Historical provinces of Finland
The historical provinces (Finnish: historialliset maakunnat, singular historiallinen maakunta, Swedish: historiska landskap) are former administrative or cultural areas[1] of Finland, with origins from the slottslän (linnalääni) of the Middle Ages.
[2] The historical provinces ceased to be administrative entities in 1634 when they were superseded by the counties, a reform which remained in force in Finland until 1997.
Most of the historical provinces are defined by slottslän (linnalääni), which was an administrative system established by Birger Jarl and King Magnus III of Sweden.
Such as in Zacharias Topelius' Maamme, where the Finnish tribes based on historical provinces and their perceived stereotypes played a central role in the book.
[4] At the funeral of King Gustav Vasa in 1560, the coats of arms for the provinces were displayed together for the first time and several of them had been granted for that particular occasion.
(the borders of modern regions with yellow colour)
