Finland

From 950 and 1320 CE saw the growth and development in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, as well as Iceland.

Finland (shown here in dark green, between Sweden and Russia) was different. Its territory was inhabited by three chief population groups—Finns, Tavastians, and Karelians—with a shared language and belief system. There is a lot we don't know about these groups, since they did not develop writing until later, after colonization by their neighbors. They lived in fairly small villages with no centralized government. They possibly had very little local government as well, existing as clans whose chief subsistence was agricultural.

The Kalevala, the national epic poem of Finland, was not composed until the 19th century. It contains numerous stories of Finnish folklore passed down orally, but like the tales recorded by the Brothers Grimm, we cannot be sure of the accuracy of the ancient beliefs embodied in it. The gods in the Kalevala suggest that the early Finnish concept of a pantheon mirrored that of the Norse deities.

When consistent contacts were established between the inhabitants of Finland and the outside world, furs from Finland were in demand. With much of Finland still heavily forested, animals were plentiful, so hunting and trapping to produce furs for commerce gave Finland the most valuable and steady commodity.

Finland became better known to the rest of Europe with the Northern Crusades, a series of invasions by Christian countries into the regions not yet touched by Christianity. Let's see how those affected Finland, starting tomorrow.