Simon Affleck
Encyclopedia
Simon Affleck was a Swedish
tax official, of Scottish
descent, who worked in then Swedish-ruled Finland
. He had been appointed by the King of Sweden to collect taxes in the Pielisjärvi region, and also paid the rent of his mansion in Pielisjärvi to the King.
His probable grandfather Hillebrand or Gilbert Affleck was born in Scotland and was a burgess in Turku
and inspector of gunpowder factories.
Affleck is said to have been a ruthless collector of taxes with little pity towards the poor Finnish peasant
s. This, and the large and ferocious dog
he kept as a pet, earned him the nickname Simo Hurtta (hurtta is Finnish
for hound
).
Affleck died in 1725 after the Greater Wrath
. He is said to have shot himself in the head in his mansion to deny the Finnish peasants raiding his mansion the satisfaction of killing him.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
tax official, of Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
descent, who worked in then Swedish-ruled Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. He had been appointed by the King of Sweden to collect taxes in the Pielisjärvi region, and also paid the rent of his mansion in Pielisjärvi to the King.
His probable grandfather Hillebrand or Gilbert Affleck was born in Scotland and was a burgess in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
and inspector of gunpowder factories.
Affleck is said to have been a ruthless collector of taxes with little pity towards the poor Finnish peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s. This, and the large and ferocious dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
he kept as a pet, earned him the nickname Simo Hurtta (hurtta is Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
for hound
Hound
A hound is a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the animal being hunted. It can be contrasted with the gun dog, which assists hunters by identifying the location of prey, and with the retriever, which recovers shot quarry...
).
Affleck died in 1725 after the Greater Wrath
Greater Wrath
The Greater Wrath is a term used in Finnish history for the Russian invasion and subsequent military occupation of Eastern Sweden, now Finland, from 1714 until the treaty of Nystad 1721, which ended the Great Northern War, although sometimes the term is used to denote all of the Great Northern...
. He is said to have shot himself in the head in his mansion to deny the Finnish peasants raiding his mansion the satisfaction of killing him.