AHC: Karelia and Kola Part of Finland

Hi,
I'm looking for a way that Karelia and the Kola Peninsula could be part of an independent Finland. Either by having those regions be incorporated into the grand duchy or what have you.

The POD that I'm looking for is anytime after the Finnish war of 1808 (link provided if you need some context. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_War)

Thank you for your time.
 
Hi,
I'm looking for a way that Karelia and the Kola Peninsula could be part of an independent Finland. Either by having those regions be incorporated into the grand duchy or what have you.

The POD that I'm looking for is anytime after the Finnish war of 1808 (link provided if you need some context. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_War)

Thank you for your time.

Sweden Joins the Crimean War and Retakes Finland, then pushes into Kola and Karelia? It's not the most Plausible Scenario and would likely also require an Austrian DOW on Russia to work, but it's the only chance they have Pre-1900 after the Finnish war. The Russians certainly aren't going to Give the Grand Duchy any extra land. Not with their attempt to wipe out the Finnish Language in favor of Russian.
 
Sweden seizes those areas early enough to make them core parts of Finland. Then Russia makes them part of the grand duchy after 1809.
 
but it's the only chance they have Pre-1900 after the Finnish war.

Is their any real possibility after 1900 though? The population resisted heavily in the 20's to Finnish military excursions.

Sweden seizes those areas early enough to make them core parts of Finland. Then Russia makes them part of the grand duchy after 1809.

Sweden gave the Russian rights to Kola in 1595. I guess it wouldn't be that difficult to have it happen, I'm just using this as a part of a TL and having a POD so far back would cause alot of Butterflies.
 
Von Essen's surprise attack on Swedish navy at the beginning of WW1 happens and results in epic fail. Sweden declares war, closes the Sound and takes Åland islands and some key nodes on Finnish railway network. Starts training Finnish volunteers. Advance until hitting fortification lines somewhere on Karelian isthmus. Start grabbing land in the east, I don't think Russian Empire could really afford defending it at the time. Russians collapse, Sweden keeps the Åland islands and some kind of sphere of influence in Finland, Finland keeps eastern landgrab. Russians keep somewhat more of the Karelian istmus than OTL.

Not sure if Sweden would declare war, but maybe, if Russian fleet gets mauled; I don't think it would be very practical to attack Sweden by land so the Swedes might just grab Åland islands and poke at the Russians to make their displeasure known and try to get a peace where they keep the islands.
 
Sweden seizes those areas early enough to make them core parts of Finland. Then Russia makes them part of the grand duchy after 1809.

The main problem with this is that there really was nothing there, especially in Kola. It was icy wilderness with very little economic potential. Eastern Karelia was not as cold but it was, from a Swedish point of view, equally remote. It is hard to make these areas core parts of Finland when they appear to be of such low value from the Swedish POV in this period.


Is their any real possibility after 1900 though? The population resisted heavily in the 20's to Finnish military excursions.

When we look at the fighting in Eastern Karelia in 1918-1922, it was mostly between Finnish Whites/nationalists from across the border on one side, and Russian and Finnish Reds (many of whom had escaped from Finland after the civil war) on the other. The local Karelians took part on both sides but only in limited numbers. During the so-called Viena Expeditions the British apparently recruited them successfully to support the Murmansk Legion, but after that if Karelians took active part it was for the Finns. Most did not want to openly support the Finns, but neither did they support the Bolsheviks. I guess most would have just wanted to be left in peace.

Anyway - a German victory in WWI or WWII might result in a Greater Finland with Karelia and Kola. Those are much likelier options than such a nation being the result of any Swedish attack into Russia during 1809-1900.
 
Say that we scrap the 1809 POD. How likely would it be for Sweden to take over the land during the 17th century? I was thinking have it be taken over as the aftermath of the Ingrian war. Claims to a major port in Karelia were the original demands but meditation by the English and Dutch prevented it ( Here's the treaty)
 
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