Valpuri Innamaa

Valpuri Eerikintytär Innamaa (1540-1602) was a Finnish merchant and shipowner in Åbo (Turku), Sweden (now Finland).

Life

She was married to Henrik Johannes Innamaa. Her spouse was known as the supporter of John III of Sweden, and died when the troops of Eric XIV of Sweden took Åbo from John in 1563, after which the Innama family's merchant ships was confiscated by king Eric. She inherited the merchant house of her late spouse and exported iron to the king. In 1571, she is listed as the richest merchant in the city of Åbo in excisting tax records.

Innamaa worked for the restoration of the ships, which was granted in 1582. She revived the business enterprise of her late spouse and transported goods from all over the Baltic Sea, carrying goods to Sweden, especially Stockholm. She exported butter, animal skins, fish and horses and imported salt, weapons, vine and spices. She was the most powerful shipowner in Åbo: she granted loans to the Swedish monarch and equipped the Swedish army during John III:s Livonian war. Her good relation to the crown gave her efficient protection during her various law suits. She also owned land and buildings.

She was married three times more after she was widowed: to Peter Ingvaldinpoika, Olavi Karls, and Luke Laurin. It was common for a widow in Sweden-Finland to continue the trade of her late spouse, but normally she did so only temporary, until the business could be taken over by a male relative or husband. Despite her remarriages, which formally placed her under the guardinship of her husbands, she kept sole control over her business until her death. She had two daughters, and her business was inherited by her grandson Bertil Innamaa.

A street in Turku is named after her.

Sources

Mäkelä-Alitalo, Anneli: Innamaa, Valpuri Erkintytär. Kansallisbiografia-verkkojulkaisu. Studia Biographica 4. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 1997- (viitattu 24.2.2018) URN:NBN:fi-fe20051410 ISSN 1799-4349 (Verkkojulkaisu) (National Biography of Finland)

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