Grand Duchy of Finland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Grand Duchy of Finland
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| 1809–1917 | |||||||||||||
 Flag of the Russian Empire
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The Grand Duchy of Finland in 1914
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| Status | Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire | ||||||||||||
| Capital | Turku (1809–1812) Helsinki (1812–1917) |
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| Common languages | Finnish, Swedish, Russian, Saami, Karelian, Romani | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Official religions: Evangelical Lutheran (until 1867) Finnish Orthodox (until 1917) |
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| Demonym(s) | Finnish, Finn | ||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||
| Grand Duke | |||||||||||||
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• 1809–1825
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Alexander I | ||||||||||||
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• 1825–1855
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Nicholas I | ||||||||||||
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• 1855–1881
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Alexander II | ||||||||||||
| Governor-General | |||||||||||||
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• 1809 (first)
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Georg Sprengtporten | ||||||||||||
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• 1917 (last)
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Nikolai Nekrasov | ||||||||||||
| Vice Chairman | |||||||||||||
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• 1822–1826 (first)
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Carl Erik Mannerheim | ||||||||||||
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• 1917 (last)
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Anders Wirenius | ||||||||||||
| Legislature | Diet (1809–1906) Parliament (1906–1917) |
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| History | |||||||||||||
| 29 March 1809 | |||||||||||||
| 17 September 1809 | |||||||||||||
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• Independence declared
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6 December 1917 | ||||||||||||
| Currency | Swedish riksdaler (1809–1840) Russian ruble (1840–1860) Finnish markka (1860–1917) |
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| ISO 3166 code | FI | ||||||||||||
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| Today part of | Finland Russia |
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The Grand Duchy of Finland was a special part of the Russian Empire that existed from 1809 to 1917. It was like a country within a country, with its own laws and government, but still ruled by the Russian Emperor. This period is very important because it led to modern Finland becoming an independent nation.
Finland had been part of Sweden for a long time. But after a war between Sweden and Russia (1808–1809), Russia took over Finland. The Russian Emperor, Alexander I, promised to let Finland keep its own laws and religion. This made Finland an "autonomous" grand duchy.
The Russian Emperor was also the Grand Duke of Finland. He had a special representative called the Governor-General. Finland also had its own government body, the Senate of Finland. This Senate was made up of Finnish people and helped manage the country.
Over time, Finland gained more freedom. Its economy grew, and there were big changes in culture and society. However, towards the end of the 1800s, Russia tried to make Finland more like Russia. This policy was called Russification. It caused a lot of tension.
Finally, during World War I in 1917, the Russian Empire collapsed. This allowed Finland to declare its independence. The Grand Duchy of Finland then came to an end.
Contents
Finland's Journey to Autonomy
Finland was first called a "Grand Duchy" in 1581 by King Johan III of Sweden. But back then, it was just a fancy title. Finland was fully part of Sweden, with no special independence. The King of Sweden just added "Grand Duke of Finland" to his many titles.
How Finland Became Part of Russia
In 1808, Russia and Sweden went to war. Russia won and took over Finland. On March 29, 1809, the leaders of Finland met at the Diet of Porvoo. They promised to be loyal to the Russian Emperor, Alexander I. In return, the Emperor promised to protect Finland's laws, freedoms, and religion.
After the war ended in September 1809, Finland officially became an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. This meant Finland had its own government and laws, but the Russian Emperor was still its ruler. The Emperor also added "Grand Duke of Finland" to his long list of titles.
A Finnish-born advisor, Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt, helped Finland keep its special status. He also helped Finland get back an area called Old Finland. Russia had taken this land from Sweden earlier.
Early Years of the Grand Duchy
The Grand Duchy started with a lot of promises. Emperor Alexander I wanted to gain the loyalty of the Finns. He allowed Finland to keep most of its own laws. He also set up a new system where Finland would be run by a Government Council, later called the Senate of Finland. This council was made up of Finnish citizens.
In 1812, Emperor Alexander I gave the area of Old Finland back to the Grand Duchy. This was a big surprise and showed he wanted to keep the Finns happy. He also moved Finland's capital from Turku to Helsinki in 1812. Helsinki was a smaller, fortified town. Finland's main university also moved to Helsinki after a fire in Turku.
Even though the Emperor promised a Finnish Diet (a kind of parliament), it didn't meet again until 1863. Still, Finland had a lot of freedom compared to other parts of the Russian Empire.
Finland's Growth and National Spirit: 1820s–1850s
After Emperor Alexander I died in 1825, his brother Nicholas I became the new Emperor. Nicholas promised to continue respecting Finland's special rights.
During this time, a strong national feeling grew in Finland. This was called the Fennoman movement. It focused on celebrating the Finnish language and culture. In 1831, the Finnish Literary Society was founded. Its goal was to promote the Finnish language.
A very important event happened in 1835: the publication of The Kalevala. This was a collection of old Finnish stories and poems. The Kalevala greatly boosted Finnish nationalism and unity. It made Finns proud of their heritage.
Even though some people, like the church and the Russian government, tried to limit Finnish writings, the movement kept growing. This push for Finnish language and culture eventually led to more changes.
Changes After the Crimean War: 1860s–1870s
The Crimean War (1853–1856) affected Finland. Finnish ports were attacked by Allied forces. After the war, Nicholas I died, and Alexander II became Emperor in 1855. Alexander II was more open to reforms.
Under Alexander II, Finland entered a period of great progress. In 1863, he called the Finnish Diet to meet again. This was a big deal because it hadn't met for a long time. He also declared that the Finnish language should be equal to Swedish and Russian in the Grand Duchy. This meant Finnish could be used in official business.
