Even the strongest of the Swedish fortresses, Sveaborg, still had several of its planned fortifications missing, most notably all the land side fortifications designed to protect against a besieging enemy. СПБ, 1849. The king, who viewed Napoleon as the Antichrist and Britain as his ally against Napoleon’s France, was apprehensive of the system’s ruinous consequences for Sweden’s maritime commerce. By November 1808, Russian forces had overrun all of Finland. Swedish efforts to harass the Russians with landings continued, with roughly 1,000 volunteers under Captain Anders Gyllenbögel landing on 01 August to support Swedish-led uprisings on the coast south of Vasa. Landings were further complicated by the Swedish Navy's failure to tightly block the coastal sea route past Hangö. After starting the siege on 21 February, the Russians issued a surrender demand for the fort, but this was refused by the Swedes. About 21,000 Swedish troops were stationed in various fortresses in Finland, while the rest of his army was unable to leave southern Sweden for fear of Danish attack. However, since von Vegesack had been ordered to land his men at Björneborg, the king, after pursuing the matter unsuccessfully in military tribunals, condemned von Vegesack to lose his rank and title. Swedish patrol ships (consisting of armed merchant vessels) scouted and raided the coast, taking Russians prisoners to Åland. What is the Prognosis for Piriformis Syndrome? Due to various disagreements with the Swedish king, however, they never landed and sailed off to fight the French in Spain after leaving 16 battleships and 20 other ships at Sweden’s disposal. In Saint Petersburg, his stubbornness was viewed as a convenient pretext to occupy Finland, thus pushing the Russo-Swedish frontier considerably to the west of the Russian capital and safeguarding it in case of any future hostilities between the two powers. Meanwhile, the other Russian contingent – 5,000 men under Barclay de Tolly – endured great hardship in crossing the frozen gulf further north; they entered Umeå on 24 March. The third force, commanded by Count Shuvalov, struck against Torneå and, braving fierce frost, encircled a Swedish army, which capitulated on 25 March. However, owing to bad weather, only a portion of the troops that had been intended to participate in the landing actually reached the Finnish coast, and this resulted in another withdrawal on 28 September.[20]. The fortress surrendered on 6 May 1808 after prolonged negotiations with the Russians as the commanding officer Carl Olof Cronstedt and his council believed that resistance was futile. Second Swedish Retreat. Referring to the treaties of 1780 and 1800, the emperor demanded that Gustav Adolf close the Baltic Sea to all foreign warships. In April Napoleon began to devote more attention to the situation in Spain, and the British navy remained a continuous threat for troop movements between Denmark and Sweden. Фомин А.А., Швеция в системе европейской политики накануне и в период русско-шведской войны 1808–1809 гг., М., 2003. Swedish forces had mostly just withdrawn before the advancing Russian often destroying usable materials. Referring to the treaties of 1780 and 1800, the emperor demanded that Gustav Adolf close the Baltic Sea to all foreign warships. The Finnish War between Sweden and Russia was fought against the background of the European power politics of the Napoleonic era. The Finnish War (Swedish: Finska kriget, Finnish: Suomen sota, Russian: Русско-шведская война 1808—1809) was a war fought in 1808-1809 between Russia and Sweden. [15], Sweden performed several small landings along the coast near Kristinestad (Finnish: Kristiinankaupunki) and Kaskö (Finnish: Kaskinen) and managed to raise local men to oppose the Russians. Although he reiterated his demand on November 16, 1807, it took two months before the king responded that it was impossible to honor the previous arrangements as long as the French were in control of the major Baltic ports. Failure to block the Russians led the king to relieve Cederström of his duties and replace him with Commander Henrik Johan Nauckhoff. When news of Kulnev’s incursion spread to the Swedish capital, the new king sent an embassy to Knorring, proposing a truce. After starting the siege on 21 February, the Russians issued a surrender demand for the fort, but this was refused by the Swedes. The demand was repeated on 02 March but without success. The British ships were far superior sailing ships compared to those of either the Swedes or Russians, and engaged the withdrawing Russian squadron (nine ships of the line and several frigates) on their own. In Savolax, Russians also advanced rapidly and took Kuopio on 16 March. In August, Charles XIII, anxious to improve his position at a peace settlement, ordered General Gustav Wachtmeister to land in the north of Sweden and to attack Kamensky's rear. The Swedish advance was very slow however, as operations were often halted due to the thaw. The Swedish plan was to first passively defend and hold on to the fortifications in the southern coast of Finland, in which Sweden had strong garrisons, while the rest of the Swedish army retreated to the north. When news of Kulnev's incursion spread to the Swedish capital, the new king sent an embassy to Knorring, proposing a truce. The Finnish war (1808 - 1809) was fought between Sweden and Russia and was a pivotal moment in Finnish history as it marked the end of the six-century-old union between Sweden and Finland. Sweden’s loss of Finland to the Russians is attributed to poor command and Sweden’s inability to utilize the help of their ally at the time - Britain. The Finnish War was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from February 1808 to September 1809. In addition, several new good roads had been built into Finland greatly reducing the earlier dependency on naval support for any large operation in Finland.