@TheDungen Yes it's true, there is Germanic substrata in Finnish language and Germanic place-names. There was probably small slip of coastline inhabited by Germanics before Finnic peoples arrived. However it would not be correct to say 'Finland was Swedish before it was Finnish) as concepts of 'Finland' and 'Sweden' were completely anachronistic in that era.
Most of the Finland was Sami before it was Finnish, Sami place names encompass nearly all of Finland.
Re. taxing the Sami, EVERYONE did it. The Finns, Swedes, Danes/Norwegians, Karelians (later Russians)...some villages such Anaar (Inari) were visited by three tax collectors per year: first came a Finnish one and took most, then came Danish one and took what was left, then came a Russian and squeezed the every last bit out of the poor villagers...and the next year, the cycle began anew...
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@TheDungen Yes it's true, there is Germanic substrata in Finnish language and Germanic place-names. There was probably small slip of coastline inhabited by Germanics before Finnic peoples arrived. However it would not be correct to say 'Finland was Swedish before it was Finnish) as concepts of 'Finland' and 'Sweden' were completely anachronistic in that era.
Most of the Finland was Sami before it was Finnish, Sami place names encompass nearly all of Finland.
Re. taxing the Sami, EVERYONE did it. The Finns, Swedes, Danes/Norwegians, Karelians (later Russians)...some villages such Anaar (Inari) were visited by three tax collectors per year: first came a Finnish one and took most, then came Danish one and took what was left, then came a Russian and squeezed the every last bit out of the poor villagers...and the next year, the cycle began anew...