Chronology

To provide a background for the events of the Year 1809 and to make it easier to place them in a historical timeframe, a chronology has been prepared covering the period from 1154 to 1816. Nation building did not start in 1809; instead, it was based on the preceding developments going back for some 700 years. The evolution of Finland's position as part of Sweden is outlined from the time of the first crusade to the country. A more detailed chronology begins with the constitutional laws given by Gustav III that also survived the Russian reign. The chronology ends in 1816 by which time all the central administrative bodies within Finland's national government had been established.

The chronology is based on the works listed in the bibliography by comparing and checking the facts with the information available on the Internet.