Tavastian uprising | |||||||
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Part of the Swedish–Novgorodian Wars | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Tavastians Supported by: Novgorod Republic Karelians[1] | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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The Tavastian uprising, also sometimes called the Häme uprising, was a uprising by Tavastians in Tavastia, Finland in the winter of 1236–1237. The rebellion was against the Kingdom of Sweden and against the Catholic Church.[2] The Tavastian rebels received aid from the Novgorod Republic, which sought to diminish Swedish influence in Finland in order to bolster its own position.[3]
Pope Gregory IX described the event in a papal letter dated 9 December 1237 and addressed to Jarler, who was the Archbishop of Uppsala. He describes how the Tavastians returned to their pagan beliefs from Christianity and destroyed a Catholic church in Häme. He goes into detail describing other atrocities committed by the Tavastians.[2] This has been seen as papal propaganda.[4] Finally, he issued a call for a crusade against the rebels.[3][2] Ultimately, harsh measures were employed to quell the uprising.[3]
Due to the Mongol Invasion of Russia in 1237, support from the Novgorod Republic for the Tavastian rebels waned.[3] Following the uprising, the Swedes held the Second Swedish Crusade against the Tavastians and used the Pope's message as further justification for the crusades.[5]
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