273 Summary Seventeenth CenturyJurisprudence in Finland. Reflections on the Source Materials and the Current State of Research BY PROFESSOR YRJO BLOMSTEDT Situated in the northeastern corner of Europe, Finland in the seventeenth century — at that time an integrated part of the Swedish realm — was still far fromthe continental learned centers. It was only slowly that waves of newideas and newknowledge reached Finland. Already at the beginning of the century a fewFinns studied lawat Germanor Dutchuniversities, but their influenceupon the development of legal thinking, teaching, and studies was unportant. Finland’s first university was opened in 1640. Theinitial holder of the chair of jurisprudence was Johannes Olai Dalekarlus (later Stiernhöök), who is known as »The Father of Swedish Legal Flistory». His major work, the famous De jure Sweonumac Gothorumvetusto, printed in 1672, originated primarily from his lectures at Åbo (Turku). In spite of this fact, Dalekarlus, who spent most of his time occupied with other important duties in Stockholm, did not play a preeminent role in Finnish legal history. In fact, thepossibilities of studying lawat Åbowerevery limiteduntil the end of the 1640’s, as the university library didnot containany books onjurisprudence. The first judicial tractates were obtained in 1647. These books, the spoils of war, were taken by Finnish-Swedish forces from the library of the Bishop of Aarhus (Denmark), fromtheJesuit College at Olmiitz, and from the Dietrichstein family library in the castle of Nikolsburg, the latter two both located in Moravia. This arsenal of primarily German legal literature (for example, works of Schneidevin, Wesenbec, Treutler, Klingius, Goeddes, AntonMathiae, Sr. and Jr., Timaeus Faber, and Portius were included) was effectively used by Dalekarlus’ successor. Dr. Michael Wexionius (later GyldenStålpe) in some dozen juridical dissertations. He had studied in Germany, especially in Marburg, and in the dissertations writtenby him and his productive pupils, Johannes Gartzius and Jakobus Chronander, the works of continental authors were often quoted 8
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