Governorate of St. Michel

Infobox Former Subdivision
conventional_long_name = Governorate of St. Michel
native_name = Санкт-Михельская губерния
"St. Michels län"
"Mikkelin lääni"
common_name = St. Michel
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 =
date_event1 =
p1 = County of Kymmenegård
flag_p1 = Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg
s1 = Province of Mikkeli
flag_s1 = Flag of Finland.svg

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image_map_caption = The Grand Duchy of Finland, about 1900.
capital = St. Michel¹
leader1 =
year_leader1 =
leader2 =
year_leader2 =
title_leader = Governor
stat_year1 = 1905
stat_area1 = 17200
stat_pop1 = 192000
footnotes = ¹ _fi. Mikkeli _ru. Санкт-Михель. Until 1843 the capital was Heinola ( _ru. Хейнола).

The Governorate of St. Michel ( _ru. Санкт-Михельская губерния, _sv. St. Michels län, _fi. Mikkelin lääni) was a governorate of the Grand Duchy of Finland, in the Russian Empire, from 1809 to 1917. In 1843 the name was changed from the Governorate of Kymmenegård to the Governorate of St. Michel.

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 as the Governorate of Kymmenegård in 1809 from the County of Kymmenegård, which had been the administrative division as a part of Sweden. In 1843 the capital was changed from Heinola ( _ru. Хейнола) to St. Michel ( _fi. Mikkeli _ru. Санкт-Михель).

Following Finland's declaration of independence on December 6, 1917 the governorate became the Province of Mikkeli ( _fi. Mikkelin lääni, _sv. St. Michels län) in the Republic of Finland.