Grand Duchy of Finland

Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta
Storfurstendömet Finland
Великое княжество Финляндское
Velikoye knyazhestvo Finlyandskoye
Grand Duchy of Finland

Autonomous component merged to ‌Russian Empire

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1809–1917

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Region

North Europe

Capital

Helsinki / Helsingfors

Government

Constitutional monarchy

Grand Duke

- 1809-1825

Alexander I

- 1825-1855

Nicholas I

- 1855-1881

Alexander II

- 1881-1894

Alexander III

- 1894-1917

Nicholas II

Governor-General

- 1809

Count Georg Magnus Sprengtporten

- 1809-1810

Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly

- 1810-1824

Count Fabian Gotthard von Steinheil

Chief minister

- 1809-1820

Count Robert de Geer

Legislature

Diet of Finland Kingdom of

History

- March 29, 1809

Established

- December 6, 1917

Disestablished

Area

360,000 km²

Population

1,636,900, Density 4.5/km²

Currency

Finnish mark

Sweden

Finland

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The Grand Duchy of Finland (1809-1917) was an autonmous state ruled by the Russian Empire. The Tsars of the Russian Empire were also the Grand Dukes of Finland.

Government[]

From the time of its union with Russia at the Diet of Borga in 1809 till the events of 1899 Finland was practically a separate state, the emperor of Russia as grand-duke governing by means of a nominated senate and a diet elected on a very narrow franchise, and meeting at distant and irregular intervals. This diet was on the old Swedish model, consisting of representatives of the four estates - nobility, clergy, burghers and peasants - sitting and voting in separate " Houses." The government of the country was practically carried on by the senate, which communicated with St Petersburg through a Finnish secretary attached to the Russian government. War and foreign affairs were entirely in the hands of Russia, and a Russian governor had his residence in Helsingfors. The senate also controlled the administration of the law. The constitutional conflict of 1899-1905 brought about something like a revolution in Finland. For some years the country was subject to a practically arbitrary form of government, but the disasters of the Russo-Japanese War and the growing anarchy in Russia resulted in 1905 in a complete and peaceful victory for the defenders of the Finnish constitution. As a Finnish writer puts it: " just as the calamities which had befallen Finland came from Russia, so was her deliverance to come from Russia." The status quo ante was restored, the diet met in extraordinary session, and proceeded to the entire recasting of the Finnish government. Freedom of the press was voted, and the diet next proceeded to reform its own constitution.

Far-reaching changes were voted. The new diet, instead of being composed of four estates sitting separately, consists of a single chamber of 200 members elected directly by universal suffrage, women being eligible. By the new constitution the grand-duchy was to be divided into not less than twelve and not more than eighteen constituencies, electing members in proportion to population. A scheme of "proportional representation", the votes being counted in accordance with the system invented by G. M. d'Hondt, a Belgian, was also adopted. The executive was to consist of a minister-secretary of state and of the members of the senate, who were entitled to attend and address the diet and who might be the subject of interpellations. The members of the senate were made responsible to the diet as well as to the emperor-grand-duke for their acts. The diet has power to consider and decide upon measures proposed by the government. After a measure has been approved by the diet it is the duty of the senate to report upon it to the sovereign. But the senate is not obliged to accept the decision of the majority of the diet, nor, apparently, is the sovereign bound to accept the advice of the senate. The first elections, April 1907, resulted in the election to the diet of about 40% representatives of the Social Democratic party, and nineteen women members.

Grand Prince

Alexander I (₩) (March 29, 1809 - December 1, 1825)
Nicholas I (₩) (December 1, 1825 - March 2, 1855)
Alexander II (₩) (March 2, 1855 - March 13, 1881)
Alexander III (₩) (March 13, 1881 - November 1, 1894)
Nicholas II (₩) (November 1, 1894 - March 15, 1917)

Governor-General

Count Georg Magnus Sprengtporten (₩) (March 29, 1809 - June 17, 1809)
Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (₩) (June 17, 1809 - February 1, 1810)
Count Fabian Gotthard von Steinheil (₩) (February 1, 1810 - March 22, 1824)