Treaty of Åbo

Treaty of Åbo, (1743), peace settlement that concluded the Russo-Swedish War of 1741–43 by obliging Sweden to cede a strip of southern Finland to Russia and to become temporarily dependent on Russia. As a result of the Great Northern War (Treaty of Nystad, 1721), Sweden had lost Estonia, Livonia, Ingria, and part of Karelia to Russia. In 1741 Sweden reached a secret understanding (through French mediators) with Elizabeth, a daughter of Peter I the Great; Elizabeth agreed to return the Baltic territories to Sweden in exchange for Swedish support in her efforts to seize the Russian throne from the infant emperor Ivan VI. In July 1741 the Swedes declared war on Russia, announcing that they would withdraw when Elizabeth became the Russian empress. Although they lost a major battle at Vilmanstrand (August 1741), the Swedes advanced toward St. Petersburg; their threat to the Russian capital enabled Elizabeth to stage a successful coup d’etat (Dec. 6 [Nov. 25, old style], 1741); thereupon the Swedes retreated into Finland.

But Elizabeth reneged on the agreement. Russian troops conquered Helsingfors and Åbo (modern Turku, then the capital of Finland) and occupied a large portion of Finland. Hostilities ended in 1742; Russia, taking advantage of a succession crisis in Sweden, offered to return most of Finland if Sweden would accept the Russian-supported candidate—Adolf Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp-Eutin—as heir apparent.

The Swedes agreed; the final settlement, signed at Åbo (August 1743), gave Russia a strip of southern Finland that included the cities of Vilmanstrand and Frederikshamn. Russian troops were to leave the remainder of Finland when Adolf Frederick was officially designated crown prince; in the meantime, Russian forces were to be allowed to occupy Sweden to make sure that nothing interfered with his selection. Russia was thus able to exert a tremendous influence on Swedish affairs. But after the peace settlement, Russian influence was short-lived; all the Russian troops were withdrawn from Sweden by July 1744, and Adolf Frederick quickly ended his dependence on Russia.

The territorial provisions of the treaty were longer lasting. In 1788, while Russia was at war with Turkey, Sweden tried to alter the treaty’s provisions. King Gustav III, demanding the return of Karelia and Finland, declared war on Russia (June 1788). Although the Swedes presented a threat to St. Petersburg and won a major victory at Svenskund (July 9–10, 1790, new style), the Treaty of Värälä (August 1790) restored the prewar (1788) borders, which remained as they had been set by the Treaty of Åbo until 1809 (Treaty of Frederikshamn).