In this material we will tell you when and under what circumstances Finland became part of Russia. The Peace of Tilsit, signed in 1807 between France and Russia, radically changed the balance of opposing forces in Europe. It must be said that Napoleon’s policy of conquest included the use of Russia to fight England. As we know from history, it was at his insistence that Russia broke off all relations with Great Britain. But on her side was Sweden, which categorically refused to join continental blockade and entered into an alliance with England. For Russia, the war with Sweden was caused by serious strategic considerations. It included Finland, and Russia needed to secure the capital of St. Petersburg from the north, which was located quite close to the border.
Winter of 1808 Russian army goes over Finnish border. Continued throughout the year heavy fighting, plus there was an uprising local residents, which began to unite into partisan detachments. But already in recent months In 1808, our troops occupied almost all of Finland. Emperor Alexander I was not fully pleased with the events taking place, since in general, the Swedish troops retained their combat effectiveness and strength, which means that the end of hostilities was still far away. The Russian army began its new offensive on Stockholm in difficult winter conditions. In this battle, the detachment commanded by Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration distinguished itself.
His corps was tasked with occupying the Åland Islands and further along frozen ice The Gulf of Bothnia reaches the Swedish coast. As a result of a heroic campaign, in March 1809, troops captured Aland and entered the indicated square. In the midst of the attack on Sweden, Alexander I convened the Finnish Diet in the city of Borgo. Shortly before its convocation, an act recognizing Finnish autonomy was published, and it was declared a province of Russia. The Russian sovereign promised the local authorities to preserve in unbreakable force its traditions, religion and primordial laws. Simultaneously with the beginning of the Sejm meeting, peace talks Russia and Sweden. They ended on September 5, 1809 in Friedrichsham, where a peace treaty was signed.
Photo: Miguel Virkkunen Carvalho / flickr.com
According to its terms, Sweden ceded to Russia Finland, the Aland Islands, which it had previously conquered, as well as eastern part Westro-Botnia. And the King of Sweden said he was joining others European states who carried out the blockade of England. After Finland was included in Russia, it was transformed into the Grand Duchy of Finland, and Tsar Alexander I added the title of Grand Duke of Finland to his other regalia. There was no strong relocation of the Russian-speaking population to new lands and the largest concentration was in the region and.
When the first Russian revolution happened in Russia in 1905, the Finns created their own liberation movement and joined the strikers. It must be said that there were quite difficult living conditions; the peasants did not have their own lands, which remained in the hands of Finnish and Swedish landowners. They rented out their plots for long periods. Tenants - “torpari”, as payment for the use of these plots, were required to work on the owners’ land for a certain amount of time. In even more difficult conditions There were peasants - Karelians, who carried out primitive shifting farming on small rocky patches of land, and also hunted and fished.
Double oppression - from Russia on the one hand, Finnish and Swedish landowners, on the other - often caused unrest among the Finnish peasants, who were suppressed joint actions tsarism and large local landowners. Local political parties began to put forward their own reform programs and Nicholas II had to cancel decrees that limited Finnish autonomy. Until 1917, the country harbored hopes of its Independence and after famous events in Russia in 1917, Council People's Commissars led by V. Lenin recognized State Independence Republic of Finland and today the country celebrates this holiday on December 6th. In our next article we will tell you where you will learn about its borders, you will be able to see a map and their history of occurrence.
IN early XIX century, an event occurred that influenced the fate of an entire people inhabiting the territory adjacent to the coast Baltic Sea, and for many centuries was under the jurisdiction of the Swedish monarchs. This historical act was the annexation of Finland to Russia, the history of which formed the basis of this article.
The document that became the result of the Russian-Swedish war
September 17, 1809 on the shore Gulf of Finland In the city of Friedrichsham, Emperor Alexander I and Gustav IV signed an agreement, which resulted in the annexation 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 annexation of Finland to Russia under Alexander 1 was a response to the appeal of the Borgor Diet, the first class assembly of the peoples inhabiting Finland, to the Russian government with a request to accept their country into Russia as the Grand Duchy of Finland, and to conclude a personal union.
Most historians believe that it was positive reaction Emperor Alexander I, this popular expression of will gave impetus to the formation of the Finnish nation state, whose population was previously completely under the control of the Swedish elite. Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Finland owes the creation of its statehood to Russia.
