The Åland islands were conquered by the Swedish in the course of the 13th century
and although their population was almost entirely Swedish they were later governed
as a part of Finland.
After the February Revolution of 1917 an Åland Nationalist Movement, asking for the
reunion of the islands with Sweden, emerged. (1)
At the same time the islands became a battle-field between "Red" and "White" Finnish
troops. Swedish troops then occupied them in 1918, formally in order to restore
law and order, but in fact to safeguard Swedish claims on the islands. (2)
Swedish troops were later replaced by German forces, who transferred the islands
to the legal Finnish government.
As both nationalist agitation and Swedish claims continued, the question of the
islands was finally submitted to the Council of the League of Nations, who decided
in 1921 in favour of Finland, providing a large mesure of autonomy was granted to
the Swedish population.
This was done in 1922 when the Ålanders accepted the Autonomy Act, issued by the
Finnish government in 1920.
The islands were demilitarised from 1856 to 1915, from 1921 to 1939 and again from
1944.
(1) The Aland Movement was related to a larger Swedish Nationalist Movement in
Finland itself. This movement, which in 1917 convened a Swedish Assembly
of Finland, demanded a special selfgoverning administration for all Swedish
provinces in the country.
As, in the course of the following years, the Finnish government however
granted far-going cultural autonomy to its Swedish minority, the movement
soon lost in importance.
(2) Swedish Commander on the Islands
1918 Hugo, Greve Hamilton
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FINNISH CHIEF ADMINISTRATORS
Until 1918 the Åland islands formed a district of the Finnish province of Turku ja
Pori/Åbo och Björneborg
Governors of Turku ja Pori/Åbo och Björneborg Province
1840 - 1856 Gabriel Anton Cronstedt 1798 - 1893
1856 - 1857 Carl Fabian Langenskiöld 1810 - 1863
1857 - 1858 Selim Mohamed Ekbom 1807 - 1886
1858 - 1863 Johan Axel Cedercreutz 1801 - 1863
1864 - 1889 Carl Magnus Creutz 1821 - 1893
1889 - 1891 Gustaf Axel Samuel von Troil 1837 - 1909
1891 - 1903 Wilhelm Theodor von Kraemer 1836 - 1926
1903 - 1905 Theodor Hjalmar Lang 1856 - 1921
1905 - 1911 Knut Gustaf Nikolai Borgenström 1851 - 1918
1911 - 1917 Eliel Ilmari Wuorinen 1875 - 1961
1917 - 1922 Kaarlo Collan (3) 1881 - 1964
(3) Governor (Commissar) for the Finnish Socialist Republic
1918 Rudolf Wilhelm Österman 1890 - 1918
Bailiffs of the Åland islands District
1832 - 1853 Adolf Fredrik von Willebrand 1796 - 1853
1853 - 1880 Carl Oskar Lignell 1815 - 1880
1881 - 1890 Johan Frithiof Salvén 1836 - 1890
1890 - 1896 Alexander Stefanus Träskelin 1854 - 1896
1896 - 1897 Thure Severin Granberg
1898 - 1906 Reinhold Waldemar Blomqvist 1845 - 1906
1906 - 1913 Johan Axel Bergroth 1862 -
1913 - 1915 Robert Optatus Silander 1861 - 1917
1915 - 1916 Karl Fredrik Nummelin 1881 - 1916
1917 Aarne Nyström Inha
1917 Robert Optatus Silander
1917 - 1919 Emil Valter Johansson
Military Governor
1918 CAdm. Hjalmar von Bonsdorff 1869 - 1945
Governors
Landshövdingar
1918 - 1922 Karl William Isaksson 1866 - 1924
1922 - 1938 Lars Wilhelm Fagerlund 1852 - 1939
1938 - 1939 Johan Torsten Rothberg 1884 - 1939
1939 - 1945 Ruben Fredrik Österberg 1895 -
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CHIEF EXECUTIVES
Land Councillors
Lantrådar
1922 - 1938 Carl Björkman 1873 - 1948
1938 - 1954 Victor Strandfeldt 1897 - 1962
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REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ÅLANDS IN THE FINNISH PARLIAMENT
Åland Members of the Finnish Parliament
Riksdagsledamöter
1924 - 1930 Anders Forsberg
1930 - 1932 Johan Torsten Rothberg s.a.
1933 - 1935 Herman Mattsson
1933 - 1935 J.A. Sjöblom
1936 - 1937 none
1938 Herman Mattsson (2x)
1939 - 1944 Hugo Johansson
1945 - 1947 none
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