European Kingdoms

Finland (Suomi)

The non-Indo-European Finns arrived in the region from the east along with their Estonian cousins at some point around the start of the third millennium BC, and they brought with them cattle breeding and tillage skills. The Finno-Ugric peoples of which they were a part settled in a huge swathe which reached eastwards into the Urals and south into what is now Lithuania. They also bear a distant relationship to the early Hungarians.

Finland, or Suomi to the Finns themselves, emerged into European history as a dependency of Sweden, which is located on their western border, although Norse sources mention a series of semi-legendary Finnish kings which predate Sweden's control. Until 1809, what is now Finland had no national identity as such, instead being ruled as a set of provinces.

9000s BC

By this date Finland is settled by Proto-Baltic hunter-gather tribes from the southern Baltics and further east, and they share the same cultural traces as those of Estonia.

c.3000 BC

The Comb Ceramic culture reaches Estonia and Finland as new peoples arrive from the east.

3000 - 2500 BC

The corded Ware culture arrives in southern Finland, along the coastal regions, as well as in Estonia and Latvia. Agriculture also begins, although it continues to exist alongside hunter-gather activities for some time.

Kainu / Kvenland

The Kainu are regarded by the Finnish people as the ancestors of the modern nation. Originally Sami hunter-gatherers who were later bolstered by the arrival of Finns from the Savo region, they lived around the Gulf of Bothnia, close to the modern Finno-Swedish border. The only times the tribal leaders of Finnish or Estonian peoples were recorded is when they came into contact with more cohesive outside nations, and the early Finns are no exception to this. A few of their leaders were recorded by the early Norse, who knew their territory as Kvenland (modern Kajanaland), and rendered in a Nordic style, with godlike attributes. However, this doesn't mean they didn't exist a less godly form.

Fornjótr

An ancient giant in Norse mythology.

Kári Fornjótrsson

Son. A wind god in two sagas and heir to his father's kingdom.

Frosti Karasson / Jokul Frostarsson

Son. 'Frost' or 'ice', respectively. Same person, despite names.

Snaer Vanha (the Old)

Son. 'Snow'.

early AD 300s

Jokulsson

Son of Frosti.

Thorri Snaersson

Son of Snaer.

The original line of 'kings' ends here. Although other names emerge between the fourth and ninth centuries, no connection to the early names is known to exist.

Finland is probably the only known location in Scandinavia of an inter-Glacial Neanderthal settlement which dates to around 120,000 years ago

Aude Rikas

Gisi

Andur

Froste

Loge

fl 870s

Faravid

Allied with Norway to fight the Karelians to the east.

870s

It is around this point in time that the Swedes begin to take an interest in the Finnic lands, with Swedish settlers beginning to arrive along the coast. Eventual domination follows.

Swedish Rulers of Finland
AD c.1249 - 1581

Swedish interest in Finland began in the ninth century, with complete domination following. Finland became an intergral part of the kingdom of Sweden. From the thirteenth century onwards, the Swedish king began to appoint a governor or duke to manage the Finns. Additional, localised, governors were placed in Vyborg, while the bishops of Turku also wielded some authority.

1249 - 1255

Birger Magnusson of Bjälbo

1255 - 1280

?

Governor or governors unknown.

1280 - 1281

Carl Gustavsson

1283 - 1291

Bengt I

Bishop of Linköping.

1291 - 1305

Torkel Knutsson

Governor. Shared power in 1302-1305 with Waldemar.

1302 - 1318

Waldemar

Duke.

1318 - 1324

?

Governor or governors unknown.

1324 - 1326

Matts Kettilmundson

1326 - ?

Carl Näskonungsson

1340 - 1347

Dan Niklinsson

1347 - ?

Gerhard Skytte

1353 - 1357

Bengt II Algotsson

Duke.

1356 - 1359

Eric

Eric XII of Sweden (1356-1359).

1359

Eric is the last of the dukes to govern Finland, and a more normalised system of governors takes over from this point onwards.

? - 1365

Narve Ingvaldsson

1371 -1386

King Albert of Sweden proves unpopular with his subjects, so much so that the governor of Finland, Bo Jonsson Grip, rules the territory as an independent state in opposition to him.

1371 - 1386

Bo Jonsson Grip

Independent governor of Finland.

1386 - 1395

Jakob Abrahamsson

1396 - 1421

Nils Tavast

1421 - 1435

Claes Lydekesson

1436 - 1437

Henrik Klasson

1437 - 1440

Hans Kröpelin

1446 - 1450

Magnus Gren

1450 - 1458

Olav Nilsson

Shared power between 1457-1458 with his successor.

