Eastern European HistoryHuman habitation in the area dates back to at least 7500 BC, but the first forebears of the present inhabitants were Finno-Ugric hunters who probably arrived between 3000 and 2000 BC. The Finno-Ugrian language closely relates to Finnish, and distantly to Hungarian. The language has no relation to Russian, German, English or any Indo-European language family. Estonia borders the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia. The country has numerous forests lakes and rivers, most draining northward into the Gulf of Finland.
Estonia was first settled in 2,000 B.C. Estonia was assaulted by Vikings and Swedes, then in 1193 the Pope called for a crusade against the Baltics. By 1220, Estonia was overrun by Danish and German knights. In 1346, the Danes, who possessed northern Estonia, sold the land to the Teutonic Knights of Germany, who already possessed Livonia (southern Estonia and Latvia). The Teutonic Knights reduced the Estonians to serfdom. In 1526, the Swedes took over, and the power of the German (Balt) landowning class was reduced. The Drang nach Osten (urge to the east) of Germanic princes, colonists and traders in the 13th century, started a dark period in Estonia's history, which was to span seven centuries.
The situation oscillated many times until the Swedish kingdom took control of the majority of the country in 1561. Their rule lasted until 1710 when Estonia was given over to the Russian empire who ruled until 1918 when Estonian independence was asserted. German land barons held enormous economic and political sway in Estonia even after it became part of the Russian Empire.
A sense of nationhood only emerged in the late 19th century, just as increasingly strict policies of Russification made Russians increasingly unpopular.
Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with Western Europe.
