governor of central and northern Ostrobothnia, and planned to support the rebellion until he fled rather than face Fleming. Leaderless, the peasants attacked on February 24, 1597, and fought their last battle on the Santavuori Hill in Ilmajoki. Over 1,000 were killed and 500 captured. The insurgents were mostly Finnish peasants from Ostrobothnia, Northern Tavastia, and Savo. The events can also be seen as a part of a larger power struggle between King Sigismund and Duke Charles. Legacy In his work Nuijasota, sen syyt ja tapaukset (1857–1859) (), historian and fennoman Yrjö Koskinen (né Forsman) saw the peasants as fighting for freedom and justice. Fredrika Runeberg's Sigrid Liljeholm (1862), one of the first Finnish historical novels, depicts women's fates during the war. Albert Edelfelt's painting Burned Village (1879) depicts a woman, a child, and an old man hiding behind a rock as a village burns in the background. The poet Kaarlo Kramsu praised the insurgents and lamented their defeat in patriotic poems such as Ilkka, Hannu Krankka, and Santavuoren tappelu, published in Runoelmia (1887). After the Finnish Civil War, the debate has centered on an interpretation that emphasizes Duke Charles's role in inciting the revolt, as found in Pentti Renvall's Kuninkaanmiehiä ja kapinoitsijoita Vaasa-kauden Suomessa (1949); and an explanation that stresses the roots of the rebellion in social injustice and class conflict, as argued by Heikki Ylikangas in Nuijasota (1977). A historical reenactment of the Cudgel War is conducted yearly in the Kavalahti scout camp. Jaakko Ilkka took the 75th place in the Great Finns TV show. A commemorative silver coin was also minted to mark the occasion. See also War against Sigismund Åbo bloodbath References Notes External links A dramatized documentary on the Cudgel War Annual Cudgel War reenactment Bibliography Nuijasota by Heikki Ylikangas, Otava, 1996 Krohn, J. Kertomuksia Suomen Historiasta, Kansallisseura, Helsinki 1914 Jaakko Ilkan Suku ry Sukusanomat,2004 Yli-Hakola, Aila, Ilkka, Jaakko Pentinpoika, Henkilöteksti, 2011 Wars involving Finland Peasant revolts Conflicts in 1596 16th-century rebellions 16th century in Finland 1596 in Europe Wars involving Sweden Finland–Sweden relations Rebellions in Finland