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Lars Levi Læstadius
Læstadius in 1839 (Note the Medal of Honor worn on his left lapel).
Born	10 January 1800 Jäckvik, Arjeplog, Sweden
Died	21 February 1861 Pajala
Ethnicity	Swedish
Occupation	Church Minister, Botanist, Expedition member.

Lars Levi Læstadius (10 January 1800 – 21 February 1861) was a Swedish-Sami Lutheran revivalist minister, botanist, and author. From the mid-1840s nearly until his death, he led the Laestadian revival movement that still bears his name. Laestadius was a teetotaller; a lot of suffering related to alcoholism afflicted his childhood and the people to whom he later ministered.

Contents [hide] 1 Early life 1.1 Birth and Education 1.2 First Parish, Marriage, and Family 1.3 Languages Spoken 2 Laestadius's Revival Movement 3 Botanist 4 La Recherche Expedition (1838-1840) - Botanist and Chronicler of Sami Mythology 5 Family Deaths and Personal Illnesses 6 Books authored 7 Literature 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit]Early life

[edit]Birth and Education

Laestadius was born in Swedish Lapland at Jäckvik^[1] near Arjeplog in the western mountainous parts of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden, to Carl Laestadius (1746-1832)—a Swedish hunter, fisherman, tar-maker, and one-time silver mine bailiff, who lost his job due to alcoholism—and Anna Magdalena (née Johanson) (1759-1824), a Southern Sami who was the elder Laestadius's second wife.^[2][3] The family lived in poverty due to Carl Laestadius's alcoholism and extended absences. However, with help from Lars Levi's older half-brother Carl Erik Laestadius (1775-1817), a pastor at Kvikkjokk, with whom Lars Levi and his younger brother Petrus (1802-1841) lived part of their childhood, the boys were able to pursue educations, first at Härnösand and starting in 1820, at Uppsala University. Due to their benefactor half-brother's death in 1817, the boys were constantly short of funds from the outset of their u