Lutheranism replaced Roman Catholicism in Finland in the course of the 16th century.
At first part of the Swedish Church, the Finnish reformed church became a separate
institution after the union with Russia in 1809.
Like in the Swedish period it at first remained a state church, but later the links
between state and church gradually loosened and by 1944 - when its administration
was detached from the Ministry of Education - the Evangelical Lutheran Church had
become largely independent, while remaining one of the national churches of Finland,
the other being the Finnish Orthodox Church.
Senators and Ministers in charge of Ecclesiastical AffairsSenators - Heads of the Section for Ecclesiastical AffairsKirkollistoimikunnan PäällikkötChefer for Ecklesiastik-Expedition
1841 - 1853 Fredrik Wilhelm Pipping 1783 - 1868
1853 - 1858 Casimir von Kothen 1807 - 1880
1858 - 1868 Harald Victor Wilhelm Furuhjelm 1810 - 1872
1868 - 1871 Johan Philip Palmén 1811 - 1896
1871 - 1885 Henrik Adolf Mechelin 1813 - 1889
1885 - 1899 Yrjö Sakari Yrjö-Koskinen 1830 - 1903
1899 - 1901 Johan Gustaf Sohlman 1837 - 1908
1901 - 1905 Arvid Oskar Gustaf Genetz 1848 - 1915
1905 - 1908 Otto Donner 1835 - 1909
1908 - 1909 Yrjö Koskinen Yrjö-Koskinen 1854 - 1917
1909 - 1910 Anders Wirenius* 1850 - 1919
1910 - 1912 Paul Nikolai Alexander Kraatz* 1853 - 1926
1912 - 1917 Anders Wirenius* (2x)
Senator - Head of the Section for Ecclesiastical Affairs and EducationKirkollis- ja Opetustoimituskunnan PäällikköChef for Kyrko- och Undervisnings-Expedition
1917 - 1918 Emil Nestor Setälä 1864 - 1935
Ministers of Ecclesiastical Affairs and EducationKirkollis- ja OpetusministeritKyrko- och Undervisningsministrar
1918 - 1920 August Mikael Soininen 1860 - 1924
1920 - 1921 Lauri Johannes Ingman 1868 - 1934
1921 - 1922 Niilo Liakka 1894 - 1945
Ministers of EducationOpetusministeritUndervisningsministrar
1922 Yrjö Arvi Vilho Loimaranta 1874 -
1922 - 1924 Niilo Liakka s.a.
1924 Yrjö Arvi Vilho Loimaranta (2x)
1924 - 1925 Lauri Johannes Ingman s.a.
1925 Emil Nestor Setälä s.a.
1925 - 1926 Lauri Johannes Ingman (2x)
1926 - 1927 Julius Edvard Ailio 1872 - 1933
1927 - 1928 Antti Kukkonen 1889 - 1978
1928 - 1929 Lauri Johannes Ingman (3x)
1929 - 1930 Antti Kukkonen (2x)
1930 - 1931 Paavo Eemil Virkkunen 1874 - 1959
1931 - 1932 Antti Kukkonen (3x)
1932 - 1936 Oskari Mantere 1874 - 1942
1936 - 1937 Antti Kukkonen (4x)
1937 - 1940 Uuno Yrjö Hannula 1891 - 1963
1940 - 1943 Antti Kukkonen (5x)
1943 - 1944 Kalle Kauppi 1892 - 1961
1944 - 1945 Uuno Kristian Takki 1901 - 1968
Archbishops of Turku
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Turku (Swed. : Åbo) was erected in 1276.
It became the seat of a Lutheran Archbishop in 1523.
Formally the Archbishops of Turku were equal in rank to the other bishops. They
performed however some special tasks and represented the Church
1847 - 1850 vacant
1850 - 1884 Edvard Bergenheim 1798 - 1884
1884 - 1898 Torsten Thure Renvall 1817 - 1898
1899 - 1930 Gustaf Johansson 1844 - 1930
1930 - 1934 Lauri Ingman 1868 - 1934
1935 - 1944 Erkki Kaila 1867 - 1944
1945 - 1951 Aleksi Lehtonen 1891 - 1951
Altough there already were some Russian Orthodox Christians in Eastern Finland since
the Midlle Ages, important communities only emerged after the Russian occupation of
Vyborg (1710) and the union with Russia (1809).
At first they were subordinated to the Metropolitans of St. Petersburg, but in 1892
a separate Archeparchy of Vyborg and Finland was established, as par of the Russian
hierarchy.