1457 - ?

Krister Bengtsson Oxenstierna

1465 - 1467

Karl Knutsson Bonde

1481 - 1483

Laurens Axelsson

1483 - 1495

?

Name unknown.

1495 - 1496

Knut Jönsson Posse

1497 - ?

Magnus Frille

1497 - 1501

Sten Sture the Elder

1504 - 1515

Josef Persson

1520 - 1522

Thomas Wolf

1522 - 1525

?

Name unknown.

1525 - 1534

Johan av Hoya

fl 1530s

Tord Olofsson Bagge

1556 - 1583

John

John III of Sweden (1568-1592).

1561 - 1566

Gustav Fincke

1566 - 1568

Ivar Månsson Stiernkors

1568 - 1571

Hans Larsson Björnram

1571 - 1576

Henrik Claesson Horn

1581

Finland is raised to a grand duchy by the king of Sweden.

Grand Duchy of Finland
AD 1581 - 1919

With the accession of John III of Sweden, Finland was raised to a grand duchy, with the king himself holding the title and governors being appointed under him to handle the day-to-day running of the country. Swedish control lasted until 1809, with breaks beforehand, as the Russian empire gained an increasingly strong foothold in the country. Total domination followed the invasion of 1809, although Swedish influences remained strong, and do so even to this day.

1576 - 1587

Klas Åkelsson Tott

1587 - 1590

Axel Stensson greve Leijonhufvud

1591 - 1597

Claes Erikson Fleming

1597 - 1599

Arvid Stålarm

1599 - 1623

?

Name unknown.

1623 - 1631

Nils Turesson

First governor-general as the position is elevated.

1631 - 1633

Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna

1633 - 1637

?

Name unknown.

1637 - 1640

Per Brahe af Visingsborg

1638

The first wave of Swedish and Finnish settlers arrive in the New World colony of New Sweden, settling around Fort Christina.

1640 - 1648

?

Name unknown.

1648 - 1654

Per Brahe af Visingsborg

Second term of office.

1654 - 1657

?

Name unknown.

1655

The colony of New Sweden in the Americas has its main settlement at Fort Christina captured in retaliation for a brief Swedish occupation of one of the Dutch forts in New Netherland. This ends the Swedish colony.

1657 - 1659

Gustav Evertsson Horn

1659 - 1669

Herman Claesson

1669 - 1674

?

Name unknown.

1674

Henrik Henriksson

1674 - 1710

?

Name(s) unknown.

1696 - 1697

The country suffers a severe famine which leads to the deaths of almost one third of the entire Finnish population.

1710 - 1712

Carl Nieroth

1710 - 1712

During the Great Northern War, most of Finland is occupied by the Russian empire (with the period becoming known as the Greater Wrath). The Russians set up their own military governors in opposition to the Swedes in the two years in which they continue to claim any element of control in Finland. From this point until 1809, control of Finland swings back and forth between the two powers.

1710 - 1725

Aleksandr Danilovich, Prince Menshikov

First Russian military governor. Governed the eastern section.

1714 - 1721

Fyodor Matveyevich

Governed the western section.

1722

Mikhail Mikhailovich, Prince Golitsyn

Governed the western section.

1721

Sweden re-takes Finland.

1717 - 1721

Gustaf Otto

Swedish administrator of the territory.

1721 - 1735

?

Governor, name(s) unknown.

1735 - 1736

Carl Gustaf

1736 - 1742

?

Name(s) unknown.

1742

Russia occupies Finland for a second time during the Russo-Swedish War (1741-1743 - the Lesser Wrath).

1742 - 1743

Johann Balthasar von Campenhausen

Russian governor-general.

1743

Sweden captures back Finland for the final time.

1740s - 1747

Anders Johan greve Höpken

Swedish governor.

1747 - 1753

Gustaf Frederik von Rosen

Governor-general.

1753 - 1808

?

Name(s) unknown.

1808 - 1809

Russia's invasion of Finland eventually secures the country from Sweden on a permanent basis, a move that has previously been agreed between the Russian czar and Napoleon Bonaparte of France. The grand duchy is maintained but is now autonomous, with the title holder always being the Russian czar, starting with Alexander I (remembered as the 'good grand duke'). First a military administrator governs the country from within its borders, before the position of governor-general is reintroduced.

An 1865 five pennia coin issued during the Russian grand duchy period

1808

Friedrich Wilhelm Graf von Buxhöveden

Russian military administrator, Feb-Dec.

1808 - 1809

Göran Magnus Sprengtporten

First Russian governor-general.

