Starting in the 16th century settlement spread from south to north and from west to east as farming became more common. The Crown supported the spread of settlement for political reasons and to alleviate the pressure on the concentration of population. the spread of settlement and the growth of population were, however, slowed down due to famines and Russian persecutions. The population of Finland exceeded the limit of half a million inhabitants in the mid 1690s, but the great famine of 1696-1697 caused a recession in the population growth as a one fourth of the population died. Despite of the recession, the growth of Finland’s population continued and settlement spread to even wider areas. Approximately in year 1810 the population of Finland exceeded the limit of one million inhabitants.