At the beginning of the 19th century, an event took place that affected the fate of an entire nation that inhabited the territory adjacent to the Baltic Sea coast and was for many centuries under the jurisdiction of the Swedish monarchs. This historical act was the accession of Finland to Russia, the history of which formed the basis of this article.
The document resulting from the Russian-Swedish war
On September 17, 1809, on the shores of the Gulf of Finland in the city of Friedrichsgame, Emperor Alexander I and King of Sweden Gustav IV signed an agreement that resulted in Finland joining Russia. This document was the result of the victory of the Russian troops, supported by France and Denmark in the last of a long series of Russian-Swedish wars.
The accession of Finland to Russia under Alexander 1 was a response to the appeal of the Borgorsky Seim, the first estate assembly of the peoples inhabiting Finland, to the Russian government with a request to accept their country as part of Russia as the Grand Duchy of Finland and to conclude a personal union.
Most historians believe that it was the positive reaction of sovereign Alexander I to this popular expression of will that gave impetus to the formation of the Finnish nation-state, the population of which before that was completely under the control of the Swedish elite. Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Finland owes Russia the creation of its statehood.
Finland as part of the Kingdom of Sweden
It is known that until the beginning of the 19th century, the territory of Finland, on which the tribes of Sumy and Emi lived, never constituted an independent state. In the period from the X to the beginning of the XIV century, it belonged to Novgorod, but in 1323 it was conquered by Sweden and for many centuries came under its control.
According to the Orekhov Treaty concluded in the same year, Finland became part of the Kingdom of Sweden on the basis of autonomy, and since 1581 received the formal status of the Grand Duchy of Finland. However, in reality, its population was subjected to severe discrimination in legal and administrative terms. Despite the fact that the Finns had the right to delegate their representatives to the Swedish parliament, their number was so insignificant that it did not allow any significant influence on the resolution of current issues. This state of affairs persisted until the next Russo-Swedish war broke out in 1700.
Finland joining Russia: the beginning of the process
During the Northern War, the most significant events unfolded precisely on Finnish territory. In 1710, after the successful siege, the troops of Peter I captured the well-fortified city of Vyborg and thus secured access to the Baltic Sea. The next victory of the Russian troops, won four years later at the Battle of Napuse, made it possible to free almost the entire Grand Duchy of Finland from the Swedes.
This could not yet be considered as the complete accession of Finland to Russia, since a significant part of it still remained part of Sweden, but the process was laid. He was unable to stop even subsequent attempts to take revenge for the defeat suffered by the Swedes in 1741 and 1788, but both times were unsuccessful.
Nevertheless, under the terms of the Nishtadt Treaty, which ended the Northern War and concluded in 1721, the territories of Estonia, Livonia, Ingria, as well as a number of islands of the Baltic Sea, went to Russia. In addition, Southwest Karelia and the second largest city in Finland, Vyborg, became part of the empire.
It became the administrative center of the soon-established Vyborg province, which was included in the St. Petersburg province. According to this document, Russia undertook to preserve the rights of citizens and privileges of certain social groups in all the Finnish territories that had departed to it. It was also envisaged to preserve all previous religious foundations, including the freedom of the people to practice the evangelical faith, to worship, and to study in theological educational institutions.
The next stage of expansion of the northern borders
During the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in 1741, a new Russo-Swedish war broke out. It also became one of the stages of the process, the result of which, almost seven decades later, was the accession of Finland to Russia.
Briefly, its results can be reduced to two main points - this is the seizure of a large territory of the Grand Duchy of Finland, which was under Swedish control, which allowed Russian troops to advance up to Uleaborg, and also the subsequent highest manifesto. In it, on March 18, 1742, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna announced the introduction of independent rule throughout the territory conquered from Sweden.
In addition, a year later, in the large administrative center of Finland - the city of Abo - the Russian government concluded an agreement with representatives of the Swedish side, according to which, the whole of Southeast Finland became part of Russia. It was a very significant territory, including the cities of Wilmanstrand, Friedrichsgam, Neyshlot with its powerful fortress, as well as the Kumenegorsk and Savolak provinces. As a result, the Russian border moved even further away from St. Petersburg, thereby reducing the risk of Swedes attacking the Russian capital.
In 1744, all the territories that became part of the Russian Empire on the basis of an agreement signed in the city of Abo were annexed to the previously created Vyborg province, and together with it they formed the newly formed Vyborg province. On its territory, the following counties were established: Serdobolsky, Wilmanstrand, Friedrichsham, Neishlot, Kexholm and Vyborg. In this form, the province lasted until the end of the XVIII century, after which it was transformed into governorship with a special form of government.
Finland joining Russia: an alliance beneficial to both states
At the beginning of the XIX century, the territory of Finland, which was part of Sweden, was an underdeveloped agricultural region. Its population at that time did not exceed 800 thousand people, of which only 5.5% lived in cities. On peasants who were tenants of land, lay double oppression both from the side of the Swedish feudal lords and their own. This largely slowed down the development of national culture, and self-awareness.
The annexation of the territory of Finland to Russia was undoubtedly beneficial to both states. Thus, Alexander I was able to push the border even further from his capital, St. Petersburg, which to a large extent contributed to strengthening its security.
The Finns, being under the control of Russia, received quite a lot of freedom in both the legislative and executive branches. However, this event was preceded by the next, 11th in a row, and the last in the history of the Russian-Swedish war, which broke out in 1808 between the two states.
