tilalliset

Tilalliset is a historical Finnish term referring to owners of agricultural estates. The term comes from tila "farm, estate" and the suffix -llinen, indicating belonging or relation, therefore tilallinen means "estate owner" and tilalliset "estate owners".

In pre-industrial and early modern Finland, tilalliset formed a rural upper class; they owned large or several farms, timberlands, and sometimes mills or other estate assets. They typically lived in manor houses and exercised influence in parish and county administration, church patronage, and local justice; tenant farmers and laborers worked their lands under rental or share-crop arrangements.

Economic power came from land rent, rents, and sometimes additional businesses; the tenants' dependency tied to the tilallinen as landlords; the class varied in wealth from modest landowners to large landlords with dozens of farms.

Decline: In the 19th–20th centuries, agrarian reforms, urbanization, and land reform reduced the political-economic power of tilalliset. Many estates were subdivided, sold to tenant farmers, or converted to forestry and industry; the class ended as a distinct social category. In contemporary Finland, the term is mostly used in historical contexts and genealogical studies.