Heraldry
At the funeral of King Gustav Vasa in 1560, the coats of arms for the provinces were displayed together for the first time and several of them had been granted for that particular occasion. After the separation of Finland from Sweden in 1809 the traditions for the provincial arms have somewhat diverged. Finland maintains the distinction between Ducal and Countal dignity shown in the coronets for arms of the historical provinces while all the Swedish provinces have carried the Swedish style Ducal coronet since 1884. The division of Lapland also necessitated a distinction between the Finnish and the Swedish coats of arms.
During the reign of king Karl IX there was emigration from Savonia to the western parts of Sweden and eastern Norway, to the Finnskogen or "Finnish forest." The ancient Savonian dialect was preserved in these areas until the last speakers died in the 1960s.
The coats of arms of the historical provinces have served as a basis for the arms of newer administrative divisions.
Read more about this topic: Historical Provinces Of Finland