The Treaty of Fredrikshamn and Finland's new status

The treaty ended the war by ceding Finnish territory, Åland, and adjacent northern districts to Russia. The settlement helped establish the Grand Duchy of Finland, its institutions, and the conditions for Finnish cultural and linguistic development before independence in 1917. Alexander promised to retain Finland's existing laws and privileges, but the treaty did not formally guarantee them. During later russification, Russia argued that the emperor's promise was revocable and that outside powers had no treaty right to intervene. Åland's position as an outpost of Stockholm explains Sweden's resistance to its transfer and Britain's later interest in its demilitarization.