Onset of the famine of 1866–1868 in Finland

Background. The Finnish famine of 1866–1868 was the last famine in Finland and, together with the subsequent Swedish famine of 1867–1869, the last major famine in Northern Europe. In Finland it is remembered as "the great hunger years", or suuret nälkävuodet. The event ultimately proved catastrophic, with about 8.5% of the entire population dying of hunger over its course — a figure reaching up to 20% in the hardest-hit areas — though this mortality belongs to the full multi-year famine rather than its 1866 onset.

Crop Failure. The summer of 1866 was extremely rainy, leading to widespread failure of staple crops. Potatoes and root vegetables rotted in the fields, and conditions for sowing grain in the autumn were unfavourable. These agricultural failures set the stage for the famine that would continue through 1868.