Finland was granted its own parliament in 1906, and the first elections were held in 1907. Finland did not take part in World War I, but nationalism also had an influence on the region of Finland. Starting from 1899, Russia tightened its grip on the Grand Duchy of Finland. For example, Helsinki city centre was built during Russian rule.
During the Russian rule, Finland became a special region developed by order of the Emperor.
Most of the laws from the time of the Swedish rule remained in force. The Emperor of Russia, Alexander I gave Finland the status of a Grand Duchy. Russia captured the region of Finland from Sweden in 1808–1809. At the same time, however, there were also connections to eastern trade centres and the Orthodox Church.ġ523 Gustav I becomes King of Sweden and withdraws Sweden from the medieval union of the Nordic countriesġ543 The first ABC book written in Finnish is published in Finlandġ550 Helsinki is founded to compete with Tallinn for Baltic Sea tradeġ640 The first university in Finland is established in Turkuįinland as a part of the Russian Empire 1809–1917 For example, Finns fought in the Thirty Years’ War with Swedish troops in Central Europe. The region of Finland was Sweden’s buffer against the East, and the borders shifted many times in various wars.įinns consider themselves Western Europeans because the time as a part of the Kingdom of Sweden strongly tied Finns to the Western cultural heritage. For about 500 years, Finnish history is Swedish history. This religious boundary still exists, although the Reformation replaced Catholicism with Lutheranism.Īfter the Treaty of Nöteborg in 1323, most of Finland was a part of Sweden. With the treaty, the Catholic faith was established in western Finland and the Orthodox faith in eastern Finland. The struggle for control of the region between Sweden and Novgorod ended with the Treaty of Nöteborg in 1323. The Catholic Church spread to the region of Finland from Sweden, while the Orthodox Church did the same from Novgorod, currently Russia, in the East. Around that time, crusades brought Finland into the sphere of power of the Roman Pope and the medieval network of Hansa traders. The first written sources that mention Finland date back to the 12th and 13th centuries.
The name of Finland’s oldest city, Turku, means ‘place of trade’. Habitation first settled along water routes, and since then busy trading traffic has always passed through the region. People have lived in the region of Finland since the Ice Age, circa 8800 BCE. Finnish history is a story of trading routes, clashes of cultures and life next to great neighbours. Finland has always been a small, northern place between the East and the West.
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