Call for Papers: Militarizing the Civil Society – Civilizing the Military Society

An international symposium arranged by the Finnish Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies and the project ‘Connections, associations and innovation: The case of the sea fortress Sveaborg, its foundation, socio-economic impact and innovative role ca. 1730–1809’ (funded by the Academy of Finland).

Helsinki, 3–4 October 2013 (House of Sciences and Letters) Continue reading “Call for Papers: Militarizing the Civil Society – Civilizing the Military Society”

Interdisciplinary meeting in maritime history and maritime archaelogy at the University of Helsinki: The 18th Century Baltic: Seafaring, Technology and Interaction

Friday, 23rd of November, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

University of Helsinki, Porthania, P II, Yliopistonkatu 3, Free admission, no registration

Programme

10.00             Opening. Professor, Head of Department, Hannes Saarinen, University of Helsinki

10.20             Professor Jari Ojala, University of Jyväskylä and BA Lauri Karvonen: Assessing the Reliability of the Sound Toll Accounts: Comparing the Data to the Swedish and Portuguese Sources Continue reading “Interdisciplinary meeting in maritime history and maritime archaelogy at the University of Helsinki: The 18th Century Baltic: Seafaring, Technology and Interaction”

Coming soon: The 18th Century Baltic: Seafaring, Technology and Interaction (23th November 2012 University of Helsinki)

Interdisciplinary meeting in maritime history and maritime archaeology at the University of Helsinki 23th November 2012. From 10 a.m. Porthania II

The 18th Century Baltic: Seafaring, Technology and Interaction

The founding of St Petersburg in 1703 was a major turning at the Baltic Region. The
narrow and notorious route through the Gulf of Finland to the rising capital of Russia became one of the most important passages in the world. The Dutch dominated the shipping to the mid18th century, but the British merchantmen were tracking and took the leading role towards the end of the century. The increase in tonnage meant increase in the amount of shipwrecks. Dutch merchantmen carrying their luxury cargoes to St Petersburg sailed in extremely difficult conditions. Disasters were common. On the other hand, to the coastal people wrecks were a gift from heaven and to the salvation companies (est.1734) lucrative venture. Continue reading “Coming soon: The 18th Century Baltic: Seafaring, Technology and Interaction (23th November 2012 University of Helsinki)”

The Swedish Land Survey (ca 1628 to 1809)

Andreas Bureus (d. 1646) had founded the Swedish Land Survey (Landtmäteristyrelsen) as early as 1628, but it wasn’t until the 1680s that the Swedish Land Survey became institutionalized and identified as a specific branch of the administration. During its rule (approx. 1620-1721) Sweden was geographically extensive but poor and sparsely populated, lacking in resources to create an efficient land survey office. It was not until the middle of the 18th century that the land survey office gained significant prestige and access to resources. Continue reading “The Swedish Land Survey (ca 1628 to 1809)”

Soldiers, traders and engineers. Military and urban society in early modern Europe (1500-1800)

Since  Roman times, militarization has played a central role in the foundations of urban Europe.  According to what is referred to as the new military history and its leading authors, Michael Roberts and Geoffrey Parker, militarization was a major factor behind the rise of the early modern states.  Innovations in firearms and new tactics also led to more sophisticated, technically oriented training and to the rise of large standing  armies. In the public sector, increasing military expenses brought about reorganization in administration (e.g. a population census) to strengthen  taxation. Furthermore, temporary recruited mercenaries were replaced by professionals with technical education. Continue reading “Soldiers, traders and engineers. Military and urban society in early modern Europe (1500-1800)”

The Mediterranean Origins of Early Modern Swedish Naval Innovations (1500-1800)

The Mediterranean has been the cradle of the naval innovations adopted to the Baltic since the times of the famous Swedish Gothic cartographer and historian Olaus Magnus (Carta Marina, The History of the Northern Peoples). According to Olaus Magnus the king of Sweden, Gustavus Vaasa, recruited Venetian galley masters from the Arsenal to Sweden in order to teach galley building. True or tale, as a fact remains, that Sweden created one of the biggest galley fleets in the 16th century. Continue reading “The Mediterranean Origins of Early Modern Swedish Naval Innovations (1500-1800)”

Tvärminne lecture: The Construction of Sveaborg – Geographic Perspectives of the Economic Impact

Abstract also of  my Tvärminne participation in 24.3.

My research focuses on the economic consequences of the construction of the sea fortress of Sveaborg, mainly during the first intense construction period in the 1750s. The fortress was one of the biggest economic investments in 18th century Sweden and the Crown purchased tons of materials and equipment. In which regions did people benefit economically from the construction works? Continue reading “Tvärminne lecture: The Construction of Sveaborg – Geographic Perspectives of the Economic Impact”

Tvärminne lecture: The Burghers of Helsinki During the Construction of the Sveaborg Fortress

Abstract of the lecture that I held 24.3. in Tvärminne, in the doctoral student workshop of the history research community in the University of Helsinki.

In my oncoming doctoral dissertation, I will examine the burghers of Helsinki during the construction of the Sveaborg fortress (ca. 1747-1809) from a social history perspective. My two main questions are: Continue reading “Tvärminne lecture: The Burghers of Helsinki During the Construction of the Sveaborg Fortress”