”Meidän lapinmaamme”
Ylä-Savon erämaiden rajakysymys keskiajalla ja 1500-luvulla
Abstract
The article discusses the formation of the borders of the Northern Savo wilderness before the Sweden-Russia peace treaty of 1595, when the wilderness officially became understood as a populated area controlled by sovereign, territorial states. As main sources the article uses well-known medieval judgement letters and various lists of border places, which are given a re-interpretation. Philological evidence based on place names is also discussed. The main questions are the development of the eastern Savo border towards Novgorod and Russia after the Sweden-Novgorod peace treaty in 1323 on the one hand, and the 15th century conflict between Savo and Tavastland province in the west on the other hand. Contrary to mainstream interpretations, it is suggested that before growing interventions by sovereign states from late 15th century onwards, in the east the local inhabitants understood the Matkusjoki wilderness river as a border between regions. The judgement letters by king Karl Knutsson (1446, 1452) are one of the most heavily analyzed sources in medieval Finnish history. The main interest of the documents is that they give a detailed account of how the borders were defined in the wilderness. The controversy between Tavastland and Savo inhabitants had escalated, and the Crown was forced to step in to settle the violent conflict. Border inspection was held by impartial men from Ostrobothnia in 1445, but later the king reversed his judgement.
The judgement of 1452 moved the border westwards, which seemed to favour Savo inhabitants. In earlier research the verdict is seen as confusing and surprising, since the king especially reprimanded the Savo inhabitants. The border of 1452 was, however, an administrative border between the Viborg and Tavastland provinces. It left room for local agreements in the wilderness, which were most likely made even after the “final” decision by the king.
