Pekka Vesainen

Pekka Antinpoika Vesainen ("Pekka, son of Antti Vesainen") or (as a character in a historical novel by Santeri Ivalo) Juho Vesainen (c. 1540 Utajärvi — c. 1627 Utajärvi) was a famous 16th century Finnish freedom fighter and guerrilla chief during the "long wrath" or "pitkä viha".

The long restlessness of Russo-Swedish war was worst among settlements in Northern Ostrobothnia region, which was officially then beyond the Russian border of the Treaty of Nöteborg. The long and cruel guerrilla war without any outside help created eventually need of warlords to take care of the protection of the settlers. The most famous of them was Pekka Vesainen.

A raiding party led by Vesainen, destroyed the Pechenga Monastery on December 25, 1589, killing 50 monks and 65 lay brothers. He then turned his troops to Kola Fjord but could not manage to destroy the Kola Fortress due to lack of men. Instead he captured and burned Kandalaksha (Kantalahti) and a small Russian settlement in Kem. Again, due to lack of men, he could not capture the Solovetsky Monastery on the Solovetsky Islands.