The Karelian isthmus between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga, with the Vuoksi river, the southern shore of the Saimaa lakes (Lappee) and the coast west to the Kymi.
The Karelians farm and fish along the Vuoksi and the lakes; archaeology shows the densest Karelian settlement on the western shore of Ladoga and the isthmus, with permanent settlement also in South Karelia, where Lappee has been lived in for about two thousand years (en.wikipedia Karelians). The Viipuri bay is a Karelian landing on the gulf; the Swedish castle at Viipuri is not built until 1293. The later pogosts of Äyräpää (lower Vuoksi) and Jääski (upper Vuoksi) were ceded by Novgorod to Sweden in 1323 (Treaty of Nöteborg).
West of Lappee the land towards the Kymi is wilderness where Karelians and Tavastians both hunted and fished.
Who holds it
- Name
- none named
- Title
- the Karelian communities of the isthmus (no leader named)
- Confidence
- high
No leader is named for 1200.
Overlord
None in fact; Novgorod's ally and sphere.
What it holds
- the Vuoksi valley (later Äyräpää and Jääski)
- Lappee on the Saimaa
- the Viipuri bay
- the coastal wilderness west to the Kymi
How things stand that morning
Self-governing Karelians allied with Novgorod; no Novgorodian, Swedish or Danish officer or fort. South of a line from the Sestra mouth to Ladoga the Neva lands are Novgorod's Izhorian country (outside).
Wealth
Furs, fish, farming along the Vuoksi; the Vuoksi-Saimaa route between Ladoga and the gulf.
Military
Karelian levies and boats; hillforts on the Vuoksi.
Threats
- Tavastian raids
- Western ships on the gulf
Law and courts
Karelian customary law; no record.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1293, 1323 (after this year)Sweden builds Viipuri castle (1293); Novgorod cedes Äyräpää and Jääski (1323).
Places of note
- Viipuri bay: Karelian landing; castle only from 1293
- Lappee: Karelian settlement on the Saimaa
- Jääski (upper Vuoksi): the upper Vuoksi
- Antrea (Vuoksi): the middle Vuoksi
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Archaeology and the 1323 treaty; nothing dated to 1199-1200.
On the map: The western stretch from Lappee to the Kymi is wilderness drawn with the Karelians for want of evidence either way; the southern edge on the Sestra and the Neva lands is left to Novgorod's Izhorians (outside).
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.