At the beginning of the 19th century, an event occurred that affected the fate of an entire people who inhabited the territory adjacent to the coast of the B altic Sea, and for many centuries was under the jurisdiction of the Swedish monarchs. This historic act was the accession of Finland to Russia, the history of which formed the basis of this article.
Document resulting from the Russian-Swedish war
On September 17, 1809, on the coast of the Gulf of Finland in the city of Friedrichsgam, Emperor Alexander I and King Gustav IV of Sweden signed an agreement, which resulted in the accession of Finland to Russia. This document was the result of the victory of 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 Borgor Diet - the first estate assembly of the peoples who inhabited Finland, to the Russian government with a request to accept their country as part of Russia on the rights of the Grand Duchy of Finland, and the conclusion of a personal union.
Most historians believe thatThe positive reaction of Sovereign Alexander I to this popular will gave impetus to the formation of the Finnish national state, the population of which had previously been completely under the control of the Swedish elite. Thus, it will not be an exaggeration to say that it is Russia that Finland owes the creation of its statehood.
Finland is part of the Kingdom of Sweden
It is known that until the beginning of the 19th century, the territory of Finland, inhabited by the sum and em tribes, never constituted an independent state. In the period from the 10th to the beginning of the 14th century, it belonged to Novgorod, but in 1323 it was conquered by Sweden and came under its control for many centuries.
According to the Orekhov Treaty concluded in the same year, Finland became part of the Kingdom of Sweden on the rights of autonomy, and since 1581 received the formal status of the Grand Duchy of Finland. However, in reality, its population was subjected to the most 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 negligible that it did not allow them to have any significant influence on the solution of current issues. This state of affairs continued until the next Russian-Swedish war broke out in 1700.
Finnish accession to Russia: the beginning of the process
During the Northern War, the most significant events unfolded precisely on Finnish territory. In 1710The troops of Peter I, after a successful siege, captured the well-fortified city of Vyborg and thus secured access to the B altic Sea. The next victory of the Russian troops, won four years later in the Battle of Napuz, made it possible to liberate almost the entire Grand Duchy of Finland from the Swedes.
This could not yet be considered as the complete annexation of Finland to Russia, since a significant part of it still remained part of Sweden, but the process was started. Even subsequent attempts to take revenge for the defeat, undertaken by the Swedes in 1741 and 1788, could not stop him, but both times were unsuccessful.
Nevertheless, under the terms of the Treaty of Nystadt, which ended the Northern War and concluded in 1721, the territories of Estonia, Livonia, Ingria, as well as a number of islands in the B altic Sea, were ceded to Russia. In addition, the empire included South-Western Karelia and the second largest city in Finland - Vyborg.
It became the administrative center of the soon-to-be-created Vyborg province, included in the St. Petersburg province. According to this document, Russia assumed obligations in all Finnish territories that had ceded to it to preserve the rights of citizens that existed before and the privileges of certain social groups. It also provided for the preservation of all the old religious foundations, including the freedom of the population to profess the Evangelical faith, worship and study in religious educational institutions.
The next stage of expanding the northern borders
During the reign of the EmpressElizabeth Petrovna in 1741, a new Russian-Swedish war broke out. It was also part of the process that, almost seven decades later, resulted in the annexation of Finland to Russia.
Briefly, its results can be reduced to two main points - this is the capture of a significant territory of the Grand Duchy of Finland, which was under Swedish control, which allowed the Russian troops to advance up to Uleaborg, as well as the highest manifesto that followed. In it, on March 18, 1742, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna announced the introduction of independent government throughout the territory recaptured 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 all South-Eastern Finland became part of Russia. It was a very large territory, which included the cities of Wilmanstrand, Friedrichsgam, Neishlot with its powerful fortress, as well as the Kymenegorsk and Savolak provinces. As a result, the Russian border moved further away from St. Petersburg, thereby reducing the risk of a Swedish attack on 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 made up the newly formed Vyborg province. Counties were established on its territory: Serdobolsky, Vilmanstrandsky, Friedrichsgamsky,Neishlotsky, Kexholmsky and Vyborgsky. In this form, the province existed until the end of the 18th century, after which it was transformed into a governorship with a special form of government.
