a safe haven in the shadow of war? – mia korpiola 93 The dynastic future of the Vasas was hardly secure. If the young king failed in portraying himself as a good and just ruler, the loyalty of the people might be transferred elsewhere. The royal bureaucracy needed to be perceived as serving the king and people instead of unjustly enriching themselves by robbing the populace. Moreover, less than two decades ago, much of Finland had been in uproar during the so-called “Club War” in 1596 – 1597, the last big peasant revolt not only in the Swedish realm, but in Europe. It was largely caused by the economic strain on the population because of the long war against Russia (1590 –1595) that had required the upkeep of troops locally – especially in Finland – and not without abuses of the system by the military. As the burden had continued even after peace had been restored by the 1595 treaty of Teusina, its justification waned. The following rising resulted in the death of possibly up to 3,000 Finnish peasants, to which the adherents of Duke Karl of Södermanland referred as the “wretched murder” of peasants by the pro-Sigismundian party.261 Against this background, it was imperative for the Swedish war effort that the provinces be kept calm and their grievances promptly addressed before things could escalate. There had recently been trouble in the province of Dalarna, the copper mining district that was so crucial for the Swedish war effort. Dalarna had experienced a revolt because of problems relating to the levying of troops, mass desertions and liberating prisoners from prisons.262 The aftermath of the disturbances in Dalarna had partly been dealt with by the Diet of 1614, partly by special commissioners, and the final adjudication supervised by the new Court of Appeal in the summer session as mentioned above. Also in the autumn of 1614, some Stockholm burghers also rioted (Tumult) against the King’s Trade Ordinance of 1614 and were sentenced by the Court of Appeal.263 Royal and local officials were accused by the Crown Prosecutor of forging court records, of unlawful sentencing or freeing prisoners, of not delivering their account books to be controlled by the Treasury and other abuses of power.264 Some of the most complicated disputes during the Court’s autumn sessions involved the complaints of the inhabitants of the Åland islands against their present and former bailiffs with their staff. 261 E.g., Ylikangas, Heikki 1999; Katajala, Kimmo 2004 pp. 153-159. 262 See, e.g., Roberts, Michael 1953 pp. 120-122. 263 RA, SHA, A I a 1:1, 155v-158v, 171v. 264 E.g., RA, SHA, A I a 1:1, fols. 33v, 119r-121v, 136r-142r.
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