Gustav II Adolf –
The Lion from the North
Wednesday May 20th, 7 pm
House of Nobility
Lecturer: PhD, Docent Olli Bäckström
Music: performed by Ensemble Nylandia – Mats Lillhannus, voice; Mikko Ikäheimo, lute; Tatu Ahola, baroque cello; Petri Arvo, period wind instruments
Event curation and coordination: MS, Doctoral Researcher Pihla Pekonen
An event celebrating 400 years of history of the House of Nobility introduces the institution’s founder, the King of Sweden, Gustav II Adolf. He left his mark in history as a warlord who heroically defended the protestant belief in battle against the Holy Roman Empire. To equip his army to fight European superpowers, he needed to draw all imaginable resources from his own empire, necessarily also from its eastern parts which today form Finland. The King’s needs in the rural east lead to establishment of various levels of functioning infrastructure, which in time came to serve as a foundation of Finland the nation.
Olli Bäckström, a specialist in the history of the Thirty Years' War, serves as the speaker at the event. Ensemble Nylandia performs music from notable composers of the era, such as John Dowland, Jacob Van Eyck, Tobias Hume, Gabriel Bataille, and Pierre Guédron. Per Brahe the Younger, King’s trusted man, enters the intricate story through music of the event.
The lecture will be given in Finnish. The event includes an intermission and concludes at 9 pm.