Finnish accession to Russia: an alliance beneficial to both states
At the beginning of the 19th century, the territory of Finland, which was part of Sweden, was an underdeveloped agricultural area. Its population at that time did not exceed 800 thousand people, of which only 5.5% lived in cities. The peasants, who were tenants of land, were subjected to double oppression from both the Swedish feudal lords and their own. This largely slowed down the development of national culture and self-consciousness.
The accession of the territory of Finland to Russia was undoubtedly beneficial to both states. Thus, Alexander I was able to move the border even further away 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 both in the field of legislative and executive power. 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 between Russia and 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 only a forced act on his part, 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 took upon himself the duty of inducing Sweden and Denmark to a continental blockade created against a common enemy at that time - 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 possibilities to achieve the desired result through diplomacy, Alexander I was forced to resort to military pressure.
Already at the beginning of hostilities, it became obvious that, for all his arrogance, the Swedish monarch was not able to put up against the Russian troops a sufficiently powerful army capable of holding the territory of Finland, where the main hostilities unfolded. As a result of an offensive deployed in three directions, the Russians reached the Kaliksjoki River less than a month later and forced Gustav IV to start peace negotiations on the terms 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 took upon himself the obligation to contribute in every possible way to the implementation of the laws adopted by the Finnish Sejm and received its approval.
This clause of the treaty was very important, since it gave the emperor control over the activities of the Sejm, and made him essentially the head of the legislature. After it was carried outaccession to Russia of Finland (year 1808), only with the consent of St. Petersburg was it allowed to convene the Seimas and introduce changes into 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 tsar's manifesto of March 20, 1808, was accompanied by a number of very specific circumstances. Considering 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 along the way.
It should be noted that earlier the Grand Duchy of Finland was part of Sweden, that is, a state that had a constitutional structure, elements of separation of powers, class representation in parliament and, most importantly, the absence of serfdom of the rural population. Now, the accession of Finland to Russia made it part of a country dominated by an absolute monarchy, where the very word "constitution" angered the conservative elite of society, and any progressive reforms met with inevitable resistance.
Establishment of a commission for Finnish affairs
his reform activities.
Having studied in detail all the features of life in Finland, the count recommended to the sovereign that the principle of autonomy be the basis of its state structure, while preserving all local traditions. He also developed instructions for the work of this commission, the main provisions of which formed the basis of 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 Borgor Seim, with the participation of representatives of all social strata of society. After drawing up and signing the relevant document, the members of the Seim took an 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 certifying the accession of Finland to Russia. A photo of the first of them, which belonged to Alexander I, is placed in our article.
After joining Russia in 1808, the territory of Finland expanded somewhat due to the transfer of the Vyborg (former Finland) province under its jurisdiction. The state 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 of its indigenous population.
Armed Soviet-Finnish conflicts
The consequences of Finland's accession to Russia turned out to be veryfavorable for its development and formation of statehood. Thanks to this, for more than a hundred years, there were no significant contradictions between the two states. It should be noted that over the entire period of Russian rule, the Finns, unlike the Poles, have never revolted or tried to get out of the control of their stronger neighbor.
The picture changed radically in 1917, after the Bolsheviks, led by V. I. Lenin, granted independence to Finland. Responding to this act of goodwill with black ingratitude and taking advantage of the difficult situation inside Russia, the Finns started a 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, hatching plans to create a "Greater Finland". However, this time their successes were much less modest. The last armed confrontation between the two northern neighbors - the Soviet Union and Finland - was the war that broke out in the winter of 1939-1940.
She didn't bring victory to the Finns either. 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 homes and property, forced to hastily evacuate from the front lineinland.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that the Soviet side placed all responsibility for the outbreak of the conflict on the Finns, referring to the artillery shelling allegedly undertaken by them, 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 people forget all the good things that Finland's accession to Russia once brought with it.
Russia Day, unfortunately, is not celebrated in Finland. Instead, the Finns celebrate Independence Day every year on December 6, remembering how in 1917 the Bolshevik government gave them the opportunity to secede from Russia and continue their own historical path.
Nevertheless, it would hardly be an exaggeration to say that Finland's current position among other European countries is largely due to the influence that Russia had in the past on its formation and acquisition of its own statehood.
