Russo-Swedish War (1741-1743)
Encyclopedia
The Russo–Swedish War of 1741–1743, known as the Hats' Russian War in Sweden and the Hats' War in Finland
, which resulted in the Lesser Wrath (Finnish
: Pikkuviha, Swedish
: Lilla ofreden), or the occupation of Finland, was instigated by the Hats
, a Swedish political party that aspired to regain the territories lost to Russia
during the Great Northern War
, and by French
diplomacy, which sought to divert Russia's attention from supporting its long-standing ally, the Habsburg monarchy
, in the War of the Austrian Succession
.
While 8,000 Swedish and Finnish troops were being deployed at the Russian border, near Lappeenranta
and Hamina
, Sweden declared war on August 8. The objective of these maneuvers was to threaten Saint Petersburg
and to set the stage for a coup d'état
, engineered by French and Swedish diplomats and aimed at toppling the pro-Austrian regime of Anna Leopoldovna
. The coup did take place in December, but the new Tsarina, Elizaveta Petrovna, reneged on her promises to return the Baltic provinces
to Sweden and continued the vigorous prosecution of the war, under the guidance of her pro-Austrian chancellor, Aleksey Bestuzhev.
The threat to the Russian capital had been relieved as early as September 3, when 20,000 Russians under Field-Marshal Peter Lacy
advanced from Vyborg
towards Lappeenranta and inflicted a major defeat on the Swedish commander Charles Emil Lewenhaupt
. By June 1742, the 35,000-strong Russian army ousted 17,000 Swedes from Hamina . As the war unfolded, Lewenhaupt's position deteriorated and he was forced to retreat towards Helsinki
. In August, Lacy captured Porvoo
and Savonlinna
and encircled the entire Swedish army near Helsinki, where he received Lewenhaupt's capitulation on September 4.
As soon as hostilities ceased and the Russian army entered Turku
, the statesmen Alexander Rumyantsev
and Ernst Nolken arrived at the city in order to discuss a peace settlement. The Tsarina promised to evacuate her army from Finland on the condition that Adolf Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp — that is, the uncle of her own heir apparent
— was named as the heir to the throne of Sweden. (The latter had been offered the crown of Finland
by the local lantdag). The Hats acquiesced in her proposal in the hope that Adolf Frederick would be able to obtain better terms from her. Elizabeth also wanted Russian forces to occupy Sweden in order to ensure Adolf Frederick's peaceful election, but this plan aroused the vehement opposition of the Swedish representatives and was abandoned.
While peace negotiations lumbered on, the Baltic Fleet
of Russia destroyed a Swedish flotilla near Korpo Island
. The following month, Lacy — who had distinguished himself in similar operations during the Great Northern War — embarked from Kronstadt
in order to effect a landing in Sweden proper
. When the Baltic Fleet
was approaching Umeå
, news came that the Treaty of Åbo
had been finalized, with Sweden ceding to Russia the towns of Lappeenranta and Hamina and a strip of Finland to the northwest of Saint Petersburg. The Kymi River
was to form part of the border between the two powers. The treaty marked the further decline of Sweden as a great power
in Northern Europe.
The territory ceded to Russia was added to the Russian gains in the Treaty of Nystad
in 1721, under the Governorate of Vyborg. This was later incorporated into the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland
in 1812.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, which resulted in the Lesser Wrath (Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
: Pikkuviha, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
: Lilla ofreden), or the occupation of Finland, was instigated by the Hats
Hats (party)
The Hats were a Swedish political faction active during the Age of Liberty . Their name derives from the tricorne hat worn by officers and gentlemen. They vied for power with the Caps. The Hats, who ruled Sweden from 1738 to 1765, advocated an alliance with France and an assertive foreign policy,...
, a Swedish political party that aspired to regain the territories lost to Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
during the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
, and by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
diplomacy, which sought to divert Russia's attention from supporting its long-standing ally, the Habsburg monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
, in the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
.
While 8,000 Swedish and Finnish troops were being deployed at the Russian border, near Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about from the Russian border. It belongs to the region of South Karelia. With approximately inhabitants Lappeenranta is the largest city in Finland...
and Hamina
Hamina
Hamina is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Kymenlaakso region. The town has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is...
, Sweden declared war on August 8. The objective of these maneuvers was to threaten Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
and to set the stage for a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, engineered by French and Swedish diplomats and aimed at toppling the pro-Austrian regime of Anna Leopoldovna
Anna Leopoldovna
Anna Leopoldovna of Russia , also known as Anna Karlovna , regent of Russia for a few months during the minority of her baby son Ivan...
. The coup did take place in December, but the new Tsarina, Elizaveta Petrovna, reneged on her promises to return the Baltic provinces
Baltic provinces
The Baltic governorates , originally the Ostsee governorates is a collective name for the administrative units of the Russian Empire set up at the territories of Swedish Estonia, Swedish Livonia and, afterwards, of Duchy of Courland and Semigallia .-History:The Treaty of Vilnius of 1561 included...
to Sweden and continued the vigorous prosecution of the war, under the guidance of her pro-Austrian chancellor, Aleksey Bestuzhev.
