Friday, 1 January 2016
Happy New Year — and Finnish Cavalry
A New Year reflection on the progress of the book project on Finnish cavalry in the Swedish era and what the coming year has in store.
On the first day of the new year I am writing down some thoughts for the year ahead. My intention is to finish my major research project, Suomalainen ratsuväki Ruotsin ajalla (Finnish Cavalry in the Swedish Era), during this year. During the past year it has progressed considerably, but the manuscript has also grown so large that publishing it is becoming a challenge. Apart from checking and minor additions, the actual research phase is complete — even the Thirty Years’ War is now wrapped up. There are still more books on my desk waiting to be read than there is time to read them. They are fascinating, but time is short — one also has to sleep and get some exercise.
In the course of my research, ideas have emerged that I want to see realised. One of those ideas is the central theme of this blog. In the many wars, cavalry fought countless engagements. Not all of them can even be mentioned. Some I intend to highlight in the text.
The Battle of Napue (Isokyrö) in February 1714 is one such. An article about it appeared in December in the Sotahistoriallinen aikakauskirja (Journal of Military History). It can be read there, so I will say no more about it here.
The second engagement worth special attention is the Battle of Lund, fought on 4 December 1676, seen from a Finnish perspective. In Swedish and from a Swedish perspective, several books have been written about the battle. An overview is available in general histories of Finland, in Wikipedia and in the book Suomalaisten taistelut. But the Finnish perspective is often a little odd and skewed — and that is exactly what I intend to address. I found one book — surprise, surprise — written by a Swedish general, and in it the Finns come across in quite a different light from anything else I have read.