Finland within the Kingdom of Sweden
It is known that before XIX century The territory of Finland, where the Sumy and Em tribes lived, never constituted an independent state. During the period from X to beginning of the XIV centuries 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 basis of autonomy, and in 1581 received the formal status of the Grand Duchy of Finland. However, in reality, its population is legally and administratively was subjected to severe discrimination. 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 them to have any significant influence on the resolution of current issues. This state of affairs persisted until another outbreak broke out in 1700. Russo-Swedish War.
Finland's accession to Russia: the beginning of the process
During the Northern War, the most significant events took place on Finnish territory. In 1710, the troops of Peter I, after a successful siege, 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 Napusa, made it possible to liberate almost the entire Grand Duchy of Finland from the Swedes.
This could not yet be considered as a complete annexation of Finland to Russia, since a significant part of it still remained part of Sweden, but the beginning of the process had been made. Even subsequent attempts to take revenge for the defeat, undertaken by the Swedes in 1741 and 1788, but both times were unsuccessful, could not stop him.
Nevertheless, according to the terms of the Treaty of Nystadt, which concluded 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, the empire included Southwestern Karelia and the second largest city in Finland - Vyborg.
It became the administrative center of the soon-created Vyborg province, which was included in the St. Petersburg province. According to this document, Russia assumed obligations in all Finnish territories ceded to it to preserve the previously existing rights of citizens and the privileges of individual social groups. It also provided for the preservation of all previous religious foundations, including the freedom of the population to profess the evangelical faith, perform divine services and study in religious educational institutions.
The next stage of expansion of the northern borders
During the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in 1741, a new Russian-Swedish war broke out. It also became one of the stages 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 - the capture of a significant territory of the Grand Duchy of Finland, which was under Swedish control, which allowed Russian troops to advance all the way to Uleaborg, and also the subsequent highest manifesto. In it, on March 18, 1742, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna announced the introduction of independent rule throughout the territory conquered from Sweden.
Moreover, a year later in a major administrative center In Finland - the city of Abo - the Russian government concluded an agreement with representatives of the Swedish side, according to which all of South-Eastern Finland became part of Russia. It was a very significant territory, which included the cities of Vilmanstrand, Friedrichsgam, Neyshlot with its powerful fortress, as well as the Kymenegor and Savolaki provinces. As a result of this, the Russian border moved even further away from St. Petersburg, thereby reducing the danger of a Swedish attack on the Russian capital.
In 1744, all the territories included in the agreement signed in the city of Abo were annexed to the previously created Vyborg province, and together with it formed the newly formed Vyborg province. The following counties were established on its territory: Serdobolsky, Vilmanstrandsky, Friedrichsgamsky, Neyshlotsky, Kexholmsky and Vyborgsky. In this form, the province existed until the end of the 18th century, after which it was transformed into a governorate with a special form of government.
The accession of Finland 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 region. Its population at that time did not exceed 800 thousand people, of whom only 5.5% lived in cities. The peasants, who were tenants of land, were subject to double oppression both from the Swedish feudal lords and from their own. This slowed down development in many ways. national culture, and self-awareness.
The annexation of Finnish territory to Russia was undoubtedly beneficial to both states. Alexander I was thus able to move the border even further away from his capital, St. Petersburg, which greatly contributed to strengthening its security.
The Finns, being under the control of Russia, received quite a lot of freedom both in the field of legislation and executive power. However, this event was preceded by the next, 11th, and last in history, 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 part of the plans of Alexander I and was only a forced act on his part, the consequence of which was the annexation 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 responsibility to persuade Sweden and Denmark to a continental blockade created against the 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 desired result diplomatically, Alexander I was forced to resort to military pressure.
Already at the beginning of hostilities, it became obvious that, with all his arrogance, the Swedish monarch was not able to field enough troops against the Russians. powerful army, capable of holding the territory of Finland, where the main military operations took place. As a result of the offensive launched in three directions, the Russians reached the Kaliksjoki River less than a month later and forced Gustav IV to begin negotiations for peace on terms dictated by Russia.
New title of the Russian Emperor
As a result of the Friedricham Peace Treaty - under this name the agreement signed in September 1809 went down in history, Alexander I began to be called the Grand Duke of Finland. According to this document, 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 agreement was very important, since it gave the emperor control over the activities of the Diet, and made him essentially the head legislative branch. After Finland was annexed to Russia (1808), only with the consent of St. Petersburg was it allowed to convene the Sejm and introduce changes to the legislation that existed at that time.
From constitutional monarchy to absolutism
The annexation 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 treaty, 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 this path.
