Tavastians ( fi, Hämäläiset, sv, Tavaster, russian: Емь, Yem, Yam) are a historic people and a modern subgroup (heimo) of the

Finnish people Finns or Finnish people ( fi, suomalaiset, ) are a Baltic Finnic ethnic group native to Finland. Finns are traditionally divided into smaller regional groups that span several countries adjacent to Finland, both those who are native to these ...

. They live in areas of the historical province of Tavastia (Häme) and speak

Tavastian dialects Tavastian dialects ( fi, Hämäläismurteet) are Western Finnish dialects spoken in parts of Western and Southern Finland. The dialect spoken in the city of Tampere is part of the Tavastian dialects. The Tavastian dialects have influenced other Fi ...

History

Hämäläisiä kansanpukuja ja iltatoimia 1878

Tavastia (''Häme'' in

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

) has been inhabited since the early

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...

. The core area of ancient Tavastia was formed around

Lake Vanajavesi Vanajavesi is a large lake in southern Finland, in the provinces of Pirkanmaa and Kanta-Häme. It is part of the Kokemäenjoki basin. The lake gathers waters from a wide area in the regions of Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper and parts of the Päijänn ...

. Example of organised cooperation of iron age Tavastians are the

hillfort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

s that form a clear line in south-north direction around

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of Kanta-Häme in the south of F ...

. Most remarkable from these hillforts is the

Rapola Castle Rapola hill fort ( fi, Rapolan linnavuori) is a hill fort in Sääksmäki in the municipality of Valkeakoski, Finland. Its walls have circled an area of 58 000 square meters and it is the biggest hill fort found in Finland. In 1921 senator and a ...

which is the biggest hillfort found in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, but also Tenhola hillfort in

Hattula Hattula is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is part of the Tavastia Proper regions of Finland, region and until 2010 it was located in the provinces of Finland, province of Southern Finland. Hattula is almost completely surr ...

and

Hakoinen Castle Hakoinen Castle (''Hakoisten linnavuori'' in Finnish) is the ruins of a fortification on a hill in Janakkala, Finland. Dated to the medieval period, the fortification was situated on a very steep-sided rock by Lake Kernaala (''Kernaalanjärvi'') in ...

were important fortresses. Villages were often developed around the fortresses and for example

and Vanaja-Janakkala had their beginning in this way. In historical sources Tavastians are first time mentioned in 1042. Possibly the oldest known road of Finland,

Hämeen härkätie Hämeen Härkätie (Oxen Road of Tavastia) is an ancient road in Finland, connecting Turku in Finland Proper to Hämeenlinna in Tavastia Proper. The 162 kilometers long road has been in use at the latest in the 9th century and in many parts it ha ...

(the Ox road of Tavastia) connected Tavastia with the western coast of Finland. First signs of Christianity can be dated to the 11th century. The Primary Chronicle and

Novgorod First Chronicle The Novgorod First Chronicle (russian: Новгородская первая летопись) or The Chronicle of Novgorod, 1016–1471 is the most ancient extant Old Russian chronicle of the Novgorodian Rus'. It reflects a tradition different ...

describe Tavastians in frequent conflicts with

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

and

Karelians Karelians ( krl, karjalaižet, karjalazet, karjalaiset, Finnish: , sv, kareler, karelare, russian: Карелы) are a Finnic ethnic group who are indigenous to the historical region of Karelia, which is today split between Finland and Russi ...

as well as other

Baltic Finns The Baltic Finnic or Balto-Finnic peoples, also referred to as the Baltic Sea Finns, Baltic Finns, sometimes Western Finnic and often simply as the Finnic peoples, are the peoples inhabiting the Baltic Sea region in Northern and Eastern Europe ...

from 11th to 14th century.

References

Ethnic groups in Finland {{finland-stub