Ã…land Offensive
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The Ã…land Offensive was part of a threefold attack on native
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
by the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
during the
Finnish War The Finnish War (; ; ) 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 Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...
, to force Sweden into the
Continental System The Continental System or Continental Blockade () was a large-scale embargo by French emperor Napoleon I against the British Empire from 21 November 1806 until 11 April 1814, during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree on 21 No ...
and to give up
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
.
Ã…land Ã…land ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...
was to be used for an immediate attack on
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
. Only minor skirmishes occurred when
Gotthard Johann von Knorring Gotthard Johann von Knorring (1744/1746 – 1825; , Bogdan Fyodorovich Knorring) was a Baltic German who was a soldier in the Russian Army, rising to become a general. Biography He was born in 1744 or 1746 into the Knorring family, as a member o ...
launched his Ã…land offensive on 10 March 1809, since the Swedes under
Georg Carl von Döbeln Georg Carl von Döbeln (29 April 1758 – 16 February 1820) was a Swedish ''friherre'' (baron), Lieutenant general and above all known for his efforts on the Swedish side during the Finnish War. Early life Georg Carl was born at the Stora To ...
quickly withdrew over the ice to Stockholm. Although suffering heavy casualties, the Swedish army had escaped destruction. The concluding not only brought an end to the Russian offensive, but led to their withdrawal from the islands.


Background

After the
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
conquest of
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, the Swedish king
Gustav IV Adolf Gustav IV Adolf or Gustav IV Adolph (1 November 1778 – 7 February 1837) was King of Sweden from 1792 until he was deposed in a coup in 1809. He was also the last Swedish monarch to be the ruler of Finland. The occupation of Finland in 180 ...
was deposed in a coup, while the Russians planned a large offensive against native Sweden to enforce peace; Sweden would enter the
Continental System The Continental System or Continental Blockade () was a large-scale embargo by French emperor Napoleon I against the British Empire from 21 November 1806 until 11 April 1814, during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree on 21 No ...
and accept the Russian annexation of Finland. Accordingly, the Russian emperor
Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russian Empire, Russia during the chaotic perio ...
ordered a threefold attack that would go over the ice to
Ã…land Ã…land ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...
and
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, over the ice of
Kvarken Kvarken ( (as opposed to South Kvarken); ) is the narrow region of the Gulf of Bothnia separating the Bothnian Bay (the inner part of the gulf) from the Bothnian Sea. The distance from the Sweden, Swedish mainland to the Mainland Finland, Finnish ...
, and over the Torne. The Swedes had just over 6,000 men (including sick) under general
Georg Carl von Döbeln Georg Carl von Döbeln (29 April 1758 – 16 February 1820) was a Swedish ''friherre'' (baron), Lieutenant general and above all known for his efforts on the Swedish side during the Finnish War. Early life Georg Carl was born at the Stora To ...
defending Ã…land and the path to Stockholm, while the Russians under supreme commander
Gotthard Johann von Knorring Gotthard Johann von Knorring (1744/1746 – 1825; , Bogdan Fyodorovich Knorring) was a Baltic German who was a soldier in the Russian Army, rising to become a general. Biography He was born in 1744 or 1746 into the Knorring family, as a member o ...
mustered about 17,000 men in their offensive of the islands.


Offensive

The first Russian columns started moving on 10 March and reached
Kumlinge Kumlinge is a municipality and group of islands in Ã…land, an autonomous region of Finland. The main island is also named Kumlinge. The name is thought to mean "rocky passage". As of 31 December 2023, Kumlinge had a population of 320 and a tota ...
on the 13th. The
Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...
attacked a Swedish outpost on
Vårdö Vårdö is an island municipality of Åland, an autonomous territory of Finland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (di ...
the next day. Döbeln was initially determined to face the Russians on the islands, but changed his mind after receiving words of the coup the same day; the great disparity in numbers between the two forces was a contributing factor. On 16 March, after a few minor skirmishes and fruitless negotiations, with the Russians advancing over Vårdö and the
Föglö Föglö is a group of islands and municipality in Åland, an autonomous territory of Finland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Swedis ...
archipelago to encircle the Swedes, von Döbeln decided to retreat. The Swedish
vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. ...
set out from
Eckerö Eckerö is a municipality of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Swedish an ...
towards Stockholm already the same day, bringing with them a transport of sick soldiers. The bulk of the army marched out the next day, during a blizzard, with the battalions formed into squares in which the baggage and sick soldiers were escorted. A lot of supplies, provisions and sick soldiers were left behind due to the lack of horses. The Russians advanced rapidly during this time; a cavalry attack by
Yakov Kulnev Yakov Petrovich Kulnev (; 5 August 1763 – 1 August 1812) was, along with Pyotr Bagration and Aleksey Yermolov, one of the most popular Russian military leaders at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Count Alexander Suvorov's admirer and particip ...
was repulsed by the Swedish rearguard-division. However, the Södermanland battalion at Signilskär (475 men) and 87 Fleetwood jägers who were ordered to fight a delaying action, were cut-off and forced to surrender. On 18 March, the bulk of the Swedish forces reached
Grisslehamn Grisslehamn is a locality and port located on the coast of the Sea of Åland in Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. The locality had 249 inhabitants in 2010. The name Grisslehamn was first mentioned in a document from 1376 about t ...
on the Swedish mainland after having marched for .


Aftermath

The Swedish army had managed to avoid destruction, but at a very high cost; about 1,750 men were lost—almost all captured—of which more than 1,100 sick and frostbitten were left behind on the islands and on the march towards Grisslehamn. The Russians had suffered no more than 20–30 killed and wounded. Since the Swedish army still posed a threat, the Russians disregarded an immediate offensive towards Stockholm to enforce peace as planned. Instead, only a small cavalry-division under Kulnev went after the Swedes as demonstration. The two sides soon entered negotiations, in which von Döbeln asked von Knorring to cease with further attacks as to not disrupt any peace talks. On 21 March, the was signed which, under the circumstances, was in favor of Sweden; it resulted not only in the abrupt end to the Russian offensive—against the wishes of Alexander I—but also in a general Russian withdrawal from Åland to Finland on 25 March, while von Döbeln promised not to re-occupy the islands. Following the summer campaign in
Västerbotten Västerbotten (), sometimes called West Bothnia or Westrobothnia, is a province (''landskap'') in northern Sweden, located by the Gulf of Bothnia. It borders the provinces of Ångermanland, Lapland and Norrbotten. The region is famous for Väs ...
, the war was concluded in the September
Treaty of Fredrikshamn 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 Fredrikshamn ( Hamina). Russia ...
, with Ã…land and the rest of Finland being ceded to the Russian Empire.


Citations


Sources

* *{{cite book, title=När riket sprängdes: fälttågen i Finland och Västerbotten, 1808-1809 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DNPRAAAAMAAJ , first=Eirik , last=Hornborg , language=sv , year=1955, publisher=P. A. Norstedts och Söners Förlag , location=
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
Ã…land 1809
Ã…land Ã…land ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...
1809 in Finland Ã…land 1809 Ã…land 1809 Ã…land 1809 March 1809