?
  2. How do you like the format?
  3. As the 13th century is ending and the Finnish will take a bit wider look at the world in the 14th century, I wondered if there are any particular places or people you'd like me to take a closer look at? Such as what the French are doing at the time.
  4. What do YOU think that the Finnish Crown should go for in the next century? Goals, landgrabs... who to ally with, who to poke fun at?
Just to be a complete ass I won't start the 14th century until I've gotten some answers. ;)
 
I like how it's progressing (also the format). I look forward to see how this different Finland shapes things, obviously the more direct butterflies are in the Baltic...

Any chance the relationship between Finland and Novgorod get friendly enough to save the latter from Moscow?

About expansion I don't see any further expansion really happening (if not up north), maybe some scandinavian union (but that would put Finland at disadvantage...)
 
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