Governor-General of Finland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Governor-General of Finland
Coat of arms of Finland
Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov, the last governor-general of Finland
Appointer	King of Sweden, later Emperor of Russia
Formation	1595
First holder	Klaus Fleming
Final holder	Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov
Abolished	1917

The governor-general of Finland was a very important leader in Finland's history. This person was both a military commander and the top administrator. They held this role sometimes when Finland was part of Sweden (in the 1600s and 1700s). Later, they were always in charge when Finland was an independent Grand Duchy of Finland under Russian rule from 1809 to 1917.

Finland under Swedish Rule

After the old Duchy of Finland system ended in the late 1500s, the king of Sweden sometimes chose a special governor-general for Finland. This person was given a lot of power to manage things in the eastern part of the country. They could often make decisions on their own.

The most famous of these leaders was Count Per Brahe. People in Finland still talk about his time as "the count's days." This phrase means something good that happens at just the right moment.

Swedish Governors-General of Finland

Here is a list of some of the people who served as governor-general when Finland was part of Sweden.

Governor-general		In office
	Klaus Fleming
	Nils Turesson Bielke	1623–1631
	Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna	1631–
	Per Brahe the Younger	1637– and 1648–1654
	Herman Fleming [sv]	1664–1669
	Karl Nieroth	1710–1712
	Gustaf Otto Douglas (during the Russian occupation)	1717–1721
	Johan Balthasar von Campenhausen [sv] (during the Russian occupation)	1742–1743
	Gustaf Fredrik von Rosen [sv]	1747–1753

Finland as a Grand Duchy

When Finland became a Grand Duchy under the Russian Empire, the governor-general's job became a permanent one. This person was like the emperor's representative in Finland. The emperor himself lived in St Petersburg, which was not far from Finland's border.

The governor-general was also the leader of the Senate of Finland. The Senate was the government of Finland during this time. The emperor held the title of Grand Duke of Finland, and the governor-general represented him in the Senate. The governor-general got their orders directly from the Russian government.

Most governors-general were Russians. The emperor trusted them to make sure Finland stayed loyal and didn't try to become fully separate. Even though they were often Russian, many of them were also given a special rank in Finnish society.

Many Finnish people did not like the governors-general. The first one, Georg Magnus Sprengtporten, quit after only a year. Another, Nikolai Bobrikov, was killed in 1904 by a Finnish nationalist named Eugen Schauman. However, some governors-general actually helped protect Finland's special rights and self-rule from other Russian officials.

One governor-general, Prince Menshikov, served from 1831 to 1855. He spent his entire time in St Petersburg because he was also Russia's navy minister. A deputy governor-general handled the duties in Helsinki. For most of that time, the deputy was General Alexander Amatus Thesleff [ru].

Russian Governors-General of Finland

Here is a list of the people who served as governor-general when Finland was a Grand Duchy under Russia.

Governor-general		In office
	Baron Göran Magnus Sprengtporten	1808–1809
	Prince Michael Barclay de Tolly	1809–1810
	Count Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt	1812-1813 (acting)
	Count Fabian Steinheil	1810–1823
	Count Arseny Zakrevsky	1824–1831
	Prince Alexander Menshikov	1831–1855
	Alexander Amatus Thesleff [ru]	1833–1847 (acting)
	Count Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg	1855–1861
	Baron Platon Rokassovsky [ru]	1861–1866
	Count Nikolay Adlerberg	1866–1881
	Count Feodor Logginovich Heiden	1881–1897
	Stepan Goncharov [ru]	1897 -1898 (acting)
	Nikolai Bobrikov	1898–1904
	Prince Ivan Obolensky	1904–1905
	Nikolai Gerard	1905–1908
	Vladimir von Boeckmann	1908–1909
	Franz Albert Seyn	1909–1917
	Adam Lipsky [ru]	1917 (acting)
	Mikhail Aleksandrovich Stakhovich	1917
	minister Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov	1917

See also

• Grand Duke of Finland
• Duke of Finland
• Diet of Finland
• Governor-General in the Swedish Realm
• Monarchy of Finland
• Finnish Minister Secretary of State
• List of Finnish rulers