Sisällysluettelo/Contents in Finnish / Urkunder till Finlands historia
Document language:
Sisällysluettelo/Contents in Finnish / Urkunder
till
Finlands historia
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July 30, 1914. Serbian nationalists murdered the Heir of the Austrian Crown and his spouse in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. This led the world into the WWI. The car of make Graef & Stift, and owned by Count Franz Harrach, was where the assassination took place. (Kriegshistorisches Museum, Wien). |
Pope Innocentius IV's Letter of
Protection to the Confessors of the Christian Faith in Finland 27 August 1249. A Letter of Protection by King Birger Magnusson for womankind in Karelia on Oct. 1, 1316.
A letter (1539) by Martin Luther to the Swedish king Gustavus Vasa, original in Latin
with a Swedish
translation. The king sought a tutor to his son, and Luther recommends
also the Finn Michael Agricola, who later in 1548 translated the New
Testament (excerpt)
into Finnish. April 20, 1539.
Georg North's short description
about Finland. Printed in London, 1561. North's text is based on
Sebastian Münster's Cosmographia, Basle 1544.
The Peace Treaty
between Sweden and Russia May 18, 1595. The Duchy of Estonia was
recognized to belong to Sweden and the eastern border of Finland was
defined through this treaty. Even though its final signatories, the
Russian Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich (died 1598) and the Swedish King
Sigismund (deposed 1599) never signed the treaty, it was put into
effect right after the negotiations. Parallel
old Swedish text included.
1662. The first printed map
of the Grand Duchy of Finland (Magnus Ducatus Finlandiæ). It
was published by Dr Joan Blaeu, a Dutch publisher of fine atlases. The
original cartographer was the Swede Anders Bure (Andreas Bureus). The
arms of Finland and her provinces are beautifully presented on the map.
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loped an expertise on spinning machines. He was invited by the Czar to St. Petersburg, from where he moved to Finland, to Tampere in 1820. There he established a large textile factory and was granted all kinds of privi- leges: free land, use of water power etc. He is with reason called Father of the Finnish textile industry. In the picture a scutching machine from the 1820's at Tampere Workers' Museum. It was in use more than a hundred years, up to 1928. |
The Nystad Peace Treaty
of August 30, 1721 between Sweden and Russia
(in Swedish and German). In
Russian (Khronos).
The treaty ended Swedish dominance in the Baltics. Russian troops
withdraw from Finland. Karelian isthmus, city of Viipuri (Vyborg) and
areas north of Lake Ladoga annexed to Russia. Reunited with Finland by
an imperial
decree of Alexander I in 1811.
In 1736 an
expedition organised by the
French Academy of Sciences was sent to Tornio (Swedish
Torneå), Finland, near the polar circle. It was lead by
Moreau de Maupertuis and its purpose was to make precise geodesic
measurements to prove the globe to be an oblate spheroid. En español.
After the Peace Treaty of Turku (Åbo) in 1743 the eastern border against Russia was drawn along the River of Kymi, considerably to the west of the previous one. To strengthen the country's defence, the construction of the sea-fortress of Sveaborg began on islands facing Helsinki in 1748. (Suomenlinna Administrative Board). Russian cartography of the era: Aleksei Nagayev's Atlas
Baltiiskogo Morya of 1757 (Pellervo Kokkonen).
An economic description of Turku (Åbo), the provincial capital of Finland. A university dissertation
of Niclas Wasström, a local student in the Academy of Åbo, 1749. Den
Nationnale Winsten (The National Gain/National Profit and Loss). A study by Anders Chydenius from the year 1765. It was published as a partial answer to the debate provoked by his book "Källan Til Rikets Wan-Magt" (The Source of the Nation's
Weakness). (Chydenius Foundation) Kongl. Maj:ts
och Riksens Ständers faststälte Regeringsform.
The Instrument of Government of Sweden. Given by the Estates and King
Gustavus III of Sweden. Dated Stockholm August 21, 1772.
The King's Proclamation concerning the Swedish colony of the island of St.
Barthélemy in the West Indies, dated September 7, 1785. An overview to the history of the Swedish era. His Royal Majesty's Gracious Proclamation about the fall of
Sveaborg Fortress to the hands of the enemy. May 6, 1808. 
History
of Finland - Russian rule 1809-1917
The secret treaty (in French) between Napoleon and Alexander at Tilsit June 7, 1807. Countries, as Sweden, which did not participate in the Continental System (a commercial blockade against the British), were declared their enemies. In
English (The Napoleon Series). The Russian declaration of war (in French) on Sweden, Feb. 10, 1808. The declaration (in
Swedish) of the Russian commander-in-chief, Count von Buxhoevden, to Finns, to give up resistance, on the day Russian troops crossed the border on February 22, 1808. The armistice at Olkijoki, November 7, 1808 (original text in French, translation in Russian), between Swedish and
Russian troops after they have already taken the major part of Finland.
