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The Grand Duchy of Finland (Latin: Magnus Ducatus Finlandiæ) (Russian: Великое княжество Финляндское) was the predecessor state of modern Finland that existed in its territory 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire.
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History
An extended Finland Proper was made a titular Grand Duchy (more correctly, Grand Principality) in 1581, when King John III of Sweden, who as a prince had been the Duke of Finland (1556–1561/63), extended the list of subsidiary titles of the Kings of Sweden considerably. The new title Grand Duke of Finland did not result in any increase of Finnish autonomy. During the next two centuries, the title was used by some of John's successors on the throne, but not all. Usually it was just a subsidiary title of the king, used only on very formal occasions. However, in 1802 as an indication of resolve to keep Finland within Sweden in the face of increased Russian pressure, King Gustav IV Adolf gave the title to his new-born son, Prince Carl Gustaf, who died three years later. During the Finnish War between Sweden and Russia, the four Estates of occupied Finland were assembled at the Diet of Porvoo on March 29, 1809 to pledge allegiance to Alexander I of Russia. Following the Swedish defeat in the war and the signing of the Treaty of Fredrikshamn on September 17, 1809, Finland became a true autonomous grand duchy as a part of the Russian Empire. For the foundation of the Grand Duchy as an entity with relatively greater autonomy within the Russian realm, and for regaining of the so-called Old Finland that was lost to Russia in the previous century, the Finnish-born Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt, councillor to the emperor, was instrumental. The history of the Grand Duchy can briefly be characterised as:
- 1809–1862: fifty years of consolidation, during which the Grand Duchy's authorities succeeded in convincing the Russian court not only of their own loyalty, but of that of all Finns.
- 1863–1898: thirty-five years of increased independence, including the re-establishment of the Diet of Finland and the elevation of Finnish from a language for the common people to a national language equal to Swedish
- 1899–1917: twenty years of attempted russification, ultimately unsuccessful and detrimental for Finland's relationship with the Russian Empire (and the Soviet Union that was formed shortly afterwards).
The Tsar ruled Finland as a constitutional monarch through his governor and a native Senate appointed by him. The country nevertheless enjoyed a high degree of autonomy, until its independence in 1917. In 1917, after the February Revolution in Russia, Finland's government worked towards securing and perhaps even increasing Finland's autonomy in domestic matters. On December 6, 1917, shortly after the October Revolution in Russia, Finland declared its independence. Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse was elected the new monarch as king instead of grand duke, marking the new status of the nation, but he never reigned, as a republic was proclaimed.
Politics
Finland's autonomous position was based on the fact that the Emperor Alexander I had promised to maintain the earlier Swedish constitution from the late 18th century intact in the conquered Finland. Literally, this would have meant a personal union with Russia, but this point of view was never emphasised and the constitution was ignored many times for pragmatic reasons. For example, the emperor was never titled as the "king", even though that was the name reserved for the monarch in the constitution. The emperor ruled as the Grand Duke of Finland and was represented in Finland by the Governor-General of Finland. The Senate of Finland was the highest governing body of the Grand Duchy. In St. Petersburg Finnish matters were represented by the Finnish Minister Secretary of State. From 1863 onwards the Diet of Finland convened regularly. In 1906, the Diet, with its hereditary rather than universally elected representation, was dissolved and the modern Parliament of Finland was established. For the first time in the world, universal suffrage and eligibility was implemented, including both women and landless people.
Geography
The Grand Duchy of Finland lay approximately within the same borders that had existed before the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940. The main difference was Petsamo, which was ceded to Finland only in the Treaty of Tartu in 1920.
Counties
- Main article: Counties in Finland
The administrative division introduced during the Swedish era in 1634 was continued with few changes.
- Uusimaa County Uudenmaan lääni / Nylands län
- Häme County Hämeen lääni / Tavastehus län
- Turku and Pori County Turun ja Porin lääni / Åbo och Björneborgs län
- Viipuri County Viipurin lääni / Viborgs län
- Mikkeli County Mikkelin lääni / St. Michels län
- Kuopio County Kuopion lääni / Kuopio län
- Vaasa County Vaasan lääni / Vaasa län
- Oulu County Oulun lääni / Uleåborg län
Heraldry
- Main articles: Flag of Finland, Coat of Arms of Finland
The arms were originally designed for the sarcophagus of Gustav Vasa around 1580. The arms were adopted also for the grand duchy, though the position of the "eastern" sword was changed later in the 19th century so that the lion was holding it in his other arm instead of walking over it. In the 1860s talk about a Finnish flag started in the fennoman movement. In 1863 numerous proposals were presented for a national flag. [1] The two main proposals were flags based on red/yellow and blue/white. The flag proposals never had a chance to be presented to the Diet, so none of them ever became an official flag, however people used different designs for flags of their own choosing.
Miscellaneous topics
See also
- Congress Poland - Kingdom of Poland (1815-1831), another constitutional monarchy within the Russian Empire
- Grand Duchy of Lithuania
- Russification
External links
- The text of The Imperial Manifesto of 1811 in German and Finnish
- Article on Finland in 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
