Other invaders of Finland

The Other Invaders of Finland

Finland has been part of Sweden and Russia - many would concider them to be the invaders of Finland. At the same time, many think that Finland was never invaded, just an autonomous part of Sweden and Russia before gaining full independence in 1917.

The Vikings, famous Scandinavian invaders, did come to Finland, as well, but not to invade our country or areas of it. They came on friendly terms to do business with Finns. Vikings had more lucrative areas to conquer in the East and in the West. Finland had nothing special to offer to them.
The Great Britain, a colonial nation, had a short encounter with Finland. The purpose was not to invade Finland but to isolate Russia. in 1850's, Russian troops had proceeded far in Romania and provoked the Ottomans to declare a war to Russia (the Crimean war). The British and France decided to support the Ottomans and started a war. The part of the war that includes the Finns is called "Oolannin sota", the War of Åland.

During the Åland war (1854-1856), the British Navy took control of the Baltic sea in order to isolate and destroy the Russian harbours, coastal fortresses and maritime commerce. Finland suffered a lot from these actions, because it was part of Russia at that time. Many of the Russian commercial ships were stationed in Finland and, therefore, the actions involved the Finns, too.

Åland is a small autonomous island between Finland and Sweden and it is part of Finland. The war of Åland includes the bombing of Bomarsund. The ruins are still visible and a famous touristic location. As a result of the war, Åland was declared a demilitarized region, and it remains as such even now.