Talk:Värmland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

	The article on Värmland is supported by WikiProject Sweden, which is an attempt to improve the quality and coverage of Sweden-related articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can visit the project page; if you have any questions about the project or the article ratings below, please consult the FAQ.
B	This article has been rated as B-Class on the quality scale.
Mid	This article has been rated as mid-importance on the importance scale.

[edit] Värmland Forest Finns

According to old Finnish sources there were a number of ethnic Finns living in Middle Scandinavia during the days of Gustav Wasa. The large scale immigration from Savo and Häme started in 1580s supported by Duke Carolus. The peak of Finnish immigration was 1617 - 1628. There were more than 40 Finnish settlements in Värmland. In addition to 29 settlements in Dalarna (Taalainmaan suomalaiset), 16 settlements in Helsingland, 12 settlements in Södermanland and 11 settlements in Ångermanland. The Swedes called the Finns "skog finnar" (Forest Finns) because they used still (kaskiviljelmä) burnt over land for cultivation. It is estimated that their number was more than 10.000 by 1625. Some Finns wandered even to the Norwegian side of the border and settled themselves there.

In Sweden the ethnic tension between the Swedes and Finns lead to open conflicts and in 1636 the burnt over land cultivation was forbidden by the Swedes. This resulted that many Finns in the area were deported by the Swedish authorities and were shipped to new Swedish Colonies in the New World 1636 - 1641 to make company for those earlier Finnish immigrants who had been shipped voluntarely there by Admiral Klaus Fleming in 1595-1597 direct from Finland.

In 1646 the new law forced all Finns in Värmland to learn Swedish language and those who refused to follow the order had their houses burned and were shipped as punishment to Swedish Colonies.

JN