After the proclamation of Finnish independence the Church unilaterally proclaimed
its autonomy (within the restored Russian Patriarchate) in 1918. As relations with
Moscow later became quite difficult, the Church transferred its allegiance to the
Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1923.
The relationship of the Finnish Orthodox Church to the Finnish state was virtually
the same as that of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
note
Autonomous = with a separate organization while remaining however subject to the
overall authority of the Patriarchs of Moscow/Constantinople.
__________________________________________________________________________________
HEADS OF THE COMMUNITY
Metropolitans of Novgorod, St. Petersburg, Estonia and Finland
1843 - 1848 Antony I (Grigory Antonovich Rafalsky) 1789 - 1848
1848 - 1856 Nikanor (Nikolay Stepanovich Klementevsky) 1787 - 1856
1856 - 1860 Grigory I (Georgy Petrovich Postnikov) 1784 - I860
1860 - 1865 Isidor (Yakov Sergeyevich Nikolsky) 1799 - 1892
Metropolitan of Novgorod, St. Petersburg and Finland
1865 - 1892 Isidor (Yakov Sergeyevich Nikolsky) s.a.
Archeparchs of Vyborg and Finland
1892 - 1898 Antony (Aleksandr Vasilyevich Vadkovsky) 1846 - 1912
1899 - 1905 Nikolay (Nikolay Alexandrovich Nalimov) 1852 - 1914
1905 - 1917 Sergey (Ivan Nikolayevich Stragorodsky) 1867 - 1944
1917 - 1923 Serafim (Aleksandr Ioannovich Lukyanov),
since 1918 Head of the autonomous church
under Moscow 1879 - 1959
Metropolitan of Sortavala
1923 - 1925 Herman (Germanus - Herman Aav) 1878 - 1961
Archbishops of Karelia and All Finland
1925 - 1960 Herman (Germanus) s.a.
Chronology
1939 : Soviet troops invaded the frontier region of Finland and established a
Government of the People's Republic of Finland which later called for Soviet
military assistance to "liberate" the rest of the country.
1940 : After the so-called "Winter War" Finland signed the peace-treaty of Moscow,
agreeing :
- to cede some contested frontier territories to the U.S.S.R.
- to lease the port of Hangö/Hanko for a period of 30 years to the U.S.S.R.
1941 : Finland sided with Germany, declared war on the U.S.S.R. (the so-called
"Continuation War") and occupied not only the territories lost in 1940, but
also large parts of Soviet Karelia.
At the same time German troops were based in Lapland/Northern Finland.
1944 : After a major Soviet offensive, Finland signed a truce, agreeing to expell
the Germans out of the North (which was done by the end of the year)
By the same truce Finland also agreed :
- to accept the frontiers of 1940,
- to lease the port of Porkkala to the U.S.S.R.
- to accept the presence of a British-Soviet Control Commission until the
signature of a peace-treaty.
__________________________________________________________________________________
ADMINISTRATORS IN FINLAND 1939 - 1944
PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF FINLANDChairman of the Council of People's Commissars and Commissar of Foreign Affairs
1939 - 1940 Otto Ville (Vilgelmovich) Kuusinen 1881 - 1964
People's Commissar of Defence
1939 - 1940 Aksel Anttila 1904 - 1965
People's Commissar of Home Affairs
1939 - 1940 Tuure (Thure Valdemar) Lehén 1893 - 1976
People's Commissar of Justice
...
People's Commissar of Finances
1939 - 1940 Mauri (Mauritz) Rosenberg 1879 - 1941
GERMAN COMMANDERS IN FINLANDCommander of the Lapland Army
Kommandant der Lappland Armee
1941 - 1942 ColGen. Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
(von Jastrzembski), commander of
the German Army in Norway 1885 - 1968
Commanders of the 20th Mountain Army
Kommandanten der 20. Gebirgs-Armee
1942 - 1944 ColGen. Eduard Dietl 1890 - 1944
1944 ColGen. Lothar Rendulic, also
commander of the German army in
Norway 1887 - 1971
SOVIET AND ALLIED OFFICIALSSoviet Commanders of the port of Hanko/Hangö
1940 - 1941 VAdm. Aleksey Borisovich Yeliseyev 1887 - 1942
1941 MajGen. Sergey Ivanovich Kabanov 1901 - 1973
Chairman of the British - Soviet Control Commission
(Although there were some British members, the Commission was mainly a Soviet
affair)
1944 - 1947 Andrey Aleksandrovich Zhdanov 1896 - 1948
Soviet Commander of the port of Porkkala
1944 - 1945 VAdm. Neon Vasilyevich Antonov 1907 - 1948
