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This article is about a historical province of Sweden. For other meanings, see Karelia (disambiguation)
Karelia, Karjala (in Finnish) or Karelen (in Swedish), is a historical province in eastern Finland. It borders to Nyland, Savonia and Ostrobothnia. It is also bounded by Russia and the Gulf of Finland.
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The historical province of Karelia is divided between the Finnish Provinces, of Eastern Finland which represents Northern Karelia, Southern Finland which represents Southern Karelia, and the Autonomous Russian Republic of Karelia which represents Eastern Karelia.
During the 13th century Karelia was fought over between Novgorod and Sweden. In some Swedish sources the Karelians are described as allies to the Novgorodians. The "Third Swedish crusade", lead by the marsk Torkel Knutsson, which took place 1293-1295, resulted in the western parts of Karelia coming under Swedish rule, and in the building of the Castle of Viborg.
The hostilities continued in 1300 when a Swedish force attacked the opening of the river Neva and built a fort near the current location of Saint Petersburg. The fort was destroyed the following year by the Novgorodians. Indecisive fighting in 1321 and 1322 lead to negotiations and peace by the Treaty of Nöteborg (Orochovets) which for the first time decided the border between Sweden and Novgorod. Sweden got western Karelia and Novgorod got Ingria and Ladoga Karelia or East Karelia.
In 1635 Savonia and the parts of Karelia around Vyborg were incorporated in the Viborg and Nyslott County. After the Treaty of Nystad in 1721 Viborg and the Kexholm County were ceded to Russia and the rest was incorporated into the Kymmenegårds and Nyslott County. This was also ceded to Russia in the Treaty of Åbo in 1743. After the conquest of the Grand Duchy of Finland, it was in 1812 joined to Russia's 18th century gains, called "Old Finland".
During the Continuation War (1941-1944) Eastern Karelia was considered a Finnish irredenta and occupied by Finland. After World War II, when the new border was established close to that of 1721, the Finnish remains of the Province of Viipuri were made into the "Province of Kymi". In 1997 the Kymi province was added to the province of Southern Finland.
Karelia, as an historical Province of Sweden, should be distinguished from those eastern parts that remained under the Russian Orthodox Church.
The traditional culture of "Ladoga-Karelia", or Finnish Karelia according to the pre-Winter War borders, was by and large similar to that of Eastern Karelia, or Russian Karelia. Karelians live, and did even more so before Stalinism and the Great Purges, also in vast areas east of Finland (in Eastern Karelia, not marked on the map to the right), where folklore, language and architecture during the 19th century was in the center of the Finns' interest, representing a "purer" Finnish culture than that of Southern and Western Finland, which had been in more contact with (or "contaminated by") Germanic and Scandinavian culture. The Kalevala and Finnish Art Nouveau are expressions hereof.
The Karelian language is by Finns usually considered a dialect of Finnish, as it differs only slightly from Finnish language. Others, for instance many foreign linguists and some people in Estonia and Russia, consider the Karelian variety a language of its own.
The arms is crowned by a ducal coronet, though by Finnish tradition this more resembles a Swedish count's coronet. The symbolism of the coat of arms is supposed to represent how the region was fought over by Sweden and Russia for centuries. Blazon: "Gules, in center chief a crown or above two duelling arms, the dexter armored holding a sword and the sinister chain-mail armored with a scimitar, all argent except for hafts and gauntlet joint or."
See also: Saami music
Government
For current affairs see: Eastern Finland, Southern Finland, and Republic of Karelia History
Main article: History of KareliaGeography
Main article: Geography of KareliaCulture
Main article: Culture of KareliaHeraldry
Main article: Heraldry of KareliaExternal links
