Cudgel War
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The Club War (also Cudgel War, Finnish Nuijasota, Swedish Klubbekriget) was a 1596 peasant uprising in the kingdom of Sweden against the exploitation by the nobility and military in what is today Finland. The name of the uprising derives from the fact that the peasants could not afford Zweihander swords, mounts and lances or muskets that could reliably penetrate the plate armor of the swedish knights, thus they armed themselves with maces, iron cudgels and other blunt weapons. The peasants took up residence in Nokia Manor and won several skirmishes against the cavalry, but were decisively defeated by Clas Fleming on January 1-2, 1597. Thousands of clubmen were slain and their fled leader, Jaakko Ilkka, was captured a few weeks later and executed.
At first glance the war may look like an ordinary rebellion started by unsatisfied peasants. However there was much more to it. In the background was the power struggle of two aspirants of power: King Sigismund III Vasa, who was supported by the Finnish nobility, and Duke Carl(later Charles IX of Sweden), who encouraged the peasants to revolt, hoping to ascend to the throne through rebellion. The war got its name from the spiked clubs that the peasants used. Cudgels were the only effective weapon available to the peasants against the heavy armour of the knights.
The Cudgel War started on the 25th of November in 1596 and ended on the 24th of February, 1597. During those three months almost three thousand people, 1,5 % of the population, lost their lives. The same percentage in today's Finland would be the death of around 75,000 people, which is close to the number of casualties Finland suffered during the Second World War.
The war started in southern Ostrobothnia on the 25th of November in 1596. The peasants were led by a merchant called Jaakko Ilkka. He was opposed by soldiers led by Lord Clas Fleming, Governor at Åbo, Marshal of Sweden and Admiral of the Royal fleet. Fleming had incarcerated Ilkka before accusing him of rebellious acts but Ilkka had escaped.
The first to meet Fleming's army on the battlefield was the peasant force led by Pentti Pouttu, he met a 300-strong cavalry squadron led by Akseli Kurki. Without fortifications the peasants were no match for the trained cavalrymen and were soundly beaten. On New Year's Eve the main force, led by Jaakko Ilkka, met Fleming and his troops in Nokia. Fleming had around 3000 men against some 2500 peasants. The battle lasted for most of the day. In the end Fleming ordered the peasants to lay down their weapons. He promised to let the men go free on the condition that they would surrender their leaders to him and rebel no more. Many peasants tried to flee in secret but Fleming noticed the attempt and ordered a charge. Running men were an easy game for the cavalry: around 500 peasants were caught and killed during the flight from Nokia to Jalasjärvi. It was a poor start for the New Year of 1597. Jaakko Ilkka and the leaders of the rebellion were later captured in Ostrobothnia and executed in the last days of January.
It is also notable that the Cudgel war was the only major rebellion in Finland during the 600 years Finland was a part of Sweden. Though it mainly was a war between the Finnish nobility, mainly Swedish-speaking and of Swedish origin, and the peasant population, mainly but not entirely Finnish speaking. It has for some people opposing Swedish influence in Finnish history become a symbol against it in the same way the legend of Lalli has.
↑ Names recorded in the conflict differ between history-writing in Sweden and in Finland. Clas Eriksson Fleming is more often referred to, partly erroneously, by the Finnish version of his name "Klaus Fleming", this article uses his original Swedish name. Whereas Jaakko Ilkka is refferef to in Swedish by Jacob Ilkka, or Jakob Bengtsson Ilkka.
