Governorate of Nikolaistad

Infobox Former Subdivision
conventional_long_name = Governorate of Nikolaistad
native_name = Николайстадская губерния
"Nikolaistads län"
"Nikolainkaupunkin lääni"
common_name = Nikolaistad
subdivision = Governorate
nation = the Grand Duchy of Finland
event_start = Established
year_start = 1809
date_start = September 17
event_end = Disestablished
year_end = 1917
date_end = December 6
event1 = Death of Nicholas I
date_event1 = March 2, 1855
p1 = County of Vasa
flag_p1 = Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg
s1 = Province of Vaasa
flag_s1 = Flag of Finland.svg

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image_map_caption = The Grand Duchy of Finland, about 1900.
capital = Nikolaistad²
leader1 = Carl Constantin de Carnall
year_leader1 = 1808-1822
leader2 = Leo Aristides Sirelius
year_leader2 = 1916-1917
title_leader = Governor
stat_year1 = 1905
stat_area1 = 38300
stat_pop1 = 479000
footnotes = ¹ Until 1855 it was known as the Governorate of Vasa ( _ru. Вазаская губерния, _sv. Vasa län, _fi. Vaasan lääni).
² _fi. Nikolainkaupunki. Until 1855 it was known as Vasa ( _ru. Ваза, _fi. Vaasa)

The Governorate of Nikolaistad ( _ru. Николайстадская губерния, _sv. Nikolaistads län, _fi. Nikolainkaupunkin lääni) was a governorate of the Grand Duchy of Finland, in the Russian Empire, from 1809 to 1917. In 1855 the name was changed from the Governorate of Vasa to the Governorate of Nikolaistad.

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 the Grand Duke. It was established in 1809 from the County of Vasa, which had been the administrative division as a part of Sweden, being named the Governorate of Vasa ( _ru. Вазаская губерния, _sv. Vasa län, _fi. Vaasan lääni).

The governorate was named after the city of Vasa ( _ru. Ваза, _fi. Vaasa), but on the death of Tsar Nicholas I in 1855, a small group of citizens in the city tendered a petition to change the name of the city after him. The name of the city came from the Swedish Royal House of Vasa and despite the fact that only 15 citizens were backing the proposal the name of the city was changed to Nikolaistad ( _ru. Николайстада, _fi. Nikolainkaupunki). This also meant that the governorate was called the Governorate of Nikolaistad after 1855. In 1862 a larger group of citizens in the city unsuccessfully petitioned to have the old name restored.

Following Finland's declaration of independence on December 6, 1917 the old name of the city was restored and the governorate became the Province of Vaasa ( _fi. Vaasan lääni, _sv. Vasa län) in the Republic of Finland.

Governors

*Carl Constantin de Carnall (1808-1822)
*Anders Fabian Orrhjelm (acting 1812-1816)
*Herman Währnhjelm (1822-1830)
*Gustaf Magnus Armfelt (1830-1832)
*Carl Gustaf Mannerheim (1832-1834, acting until 1833)
*Carl Olof Cronstedt (1834-1845, acting until 1837)
*Jonas Ferdinand Bergenheim (1845-1847)
*Berndt Federley (1847-1854)
*Alexander von Rechenberg (1854-1858)
*Otto Leonard von Blom (1858-1861)
*Carl Gustaf Fabian Wrede(1862-1884, acting until 1863)
*Victor Napoleon Procopé (1884-1888)
**Torsten Costiander (1885-1886)
*August Aleksander Järnefelt (1888-1894)
*Fredrik Waldemar Schauman (1894-1898)
*Gustaf Axel von Kothen (1898-1900)
*Fredrik Geronimo Björnberg (1900-1903)
*Teodor Knipovitsch (1903-1905)
**Fredrik Geronimo Björnberg (acting 1905-1906)
*Kasten de Pont (acting 1906-1910)
*Otto Bernhard Widnäs (1910-1912)
*Nikolai Sillman (1913-1916)
*Leo Aristides Sirelius (1916-1917)
**Juho Torppa (acting 1917)