— Under what circumstances did Finland come under the rule of the Russian Tsar and to whom did it belong before?
— Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden, which conquered it as a result of the Crusades. During the first campaign, the lands of the Suomi tribe were conquered, which the Swedes called the Finn tribe, and the Russians called the Sumi. It lived at the junction of the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia, on the territory of modern southwestern Finland. During the second campaign, the Swedes captured the lands of the Häme tribe (in Swedish - tavasts, in Russian - em). Today it is central lake Finland. Well, the third campaign is an attempt to annex the Karelian lands. But the Swedes succeeded only partially. In 1323, including through the Karelian lands, according to the Orekhovets Peace Treaty, the border between the Old Russian state and Sweden passed. After the Swedish conquests in these territories, there was an ethnic consolidation of the Finnish tribes living there. Then Sweden continued to seize lands in the East and already in 1617 completely cut off Russia from access to the Baltic Sea.
At the beginning of the 18th century, as a result of the Northern War, Russia solved its geopolitical problems in the west. She regained her former lands, which were captured by the Swedes. We are talking about the territories where, in particular, St. Petersburg now stands. The Swedes called them Ingria. Plus Russia occupied the Baltic states, Vyborg and the Karelian Isthmus. This provided it with access to the Baltic Sea and the security of the new capital - St. Petersburg. During the Northern War, Peter's troops occupied all of Finland, but Russia, strictly speaking, did not need these territories, and they were returned to Sweden during peace negotiations. Finland in Russia was then perceived as a poor, bare land. At the same time, Finland, in fact, was a kind of “granary” for the Swedes. The Swedes extracted everything they could from it.
After solving problems in the West, the Russian Empire shifted its aspirations to the south, to the Black Sea region. But Sweden constantly tried to regain its lost lands in the Baltic Sea region. As a result of a clash of interests in this region, three more wars broke out between Russia and Sweden after the North. The last of them occurred in 1808-1809. It was a difficult historical period of the Napoleonic Wars. After the defeat in the Battle of Austerlitz, Russia concluded the Tilsit Peace Treaty with France. And so the Russian Empire had to join the continental blockade of Great Britain organized by Napoleon.
In addition, the French emperor persuaded Tsar Alexander I to put pressure on Sweden so that it would also take part in the blockade. But the Swedish king was a staunch opponent of Napoleon and did not join the blockade.
A knot of international contradictions ensued, which led to the outbreak of hostilities between the Russian Empire and Sweden. St. Petersburg switched geopolitical interests from the south to the north. The war turned out to be victorious for Russia. In 1809, the Treaty of Friedrichsham was signed, according to which Finland and the Åland Islands were ceded to Russia.
— How was the procedure for Finland’s accession to Russia?
— Legally, Finland was annexed to Russia in several stages. First is the proclamation of 1808, which stated that the Grand Duchy of Finland was considered conquered. Then - a declaration that Finland would forever join Russia and, finally, a special manifesto of Alexander I. It again said that he would annex Finland “conquered by arms” “forever” to the Russian Empire. Well, the residents of Finland had to take the oath to the Russian sovereign by sending their representatives to a special meeting, which we usually call the Sejm. It began in March 1809 in the city of Borgo (nowadays the city of Porvoo, Finland).
Declaration of Alexander I, March 1808
© Public domain
— What goal did Alexander I pursue when convening the Sejm? And what decisions were announced there?
— To begin with, it should be said that the Sejm was held largely on the initiative of the Finns themselves. The fact is that a certain elite part of Finnish society was interested in separating from Sweden. In the fall of 1808, its representatives themselves arrived in St. Petersburg to establish contacts with the Tsar and discuss the conditions related to the annexation of Finland to Russia. By the way, the head of this delegation was the great-grandfather of Marshal Carl Gustav Mannerheim, Carl Eric Mannerheim, who was sentenced to death in absentia by the Swedish king for this.
Why did the Finns decide to take the initiative? They understood that Sweden would certainly lose the war. But during the war, it was easier to achieve more significant advantages and privileges from Russia. Russia, in turn, was interested in the loyalty of the Finns.
To ensure the realization of the interests of all parties, Alexander I organized the Sejm, which became for Finland actually a constituent assembly that determined the status of the Grand Duchy within Russia.
