Eugen Waldemar Schauman (russian: Евгений Владимирович Шауман, ''Evgeny Vladimirovich Shauman''); ( – ) was a
Swedish speaking Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
nationalist and nobleman. Schauman assassinated the
Imperial Russian
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...
Governor-General of Finland
The governor-general of Finland ( fi, Suomen kenraalikuvernööri; sv, generalguvernör över Finland; russian: генерал-губернатор Финляндии) was the military commander and the highest administrator of Finland sporadic ...
Nikolai Ivanovich Bobrikov.
Early life and family
![Daniel Nyblin - Portrait photograph of young Eugen Schauman](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Daniel_Nyblin_-_Portrait_photograph_of_young_Eugen_Schauman.jpg)
Eugen Schauman was born in
Kharkov
Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine. ,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
(now
Kharkiv
Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.[Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...]
) to
Swedish-speaking Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
parents. His mother was Elin Maria Schauman, and his father was
Fredrik Waldemar Schauman
Fredrik is a masculine Germanic given name derived from the German name '' Friedrich'' or Friederich, from the Old High German ''fridu'' meaning "peace" and ''rîhhi'' meaning "ruler" or "power". It is the common form of Frederick in Norway, Finlan ...
, a general-lieutenant in the Imperial Russian army, who also served as a
privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
lor and senator in the Finnish government. His brother Rafael was born in 1873, and his sister
Sigrid
Sigrid is a Scandinavian given name for women from Old Norse ''Sigríðr'',
composed of the elements ''sigr'' "victory" and ''fríðr'' "beautiful".
Common short forms include Siri, Sigga, Sig, and Sigi. An Estonian and Finnish variant is Siiri ...
in 1877.
The family moved often due to Waldemar's work with the government.
As a young child, he was inspired by his mother's reading of ''
The Tales of Ensign Stål
''The Tales of Ensign Stål'' (Swedish language, Swedish original title: , fi, Vänrikki Stoolin tarinat, or year 2007 translation ) is an epic poem written in Swedish by the Finland-Swedish author Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Fin ...
'' by
Johan Ludvig Runeberg. These told of the resistance to attempted Russification and oppression that had been going on in Finland for the better part of the 19th century. Runeberg's tales became an important connection to Schauman's distant homeland, which he longed to see. At the age of eight, Schauman heard that there was a collection going on in
Nykarleby, Finland to erect a memorial to the victory over the Russians that had occurred in the 1808
Battle of Jutas
The Battle of Jutas ( fi, Juuttaan taistelu, sv, Slaget vid Jutas) was fought on Tuesday, 13 September 1808 between Swedish and Russian troops south of Nykarleby in Ostrobothnia, Finland. Before the battle the Swedish army was in retreat after ...
in the
Finnish War
The Finnish War ( sv, Finska kriget, russian: Финляндская война, fi, Suomen sota) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic ...
. Inspired by Runeberg's tales, Schauman wanted to contribute to the plan,
[Jussi Niinistö: ''Suomalaisia vapaustaistelijoita'', pp. 13–18. Nimox Ky, Helsinki 2003.] and sent a letter from
Radom, Poland
Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the seat of a separate Radom Voivodeship (1975–1 ...
to Finland that contained a single
ruble
The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union.
, currencies named ''rub ...
and read: "Please accept this small contribution to the memorial of Jutas. ~Eugen Schauman, Radom 24 May 1883"
[The original read: "''Var god och emottag denna lilla bidrag (en rubel) till minnesstoden vid Juutas, Eugen Schauman, Radom 24 Maj 1883''"] Schauman's mother died the following year, in autumn 1884, when he was nine years old.
[Schauman, Fredrik Waldemar](_blank)
''Suomalaiset kenraalit ja amiraalit Venäjän sotavoimissa 1809–1917.'' Biography centre, Finnish Literature Society
The Finnish Literature Society ( fi, Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura ry or fi, SKS) was founded in 1831 to promote literature written in Finnish. Among its first publications was the ''Kalevala
The ''Kalevala'' ( fi, Kalevala, ) is a 19th ...
.
Schauman attended secondary school in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
while the rest of the family was living in Poland. He had poor hearing, however, and this had an effect on his studies.
Nonetheless, Schauman
matriculated
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...
at the Nya Svenska Läroverket in 1895; graduated from the
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...
with an upper degree in government studies in 1899; and began his career as a clerk in the
senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
in 1901. He was a temporary employee working as an assistant to the school governing board. The job became permanent in 1903.
