Sisällysluettelo/Contents in Finnish / Urkunder till Finlands historia
Document language:
Sisällysluettelo/Contents in Finnish / Urkunder till
Finlands historia
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the park of the Olympic Museum Lausanne. "The Flying Finn" won nine golds in the Antwerp, Paris and Amsterdam Olympic Games of 1920, 1924, and 1928. He also possessed 29 world records from 1,500 m to 20,000 m between 1921 and 1931. Voted in Time Magazine of 1997 as the best Olympic athlete of the 20th century. |
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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Southern Finland, is from the 14th century. Al secco wall paintings (1514-1516) told the congregation teachings of the Bible in a very concrete form. |
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 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 (Helsinki
University Library).  |
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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 had during the 18th century 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
Norwegian). May 14, 1826. The
original French text will be published later. 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 (for the time being 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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from 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.
Imperial Majesty's Gracious Rescript to the
Governor General of
Finland (in
Russian) from June 8, 1899,
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.
Pro
Finlandia 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. 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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(Bigger image) |
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 by
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. Kuusinen
Government magazine: Soviet pilots
protect
the interests of the working people of Finland (Dec.,
1939).
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 | 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.
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).
Order
of S. Timoshenko, Commander of the Soviet troops, and Leningrad Party
leader A. Zhdanov on March 14, 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
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