[2]. Tuchkov’s battered unit strained to hold its own against Sandels, while the progress of a relief force under General Alekseyev was contained by guerrilla fighters. [25][26], In memory of the 200th anniversary of the Finnish War, all Swedish, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Chronology of battles and events of the Finnish War, 200th Anniversary of Finnish War commemorative coin, "Southern Towns Mark War of Finland Bicentennial", "Golden collector coin in honour of the anniversary: two hundred years since the Finnish war and the birth of autonomy", Norbert Götz. A colonel and a Savonian cannon for Finnish war 1808-1809 There are some models I needed for my Russo-Swedish War 1808 project that haven't been made yet by the Perrys. The surprised Russians garrisoned at Åbo reacted quickly, however, and deployed over 3,000 men to stop the landing force. Also the Swedish southern army of Finland, consisting of roughly 4,000 men under Major General von Vegesack, was moved from Åland to Finland, and landed at Kristinestad in late autumn, joining with von Döbeln’s forces. About 21,000 Swedish troops were stationed in various fortresses in Finland, while the rest of his army was unable to leave southern Sweden for fear of Danish attack. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian… As Russian forces embarked upon their unprecedented march across the frozen gulf, King Gustav IV – accused of fatal mistakes leading to the loss of Finland – was dethroned in Stockholm on 13 March, and his uncle was proclaimed Charles XIII of Sweden. Guerra Finlandese - Finnish War. Sweden performed several small landings along the coast near Kristinestad (Finnish: Kristiinankaupunki) and Kaskö (Finnish: Kaskinen) and managed to raise local men to oppose the Russians. The Swedish battlefleet which had been expelling Russians from Gotland was ordered to blockade the Hangö Peninsula and reached the cape on 10 June. TOP 10: Finnish War Movies. Finnish War 1808-09 Tulkittua Tuuvaa exhibition at Mikkeli Art Museum 2009 Prints size 13 x 18 cm . On February 21, 1808, 24,000 Russian troops under Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoevden crossed the border in Ahvenkoski and took the town of Lovisa (Finnish: Loviisa). Prior to 1809, Sweden had a reputation as one of Europe’s most corrupt countries, but the loss in the war created the perception of an existential threat in the East for Sweden and motivated Swedish elites to reform its bureaucracy. Small boat actions took place during the night time of 17–18 July which became known as the skirmish at Lövö (Finnish: Lövön kahakka). In the south, the Swedish battle fleet remained anchored within the Finnish archipelago, blocking some of the deeper coastal sea routes from Hangö towards Åbo. On the first day of the war they had captured the town of Lovisa and besieged the Swedish sea fortress of Svartholm. In the end instructions which the new Swedish commander in Finland, General Wilhelm Mauritz Klingspor, received from the king were an unsuccessful and open-ended mixture of ideas from these very different plans. The Finns rose up in guerrilla fighting as far east as Frederikshamn (Finnish: Hamina) within the Old Finland province of Russia. On 17 September, the Swedes landed again, this time at Lokalax (Finnish: Lokalahti), while the coastal fleet covering the landing managed to keep the Russians away in the Battle of Palva Sund on 18 September. While none of the fights ended with a decisive winner, the overall strategic victory went to Russia, who gained advantage in the Finnish archipelago by managing to link up their separate coastal units. The basic reason for the plan was to avoid major decisive battles. After a two-hour-long battle, the local militia, together with the Swedish landing force, overwhelmed their enemies and Colonel Vuich and his garrison were compelled to surrender. Learn how your comment data is processed. Swedish attempts to land troops and artillery in support of the gunboats at Vestankärr on 02 August ended in failure, though the attempt came very close to capturing General Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoeveden. The Grand Duchy of Finland was to retain the Gustavian constitution of 1772 with only slight modifications until 1919. English: Finnish War (1808–1809) Suomi: Suomen sota (1808–1809) Русский: ... Media in category "Finnish War" The following 29 files are in this category, out of 29 total. This forced the Swedes to allocate forces to southern Sweden and along the Norwegian border (23,000 troops). Other notable effects were the Swedish parliament's adoption of a new constitution and the establishment of the House of Bernadotte, the new Swedish royal house, in 1818. The lost land … The situation was problematic for Sweden, since it once again faced both Denmark and Russia as potential enemies requiring the Swedes to split their forces. However, since von Vegesack had been ordered to land his men at Björneborg, the king, after pursuing the matter unsuccessfully in military tribunals, condemned von Vegesack to lose his rank and title. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire. Odds were very much against the Swedes as the Russians had nearly one hundred coastal ships in the Finnish archipelago, against which Sweden could deploy only 7 galleys and 30 gun sloops. The last of the Russian ships of the line was disabled and then captured and burned by the British ships. A British Royal Navy fleet under Admiral James Saumarez had arrived in Sweden in May and he concentrated his ships, 10 ship of the line and 17 smaller ships, to the Gulf of Finland. However, the Swedish fleet dropped its blockade on 22 August, allowing the Russian coastal units to unite. The Finnish War (1808-1809), known in Sweden as “the greatest national catastrophe in the long history of the Swedish state”, resulted in the country losing Finland to the Russian Empire. Failure to block the Russians led the king to relieve Cederström of his duties and replace him with Commander Henrik Johan Nauckhoff. Russia would create the Grand Duchy of Finland from the territory obtained from Sweden, and would attach the areas gained from Sweden in the 18th century (so-called Old Finland) to the new Grand Duchy. The Royal Navy captured 35 Russian ships and burnt 20 others before leaving the Baltic Sea on 28 September 1809.[21]. Russian ships continued to arrive from the east but remained within the shallow narrows where the Swedish ships of the line could not reach. In southern Finland, armies were to isolate the fortifications and first take control of the whole of southern Finland before advancing further to the north. Imgur: The magic of the Internet. 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