The Hakkapeliittas – brutally infamous Finnish cavalry

#finnishhistory #hakkapeliitta

The hakkapeliitta riders are no doubt the most famous unit of Finnish military history before the Second World War. So let’s take a look at these harbingers of death from the battlefields of the Thirty Years’ War. In this video we will look at the history, tactics, equipment and reputation of the famous Finnish mounted harbingers of death, as well as their famous war cry "Hakkaa päälle, pohjan poika!"

00:00 Hakkapeliittas – the infamous Finnish cavalry
00:40 Thirty Years' War and Europe in the 1600s
01:36 How did one become a Hakkapeliitta?
02:53 Arms & armor of the hakkapeliittas
06:10 How did the hakkapeliittas fight?

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Music by Karneh

Additional sound effects from Zapsplat:

[Anttimation]

This illustration is available as an A4 print.

[ionnmaur]

Love the way the narration began with a very subtle "no niin". 😄

[SootuKoll]

As an estonian I can't possibly convey how much I love finnish humor (and the metal, of course)! Great channel - will be ordering some merch.

[The_WatchList]

I found this video at random and now I want to watch everything you have about Finland. Half of my mother's family in Montana/Alaska, America are Finnish. I have never heard much about or been taught what it means to be Finnish or who we are, even though I am Finnish. Hoping to learn some now. Thank you and God bless

[sweoli]

Hakka päälle my Finnish brothers! Greetings from Sweden! Great video as always. Sad too see so many negative people in the comments. Your doing a great job keep it up!

[Lohjangrilli]

Vihdoin hakkapeliitoille arvoisensa video. Kiitos siitä

[Sotamursu]

Nice job on this informative video! I would translate "Hakkaa päälle" in a different way, since "get them" sounds way nicer than the finnish version. "Hack them up, son of the north!" sounds closer to the original finnish cry. In finnish you would often use the word "hakkaa" when cutting down or *hacking* trees in a forest, and that is what they are going to do to their enemies.

[heh]

Ei voitettu Tsekkiä vastaan Prahassa lätkää pelaamalla, mutta sentään saatiin vallattua kaupunki ruotsalaisten kanssa 400 vuotta sitten :D

[MalkWilliams]

Kiitos videosta, se oli tosi mielenkiintoinen. Tiesin melkein mitään Suomesta viisi vuotta sitten mutta olen oppinut melko paljon, ja tämä oli jotain uusi minulle!

[helkdona]

this is the best video in English about the Hakkapeliitta and I am here for it!

[Michalokaj]

My ancestors were on the receiving end of the Hakkapeliittas’ charges, but thank you for this video and your channel.

[karirytkonen]

When I visited Strasbourg, local wine tour guide told that there lives still saying "Be good, or Swedes will come and beat you." to keep children silent and well behaving. Maybe it was not true anymore, but Swedish army that often was spearheaded with expendable Finns left scars to middle Europe during Thirty Years War.

[ulmo]

Mycket intressant video och häftig relaterande konst!

[raoulkent]

Very very interesting video. Good wishes from a neighbor to your west!
🇸🇪❤🇫🇮

[rayfinnila]

A great explanation of the battle cry of, "hakkaa päälle".

My hat is off to you, as someone born in Finland, but living overseas for a long time.

[seannamarie]

Thank you for your content. My grandparents were from Finland and i grew up in the Upper Península of Michigan where many of the older Finnish traditions continue, but the history we learned largely depended on who was telling the tale and when they learned the history they shared with us.

[gutsnetsov]

Hyvä video! Hienoa nähdä joku vaalimassa suomalaista historiaa muidenkin nähtäväksi!

[Treia]

Omfg, those horses are so itty bitty!!! The idea of a horse that small but with the mentality of a draft horse is so wild; no wonder they kicked ass in battle! I learned to ride on a clydesdale (I couldn't look over her back, not even on tip-toe), so I truly can't imagine climbing onto an animal that small.

[hakanliljeberg]

Finnlandish cavalry and soldiers were very important in the swedish army. Without them a swedish empire wasn´t possible....

[Niinsa]

I heard from a reliable source (a Finn from the town of Vaasa) that the war cry Hakkaa Päälle Pohjan Poika means literally Cut/Chop Hard/Well Northern Boy/Son. So maybe "Hit'em hard, Northern boys!" would be a reasonable translation.
I guess it would have been scary to face those cavalry soldiers, seeing them wait silently. And then hearing the order Hakkaa Päälle! Hit them hard! And then, here they come. Maybe not a very fearsome battle cry, but if you are the opposition, and you know that this means that they will attack you, with pistols and then sabres, and not stop until one side is bled dry... There must be a reason that this battle cry, or order to attack, is still remembered. I guess they lived up to it, it was not an empty threat.