The Solemn Assurance of the Sovereign given by the Emperor Alexander I on 27 March 1809 to respect all constitutional rights of citizens in the newly acquired Grand Duchy of Finland. In Russian. The Peace Treaty
(the original text in French) between Russia and Sweden on 17 September
1809. Sweden accepted throught this treaty the de facto situation of having already lost Finland to Russia. The text in Russian
(Khronos).
A map of the 1809 borderline against Sweden (The National Library of Finland).  |
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Source: Le Grand-Duché de Finlande. Notice statistique. Exposition universelle de 1878 à Paris. Par K.E.F. Ignatius. Directeur du bureau de statistique. |
The Bank
of Finland was established in Turku as Exchange, Loan and Deposit Office of the Grand Duchy of Finland by an Imperial decree (in Finnish and Swedish) of November 20, 1811. The decree in Russian.
His Imperial Majesty's Manifesto on December 11, 1811 concerning the
reunification of the Vyborg Governmental District (guberniya)
with Finland (in German). Naturalized Germans, although a small minority, had during the Russian rule established a considerable foothold in the administration of the city of Viipuri (Vyborg). In Russian. Eine kurze Geschichte (in German)
der Stadt Wiburg. A Yearbook of Government and Public Institutions and Officeholders (State Calender)
for the Leap-Year 1812.
The border convention concerning
Lapland between Russia and Sweden-Norway (in French). May 14, 1826. Fixing of the borderline between Russia and Norway, and checking the old border between Norway and Grand Duchy of Finland in
1826-27. (In French).
A topographic overview of Finland (in Swedish) by Friedr. Rühs. 1827. A statistical overview of the Russian Empire by Finnish statistician and scholar Gabriel Rein in 1838. Main geographical features, government institutions, fundamental laws and
remuneration of the Imperial family, commerce, natural resources etc.
An edition of tens of pages (in Swedish). A Yearbook of Government and Public Institutions and Officeholders (State Calender) for the Leap-Year 1840. A full edition with tens of pages. A letter of thanks by the world-famous professor and linguist Jacob Grimm, for the honorary diploma granted to him by the Finnish Literature Society. December 19, 1845. Sveaborg and the Crimean War 1854-55. Optical telegraphy
in Russia and Finland. The Paris Peace Treaty of March 18/30, 1856,
ending the Crimean war in Russian
(Biblioteka elektronnykh resursov).
The The Kalmberg military
topographical map 1855-56. Southern parts of Finland. Largescale sample maps of Helsinki, Turku, Tampere and Viipuri area. Original scale 1:100000. Convention relative à la démilitarisation des îles
d'Aland 1856 (Convention on the demilitarisation of the Åland Islands) et Convention relative à la non-fortification et à la neutralisation des îles d'Aland 1921 (Convention respecting the non-fortification and neutralisation of the Aaland Islands.) Texts are shown in parallel French and Swedish texts and with the 1921 convention first. (Swedish Government, 2.8 MB pdf-file.)
The 1856 treaty in
Russian. (Moscow State University)
The protocol and the speech from the throne by Alexander II, Emperor of Russia and Grand Duke of Finland, at the opening of the second Finnish Diet, on Sept. 18, 1863. A
detailed Railway and Travel Map
of Finland. A special prize was awarded a year later to land surveyor I.J. Inberg for this excellent map of 1875. La Convention métrique internationale (The International Convention of 1875 Respecting Weights and Measures). Russia and thus Finland joined the Convention. The metric system was made mandatory in 1887 with a transition period up till 1891. Imperial Majesty's Gracious Rescript to the Governor
General of Finland (in Russian) concerning public anxiety aroused by certain measures taken to increase uniformity between the Grand Duchy and other parts of Russian Empire. February 28, 1891. English translation. The Manifesto (see № 17) of Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia and Grand Duke of Finland, to uphold the rights and laws of the Grand Duchy of Finland (tarefer.ru).
All his predecessors had given a similar assurance when ascending the
throne. November 6 (October 25), 1894.
1896. G.W. Edlund: Helsinki Album.
34 views from Helsinki. A Reference Map of Finland 1898 by I.