The last war of Russia with Sweden
As is known from archival documents, the war with the Kingdom of Sweden was not included in the plans of Alexander I and was on his part only a forced act, the result of which was the accession of Finland to Russia. The fact is that, according to the Tilsit Peace Treaty, signed in 1807 between Russia and Napoleonic France, the sovereign assumed the obligation to persuade Sweden and Denmark to a continental blockade created against the then common enemy - England.
If there were no problems with the Danes, then the Swedish king Gustav IV categorically rejected the proposal put forward to him. Having exhausted all the possibilities to achieve the desired result through diplomatic means, Alexander I was forced to resort to military pressure.
Already at the beginning of hostilities, it became obvious that, with all its arrogance, the Swedish monarch was not able to put up a sufficiently powerful army against the Russian troops, capable of holding onto the territory of Finland, on which the main military operations were launched. As a result of an offensive launched in three directions, the Russians reached the Kaliksioki River in less than a month and forced Gustav IV to begin negotiations on peace on conditions dictated by Russia.
New title of the Russian emperor
As a result of the Friedrichham Peace Treaty - under this name the agreement signed in September 1809 went down in history, Alexander I became known as the Grand Duke of Finland. According to this document, the Russian monarch committed himself to contribute in every way to the implementation of laws adopted by the Finnish Sejm and received its approval.
This clause of the contract was very important, since it provided the emperor with control over the activity of the Sejm, and made it essentially the head of the legislative branch. After Finland was annexed to Russia (year 1808), it was only with the consent of St. Petersburg that it was allowed to convene a diet and introduce amendments to the legislation that existed at that time.
From constitutional monarchy to absolutism
The accession of Finland to Russia, the date of which coincides with the day of the announcement of the royal manifesto of March 20, 1808, was accompanied by a number of very specific circumstances. Given that Russia, according to the agreement, was obliged to provide the Finns with much of what they unsuccessfully sought from the Swedish government (the right to self-determination, as well as political and social freedoms), significant difficulties arose in this way.
It should be noted that previously the Grand Duchy of Finland was part of Sweden, that is, a state that had a constitutional structure, elements of the separation of powers, estate representations in parliament and, most importantly, the absence of serfdom in the rural population. Now Finland’s accession to Russia has made it part of a country dominated by an absolute monarchy, where the very word “constitution” provoked fury among the conservative elite of society, and any progressive reforms met inevitable resistance.
Establishment of the Commission for Finland
We should pay tribute to Alexander I, who was able to take a sober look at this issue, and at the head of the commission he set up to solve his problems, put his liberal protégé - Count M. M. Speransky, who became famous for his reform work.
Having studied in detail all the peculiarities of life in Finland, the count recommended that the sovereign put the principle of autonomy at the base of its state structure with the preservation of all local traditions. He also developed an instruction intended for the work of this commission, the basic provisions of which formed the basis for the future constitution of Finland.
The accession of Finland to Russia (year 1808) and the further organization of its domestic political life were largely the result of decisions taken by the Borgorsky Seim, with the participation of representatives of all social sectors of society. After drawing up and signing the corresponding document, members of the Sejm took the oath of allegiance to the Russian emperor and the state, under whose jurisdiction they voluntarily entered.
It is curious to note that, ascending the throne, all subsequent representatives of the Romanov dynasty also issued manifestos confirming the accession of Finland to Russia. A photo of the first of them, owned by Alexander I, is placed in our article.
After joining Russia in 1808, the territory of Finland expanded somewhat due to the transfer under its jurisdiction of the Vyborg (former Finland) province. The official languages at that time were Swedish, which became widespread due to the historical features of the country's development, and Finnish, which was spoken by all its indigenous people.
Armed Soviet-Finnish Conflicts
The consequences of Finland joining Russia turned out to be very favorable for its development and the establishment of statehood. Thanks to this, for over a hundred years between the two states did not arise any significant contradictions. It should be noted that for the entire period of Russian rule, the Finns, unlike the Poles, never raised uprisings and did not try to get out of the control of their stronger neighbor.
The picture changed radically in 1917, after the Bolsheviks, headed by V.I. Lenin, granted Finland independence. Responding to this act of goodwill with black ingratitude and taking advantage of the difficult situation inside Russia, the Finns started the war in 1918 and, having occupied the western part of Karelia up to the Sestra River, advanced into the Pechenga region, partially capturing the Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas.
Such a successful start pushed the Finnish government to a new military campaign, and in 1921 they invaded Russian borders, nurturing plans to create a “Great Finland”. However, this time their successes were far less modest. The last armed confrontation between two northern neighbors - the Soviet Union and Finland - was the war that erupted in the winter of 1939-1940.
She also did not bring the Finns victory. As a result of hostilities that lasted from late November to mid-March, and the peace treaty that became the final feature of this conflict, Finland lost almost 12% of its territory, including the second largest city of Vyborg. In addition, more than 450 thousand Finns lost their housing and property, forced to hastily evacuate from the frontline inland.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that the Soviet side placed the entire responsibility for the outbreak of the conflict on the Finns, referring to the allegedly undertaken shelling, the international community accused the Stalinist government of unleashing the war. As a result, in December 1939, the Soviet Union as an aggressor state was expelled from the League of Nations. This war made many forget all the good things that Finland had once brought with it to Russia.
Unfortunately, Russia Day is not celebrated in Finland. Instead, the Finns celebrate Independence Day annually on December 6, recalling how in 1917 the Bolshevik government provided them with the opportunity to separate from Russia and continue on their own historical path.
Nevertheless, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that Finland owes much of its current position among other European countries to the influence that Russia in the past had on its formation and the acquisition of its own statehood.