It should be taken into account that previously 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, important absence serfdom rural population. Now the annexation of Finland to Russia made it part of a country dominated by absolute monarchy, where the very word “constitution” aroused rage among the conservative elite of society, and any progressive reforms met inevitable resistance.
Creation of a commission for Finnish affairs
We should pay tribute to Alexander I, who was able to take a rather sober look at this question, and at the head of the commission he established to solve existing problems, he put his liberal protégé - Count M. M. Speransky, famous for his reform activities.
Having studied in detail all the features of life in Finland, the count recommended that the sovereign base its state structure on the principle of autonomy while preserving all local traditions. He also developed instructions intended for the work of this commission, the main provisions of which formed the basis of the future constitution of Finland.
The annexation of Finland to Russia (1808) and the further structure of its internal political life were largely the result of decisions made by the Borgori Diet, with the participation of representatives of all social strata society. After drawing up and signing the relevant document, the members of the Seimas took an oath of allegiance to the Russian emperor and the state, under the jurisdiction of which they voluntarily entered.
It is interesting to note that, upon ascending the throne, all subsequent representatives of the House of Romanov also issued manifestos certifying the annexation of Finland to Russia. A photo of the first of them, which belonged to Alexander I, is included in our article.
After joining Russia in 1808, the territory of Finland expanded somewhat due to the transfer of the Vyborg (formerly Finnish) province under its jurisdiction. State languages at that time there were Swedish, which became widespread due to historical features development of the country, and Finnish, which was spoken by all its indigenous population.
The consequences of Finland's annexation to Russia turned out to be very favorable for its development and the formation of statehood. Thanks to this, for more than a hundred years, no significant contradictions arose between the two states. It should be noted that during the entire period of Russian rule, the Finns, unlike the Poles, never rebelled or tried to break away from the control of their stronger neighbor.
The picture changed radically in 1917, after the Bolsheviks, led by V.I. Lenin, granted independence to Finland. In response to this act good will black ingratitude and taking advantage of difficult situation inside Russia, the Finns started a war in 1918 and, having occupied western part Karelia up to the Sestra River, advanced into the Pechenga region, partially capturing the Rybachy and Sredniy peninsulas.
Such a successful start encouraged Finnish government to a new military campaign, and in 1921 they invaded Russian borders, hatching plans to create " Greater Finland" However, this time their successes were much less modest. The last armed confrontation between two northern neighbors - the Soviet Union and Finland - was the war that broke out in winter period 1939-1940
It also did not bring victory to the Finns. As a result of hostilities that lasted from late November to mid-March and the peace treaty that ended the 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 front line inland.
Conclusion
Although Soviet side placed full responsibility for the start of the conflict on the Finns, referring to the artillery shelling they allegedly launched, the international community accused the Stalinist government of starting the war. As a result, in December 1939 Soviet Union as an aggressor state was expelled from the League of Nations. This war made many forget all the good things that the annexation of Finland to Russia once brought with it.
Russia Day, unfortunately, is not celebrated in Finland. Instead, Finns celebrate Independence Day every year on December 6, remembering how in 1917 the Bolshevik government gave them the opportunity to separate from Russia and continue their own historical path.
Nevertheless, it would hardly be an exaggeration to say that with its current position among others European countries Finland owes a lot to the influence that Russia had in former times on its formation and acquisition of its own statehood.
According to the Friedrichsham Peace Treaty, the newly conquered region became the property and sovereign possession of the Russian Empire.
Even before the conclusion of peace, in June 1808, there was an order to summon deputies from the nobility, clergy, townspeople and peasants to submit opinions on the needs of the country. Arriving in St. Petersburg, the deputies submitted a memorial to the sovereign, in which they outlined several wishes of an economic nature, having previously indicated that, not being representatives of the entire people, they could not enter into the judgments belonging to the zemstvo officials, convened in the usual and legal manner.
In February 1809, an order was issued to convene a Diet in the city of Borgo. On March 16, the tsar personally opened it, having signed the manifesto on the eve of state structure Finland. At the opening of the Sejm, Alexander I spoke in French a speech in which, among other things, he said: “I promised to preserve your constitution (votre constitution), your fundamental laws; your meeting here certifies the fulfillment of my promises.”
The next day, the members of the Sejm took an oath that “they recognize as their sovereign Alexander I the Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, the Grand Duke of Finland, and will preserve the indigenous laws and constitutions (loisementales et constitutions) of the region in the form in which they currently exist ".