Uschakoff (in Finnish only). The indexes and accurate maps include, in addition to standard contents, sites for industrial enterprises, prominent farms etc.  |
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of early 20th century Finland. |
Imperial Majesty's Gracious Manifesto concerning the Fundamental Rules to be complied with preparation, inspection and promulgation of laws of the Empire, the Grand Duchy of Finland therein included. February 3, 1899. March 8-13, 1899. An address consisting of more than 520,000 names was collected all over Finland in two weeks. A deputation of 471 persons representing 484 Finnish municipalities travelled to St. Petersburg and tried to hand this appeal to restore the fundamental rights of the Finnish people to the Emperor. Nicholas II refused to receive them an audience. A contemporary book of the photos of the deputation members arranged according to provinces and municipalities (Ulrika Juselius).
June 26-July 2, 1899. A deputation representing 1,050 European learned men and prominent people tried to leave to the Czar addresses supporting Finland's campaign to preserve her assured constitutional rights. A report of July 5, 1899 to the signers. June 8, 1899. Imperial Majesty's Gracious Rescript to the
Governor General of Finland (in Russian), concerning public anxiety caused by the forthcoming change in the Conscription Act of the Grand Duchy of Finland and promulgation of the Manifesto given on the 3rd of February. English translation.
The
Gracious Manifesto of the Imperial Majesty (in Russian), on June 20, 1900, concerning the gradual transition of language into Russian in principal administrative establishments of the Grand Duchy of Finland. English translation. Maps of Finnish cities in 1902.
Nice pictures by Alexander Federley from early 20th century Finland.
Russian military topographical maps of the Helsinki area 1902..1911  |
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The
Act
(in Russian), passed by the Russian State Council and the State Duma, concerning the procedure to be complied with introducing bills and decrees of all-Empire significance given on 17 (30)th of June 1910. This act de
facto abrogated the Constitution of Finland. It was enacted without the Finnish Diet's consent. In English. En français. The Governor-General F.A. Seyn 1909..1917.
A picture postcard: Helsinki (near Market
Square) in the beginning of the 1910's. The tram seen in the historical picture is one of the new type cars ordered by Helsinki Tramlines & Omnibuses Ltd. from ASEA in 1908. The same site in 1997. The traditional yellow-green colours are preserved. The Insurance Year-Book of Finland for the year 1912. Finnish and foreign companies. Joint tariff companies
1877.
The declaration of a state of war
in the Grand Duchy of Finland, July 31, 1914. In Russian. Gracious Manifesto about declaring a state of war between Russia and Germany, Aug. 2, 1914. In Russian. And between Austria-Hungary, Aug. 8, 1914. This in Russian. And Turkey on Nov. 2, 1914 (in Russian).
And Bulgaria Oct. 18, 1915. In Russian.(Collection of decrees with respect to Finland) Encircling of Helsinki with fortifications 1914-17. (John Lagerstedt and Markku Saari)
The decision of the Prussian Minister of War to enlarge military training of Finnish independence fighters to 2,000 men on Aug. 26, 1915. Background.
Der Beschluss des preussischen Kriegsministers die Militärausbildung den finnischen Selbstständigkeitskämpfern auf 2000
Männer zu erhöhen den 26.8.1915. Hintergrund. Emperor Nicholas II's Abdication Manifesto of March 2/15, 1917 and the dramatic chain of events. Manifesto in
Russian.. Street block on Liteini
Str., Petrograd, March 5, 1917. The grave of Anna
Vyrubova (née Taneeva, 1884-1964), Empress Alexandra's lady-in-waiting in Helsinki Orthodox cemetary. She succeeded in fleeing to Finland after the revolution broke out. A Manifesto by the Provisional Government of Russia, March 7/20, 1917, on restoration and full reinstatement of the Constitution of Finland . The original
text of the Manifesto (in Russian). A memoir of the hectic days in Helsinki and (St.) Petersburg by Professor Edv. Hjelt. Governor-General Seyn's arrest. Kerenski in the Finnish Parliament April 13, 1917.
The Resolution of the Finnish Senate on May 21, 1917
to remove the portraits of the deposed emperor Nicholas II and his
family members, etc. from office rooms.
The speech of People's Commissar I.V. Stalin at the conference of the Finnish Social-Democratic Party in Helsinki in Nov. 14, 1917. A communication of the Finnish Diet relating to instituting a new Government of Finland. November 27, 1917. In Russian.
History
of Finland - Independence, Dec. 6, 1917.
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grave in a Helsinki suburb: The leaders of the Red Guards and the radical wing of the Social-Democratic party resorted to a coup, on 28 Jan. 1918, also in Fin- land, as the Bolsheviks did in Petrograd three months earlier. This led to grave consequences to the rebels themselves as well as to the whole of Finland. The memorial stone on the burial site of the 28 Red |
The Declaration of Independence adopted by the Finnish Diet on Dec. 6, 1917. In Russian.
