Slavery in Finland

While chattel slavery likely existed in Finland during the Viking Age, as it did in most cultures around the world at some point, historical evidence of slavery in Finland remains scarce. Legally, the practice ended in 1335 when King Magnus Eriksson banned slavery throughout Sweden, including Finland, which was part of the Swedish realm from the Middle Ages.

As a religious and political border zone, Finland played a role in the history of slavery as a source of slaves. Initially, it was one of the few remaining pagan areas in Europe, situated between Christian Sweden and Russia. After its Christianization, Finland became a frontier between Roman Catholic (and later Protestant) Europe to the west and Russian Orthodoxy to the east. Later, Finland was a borderland between Sweden and Russia, often serving as a battleground in their frequent conflicts.

Finland's position made it vulnerable to slave raids. These raids typically came from Russia, where Finnish captives were either enslaved locally or trafficked further south to the Black Sea region, Central Asia and the Middle East. This trade is known to have continued until the 18th century, reaching its most intense phase during the Russian occupation of Finland in the Great Northern War—a period known as the Great Wrath.

As Swedish citizens, individual Finns played a role in the Swedish slave trade and Swedish colonialism. Slavery-related money entered the Finnish economy and slave-produced goods were imported to Finland. Some historians assert that the focus on the enslavement of Finns has been politicized to redirect attention away from Finnish involvement in the Atlantic slave trade.