Club war

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The so-called cudgel war (finn. Nuijasota , Swed. Klubbekrig , en. Cudgel was ) called a peasant revolt in Finland , which lasted from 1596 to 1597. The uprising was the culmination of a long argument between the nobility and the peasants; the term club warfare refers to the arms of the peasants.

Prehistory and course

Duke Karl portrayed opening the coffin of his adversary Klas Flemings, anecdotally handed down, in order to convince himself of his death

Finland was then part of the Kingdom of Sweden . At the time of the uprising, Finnish farmers were suffering from ever increasing taxes and the effects of the 25-year war between Sweden and Russia . Their situation was exacerbated by the fact that they had to give the soldiers board and lodging during the war . This obligation continued even after the end of the war (1595).

The power struggle between Admiral Clas Eriksson Fleming (Finnish. Klaus Fleming) and Sweden's regent Duke Karl (later Karl IX ) played another role .

Clas Eriksson Fleming supported the deposed King Sigismund III. Wasa . Fleming kept the army ready after the war ended, believing Russia was still a threat.

When representatives of the farmers turned to Duke Karl to protest their situation, he asked them to defend themselves against the soldiers. Duke Karl hoped that this would weaken Fleming.

In the course of the uprising, the farmers killed numerous soldiers and plundered manors, especially in Pohjanmaa , but were crushed by Fleming's troops.

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