Savonians are descendants of
Tavastian and Karelian peasants who, during the
Middle Ages, had settled in the areas that would later become known as
Savonia in order to find new lands suitable for
slash-and-burn agriculture. The
Treaty of Nöteborg split the area between
Sweden and
Novgorod Republic, Savonia going to Sweden and Karelia to Novgorod. This tied Savonia to the Finnish language and Lutheran religion. While Savonia as a region was first mentioned in writing in 1323 in the treaty, Savonians as a separate group emerged around the year 1700 as a result of the mixing of Karelians and Tavastians. Savo already had fast settlements in 500 CE. Genetically, it was thought that Savo was populated mainly by
South Karelians but DNA research has shown that under sixth of the population originates from Karelia and most are from
Tavastia or belong to an older Sámi population in the region. During 16th and 17th centuries, many Savonians emigrated to Eastern Norway and Central Sweden where they became known as the
Forest Finns. In the 17th century, there was also a migration to
Swedish Ingria (now part of Russia), where they became known as
Savakot and collectively known as the
Ingrian Finns together with the
Äyrämöiset (Finnish Karelians). ==Description and stereotypes==