| Suomen Suuriruhtinaskunta | |||||
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| Grand Duchy of Finland | |||||
| Personal union with Vanivere | |||||
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| Motto Jumala on kanssamme! |
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| National Anthem Maame |
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| Capital | Helsinki | ||||
| Official language | Finnish, Swedish | ||||
| Demonym | Finnish | ||||
| Government Type - Grand Duke - Prime Minister |
Constitutional monarchy Alexandre II Matti Johansen |
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| Formation - Treaty of Turku |
January 1, 2039 |
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| Total Area | 338,424 km2 | ||||
| Total Population - Main Ethnicity |
6,782,256 (2209 est.) Finnish |
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| Time Zone | UTC +2 UTC +3 (summer) |
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The Grand Duchy of Finland (Finnish: Suomen Suuriruhtinaskunta) is a country in Scandinavia, widely considered to be a client state of the Vaniveran Empire. Finland is bordered to the north by the Kingdom of Norway, to the west by the Kingdom of Sweden, to the east the Russian Federation, and to the south the Baltic Sea. It is a constitutional monarchy in personal union with the Vaniveran Empire since 2039.
An extended Finland Proper was made a titular grand duchy in 1581, when King John III of Sweden, who as a prince had been the Duke of Finland, extended the list of subsidiary titles of the Kings of Sweden considerably. The new title Grand Duke of Finland did not result in any increase of Finnish autonomy. During the next two centuries, the title was used by some of John's successors on the throne, but not all. Usually it was just a subsidiary title of the king, used only on very formal occasions. However, in 1802 as an indication of resolve to keep Finland within Sweden in the face of increased Russian pressure, King Gustav IV Adolf gave the title to his new-born son, Prince Carl Gustaf, who died three years later.
During the Finnish War between Sweden and Russia, the four Estates of occupied Finland were assembled at the Diet of Porvoo on March 29, 1809, to pledge allegiance to Alexander I of Russia. Following the Swedish defeat in the war and the signing of the Treaty of Fredrikshamn on September 17, 1809, Finland became a true autonomous grand duchy as a part of the Russian Empire. For the foundation of the Grand Duchy as an entity with relatively greater autonomy within the Russian realm, and for regaining of the so-called Old Finland that was lost to Russia in the previous century, the Finnish-born Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt, councillor to the emperor, was instrumental.
On January 7, 2039, Emperor Henri III was crowned as the first sovereign Grand Duke of Finland. Since then, the Grand Duchy and Vanivere have co-existed peacefully and both joined the European Union. The monarchs of Vanivere have become extremely popular among the Finnish people, who have never asked for a dissolution of the personal union.