Kari Tarkiainen

Kari Valtteri Tarkiainen (born 14 June 1938 in Helsinki) is a Finnish historian and archivist, who served as the national archivist of Finland 1996–2003. He is a grandson of the scholar Viljo Tarkiainen and his wife, writer Maria Jotuni.

Kari Tarkiainen at Göteborg Book Fair 2013.

Tarkiainen has had a career in the world of archives both in Finland and Sweden. From 1971 he was employed in the Swedish National Archives in Stockholm. He finished his career as archivist in Helsinki as chief of the National Archives of Finland 1996–2003.

Tarkiainen became a PhD in 1974 with a dissertation on the view of Russia in Sweden during the early great power era. He is a specialist in medieval history, and has formed the conception of the Finnish reformer Mikael Agricola. Amongst his most important works are a history of Finnish migration to Sweden, Finnarnas historia i Sverige 1-2 (1990–93), and Sveriges Österland från forntiden till Gustav Vasa (2008), which concerns the central issues of Finland's history, with special focus on the relations between Finnish and Swedish language, economy, settlement, church organisation, administration, and cultural forms. Tarkiainen has also written a biography of Paavo Haavikko, modernisternas furste (1997).

Tarkiainen's wife Ülle Tarkiainen (née Liitoja) is an Estonian historian.