Description of the Product This book is about the lives of ordinary Finns over a period of 500 years. Please note this book is only available in Finnish! We often remember history through kings and noble families — but what was life really like for ordinary Finns? The History of Common Finns shifts the focus from palaces to parishes, tracing the lives of three families from the 1400s to the early 1800s, during the era of the Finnish War. One family lived in the riverine culture of western Finland, another among the lakes of the Saimaa region in the east, and the third along the coast in the town of Kokkola. Through these families, the book brings to life the full richness and hardship of the common people’s experience. They lived through major upheavals such as the Club War, the strict orthodoxy of the Lutheran Church, the devastation of the Great Northern War, and the economic growth that followed. They farmed the land, embraced new luxuries like glass windows and spirits, adopted noble fashions and dances, and dealt with the everyday concerns of marriage, taxes, military conscription, and how best to use the profits of better years. Vivid and deeply human, this sweeping work offers an unforgettable portrait of Finnish daily life across five centuries — not as seen from the throne, but from the ground. Author: Perttu Immonen Publisher: Atena Paperback, 639 pages