[Eugen Schauman](_blank)
''Ylioppilasmatrikkeli 1853–1899''; online publication of the University of Helsinki. In addition to his job at the senate, Schauman arranged for a series of marksmanship courses aimed at local students in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
. These courses later became a part of the
White Guards training.
Political activism
Language manifesto
![Karl Emil Ståhlberg - Nylands Nation gathering names for the Great Petition](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Karl_Emil_St%C3%A5hlberg_-_Nylands_Nation_gathering_names_for_the_Great_Petition.jpg)
Schauman observed and experienced the formalization of the controversial
Russification of Finland policy firsthand with the February 1899 decree of the
February Manifesto
The February Manifesto, also known as His Imperial Majesty's Graceful Announcement (decree collection 3/1899) was a legislative act given by Emperor of Russia Nicholas II on 15 February 1899, defining the legislation order of laws concerning the Gr ...
. His father, Waldemar Schauman, resigned as senator in the summer 1900 as a protest against the manifesto, that had made the
Russian language
Russian (russian: русский язык, russkij jazyk, link=no, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language mainly spoken in Russia. It is the First language, native language of the Russians, and belongs to the Indo-European langua ...
a compulsory subject in all Finnish schools. At first Schauman acted against the oppression like the other students: joining protests at the Runeberg statue; spreading leaflets calling for the will to battle and hatred towards the Russians; and gathering names for the
Great Petition
The Great Petition ( fi, Suuri Adressi) was a document produced in the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1899, during the first period of the Russification of Finland. It petitioned the Grand Duke of Finland, Tsar Nicholas II to reconsider his Februar ...
in
Uusimaa
Uusimaa (; sv, Nyland, ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, He ...
.
[Risto Niku: ''Ministeri Ritavuoren murha'', pp. 30–42. Edita, Helsinki 2004.]
Shooting practice
Gradually Schauman, like other students and activists, started to move from passive resistance to active resistance. He organised shipments of weapons from abroad by shipping American rifles to Finland with the help of the Finnish Hunting Association, which were then distributed to students. In addition to this, he organised shooting clubs around the Helsinki area that taught marksmanship to students and other youths. Soon Schauman and other activists started planning an armed revolution.
[After Bobrikov's assassination, a home search conducted at Lieutenant General Waldemar Schauman's house found a plan to found general shooting clubs in Finland.] As well as his father's loss of his job, Schauman was angered by the dismissal of his uncle, Colonel Theodor Schauman, from the command of the
Finnish Dragoon Regiment, a unit from
Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta (; sv, Villmanstrand) is a city and municipality in the region of South Karelia, about from the Russian border and from the town of Vyborg (''Viipuri''). It is situated on the shore of the Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland, and ...
, in December 1901, after
Nikolai Bobrikov had not been satisfied with this inspection of it.
Draft riot
Schauman became personally involved with Russian authorities during the riots in Helsinki connected to the draft strikes on 18 April 1902. Thousands of Finns participated in demonstrations at
Senate Square angered by the draft conducted at the Russian Guard barracks. The governor of the
Uusimaa Province
The Province of Uusimaa ( fi, Uudenmaan lääni, sv, Nylands län) was a province of Finland from 1831 to 1997.
It was established in 1831, when the County of Nyland and Tavastehus was divided into the Häme Province and Uusimaa Province.
In ...
, Mikhail Kaigorodov, had sent the
Cossacks
The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...
to end the demonstrations. Schauman was returning from work to his home on Koulukatu, but went to see what was happening on the square. A group of a few Cossacks intercepted him on Hallituskatu, pushed him against a wall, and started to whip him on the head. When one of the Cossacks went for his sabre, Schauman took his knife and stabbed at his chest. The blade of the knife twisted when it hit a metal part of the Cossack's uniform. The Cossack was, however, thrown off his horse and Schauman escaped to the stairway of the chemistry building of the university. According to a witness, he was "...shaking with anger..."
Kagal
After the Cossack riots, Bobrikov became convinced that Finland was undergoing a ''kramola'' (or "secret rebellion"). The
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...
awarded Bobrikov dictatorial powers in 1902. As the Russian oppression worsened, the underground passive-resistance organisation,
Kagal
Kagal is a town in Kolhapur district of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
History
During the rule of the Marathas and British raj, the town was the seat of a noble Ghatge Maratha
The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक ...
, decided that it was time to move to stronger acts of defiance, as
passive-resistance methods were no longer effective. For example, in 1902 over half of the age class had skipped the draft to the Russian army, which had been made mandatory for Finns. In 1903 the draft strike was no longer as effective, and only 22 percent skipped the draft. "Emergency measures", meaning assassination, was accepted as a new way to act against the strengthening Russification. Many leading Kagal members had already been exiled at this point. At first, the plan was to strike against Finnish politicians agreeing with the Russification, but soon the activists, the Kagal organization, and Schauman decided it was best to strike against the Governor-General
Nikolai Bobrikov, who was seen as the leader and main activist of the oppression politics.