Representatives of the four classes of Finland took part in the Diet: the nobility, the clergy, the townspeople and the peasantry. The charter of Alexander I, signed before the Sejm, stated that Russia recognizes the indigenous laws, religion, and privileges previously enjoyed by the population of Finland. The features of local self-government were preserved. The Russians sought to attract former subjects of the Kingdom of Sweden to their side.
Portrait of Alexander I by J. Doe
© Public domain
The opening ceremony of the Sejm was very solemn. A throne was brought from Moscow, which was installed in the church in which the Diet opened, and then moved to the building of the local gymnasium, where the meetings were held. Alexander I delivered his opening speech in French, which was an international language at that time. He put forward proposals for the military structure of the principality, taxes, financial system and government bodies. Subsequently, a grandiose ball was given, at which Alexander I himself danced. Then the Tsar left, and the sessions of the Sejm continued until July.
— It is often said that the residents of Finland had significantly more rights than other subjects of the Russian monarchy. Is it so?
— Finland really received autonomy, which it did not have under the Kingdom of Sweden. She received a Sejm and her own government, which was called the Senate. Imagine, a dualistic monarchy appeared inside the absolute monarchy - the Russian Empire. After Finland joined Russia, the formation of the Finnish nation began. A Fennoman movement emerged, fighting for Finnish national identity. His slogan was that the Finns had ceased to be Swedes, but did not want to become Russians. A rise in interest in Finnish culture and the Finnish language began. Runic songs of the folk epic “Kalevala” were collected, which became the banner of the Fennoman movement.
It should be noted that Finland received rights that it did not even have as part of Sweden, partly due to Russia’s indifference. I would say that Russia simply did not need this territory. It continued to be treated as a wild land. Russia did not expect to receive anything from Finland. Therefore, the Finns were given the opportunity to develop themselves. The Grand Duchy of Finland has become an analogue of modern free economic zones. The taxes collected there were used to develop their region. Plus, they had the right to duty-free trade with Russian territories and the opportunity to establish direct contacts with the West. Previously, the Swedes strictly regulated Finland's economic development, trying to suppress industries that could compete with Sweden. But the Russians didn’t need it.
Peace Treaty between Sweden and Russia, signed on September 17, 1809 in Fredrikshamn
© Public domain
— How can you assess the socio-economic development and position of the inhabitants of Finland under the rule of the Russian monarchy? What did the Russian tsars do for its inhabitants?
— In Finland, under Russia, new enterprises are beginning to rapidly appear, a scientific and technological revolution is taking place. After the discovery of the steam engine, factories and machine-building plants opened in Finland, and agricultural implements and shipbuilding equipment began to be produced. In the middle of the 19th century, about thirty metallurgical plants were built in Finland. The sawmill industry was actively developing. Timber export generally played an important role in the economic development of Finland. Wooded Eastern Finland was specially connected to the port of Vyborg by the Saimaa Canal.
In general, joining Russia created the most favorable conditions for economic development. Finland received the right to use all internal revenues of the Grand Duchy for its own needs. A long period of peaceful development began without any wars.
Alexander II opens the Finnish Diet in 1863
© Public domain
— How did the period of Finland’s existence under the rule of the Russian tsars affect its subsequent history? How do the people of the country themselves feel about it today?
— I cannot answer for the people of Finland. This is a dynamic process. Everything can change. But in any case, it is very significant that in the center of Helsinki, on Senate Square, there is a monument to the Russian Emperor Alexander II. During his reign, large-scale reforms took place in Finland. The position of Finnish parliamentarism has strengthened. The frequency of convening the Sejm was determined. Finland introduced its own currency - the Finnish mark. The principality retained its own troops. Russian military reforms did not affect the local army. In addition, under Alexander II, economic development intensified even more... Today there are voices calling for the removal of the monument to the emperor from the square, but it nevertheless remains on it. In Poland, for comparison, there is not a single monument to the Russian tsars.
In addition, next to the University of Helsinki there is a monument to Alexander I. Despite everything, in a certain part of Finnish society the attitude towards the general period of our history is very positive. And this despite the fact that Finland fought three times with the Soviet Union. The USSR did not fight as much with any state as with Finland. I would like to add that some Finns say that they had more rights as part of the Russian Empire than they do now as part of the European Union.