Governorate of Nyland-Tavastehus

Infobox Former Subdivision
conventional_long_name = Governorate of Nyland-Tavastehus
native_name = Нюланд-Тавастгусская губерния
"Nylands och Tavastehus län"
"Uudenmaan ja Hämeen lääni"
common_name = Nyland-Tavastehus
subdivision = Governorate
nation = the Grand Duchy of Finland
event_start = Established
year_start = 1809
date_start = September 17
event_end =
year_end = 1831
date_end =
event1 =
date_event1 =
p1 = County of Nyland and Tavastehus
flag_p1 = Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg
s1 = Governorate of Nyland
flag_s1 = Flag of Russia.svg
s2 = Governorate of Tavastehus
flag_s2 = Flag of Russia.svg

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image_map_caption =
capital = Helsingfors¹
leader1 =
year_leader1 =
leader2 =
year_leader2 =
title_leader =
stat_year1 =
stat_area1 =
stat_pop1 =
footnotes = ¹ _fi. Helsinki, _ru. Гельсингфорс

The Governorate of Nyland-Tavastehus ( _ru. Нюланд-Тавастгусская губерния, _sv. Nylands och Tavastehus län, _fi. Uudenmaan ja Hämeen lääni) was a governorate of the Grand Duchy of Finland, in the Russian Empire, from 1809 to 1831. In 1831 it was divided into the Governorate of Nyland and the Governorate of Tavastehus.

History

As a consequence of the tumultous conflicts of the Napoleonic Wars, Sweden had allied itself with the Russian Empire, United Kingdom and the other parties of the Fourth Coalition against Napoleonic France. However, following the treaty of Treaty of Tilsit in 1807, Russia made peace with France and left the coalition. This enabled Russia in 1808 to challenge Sweden in the Finnish War, over the control of Finland. In the Treaty of Fredrikshamn on September 17, 1809 Sweden was obliged to cede all its territory in Finland, east of the Torne River, to Russia.

The ceded territories became a part of the Russian Empire and was reconstituted into the Grand Duchy of Finland, with the Russian Tsar as Grand Duke. The Governorate of Nyland-Tavastehus was established in 1809 from the County of Nyland and Tavastehus, which had been the administrative division as a part of Sweden.
Åbo ( _ru. Або, _fi. Turku) was the largest city in Finland had served as a capital, while it was a part of Sweden, but that role would now be given to Helsingfors ( _fi. Helsinki, _ru. Гельсингфорс) and successively the main institutions of government were moved there. After the big fire of 1829 in Åbo, it was decided that the university should also be moved, renaming it the Imperial Alexander University of Finland after Tsar Alexander I.

In 1831 the Governorate of Nyland-Tavastehus was divided into the Governorate of Nyland ( _ru. Нюландская губерния, _sv. Nylands län, _fi. Uudenmaan lääni) and the Governorate of Tavastehus ( _ru. Тавастгусская губерния, _sv. Tavastehus län, _fi. Hämeen lääni).