The coast of the Gulf of Finland from the Hanko peninsula to the Kymi, with its river valleys (the Vantaa, the Porvoo river) and skerries.
In 1200 it is a thinly peopled shore: the Tavastians come down from their lakes to fish and hunt seal, and there is little permanent farming. Its later name, Nyland or Uusimaa ('new land'), comes from the Swedish farmers who settled the coast in the 13th century; whether the first of them had arrived by 1200 is not pinned. The Danes may have touched it: a fort at Saxby near Porvoo (Borgå) has been linked by some to Canute VI's expedition of 1191 (en.wikipedia Northern Crusades, citing Dumell).
The sea road from the Swedish and Gotlandic coasts to Novgorod runs along its skerries.
Who holds it
- Name
- none named
- Title
- no one: a thinly peopled coast used by Tavastian fishers and sealers
- Confidence
- medium
No settlement body or leader is recorded; the land's later name (Nyland, 'new land') reflects Swedish settlement of the 13th century.
What it holds
- the coast and skerries from Hanko to the Kymi
- the Vantaa and Porvoo river valleys
How things stand that morning
No lord and little settlement. Tavastian seasonal use; the first Swedish settlers possibly arriving (not pinned).
Wealth
Fish, seal, furs; a coast on the sea road to Novgorod.
Military
None recorded; the Saxby fort near Porvoo is undated (a 1191 Danish origin is a suggestion).
Threats
- seaborne expeditions (the Danes in 1191)
Law and courts
None of its own: the Tavastians' customs in their fishing grounds.
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.
- 13th century (after this year)Swedish farmers settle the coast (the land becomes Nyland, 'new land').
Places of note
- Saxby fort near Porvoo: fort linked by some to the Danish expedition of 1191 (undated)
- the Vantaa valley: Tavastian route to the sea
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Later place names and settlement history; a single suggested link of a fort to the Danes in 1191.
On the map: The whole coastal province is drawn as 'claimed' (seasonally used) rather than held. Its inland edge against Tavastia is the later provincial line.
Primary sources for Finland
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Swedish diplomatarium and its main register, SDHK (documents of 817 to 1540). The register of every known Swedish medieval letter, with full texts for the early centuries. Read online
Sources and studies
- en.wikipedia: Northern Crusades (Danish expeditions to Finland, citing Dumell)
- en.wikipedia: Tavastians
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.