Assassination
![Schauman shoots Bobrikov](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Schauman_shoots_Bobrikov.jpg)
The possible assassination of Bobrikov was a topical question among the Finnish activists of the time. Other activist groups are known to have made assassination plans, but Schauman convinced them to give him two weeks before they would intervene.
When Bobrikov came to the
Senate house on 16 June, Schauman shot him three times—and then himself twice in the chest—using an
FN Browning M1900 pistol. Schauman died instantly. Two of the bullets that hit Bobrikov ricocheted off his military decorations, but the third bounced back from his buckle and caused severe damage to his stomach. Bobrikov did not die immediately but was taken to the
Helsinki Surgical Hospital
The Helsinki Surgical Hospital (Finnish: ''Kirurginen sairaala'', Swedish: ''Kirurgiska sjukhuset''), often referred to as ''Kirurgi'' (Swedish: ''Kirurgen'') or simply ''Kirra'', is a hospital located in Helsinki, Finland, in the district of Ull ...
. Surgeon worked to save his life, but Bobrikov died the following day at 1:10 a.m.
Aftermath
![Finnish Government Palace staircase](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Finnish_Government_Palace_staircase.jpg)
Schauman's body was taken to an unmarked grave in the
Malmi cemetery
The Malmi Cemetery ( fi, Malmin hautausmaa; sv, Malms begravningsplats) is a large cemetery located at the corner between Ring I and the Lahti Highway ( E75) in the Malmi district in Helsinki, Finland. It is the largest cemetery in Finland in ...
in Helsinki. After the political situation eased up he was reburied in the Schauman family grave in the and a monument was built on the grave.
Schauman's legacy
Schauman left a letter in which he stated that he justified his actions as a punishment for Bobrikov's crimes against the people of Finland. He addressed the letter to the
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...
and wanted him to pay attention to the problems in the whole of the Russian empire, especially in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
and the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
region. He claimed he had acted alone and emphasized that his family was not involved in the assassination.
Schauman became something of an icon for the resistance to Imperial Russia, and many Finns still consider him a hero. His fame can be characterized by his ranking as the 34th greatest Finn of all time in the 2004 ''
Suuret suomalaiset
''Suuret suomalaiset'' (''Great Finns'') was a 2004 television show broadcast in Finland by Yle (the Finnish Broadcasting Company), which determined the ''100 greatest Finns of all time'' according to the opinions of its viewers. The viewers were ...
'' (Greatest Finns) television poll. At the location of the assassination in the hallway of the
Council of State
A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...
, there is a memorial plaque that states ''Se Pro Patria Dedit'' ("Given Himself for His Country").
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest com ...
composed the funeral march ''
In Memoriam'' in memory of him.
Historical perspective
The importance of Schauman in history divides opinions. In the summer of 2004, a hundred years after Bobrikov's murder,
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Matti Vanhanen
Matti Taneli Vanhanen (; born 4 November 1955) is a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland from 2003 to 2010. He was also Chairman of the Centre Party and President of the European Council in 2006. In his earlier career, h ...
condemned the act, calling Schauman a
terrorist
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
. According to him, events like the assassination of Bobrikov are not appropriate to celebrate in the era of the
war on terror
The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international Counterterrorism, counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campa ...
. A discussion arose from the statement, in which Unto Vesa,
amanuensis
An amanuensis () is a person employed to write or type what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another, and also refers to a person who signs a document on behalf of another under the latter's authority. In one example Eric Fenby ...
of the Peace and Conflict Research Institute, agreed with Vanhanen.
Ruotuväki 8/2006
Joonas Nordman: "Pahat pojat ja tytöt". (in Finnish)
Notes
References
External links
*
Centennial article
about the assassination in Helsingin Sanomat
''Helsingin Sanomat'', abbreviated ''HS'' and colloquially known as , is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. Its name derives from that of ...
international edition, 15 June 2004
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schauman, Eugen
1875 births
1904 suicides
20th-century Finnish criminals
Finnish male criminals
People from Kharkov Governorate
Swedish-speaking Finns
Finnish people of German descent
19th-century Finnish nobility
20th-century Finnish nobility
Finnish assassins
Finnish nationalists
Nationalist assassins
Suicides by firearm in Finland
Multiple gunshot suicides
Murder–suicides in Finland