In the Holy Land (1095–1291) Later Crusades (1291–1717) Northern (1147–1410) Against Christians (1204–1588) Popular (1096–1320) The Third Swedish Crusade to Finland was a Swedish military expedition against the pagan Karelians from 1293 to 1295 in which the Swedes successfully expanded their borders eastwards and gained further control of their lands in Finland.

Viborg Castle was established in 1293 on the site of a destroyed Karelian fort as the easternmost outpost of the medieval Kingdom of Sweden.

[5] Birger Magnusson, King of Sweden (1290 to 1318), stated in a letter of 4 March 1295 that the motive of the crusade was long-time banditry and looting in the Baltic Sea region by Karelians, and the fact that they had taken Swedes and other travellers as captives and then tortured them.

A Swedish hegemony over the place would mean that Sweden and the Catholic Church's control over West Karelia would be secured This campaign is not particularly well described in the chronicles.

[7] There are indications that the Swedish side was also building a new stronghold at Ladoga, at the place where today's Taipale is located.

We do not know who Viborg's first chieftain was, but the Rim chronicle says that he "dared to see an angry heathen in his sight", which probably means that he was a brave man.

After an assault, Kexholm was conquered and the Swedes established a garrison in the fortress under the command of Sigge Lake.

[14] The Swedish Regent in 1300 sent another army that built a fortress called Landskrona on an island in the Neva River.

The Swedes initially repelled a siege of the fortress but after leaving a garrison behind it was seized by an army from Novgorod in the following year and razed.