Österland

Österland ('Eastland') was a medieval term used for the southern part of Finland, one of the four traditional lands of Sweden.

Due to the Northern Crusades against Finns, Tavastians and Karelians and the Swedish Colonisation during the 13th century, the Kingdom of Sweden and the Catholic Church incorporated Southern Finland.

In the wake of the crusades, possibly thousands of Christian Swedish settlers gradually moved into the western and southern coasts of Österlanden (now Finland) from the 13th century onwards until the 1350s.

[2] There is no conclusive archaeological or toponymical proof of Norse-speaking inhabitants in Finland during earlier times outside Åland.

[citation needed] On 15 February 1362, when King Haakon was elected as co-regent with his father Magnus Eriksson at the Mora Meadow, he delivered a proclamation in which he granted Österland, then corresponding to the diocese of Turku, a permanent right to take part in the election of the Swedish kings.