Sixty years of independence: The Senate Square in Helsinki on Dec 6, 1977.
The recognition of Finland's independence (in Russian)
by the Soviet of People's Commissars and the All-Russian Executive
Committee. 18/31 Dec. 1917 and 23 Dec/4 Jan. 1918. In English. Stalin on the independence of Finland, De. 22, 1917. A magazine article
and a video clip about the meeting of Svinhufvud and Lenin at the Smolny Institute.
A civil war broke out on January 28, 1918, when the Reds seized power in Helsinki and other cities and set up their rule in southern Finland. The legal government
fled to Vaasa. A treaty
of friendship (Heninen) was concluded between the revolutionary governments of Russia and Finland on March 1, 1918. Government declaration of April 5, 1918 in Vaasa concerning German troops arriving in Hanko. The Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty (Brigham Young University Library)
between Russia and the Central Powers, March 3, 1918. The Peace Treaty
between the government of Finland in Vaasa and Germany, March 7, 1918 (in German, in
English). Background, later developments and other documents.
The Peace Treaty (in Russian) between Finland and the Federal Socialist Republic of Soviet Russia, Dorpat (Tartu), Oct. 14, 1920. Includes declarations of the Russian delegation concerning Eastern Carelia and Ingria. English
translation. (The League of Nations Treaty Series)
The Åland agreement in the Council of the League of Nations 1921. (Ålands kulturstiftelse) A map of Helsinki Metropolitan Area, scale
1:400000 from the year 1923. A combination of two pages from an atlas
originally published by the National Land Survey of Finland in 1920.
A short overview of the Finnish air traffic
during the years 1924-1937. Published in the book "Finland - The
Outpost of the North" by the National Union of Students of Finland in
1937. Part of a route map from 1936. A map of southern Finland 1:3750000. Süd-Finnland. Meyers Geographischer Handatlas, Leipzig, 1926. Enlarged from the original. Treaty of Conciliation, June 7, 1928, and Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Consular Rights, February 13, 1934, between USA and Finland. (The League of Nations Treaty Series)
Treaty of Non-Aggression (original text in French) between the Soviet Union and Finland, January 21, 1932, and the protocol prolonging the treaty up to 1945, signed on April 7, 1934. Signing
of the protocol (picture). In
Russian. Translation of the treaty
and the protocol in English.
"Izvestia" on collaboration
between Finland and the USSR on collective security and other League of
Nations principles, Feb. 11, 1937.
Nordic declaration for similar rules of
neutrality, May 27, 1938. (The League of Nations Treaty Series)
Translations
of the German-Soviet non-aggression pact of Aug. 23, 1939, and its secret additional protocol (Ibiblio).
In the secret protocol Finland and the Baltic countries were included
in the Russian side of spheres of interest in the event of a
territorial and political rearrangement in the areas belonging to these
countries. The Pact and the Secret Additional Protocol in
Russian. Der Originaltext des Vertrags
und des geheimen Zusatzprokolls (in
German). Dokumentation bei dem Deutschen Historischen Museum (viele Bilder). A
joint parade (image) of German and Soviet troops in Brest-Litovsk - then in Poland - 1939 (caption text in German). See
also Finland in Great Power politics
1939-1940
Newspaper commentary on 3 September 1939: No
Stop to the 1940 [Helsinki] Olympic Games Preparations.
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. A sizable number of journalists were in Helsinki and elsewhere in Finland during the whole Winter War. For many days the NY Times ran news from the Soviet invasion as its main front page topics. Front page of Pravda, Völkischer Beobachter , and Dagens Nyheteron Dec. 1, 1939. |
Molotov makes Soviet territorial demands public in his report at the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Oct. 31, 1939. In Russian (Hronos). An address by Prime Minister A. K. Cajander in Helsinki November 23, 1939, concerning territorial demands by the Soviet Union and Finland's willingness to negotiate all kinds of solutions without surrendering Finland's vital interests. An article in Pravda: "A Buffoon Holding the Post of Prime Minister" on November 26, 1939, as an answer to Prime Minister Cajander's speech. This in Russian. A brief summary to the propagandists of the Red Army describing the situation in Finland, November 1939 (Propagandist
RKKA). The local commander report to the Leningrad Military District commander on the planned offensive against Finland, November 25, 1939. Original in Russian. Molotov's note
of the alleged shelling of Soviet territory at Mainila village on
November 26 and subsequent diplomatic correspondence on Nov. 27-29.
