The coat of arms of Karelia in Finland were first used in 1562, although the arms were probably presented at the burial of

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...

in 1560. The arms were used for the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

province of

Karelia Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for ...

and they have been used continuously since then. Variations of the arms are still used in two

regions of Finland Finland is divided into 19 regions ( fi, maakunta; sv, landskap)., smn, eennâmkodde, and sms, mäddkåʹdd. The regions are governed by regional councils that serve as forums of cooperation for the Municipalities of Finland, municipalities ...

North Karelia North Karelia ( fi, Pohjois-Karjala; sv, Norra Karelen) is a region in eastern Finland. It borders the regions of Kainuu, North Savo, South Savo and South Karelia, as well as Russia's Republic of Karelia. It is the easternmost region of Finlan ...

and

South Karelia South Karelia ( fi, Etelä-Karjala; sv, Södra Karelen) is a Regions of Finland, region of Finland. It borders the regions of Kymenlaakso, Southern Savonia, South Savo and North Karelia, as well as Russia (Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Obla ...

, in which the North Karelian version is the original one. Modern-day North Karelia wasn't part of the Swedish Kingdom until 1617, when Sweden gained the area from Russia following the

Treaty of Stolbovo The Treaty of Stolbovo () was a peace treaty that ended the Ingrian War (), which had been fought between the Swedish Empire and the Russian Tsardom between 1610 and 1617. History After nearly two months of negotiations, representatives from Swe ...

. Modern-day South Karelia belonged to Sweden from 1323 to 1743, when Russia annexed territory from Sweden following the Russo-Swedish War of 1741-1743. This region was given to the

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecessor ...

by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

in 1812 as a gesture of goodwill. The blazon for the arms may be translated as follows: ''A golden crown above two duelling arms, sinister gauntleted arm holding a sword and dexter mailed arm a scimitar, all silver except for golden hafts and gauntlet joint. Ducal coronet.'' The two hands holding a

sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

and a

scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...

are generally seen as symbol of

's position between the Swedish and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n realms. The

coat of arms of Finland The coat of arms of Finland is a crowned lion on a red field, the right foreleg replaced with an armoured human arm brandishing a sword, trampling on a sabre with the hindpaws. The coat of arms was originally created around the year 1580. Back ...

use the sword and scimitar in a similar manner. Image:Coat of Arms of Karelia.jpg, The Arms of Karelia on the tomb of Gustavus I (Uppsala cathedral, Sweden) Image:Karjalan historiallisen maakunnan vaakuna.svg, The Arms of the historical Province of Karelia Image:Pohjois-Karjala.vaakuna.svg, The Arms of the Finnish Region of North Karelia (the original type without the ducal coronet). Image:Etelä-Karjala.vaakuna.svg, The Arms of the Finnish Region of South Karelia.

External links

thisisFINLAND - Coat of Arms of Finland

Karelia

{{Heraldry-stub

See also

External links