Laws were passed to improve education and infrastructure. Finland even got its own money system, the Finnish markka, and its own small army. The first railway line in Finland opened in 1862, connecting Helsinki and Hämeenlinna. The Diet also gained more power to create laws.
Russification and Resistance
After Alexander II, Emperors Alexander III (1881–1894) and Nicholas II (1894–1917) tried to make Finland more like Russia. This policy was called Russification. It meant trying to absorb Finland's culture, society, economy, and politics into Russia's.
This new Russification was much stronger than before. Russia saw Finland as a conquered land. They believed Finns should be loyal to the Tsar and become more Russian. Russian officials started replacing Finnish representatives.
Russification also affected Finland's economy. Finland had developed strong textile and timber industries. Russian officials, feeling jealous, tried to change trade rules to benefit Russia more. They also took over Finland's postal system in 1890.
Growing Tensions and Finnish Resistance
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When Nicholas II became Emperor, he appointed Nikolay Bobrikov as Governor-General of Finland. Bobrikov was very strict. He made Finns serve in the Russian military and made Russian the official language for administration.
In 1899, Nicholas II issued the February Manifesto. This declared that Russian laws were superior to Finnish laws. It basically said Finland was just another province of Russia, ignoring its special autonomy. The Finnish Army was even dissolved in 1901.
Bobrikov's harsh actions united Finns and Swedes in Finland against Russia. Churches refused to announce the new laws, and many young men refused military service. People formed resistance groups like the Party of Active Resistance and Kagal. These groups used different ways to fight back, from protests to propaganda.
The anger against Bobrikov grew so strong that he was assassinated in Helsinki in 1904 by Eugen Schauman.
In 1905, Russia lost a war against Japan. This caused a lot of unrest in Russia. Finns used this chance to demand more rights. They created a new parliament based on universal suffrage, meaning everyone, including women, could vote. Finland was one of the first places in Europe to give women full voting rights!
However, Russia's Prime Minister, Pyotr Stolypin, was also very strict. He wanted to completely end Finland's autonomy. He even disbanded the Finnish Parliament in 1909. But these actions only made Finns more determined to be independent.
The Russian Revolution in 1917 finally led to the collapse of the Russian Empire. This opened the door for Finland to declare its independence.
Government and Politics
The Russian Emperor was the Grand Duke of Finland. He had a Governor-General who represented him in Finland. The most important governing body in Finland was the Senate of Finland. It was made up of Finnish citizens.
Finland had a lot of freedom. It had its own central and local government, its own stamps, its own money (Finnish markka), and even its own army for a while.
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The Russian Emperors, especially Alexander I, allowed Finland to have a high level of self-rule. This was because Finland's existing government system was more efficient than Russia's. This special arrangement gave Finland a lot of independence by the late 1800s.
Here are some of the important Governors-General of Finland:
- Georg Magnus Sprengtporten (1808–1809)
- Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (1809–1810)
- Fabian Steinheil (1810–1823)
- Arseny Zakrevsky (1823–1831)
- Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov (1831–1855)
- Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg (1855–1861)
- Nikolai Adlerberg (1866–1881)
- Fyodor Logginovich van Heiden (1881–1897)
- Nikolai Bobrikov (1898–1904)
- Ivan Mikhailovich Obolensky (1904–1905)
- Nikolai Gerard (1905–1908)
- Vladimir von Boeckmann (1908–1909)
- Franz Albert Seyn (1909–1917)
- Mikhail Aleksandrovich Stakhovich (1917)
- Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov (1917)
Provinces of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was divided into provinces, similar to how Russia was organized. These provinces were called lääni in Finnish. The names of the provinces often kept their Swedish names because Swedish was still used by administrators.
In 1812, the Viipuri Province was moved from Russia to Finland by Emperor Alexander I. After 1831, there were eight provinces in the Grand Duchy until it became independent. These provinces were:
- Turku and Pori Province
- Kuopio Province
- Vaasa Province
- Uusimaa Province
- Mikkeli Province
- Häme Province
- Oulu Province
- Viipuri Province
Flags of the Grand Duchy
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The Grand Duchy of Finland didn't have one single official flag for a long time. Different flags were used for different purposes. People even discussed having an official flag in the 1860s, but it was never chosen.
An official flag for ships was chosen in 1812. It was white with the Russian flag in the corner and a compass design in the middle. Later, in 1883, it was changed to a blue cross flag.
People also used other flags, like a post flag for mail services and a customs flag for border control. For merchant ships, they were allowed to fly the Russian flag. Sometimes, flags with six or nine stripes in Russian colors were also used.
A blue cross flag, similar to today's flag of Finland, was first used by a yacht club in 1861. It had the coat of arms of Uusimaa in the corner.
Towards the end of the 1800s, flags with the Finnish coat of arms were used unofficially, especially during protests. In official settings, the Russian white-blue-red flag was mostly used.
Interestingly, Finland even had its own team at the 1912 Summer Olympics. They marched behind the Russian team but had a "Finland" sign. When Finnish athletes won medals, the Russian flag was raised with a special white-blue pennant that said "Finland."
Historical Population of the Grand Duchy
Here's how the population of Finland grew during the time it was a Grand Duchy:
- 1810: 863,000 people
- 1830: 1,372,000 people
- 1850: 1,637,000 people
- 1870: 1,769,000 people
- 1890: 2,380,000 people
- 1910: 2,943,000 people
- 1920: 3,148,000 people (after Finland became independent in 1917)
See also
- Independence of Finland
- Military of the Grand Duchy of Finland
- Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic
- Old Finland
- Congress Poland – another country with special rights within the Russian Empire
- Åland War
- Finnish Civil War
