Hakkapeliitta

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The Hakkapeliittas' homecoming (a statue) by sculptor Pentti Papinaho
The Hakkapeliittas' homecoming (a statue) by sculptor Pentti Papinaho

Hakkapeliitta (plural Hakkapeliitat) was the term used in the Holy Roman Empire for a Finnish light cavalryman in the service of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (a.k.a. Sweden-Finland) during the Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648). A Hakkapeliitta was also known as a Hackapelit, Hackapelite, Haccapelit, or Haccapelite.

The hakkapeliitat were first used during the Polish-Swedish Wars of the late 1500s. In the early 17th century the cavalry led by the Swedish-Finnish Field Marshal Jacob De la Gardie conquered the Russian cities Novgorod and Moscow. The Hakkapeliitta cavalry men led by the Finnish Field Marshal Gustaf Horn were vital to the Swedish victories in Germany during the Thirty Years' War.

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[edit] Tactics

The Hakkapeliitat were well-trained Finnish light cavalrymen who excelled in sudden and savage attacks, raiding and reconnaissance. The term hakkapeliitta comes from the Finnish war cry hakkaa päälle (English: hack on or hit on; Swedish: hacka på), but most commonly translated as "Cut them down!"

The greatest advantage of the fast and lightly-armored Hakkapeliitta cavalry was its charge. They typically had a sword, a helmet, and leather armor or a breastplate of steel. They would attack at a full gallop, fire the first pistol at twenty paces and the second at five paces, and then draw the sword. The horse itself was used like another weapon, as it was used to trample enemy infantry.

The horses used by the Hakkapeliitat were known as Finnhorses, a strong and durable breed larger than the neighboring Swedish counterpart.

[edit] Organization

The Swedish army then had three cavalry regiments from Finland:

Their most famous commander was Torsten Stålhandske, who was commissioned as a lieutenant-colonel with the Nyland and Tavastehus Cavalry Regiment in 1629 and led it for the first time in the Thirty Years' War.

The original provincial regiments (landskapsregementen) had been raised by splitting the old Grand regiments (Storregementen, also "Land regiments" (landsregementen), organized by Gustavus Adolphus at the end of the 1610s, forming 21 infantry and eight cavalry regiments as written in the Swedish constitution of 1634.

[edit] Famous battles

The main battles in which the Hakkapeliitat took part during the Thirty Years' War were:

200 Hakkapeliitta were also part of the army which King Karl X Gustav of Sweden led across two ice-frozen Danish straits in the winter of 1658, enabling him to conquer Skåneland from Denmark in the Treaty of Roskilde.

[edit] Reputation

Because of their strength, camaraderie, and battlefield success, the Hakkapeliitta were well-respected by their adversaries.[citation needed]. Hakkapeliittas did not have any special repuation in Central Europe. They are mentioned only in few contemporary European sources. [1]

It was said by their enemies that the Hakkapeliitat were invulnerable because of witchcraft[citation needed]; prayers said in Roman Catholic churches in Germany during the Thirty Years' War specifically mention them:

"A horribile Haccapaelitorum agmine libera nos, Domine".
("O Lord, deliver us from the terrible army of the Haccapelites")[citation needed]

Famous and influential Hakkapeliitat and their descendants include Anders Hackzelius, the curator of the Swedish Empire in the 1660s.

[edit] Hakkapeliittain Marssi

One of the Finnish cavalry's battle marches, the "Hakkapeliittain Marssi", became popular with military bands and is one of the oldest currently played. It was given lyrics (in Swedish) in 1872 by Zacharias Topelius and is commonly known as the "March of the Finnish Cavalry during the Thirty Years War". The Prussian army officially adopted it for use in 1891; it is now a standard of the German marching band repertoire.

The march is the official regimental march of the Swedish 19th Infantry regiment, "I19".

The Finnish composer Uuno Klami developed a free orchestral version of this theme under the title "Suomalaisen ratsuväen marssi" ("March of the Finnish Cavalry" op. 28) in 1939. The Finnish poet Eino Leino published another "Hakkapeliittain Marssi" as part of a collection by the name of Tähtitarha ("Garden of stars") in 1912.

Names of the song in different languages:

  • Finnish: Suomalaisen ratsuväen marssi 30-vuotisessa sodassa
  • Swedish: Finska Rytteriets Marsch i trettioåriga kriget (see Swedish Wikipedia article)
  • German: Marsch der Finnländischen Reiterei im 30-jährigen Kriege or Schwedischer Reitermarsch ("Swedish Cavalry March")

[edit] Finnish lyrics

On Pohjolan hangissa meill' isänmaa
sen rannalla loimuta lietemme saa
käs' säilöjä käyttäiss' on varttunut siell'
on kunnialle, uskolle hehkunut miel'
Kun ratsujamme Nevan vuossa uitettihin
kuin häihin se ui yli Veikselinkin;
Ja kalpamme kostavan Reinille toi
ja Tonavasta Keisarin maljan se joi!

Alternative lyrics

On pohjolan hangissa maa isien
saa loimuta lietemme rannoilla sen
me kasvoimme kalpaan mi mainetta suo
ja uskon huomisen kun sä luontoomme luot
Ja ratsuamme Nevan vuossa juotettihin
se uljaasti ui yli Leipz-Erikin!
Se kalpamme Reinin rannalle toi
ja Tonavasta Keisarin maljan se joi!
Yli rovion tuhkan kun karautamme
tuli kipunoi kavioista ratsujemme!
Ja missä nämä säilämme säihkyy ja lyö
siel vapaus on kallistunut ja väistyköön!

[edit] Original Swedish lyrics

Den snöiga nord är vårt fädernesland,
där sprakar vår härd på den stormiga strand,
där växte vid svärdet vår seniga arm,
där glödde för tro och för ära vår barm.
Vi vattnade i Nevans bad vår frustande häst
han sam över Weichseln så glad som till fest,
han bar över Rhen vårt hämnande stål,
han drack utur Donau kejsarens skål.

[edit] Literal English translation

In the snowdrifts of the North we have our Fatherland
Our hearths may glow by its shore,
Wielding swords (one) has grown stong there
And the mind has glown with Honour and Faith
When we swam our Horses in Neva's flow
As if going to a wedding he swam across the Vistula, too
And our vengeful blade he brought to the Rhein
And he drank the Emperor's Toast from the Danube.

[edit] Poetic English translation

Source: [1]

Our homeland lies in the snows of the North;
the hearth of the home glowing warm and strong
Our hand has grown sure with playing the sword
and honour and pure faith lies in our record
At the river Neva our mounts did draw their first blood
like in a wedding march they went across the Vistula flood
Our swords they did bring to the Rhineland's coast
and by the Danube they raised up the Emperor's toast!

[edit] Trivia

  • The name Hakkapeliitta was also taken up by Nokian Tyres in 1936 for its winter tires.[2]
  • The name "Hakkapeliitta" was also used by the weekly magazine of the Finnish voluntary Home Guard organisation (Suojeluskunnat) from 1926 until 1944.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.helsinki.fi/hum/hist/yhd/julk/arviot/jtl.html (in Finnish)
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