David's Rebellion () also known as the Peasants' Revolt of 1438 was a

peasant revolt This is a chronological list of revolts organized by peasants. Background The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including: * Tax resistance * So ...

from 1438 to 1439 in Upper Satakunta, spreading from

Vesilahti Vesilahti (, also ) is a municipality in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. It lies to the southwest of the regional capital, Tampere. The population of Vesilahti is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximat ...

Lempäälä Lempäälä () is a municipality in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. It lies south of the regional capital, Tampere. The population of Lempäälä is approximately , while the Tampere metropolitan area, metropolitan area has a population ...

. The rebellion was propagated by David of Ania, also called Crazy David of Upper Satakunta, who was a peasant leader, in response to increased tax burdens.

Background

David was a wealthy householder of the Heikkilä estate from Ania village in

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. He along with other people who were of the

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

ry, had become frustrated with the increased tightening of taxation. The anger of the peasantry was only increased by the weakening of the

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and the increased

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by the

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of important lands such as fishing waters and economically important lands owned or controlled by the peasantry. This anger was often directed at wealthy nobility and

tax officials A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax comp ...

, such as Hans Kröpelin, who was the Chief of

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. It is also thought by some that David was involved as a political agent who was paid to stir up trouble by

Karl Knutsson Bonde Karl Knutsson Bonde ( 1408–1470), also known as Charles VIII and called Charles I in Norwegian contexts, was King of Sweden (1448–1457, 1464–1465 and 1467–1470) and King of Norway (1449–1450). He rose in Swedish politics beca ...

Rebellion

The rebellion began in autumn 1438, and the rebellion's leader was chosen to be David, who was proclaimed the "peasant king" (''bondekonung)'' by his fellow rebels. He and his rebels went on to Viikki Manor (located in present-day

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) and killed four soldiers ( huovi who were in service of Jöns Turensson (Odygd), a member of the Folkunga family. The rebels went on to loot other manors in

Pirkkala Pirkkala (; ) is a municipality in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. It lies to the southwest of the regional capital, Tampere. The population of Pirkkala is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . I ...

. Along with the rebellion in Upper Satakunta, there was another rebellion in

Lammi Lammi (, also ) is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with Hämeenlinna on 2009-01-01. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region. The municipality had a population of 5,507 (2 ...

in anger towards Olav Tavast, who is reported to have thought that David's rebellion was a joke, which is why they reportedly also revolted. The peasant revolt was tamed by Maunu II Tavast, who was the

Bishop of Turku The Archdiocese of Turku (, ), historically known as '' Archdiocese of Åbo'', is the seat of the Archbishop of Turku. It is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and its see city is Turku. The Archbishop has many administrative ...

and by Hans Kröpelin by inviting the rebels to discuss tax reductions at Lempäälä. Ultimately the peasant rebels were given a lenient punishment of having some of their land such as

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

s, handed over to the Folkunga family manor for their misdeeds, and the peasants were

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ed and they were forced to promise to never rise up against the

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again, on 9 January. The rebels signed the following document in the Parish of Lempäälä, which was drawn up by Magnus II Tavast: David and his brethren were forced to flee to

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to avoid a harsh punishment, however David's family was allowed to keep their farm in Ania.

References

{{Reflist Wars involving Finland Peasant revolts Conflicts in 1438 Conflicts in 1439 15th-century rebellions 15th century in Finland 1438 in Europe 1439 in Europe Wars involving Sweden Finland–Sweden relations Rebellions in Finland Wars involving the Kalmar Union Rebellions in Sweden

Background

Rebellion

See also

References