The threat to the Russian capital had been relieved as early as September 3, when 20,000 Russians under Field-Marshal Peter Lacy
Peter Lacy
Count Peter von Lacy, or Pyotr Petrovich Lacy , as he was known in Russia , was one of the most successful Russian imperial commanders before Rumyantsev and Suvorov...
advanced from Vyborg
Vyborg
Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
towards Lappeenranta and inflicted a major defeat on the Swedish commander Charles Emil Lewenhaupt
Charles Emil Lewenhaupt
Charles Emil Lewenhaupt the Elder was a Swedish general.-Biography:He was born on March 28, 1691 to Count and Lieutenant General Carl Gustaf Löwenhaupt and Countess Amalia Wilhelmina von Königsmarck. At the age of 16, Lewenhaupt entered Dutch service where he was promoted to the rank of Captain in...
. By June 1742, the 35,000-strong Russian army ousted 17,000 Swedes from Hamina . As the war unfolded, Lewenhaupt's position deteriorated and he was forced to retreat towards Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. In August, Lacy captured Porvoo
Porvoo
Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...
and Savonlinna
Savonlinna
Savonlinna is a town and a municipality of inhabitants in the southeast of Finland, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region. The Finnish name of the town means "Castle of Savonia" and the Swedish name means "Newcastle".- History :...
and encircled the entire Swedish army near Helsinki, where he received Lewenhaupt's capitulation on September 4.
As soon as hostilities ceased and the Russian army entered Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, the statesmen Alexander Rumyantsev
Alexander Rumyantsev
Count Alexander Ivanovich Rumyantsev was an assistant of Peter the Great and father of Field Marshal Peter Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky. He came from the Rumyantsev family which, though little known and documented in the 17th century, later claimed descent from a prominent 14th-century boyar.Alexander...
and Ernst Nolken arrived at the city in order to discuss a peace settlement. The Tsarina promised to evacuate her army from Finland on the condition that Adolf Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp — that is, the uncle of her own heir apparent
Peter III of Russia
Peter III was Emperor of Russia for six months in 1762. He was very pro-Prussian, which made him an unpopular leader. He was supposedly assassinated as a result of a conspiracy led by his wife, who succeeded him to the throne as Catherine II.-Early life and character:Peter was born in Kiel, in...
— was named as the heir to the throne of Sweden. (The latter had been offered the crown of Finland
Kingdom of Finland (1742)
The attempt to create a Kingdom of Finland in 1742 is a little known chapter in the history of Finland. Following the Russian occupation in the Russo-Swedish War and vague promises of making the country independent, Finns elected the then Duke Peter of Holstein-Gottorp as the King of Finland...
by the local lantdag). The Hats acquiesced in her proposal in the hope that Adolf Frederick would be able to obtain better terms from her. Elizabeth also wanted Russian forces to occupy Sweden in order to ensure Adolf Frederick's peaceful election, but this plan aroused the vehement opposition of the Swedish representatives and was abandoned.
While peace negotiations lumbered on, the Baltic Fleet
Baltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
of Russia destroyed a Swedish flotilla near Korpo Island
Korpo
Korpo is a former municipality of Finland. On 1 January 2009, it was consolidated with Houtskär, Iniö, Nagu and Pargas to form the new town of Väståboland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region...
. The following month, Lacy — who had distinguished himself in similar operations during the Great Northern War — embarked from Kronstadt
Kronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
in order to effect a landing in Sweden proper
Sweden proper
Sweden proper, , is a term used to distinguish those territories that were fully integrated into the Kingdom of Sweden, as opposed to the dominions and possessions of, or states in union with, Sweden....
. When the Baltic Fleet
Baltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
was approaching Umeå
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
, news came that the Treaty of Åbo
Treaty of Åbo
The Treaty of Åbo or the Treaty of Turku was a peace treaty signed between the Russian Empire and Sweden in Turku on 7. Augustjul./ 18. Augustgreg...
had been finalized, with Sweden ceding to Russia the towns of Lappeenranta and Hamina and a strip of Finland to the northwest of Saint Petersburg. The Kymi River
Kymi River
Kymi river is a river in Finland. It begins from the lake Päijänne, flows through the provinces of Päijät-Häme, Uusimaa and Kymenlaakso and discharges into the Gulf of Finland. River passes the towns of Heinola and Kouvola...
was to form part of the border between the two powers. The treaty marked the further decline of Sweden as a great power
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
in Northern Europe.
The territory ceded to Russia was added to the Russian gains in the Treaty of Nystad
Treaty of Nystad
The Treaty of Nystad was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War. It was concluded between the Tsardom of Russia and Swedish Empire on 30 August / 10 September 1721 in the then Swedish town of Nystad , after Sweden had settled with the other parties in Stockholm and Frederiksborg.During...
in 1721, under the Governorate of Vyborg. This was later incorporated into the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
in 1812.