The Sejm was asked four questions - about the army, taxes, coins and the establishment of a government council; after discussion, their deputies were dissolved. The conclusions of the Sejm formed the basis for organizing the administration of the region, although not all petitions of zemstvo officials were satisfied. Regarding the army, it was decided to preserve the settled system.
Regarding tax and financial system Grand Duchy in general, the emperor announced that they would be used only for the needs of the country itself. Monetary unit Russian ruble accepted. In 1811, the Finnish Bank was established; modern device, based on the control and guarantee of zemstvo officials, which the Borgo Sejm petitioned for, he received only in 1867.
A government council was placed at the head of local administrative institutions, which in 1816 was transformed into the Imperial Finnish Senate. In 1811 (manifest of December 11 (23)) there was an order to annex the so-called “Old Finland” to the Grand Duchy, that is, that part of Finland that passed to Russia under the Treaty of Nystadt.
The general change in the policy of Alexander I was reflected in Finnish affairs by the fact that Diets were no longer convened. During the reign of Nicholas I the country was ruled local authorities on the basis of local laws, but the Sejm was never convened. This did not constitute a violation of Finnish laws, since the frequency of the Diet was established only by the Diet Charter of 1869. By avoiding major reforms, the government could govern without the Diet, taking advantage of the very broad rights granted to the crown in the so-called area. economic legislation. In some urgent cases, they did without the Sejm even when the participation of the latter was necessary. So, in 1827 it was allowed to accept public service persons of the Orthodox faith who have acquired the rights of Finnish citizenship. In the highest resolution on this, however, there is a reservation that this measure is carried out administratively due to its urgency and the impossibility “now” of convening zemstvo officials.
During Crimean War The allied fleet bombarded Sveaborg, took the fortress of Bomarsund on the Åland Islands and devastated the shores of Österbothnia. The population and the leading circles of intelligent society remained loyal to Russia.
The reign of Nicholas I, poor in reforms, was rich in phenomena cultural life. National self-awareness awoke in Finnish educated society. Some signs of such an awakening were discovered in late XVIII V. (historian Portan); but only after Finland was separated from Sweden and took, in the words of Alexander I, “a place among nations,” could it begin national movement. It was called phenomania.
According to the conditions of the time, Fennomanism took a literary and scientific direction. At the head of the movement were Professor Snellman, the poet Runeberg, the collector of the Kalevala Lönnrot, and others. Later, the opponents of the Fennomans in the political arena became the Svekomans, who defended the rights Swedish as instruments of Swedish cultural influence. After 1848, the Finnish national movement was suspected, without basis, of demagogic tendencies and was persecuted. It was forbidden, by the way, to print books in Finnish; an exception was made only for books of religious and agricultural content (1850). Soon, however, this order was canceled.
Emperor Alexander II in 1856 personally presided over one of the meetings of the Senate and outlined a number of reforms. Carrying out most of the latter required the participation of zemstvo officials. They started talking about this in society and the press, and then the Senate, on one particular occasion, spoke out in favor of convening the Sejm. At first, it was decided to convene a commission of 12 representatives from each estate instead of the Sejm. This order made a very unfavorable impression in the region.
The public excitement subsided after the official clarification that the commission’s competence was limited to preparing government proposals for the future Sejm. The commission met in 1862; it is known as the "January Commission". In September 1863, the Tsar personally opened the Sejm with a speech in French, in which, among other things, he said: “You, representatives of the Grand Duchy, will have to prove by the dignity, calm and moderation of your debates that in the hands of a wise people ... liberal institutions are far from Having become dangerous, they become a guarantee of order and security." Many important reforms were then carried out.
In 1866 the transformation took place public schools, whose main figure was Uno Cygneus. In 1869, the Sejm charter was published, the Finnish bank was transformed and placed under the control and guarantees of zemstvo officials. In 1863, an order followed on the initiative of Snellman to introduce Finnish language into official records, for which a 20-year period is established. The Seimas of 1877 adopted a statute on conscription for Finland.
Sejms were convened every five years. The Reformation era was marked by an extraordinary revival of political and public life, as well as the rapid rise in general welfare and culture. At the beginning of the emperor's reign Alexandra III some measures were carried out, decided in principle or conceived back in the previous reign: Finnish units of troops were formed, the Sejm received the right to initiate legislative issues(1886). Zemstvo officials convened every three years.
