ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Early Finnish wars

Okay, so a long time ago in a faraway land called Finland, there were a bunch of different groups of people who lived there. They each had their own language and culture, and they didn't always get along with each other.

Sometimes, these groups would go to war with each other. This means they would fight with weapons like swords and shields to try to take control of each other's land.

One of the earliest wars in Finland was between the Vikings, who were from Sweden, and the Finnish people who lived in the area. The Vikings wanted Finland to be part of their empire, but the Finnish people didn't like that idea very much.

Another war happened later on between Sweden and Russia. At that time, Finland was part of Sweden, so Russia and Sweden were fighting over who would control Finland. This war was really long and lasted for years, with lots of battles and fighting all over the country.

Eventually, Finland became its own independent country, but it still had to fight off invaders from other countries who wanted to take control. However, the Finnish people were brave and tough, and they were able to defend their land and keep it safe.