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 from 1996 to 2003. He is a grandson of the scholar Viljo Tarkiainen and his wife, writer Maria Jotuni.

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 received his PhD degree in 1974, having written his 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 the biography Paavo Haavikko, modernisternas furste (1997).

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