2009 ManeuversPosted on 09/01/2009 7:05:40 AM PDT by Nikas777
2009-08-19
200 Years Since Sweden Loses Finland
2009 Maneuvers
Exactly 200 years have passed since the last military battle was fought on Swedish soil - bloody clashes between Sweden and Russia. The outcome? A defeated Sweden cut in two – loosing its Finnish eastern half, and fearing attacks from European rivals wiping Sweden off the map.
The battles were fierce and numerous -– with field artillery and ship's cannons booming from the shorelines and islands of the southern archipelago up through Finland and to the Swedish northeastern coast - above Umeå – to the small northern towns of Ratar and Sävar where the final skirmishes were fought - the towns obliterated and surrounding forest trees cut to stumps by the shelling.
Heroes and traitors on both sides, cavalry and foot soldiers stumbling through the mud, cowardly commanders loosing control, troops without ammunition fighting with swords, bayonets and even fists…
That Swedish-Russian war was really only a minor rumbling on the fringe of a Napoleonic war machine rolling over Europe.
Over a century has passed since Sweden's super power era had faded – when Protestant Swedish warrior kings had carried their banners throughout the Baltic region and down deep into Catholic Germany - and Sweden had long lost much of its Baltic territory.
By the 19th century, France and Russia dominated the scene, eager to push a weakened Sweden away from its only ally Britain. For its help, Russia would be given Sweden eastern half - Finland.
The Russian army and navy swept over southern Finland, moving north and then crossing the Baltic over into Swedish territory:
Some historians blame the sometimes fumbling and hesitant Swedish command on expectations that Sweden would soon sue for peace anyway. For as the battles raged in the north, the political situation down in Stockholm darkened: Swedish King Gustav the 4th who hated Napoleon as the biblical devil himself was blamed for bungled military leadership, was arrested and deposed, and his government dismissed.
The fighting ended .. and the peace treaty awarded Russia Sweden's eastern half - Finland - including the Swedish-speaking Åland Islands in the middle of the Baltic Sea. It was on these islands that Russia started building a giant naval base right off Sweden's coast - a reminder of Russian power.
At the time, many here feared that other European nations - especially Napoleon's closest ally – that old Nordic enemy Denmark in the south -– would pounce on the defeated and war-weary Sweden carving it off the European map – a fate suffered by Poland.
But Sweden survived - and not long afterwards adopted its famous and long tradition of neutrality and non-alignment. Sweden does have a long history of participating in United Nations and other peace keeping operations - but all far from Sweden's borders.
As for the Finns, the Russian victory back in 1809 meant an end of 600 years of Swedish rule. But the Czar let the Finns keep their Swedish-built administration as well as Swedish as a minority language of the former rulers and much autonomy. Finland gained full independence with the fall of the Czar at the end of the first world war.
All during this anniversary year, both Sweden and Finland are marking their historic separation with numerous ceremonies, joint parliamentary events, conferences and seminars.
On the dates of that last bloody battle on Swedish soil, a lunch in that once-smoldering northern town attended by the Swedish king and queen. On that former battle field – young men from Sweden, Finland, Russia and even neighboring Norway – dressed as soldiers and firing real bullets in a small-scale re-enactment of the event.
But for most of the year's celebrations, music and toasts to Nordic solidarity and neighboring co-operation overpower the gunfire.
Well inspired by that spirit this war had one result for the future - it allowed for the Finnish mythology to be known to a wider world and thus inspiring the 'Lord of The Rings' books.
How?
It was Elias Lonnrot (1802-84), a country doctor and folklore scholar who, by sheer force of will, created the ''Kalevala.'' Beginning in 1828, he made 11 expeditions, ranging as far south as Estonia, as far north as Finnish Lapland, as far west as the Tampere area (100 miles northwest of Helsinki) and as far east as Russian Karelia, in search of the ancient sung poetry, or ''runo,'' tradition then alive in the Eastern Orthodox regions of Finland, though long banned in the Lutheran areas.
In short, Russia's rule over Finland allowed the Lutheran half to meet its long lost brother the Orthodox half still preserved the old tales and allowed them to be collected and published which inspired Tolkien to write his "Rings" epic.
How is that for a connection?
ping
Fantastic! (or should I say “fantastisk”)
Of course, the first thing Sweden did after losing Finland to Russia was to invite a French general to become Prince-regent and run the country. He allied Sweden with its old enemy, Russia, then declared war on France and France’s ally Denmark. The Swedish armies swept into Denmark and grabbed Norway, which they ruled for almost 100 years.
Not exactly pacifist or neutrality-loving!
The French general became King of Sweden, deposing the old (Vasa) line of kings. His descendants attended this ceremony.
A re-enactment that uses real bullets? Wow!
Now, if we could just get Sweden and Finland to join NATO!
(Maybe Putin’s antics will help persuade them.)
Sounds like Tolkein ripped it off. Many of the westerns like the Magnificent Seven were rip offs of 1950s Japanese Samuri movies.
I think they meant the guns fired blanks - like the type civil war re-enactors used - this article is from Sweden so I am guessing poorly worded description.
Inspired sounds better than ripped off!
Not exactly correct. The King responsible for losing half the country was (undeerstandably) deposed. His childless elderly uncle succeeded him.
Bernadotte, the French marshal, was elected to succeed the last Vasa king. He reigned for several years as Heir and Regent before the old king kicked the bucket.
The Swedish armies swept into Denmark and grabbed Norway, which they ruled for almost 100 years.
Also not quite correct. The Norwegians retained their own sovereignty and Parliament, with the only connection between the two countries being a personal union in that they shared the same king. They also had a common foreign service.
Speaking of Suomi - I heard the “inspired sounds” this weekend with Maamme Laulu followed by Fratelli d’Italia.
http://www.forumula1.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/d09bel1493.jpg
Have you read Kalevala?
The date 1809 is usually used by historians to denote the year Sweden lost Finland to Russia. Alas, the Grand Duchy was not really established until 1812 (that being a Russian thing), and that gave the nobles and the wealthy the opportunity to sell their estates and relocate elsewhere ~ e.g. to Sweden proper, or to America, or to South Africa, or to....... you name it.
This was the SECOND Swedish emigration. The FIRST Swedish emigration occurred circa 1638 and was primarily focused on America (SEE: New Sweden). The THIRD Swedish emigration began coincident with a period of European droughts in the 1840s, and the FOURTH emigration occurred in the 1880-90 period.
Family genealogical research will make more sense if you critically examine all records with respect to when they occurred. Not everybody named Nils Anderson is your Nils Anderson.
There are movements in both countries to join with Nato. They have rather faded since the end of the cold war, but as you say, Putin may persuade them otherwise...
I tried to as I tried to read all of the Tolkien books - no can finish. No Finn pun intended.
The Swedes and Finns are kind of hostile to American foreign policy so I don’t see them joining NATO any time soon.
asn’t this the end of Sweden as a major military power?
wasn’t
Well the military decline was already there but this war sealed it.
It was more a kind of underline to their great power period. They had been in decline for some time. The real turning point, the one that pretty much finished them, was the battle of Poltava.
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