Tavastia (historical province) in the context of Savonia (historical province)

Satakunta (Swedish: Satakunda) is a historical province of Finland consisting of the regions of Satakunta and a majority of Pirkanmaa, as well as consisting of the municipalities of Soini and Ähtäri of South Ostrobothnia, Keuruu and Multia of Central Finland, as well as Loimaa and Oripää of Southwest Finland. The historical province is bordered by the historical provinces of Tavastia, Ostrobothnia and Finland Proper. The total area of the historical province is about 24,300 km (9,388/sq mi).

Ostrobothnia (Swedish: Österbotten; Finnish: Pohjanmaa) is a historical province comprising a large portion of western and northern Finland. Before the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in 1809, Ostrobothnia was part of Sweden. It is bounded by Karelia, Savo, Tavastia (Häme) and Satakunta in the south, the Bothnian Sea, Bothnian Bay and Swedish Norrbotten in the west, Lapland in the north and Russia in the east.

Savo, or Savonia (Finnish: Savo; Swedish: Savolax), is a historical province in the east of Finland. It borders Tavastia, Ostrobothnia and Karelia. Savo is now divided into two provinces: North Savo and South Savo. The largest cities in Savo by population are Kuopio, Mikkeli, Savonlinna, Varkaus and Iisalmi.

Forest Finns (Finnish: metsäsuomalaiset, Norwegian bokmål: skogfinner, Norwegian nynorsk: skogfinnar, Swedish: skogsfinnar) were Finnish migrants from Savonia and Northern Tavastia in Finland who settled in forest areas of Sweden proper and Norway during the late 16th and early-to-mid-17th centuries, and traditionally pursued slash-and-burn agriculture, a method used for turning forests into farmlands. By the late 18th century, the Forest Finns had become largely assimilated into the Swedish and Norwegian cultures, and their language, a variety of Savonian Finnish (Värmland Savonian dialect), is today extinct, although it survived among a tiny minority until the 20th century. Descendants of the Forest Finns still live in Sweden and Norway.

The Second Swedish Crusade was a military expedition by the Kingdom of Sweden into Tavastia (Häme) in southern Finland described by Erik's Chronicle. According to the chronicle, the Swedes defeated the pagan Tavastians under the leadership of Birger Jarl, and started building a castle in Tavastia.

The expedition has traditionally been dated to 1249–1250 based on the chronology of the chronicle. However, some researchers have suggested that the expedition instead took place already in 1238–1239, shortly after the Tavastian uprising and before the Battle of the Neva against the Novgorod Republic. The castle that the Swedes began constructing during the expedition has traditionally been identified as Häme Castle, but it may also have been the older Hakoinen Castle.

The Tavastians (Finnish: hämäläiset; Swedish: Tavaster) were an ancient Finnish tribe that inhabited the historical province of Tavastia (Finnish: Häme). In Russian sources, they are called Yem (Емь) or Yam (Ямь), but the term later disappeared from the Russian language after Finland was incorporated into the Swedish realm. The Tavastians are often noted for their conflicts with Novgorod.

The Tavastians are also a modern subgroup of the Finnish people, distinguished by their use of Tavastian dialects.

Finland Proper or Southwest Finland (Finnish: Varsinais-Suomi; Swedish: Egentliga Finland) is a historical province in southwestern Finland, administered by its historic capital of Turku (Swedish: Åbo). Before the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in 1809, it was part of Sweden. It borders Satakunta, Tavastia (Häme), and Uusimaa. It is also bounded by the Baltic Sea facing Åland. The historical provinces have no administrative function today but live on as a historical legacy in Finland and Sweden.

The modern region of Southwest Finland largely corresponds to the historical province. However, the modern region includes Loimaa, which was historically part of Satakunta, and Somero, which historically belonged to Tavastia.

Heinola (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈhei̯nolɑ]) is a town and a municipality of 17,746 inhabitants (30 June 2025) located in the eastern part of the Päijät-Häme region, Finland, near the borders of the South Savo region and the Kymenlaakso region. It is the third largest municipality in the region in terms of population after Lahti and Hollola. The neighbour municipalities of Heinola are Asikkala, Hartola, Iitti, Kouvola, Mäntyharju, Nastola, Pertunmaa and Sysmä.

In the coat of arms of Heinola, the Tavastia's provincial animal, the Eurasian lynx, crosses a fess resembling an arch bridge; it refers to the Jyränkö Bridge (Jyrängönsilta) from 1932, which crosses Jyrängönvirta, the smaller part of the Kymi River. The coat of arms was designed by Gustaf von Numers and approved by the Heinola Town Council at its meeting on 23 September 1958. The coat of arms was approved for use by the Ministry of the Interior on 11 November of the same year.