At the end of the 80s, the government's policy towards Finland changed. In 1890, the Finnish Postal and Telegraph Office was subordinated to the Ministry of the Interior. At the end of the same year, there was a suspension of the criminal code adopted by the Sejm and approved by the emperor. IN last years The unification policy found an energetic executor on the spot in the person of Adjutant General N.I. Bobrikov, who was appointed Governor-General of Finland in 1898. The Manifesto of June 20, 1900 introduced the Russian language into the office work of the Senate and local main departments. Provisional regulations on 2 July 1900 placed public meetings under the direct control of the Governor-General.
During the reign of Nicholas II it was adopted new policy, aimed at the Russification of Finland. At first an attempt was made to force the Finns to pass military service V Russian army. When the Sejm, which had previously made concessions, rejected this demand, General Bobrikov introduced courts-martial. As a result of this, in 1904 there was an attempt on Bobrikov’s life, and after his death, unrest began in the country. The Russian Revolution of 1905 coincided with the rise of the Finnish national liberation movement, and all of Finland joined the All-Russian Strike. Political parties, especially the Social Democrats, took part in this movement and put forward their reform program.
Nicholas II was forced to cancel decrees limiting Finnish autonomy. In 1906, a new democratic election law was adopted, which gave women the right to vote. After the suppression of the revolution in 1907, the emperor once again tried to consolidate the previous policy by introducing military rule, which lasted until 1917.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the woodworking and pulp and paper industries predominantly developed in Finland, which were oriented towards the Western European market. Leading industry Agriculture became livestock farming, the products of which were also mainly exported to Western Europe. Finland's trade with Russia was declining. During the First World War, due to the blockade and the almost complete cessation of external maritime relations, both the main export industries and the domestic market industries that worked on imported raw materials were curtailed.
After February Revolution in Russia in March 1917, the privileges of Finland, lost after the 1905 revolution, were renewed. A new governor-general was appointed and a diet was convened. However, the law on the restoration of the autonomous rights of Finland, approved by the Sejm on July 18, 1917, was rejected by the Provisional Government, the Sejm was dissolved, and its building was occupied Russian troops. After the overthrow of the Provisional Government, Finland declared its independence on December 6, 1917.
For a decade and a half now, we have been living in the new 21st century, the century of technological and information progress. For modern man everything that happened more than 200-300 years ago seems to be a completely unprecedented antiquity. But let's go much further into the past and see what the world looked like in the same 21st century, but only BC, that is, 4 thousand years ago.
Egypt continues its 200-year transition period. The power of the Memphis pharaohs VII and VIII dynasty only nominal. Political anarchy reigns in the country, real power passes into the hands of the nomarchs - “city governors”. Due to the loss of state unity, the pan-Egyptian system completely fell into disrepair. irrigation system, which caused deep economic crisis And mass starvation. Gangs of robbers and mobs roam the country, plundering mortuary churches and tombs.
Source: www.zeno.org
The country urgently needed to be saved. The first contenders for the role of “gatherers” of all Egyptian lands were the kings from Heracleople, one of largest cities in the north of Upper Egypt. As a result successful wars they managed to subjugate Tina and Delta, and also repel the invasions of nomads on northern borders. As a result, by 2040 BC. e. The first king of the IX dynasty, Akhtoy, still managed to unite Egypt with its capital in Heracleople. At the same time, the majestic funerary temple of Mentuhotep II was being built in the necropolis of Thebes.
Source: cdn2.all-art.org
Source: vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net
Completes his reign III dynasty of Ur. One after another, with a frequency of less than 10 years, several rulers of Sumer are replaced. It was in the 21st century BC. e. the famous " Tsar's list" - a cuneiform tablet with the names and dates of the reigns of all the kings of Sumer and Akkad, ranging from the antediluvian dynasties to the fourteenth ruler of the Isin dynasty (circa 1763-1753 BC). King of Ur Shulgi subjugates Ashur and Elam, consolidates power over Mesopotamia and carries out a large-scale military reform, as a result of which infantry armed with bows appeared.
Source: i.ytimg.com
Lagash is one of the strongest cities in Sumer, after crushing defeat V historical battle with the Uruks, begins to lose its former influence. And a few years later it was completely conquered by the king of Ur, Ur-Nammu. Around 2034 BC. e. The Sumerians erect a line of fortifications against the Amorites, which, in general, does not delay them for long. By the end of the century, the invasion of the Amorite tribes crushes Sumer and from that moment the rise of Babylon begins.