Español
  Français

A Short History of Estonia

You are here: Countries / Estonia

Estonians are directly related to Finns. The earliest writers like Tacitus and historians called Estonians as Aesti. During the early centuries, Estonians made little contact with the Western civilization. Though Estonians fought hard and remained unconquered in the 11th and 12th centuries, Germans eventually dominated them in the 13th century. The most apparent event in Estonian history was when it was split into two. The Teutonic Knights ruled the south of Estonia while the Danes controlled the north. In time, Germanic people gained the power of the ruling class in Estonia until the 20th century.

Though there was a rebellion in the St. George’s called the Night Uprising, Estonians remained under foreign dominance for a long period of time. Sweden and Russia were two of the countries that invaded and coveted Estonia. Other than the foreign conquerors spreading power and influence in the country, Estonia was also hit hard by famine which killed thousands of its people.

Modern Estonia highlights the nationalism among Estonians which started in 19th century, including the rest of Europe. Though Russia continued to attempt to yield its power over Estonia, Estonians started to go against it. It will not be long when Estonian language books and newspapers were published which greatly emphasized interests in Estonian culture.

Germans and Russians continued to impose their power over Estonia but Estonians were no longer willing to give in. On August 20, 1991 Estonia finally declared its independence. At present, market economy has replaced communism and Estonia continues to prosper as a small country.