Finland and Europe

When General Napoleon Bonaparte assumed political leadership in France, a number of major developments were accelerated in mainland Europe. Born on the island of Corsica, Napoleon advanced to the rank of General in the French Army and soon proved to be an able military commander and ambitious political reformer at home. He seized power in 1799 and established himself as First Consul, and in 1804 he was crowned Emperor of France. Inspired by his idols Alexander the Great and Charlemagne, he expanded his empire through numerous wars fought between 1805 and1815.

Napoleon’s expansionist policy was quickly reflected on Finland’s position, and new ideas started brewing under the changed circumstances concerning loyalty to Sweden. While still under Swedish rule, Finland as a whole had started emerging as a separate area within the Kingdom after the Lesser Wrath (1743–1746), if not earlier. The Russian occupation had created widespread discontent among the population with the way the central administration in Stockholm was handling things. United by this critical attitude, the Finns appeared at the Diet of Stockholm as representatives of the ‘Finnish nation’.

A major compensation awarded to the ill-fated borderland by the 1765–1766 Diet was that the coastal towns in Ostrobothnia, led by Anders Chydenius, were granted the right to engage in foreign trade. Favourable economic development continued under King Gustav III of Sweden and increased prosperity started to make itself felt, particularly in Ostrobothnia and in west and southwest Finland.

Despite sporadic expressions of malcontent, loyalty and gratitude to the King were widely emphasized. Although the failed Russo-Swedish War initiated by Gustav III induced a number of officers to attempt to approach Russia, actual separatism was highly uncommon in Finland. In this respect, the Finnish War of 1808 was to transform the 700-year-long state of affairs permanently with a single stroke.