Sveaborg and the Defence of Finland
In 1748 Sweden embarked on the construction of an elaborate island fortress. This was her last attempt, writes Anthony Wood, to check the Russian thrust westwards.
A traveller approaching Helsinki from the sea slips through the maze of tiny wooded islands that festoon the coast of Finland, and, as the white neo-classical buildings of the city come into sight, the ship passes under the blunt brown walls of an eighteenth-century fortress. This is Sveaborg,1 known today as Suomenlinna, “Finland’s Castle.”
Comprising now six fortified islands, it was originally the work of Count Augustin Ehrensvärd, who is buried there. “Here rests Ehrensvärd in the midst of his labours and his fleet,” runs the inscription on his tomb, and behind that simple statement lies a whole chapter in the history of the Baltic—the last attempt on the part of Sweden to check the Russian thrust westwards.
The great age of Swedish expansion had been during the hundred years after 1560. With his occupation of Estonia, Eric XIV had taken the first step towards realizing the Vasa Kings’ ambition to capture the trade routes of the Baltic from the weakened Hanse towns; and in 1617 Gustavus Adolphus’s acquisition of Ingria had linked Estonia with Sweden’s eastern frontier in Finland, thus completing her control over the entire shore of the Gulf.
To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.
Buy Online Access Buy Print & Archive Subscription
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
