Paavali Halonen was a farmer and settler in
Finnish Lapland
Lapland ( fi, Lappi ; se, Lappi; smn, Laapi; sv, Lappland; la, Lapponia, links=no) is the largest and northernmost region of Finland. The 21 municipalities in the region cooperate in a Regional Council. Lapland borders the region of North O ...
and a fabled
warlord
A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...
during the
Russo-Swedish War (1590–1595)
The Russo-Swedish War of 1590–1595 was instigated by Boris Godunov in the hope of gaining the territory of the Duchy of Estonia along the Gulf of Finland belonging to Sweden since the previous Livonian War.
As soon as the Truce of Plussa expi ...
.
The king of
Sweden Gustav I promoted Finnish settlement beyond the Russian border of the realm by promising taxation reliefs to the settlers. This was in order for the king to be able to have claims for the region. The Russian border was by then defined by the
Treaty of Nöteborg
The Treaty of Nöteborg, also known as the ''Treaty of Oreshek'' ( sv, Freden i Nöteborg, Russian: ''Ореховский мир,'' fi, Pähkinäsaaren rauha), is a conventional name for the peace treaty signed at Oreshek ( sv, Nöteborg, fi, ...
. This pursuit caused tensions with Russia, and during the Russo-Swedish War, Finnish settlements in northern
Ostrobothnia were often destroyed by
East Karelian guerrillas. The life of Paavali Halonen belongs to this time. He has been a historical person, although most of the knowledge about him is only folklore. "Halonen" is a
Savonian surname and Paavali Halonen was the first permanent and Finnish settler inhabitant of
Kemijärvi
Kemijärvi ( se, Giemajávri, smn, Kiemâjävri, sms, Ǩeeʹmmjäuʹrr) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Lapland.
History
The first permanent settler inhabitant of Kemijärvi was Paavali Ollinpoika H ...
.
Local folklore has preserved stories about Paavali Halonen as one of the
guerrilla chiefs, the most famous of them being
Pekka Vesainen. Halonen was born in
Muhos
Muhos is a municipality of Finland.
It is located in the province of Oulu half an hour's drive (35 km) on route 22 from the city of Oulu, the capital of Northern Finland, and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a ...
and led a vengeance raid to
Kola
KOLA (99.9 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Redlands, California, and broadcasting to the Riverside-San Bernardino-Inland Empire radio market. It is owned by the Anaheim Broadcasting Corporation and it airs a classic hits radio for ...
and
Kandalaksha
Kandalaksha (russian: Кандала́кша; fi, Kantalahti, also ''Kandalax'' or ''Candalax'' in the old maps; krl, Kannanlakši; sms, Käddluhtt) is a town in Kandalakshsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the head of Kandala ...
and took part in attempt to capture
fort of Kola with other Finnish chiefs, Vilmi and Kauppi from
Kemi. East Karelians (Russians) offered peace and invited Finnish chiefs to the town for drinking. They were captured by Russians, but Paavali Halonen was suspicious and refused the offer. Thus he saved his life and returned home. According to the stories he first discovered Kemijärvi while escaping from Russia through the wilderness. Later he moved there with his family.
As the first settlers moved to Kemijärvi, the area was not inhabited by the
Sami people anymore. The first tax record (''maakirja'') including Kemijärvi village is from 1631. Then the householder of the Halonen's farm was Paavo Paavonpoika (''Paavo's son'') Halonen, who probably was the son of the first inhabitant. His place of residence is known today as ''Halosenniemi''. Large part of the population in North East Lapland today can trace their ancestry back to the sons of Paavali Halonen. By emigration his descendants have also spread to Northern Norway among
Kvens, and to America.
External links
Paavali Halonen- Town of Kemijärvi
Paavali Halonen family society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halonen, Paavali
16th-century Finnish people
People from Kemijärvi
Settlers
Finnish guerrillas