Molotov's radio speech
on November 29, 1939, on the Soviet unilateral denouncement of the
non-aggression pact. The war broke out Nov. 30, 1939. A pictorial report
of American journalist H.B. Elliston leaving the border area the very
day of Soviet invasion ("Finland Fights", Boston, 1940).
A press statement by President Roosevelt of the United States, December 1, 1939. A telegram
by K.A. Umanskii, the Soviet plenipotentiary to USA, December 2, 1939. In Russian. Pact of Assistance and Friendship, which the Soviet Union signed with the "Democratic Government of Finland" Dec. 2, 1939, in Moscow (Andrew Heninen). Molotov's denial of civilian bombings, December 4, 1939. A propaganda leaflet dropped from Soviet airplanes during the first days of the Winter War. Contemporary press reports and news..
The League of Nations examined,
on the Finnish initiative, the measures of the Soviet and Finnish
governments in the light of its own covenant, and international and
bilateral treaties as well, and decided that Soviet Union had lost its membership on Dec. 14, 1939. The Times of Dec. 11, 1939, evaluates the possible outcome of this assembly. Pravda giving an "appraisal" on the decision (Moscow News,
Dec. 18, 1939). In Russian. The Times' leading article on Soviet commentary, on 18 Dec. 1939.
The top three telegrams by Hitler, von Ribbentrop and Kuusinen congratulating Stalin on his 60th birtday on Dec. 21, 1939 (in
Russian, Pravda). In English (Moscow News). Kuusinen congratulates
Voroshilov for Red Army victories in Finland.
Roosevelt's statement on March 13, 1940, as the Winter War ended. British diplomatic correspondence during the Winter War. Sound samples: Tiltu, a Finnish language version of Axis Sally in Radio Moscow during the Russo-Finnish wars of Nov. 30, 1939-March 13, 1940 and June 26, 1941-Sept. 4, 1944. The sign-on tune of Radio Moscow's Finnish language broadcasts in the 1970's.
Finland in Great Power
politics
1939-1940. Documents and statements: German documents
(transl.) | Deutsche
Dokumente | Swedish
(transl.) | Svenska
| British diplomatic documents
| U.S. foreign relation
documents Finland in the Soviet foreign policy of 1939-1940.
Diplomatic and other documents in Russian and English. With document
résumés.
Moscow Peace Treaty of March 12, 1940. The Russian texts as published in "Izvestiya" on March 14, 1940.
The Commander-in-Chief's Order of the Day
March 14, 1940. Field Marshal C.G.E.
Mannerheim gave this order a day after the Winter War was ended. In Russian as a contemporary NKVD translation. Order of the Soviet Military Council of the North-Western front on March 14, 1940.
British parliamentary announcements and debates on the Winter War: The Prime Minister, Mr. Chamberlain, informed the House of Commons on Nov. 30, 1939, members of the Parliament seeked support to Finland (e.g. Dec. 13, 1939 and Feb. 1, 1940). When the war ended on March. 13, 1940, the Prime Minister, Mr. Chamberlain, gave a statement in the House of Commons and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Viscount Halifax, in the House of Lords. (Hansard, the Official Report of debates in the British Parliament).
The leading
German newspaper "Völkischer Beobachter" comments the peace treaty
between the Soviet Union and Finland, on March 14, 1940 (original). In English. Pravda's leading
article on March 13, 1940 (in Russian)
Pictures of present-day Vyborg.
Finland was forced on March 14, 1940 and again on Sept. 19, 1944 to
cede her 2nd largest city to the Soviet Union in accordance with the
peace treaties. Eine kurze Geschichte
(in German) der Stadt Wiburg 1906.
A Report by V.M. Molotov, People's
Commissar for Foreign Affairs, at the VI session of the Supreme Soviet
on the good relationship between Germany and the Soviet Union, hostile
attitudes of the British and French governments, and the Winter War.
March 29, 1940. In
Russian.
The Act, enacted by the Finnish Parliament, concerning compensation for property situated in the areas ceded to the Soviet Union. August 9, 1940. The total area lost was 35,000 sq.km (ab. 9 per cent of the Finnish territory). The entire population, consisting of 422,000 people, was resettled elsewhere in Finland.
The leased territories of Hanko and Porkkala
in 1940-41 ja 1944-56. A wartime song Äänisen aallot (Waves of Onega)
1942. Includes a mp3 file, time 3:02.
Air raids on Helsinki in
Feb.
1944 Your comments or suggestions will be welcomed and appreciated 
. (©) 2004-2010 Copyright of the digitized form of the text owned by Pauli Kruhse.
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