Postage stamps and postal history of Finland
Encyclopedia
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s for use since 1856.
Early history: Background
In the war of 1808-1809, Russian troops conquered Finland. The country had formerly belonged to SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and was annexed to the Russian empire at the Peace Treaty of Hamina
Treaty of Hamina
The Treaty of Fredrikshamn or the Treaty of Hamina was a peace treaty concluded between Sweden and Imperial Russia on 17 September 1809. The treaty concluded the Finnish War and was signed in the Finnish town of Hamina...
on September 17th, 1809. Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire
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...
. The Russian Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
(1801-1825) promised that Finland could uphold the existing religion, the basic laws and privileges of the social order.
Finland was allowed to manage its affairs and employment of its own civil servants. A parliament began to assemble from the year 1863 - the same year where Finnish language got official status and became equal with the Swedish language. In 1865, Finland got its own currency - penni and markka - which quickly turned out to be stronger than the Russian Rouble. From the 1860s, trading - import and export - grow rapidly. Population grew from 1 million in 1809 to over 3 million by the end of World War I.
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:...
ascended the throne in 1881, a process of making Finland a more integrated part of the empire started - many attacks were made in the Russian public on the special rights of the Finnish people and efforts were undertaken to abolish these special rights granted to them, and by many small steps this led to the Russification of the Finnish Post.