1809 - 1810

Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly

Died 1818.

1810 - 1824

Fabian Gotthard

Died 1831.

1812 - 1813

Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt

Acting governor. Died 1814.

1824 - 1831

Arseniy Andreievitch Zakrewsky

Died 1865.

1831 - 1861

Aleksander Sergeievitch Menschikov

Died 1869.

1833 - 1846

Alexander Amatus Thesleff

Acting governor on various occasions. Died 1847.

1848 - 1855

Platon Ivanovitch Rokassowsky

Acting governor on various occasions. Died 1869.

1855 - 1861

Fredrik Wilhelm Rembert Berg

Acting governor on various occasions. Died 1874.

1861 - 1864

Platon Ivanovitch Rokassowsky

Promoted from acting governor. Died 1869.

1864

Johan Mauritz Nordenstam

Acting governor.

1864 - 1881

Nikolai Vladimirovitch Adlerberg

Died 1892.

1866 & 1867

Bernhard Indrenius

Acting governor twice.

1866 - 1868

The country suffers a second severe famine which kills about fifteen per cent of the Finnish population.

1868 & 1870

Johan Mauritz Nordenstam

Acting governor again, twice.

1872 - 1873

Johan Mauritz Nordenstam

Acting governor for a fourth time. Died 1881.

1881 - 1897

Feodor Logginovitch Heiden

Died 1900.

1897 - 1899

Stepan Osipovitsh Gontsharoff

Died 1912.

1899 - 1904

Nikolai Ivanovitch Bobrikov

Died 1904.

1904

Nikolai Matvejevitsh Turbin

Acting governor.

1904 - 1905

Ivan Mikailovitch Obolensky

Died 1910.

1905

Anton von Saltza

Acting governor. Died 1916.

1905 - 1908

Nikolai Nikolaievitch Gerard

Died 1929.

1908 - 1909

Vladimir Aleksandrovitsh Boeckmann

Died 1923.

1909 - 1917

Frans Albert Seyn

Died 1918.

1917

Adam Josifovitch Lipsky

Acting governor.

1917

Sergei Aleksandrovitch Korff

Acting governor. Died 1924.

1917

Mikhail Aleksandrovitch Stahovitch

Mar-Sep. Died 1923.

1917

Nikolai Vissarionovitch Nekrasov

Sep-Nov. Died 1918.

1917 - 1918

The Russian czarate is swept away. The Finnish parliament, itself a czarist institution, is evenly divided into left and right, and the question of what kind of relationship to establish with a friendly Imperial Germany leads to civil war in January 1918. The left seizes Helsinki and forms a provisional government, while the pro-German right retires into the northern provinces. The Bolshevik Soviets begin withdrawing their own remaining troops, fearful of a German invasion of Russia via Finland, and still backing the leftist forces. On 2 May 1918, the left is fully defeated and the last Russian troops cross the border, leaving Finland free.

1918

The Finnish parliament contemplates creating a monarchy for the country, and a crown is offered to a member of the Hessian ducal dynasty. However, although he is recorded as being the country's king between 7 October to 4 December 1918, he declines the offer.

1918

Vaino

Frederick Charles, heir to Hessen-Kassel zu Rumpenheim.

1918

Pehr Evind Svinhufvud

Regent. Later president of the Finnish republic (1937).

1918 - 1919

Carl Gustaf Mannerheim

Regent. Later president of the Finnish republic (1944).

Modern Finland
AD 1919 - Present Day

Finland's First Republic was declared in 1919 as a democratic parliamentary government, and survives to this day. It almost became a kingdom, after a crown was offered to Frederick Charles of Hessen-Kassel zu Rumpenheim, but he declined the offer. Instead, Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg became the first elected president of the country in 1919.

Relations with Russia were rarely anything but tense, except during the Cold War period when the ruling president maintain close relations with the Soviets in order to maintain his own popularity. For the most part, though, the country looked instead to Sweden, France and the west for its trade and cultural links.

1939 - 1940

As part of the wider conflict of the Second World War, Finland fights the Winter War against Soviet Russia following a Russian attack.

1941 - 1942

The Continuation War is, as the name suggests, a continuation of the fighting of 1940. The Finns halt the Russian advance into Finland before agreeing peace terms.

1944 - 1945

Finland now has to fight Nazi Germany, and manages to expel the German forces from Northern Lapland in the Lapland War. However, the peace treaties the country signs with Russia in 1947 and 1948 deprive it of a large swathe of its eastern territory.

1955

Finland joins the United Nations.

1995

 Finland joins the United European Union.

Today, Helsinki is a comfortable blend of the historical and modern