Hamina Cadet School
Encyclopedia
Finland Cadet school was the common name for the Fredrikshamn cadet school during the period 1819–1901. The Cadet School was originally founded in 1780 by Georg Magnus Sprengtporten
at Kuopio
and transferred in 1781 to Rantasalmi
where it was called Haapaniemi Cadet School. In 1819, after the School was transferred to Hamina
(Swedish: Fredrikshamn) the name was changed accordingly, in common usage.
After Finnish independence in 1917 the Cadet school was moved to Santahamina
in Helsinki
and in 1920 the premises were occupied by the Reserve Officer School
of the newly formed Finnish defence forces. Today the main building of the Cadet school hosts the headquarters of the Reserve Officer School of the Finnish Army
.
Hamina Cadet School was abolished in 1903 with the abolition of the separate Army of the Grand duchy of Finland
as part of the Russification policy
. The conscription of Finnish soldiers directly to various units of the Russian Empire
was seen as illegal and unconstitutional in Finland. Finnish officers protested first in through mass resignations and later through a strategy of disobedience, in what is now known as the Conscription strikes. Finally it was settled that the Grand Duchy of Finland would fulfil its obligation to the common defence with a monetary compensation to the Russian Empire
instead through the provision of conscripts.
In 1917 when the Russian Empire broke apart and Finland gained its independence, as the highest ranking Finnish officer at the time, Mannerheim was called by the Senate to organise the Civil Guard into a new Finnish army. Until early 1917 Mannerheim was a general in the Imperial Russian Army
commanding Russian cavalry troops in the southern front. After the abdication of the Tsar Nicholas II in March, he returned to Finland.
Some other former Hamina cadets such as Carl Enckell
, Rudolf Walden
, and Hannes Ignatius
would rise to the occasion, but their effect was due to individual abilities. Most reliable Finnish officers from Hamina were too old and retired from active duty to form an effective core for the new Finnish army.
The field command of the new army had to be formed from the members in the Finnish Jäger troops
. These were men who had travelled as individuals to Germany 1915-1917 to receive training in the German army in order to liberate Finland. Jäger troops had fought against the Russian empire
. Those Finnish officers who had continued to serve in the Russian army were seen unpatriotic and considered unreliable by the Jäger.
Therefore at first there was a certain degree of distrust between Mannerheim's headquarters and the younger, mainly Finnish speaking, generation of Jäger officers. However the differences never surfaced during the war of 1918
. After the Whites' victory in that war, Mannerheim resigned as Commander-in-Chief, dismayed at the increasing German influence in Finnish military and political affairs.
After the fall of the German Empire
later in 1918 the background of individual officers lost its political significance. Mannerheim was called in to be the Regent
of Finland. Army of Finland and the Civil Guard were organised by Mannerheim and Walden as the Minister of Defence. However jäger officers continued to form the basis of the officer core.
.
Carl Enckell
, a politician, officer and a diplomat, graduated as an officer from Hamina Cadet School after which he served in the Imperial Russian Army learning fluent Russian. In 1917 Enckell negotiated for Finnish independence in Saint Petersburg in the position of Finnish Minister Secretary of State
and representative of Senate of Finland
. Later he served Finland on several occasions as the minister of foreign affairs and as the Finnish delegate to the League of Nations.
General Rudolf Walden
received his military education at Hamina Cadet School 1892-1900. He was the best of his class. Walden was dismissed from service in 1902, in connection with a conscription strike. After leaving the army Walden had a notable career in business.
General Hannes Ignatius
received his military education at Hamina Cadet School 1885-1892, and in the Nicholas Academy of General Staff in St Petersburg 1896-1899. Served in the Finnish Dragoon Regiment 1892-1901 after which he was a businessman.
Vilhelm Aleksander Thesleff
received his military education at Hamina Cadet School from 1894–1901, and in the Nicholas Academy of General Staff in St.Petersburg 1904-1907, and the Officers Cavalry School 1910-1911. He was a Finnish general, first Minister of Defence of Finland and briefly the commander in chief of the Finnish army in 1918.
Waldemar Becker
graduated from the Hamina Cadet School in 1858, served in the Finnish Guard and then in Russian Academy for General Staff. Deserted Russian army in 1862 after which he served with several different regimes and armies on four continents, including France, Spain, Mexico, Egypt and Serbia.
Georg Magnus Sprengtporten
Count Georg Magnus Sprengtporten, or Göran Magnus Sprengtporten as he preferred to call himself, was a Swedish, Finnish and Russian politician, younger brother of Jacob Magnus Sprengtporten....
at Kuopio
Kuopio
Kuopio is a city and a municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia, Finland. A population of makes it the ninth biggest city in the country. The city has a total area of , of which is water and half forest...
and transferred in 1781 to Rantasalmi
Rantasalmi
Rantasalmi is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
where it was called Haapaniemi Cadet School. In 1819, after the School was transferred to Hamina
Hamina
Hamina is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Kymenlaakso region. The town has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is...
(Swedish: Fredrikshamn) the name was changed accordingly, in common usage.
After Finnish independence in 1917 the Cadet school was moved to Santahamina
Santahamina
Santahamina is an island and neighbourhood of Eastern Helsinki, Finland. At present it is a military base housing the Guard Jaeger Regiment, making access restricted...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
and in 1920 the premises were occupied by the Reserve Officer School
Reserve Officer School
According to the military, the Finnish defence doctrine relies on the principle of territorial defence which means that the whole of Finland must be defended in all cases. It is claimed that this requires a very large war-time reservist defence force to deter and fight aggression. Career officers...
of the newly formed Finnish defence forces. Today the main building of the Cadet school hosts the headquarters of the Reserve Officer School of the Finnish Army
Finnish Army
The Finnish Army is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces.Today's Army is divided into six branches: the infantry , field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, engineers, signals, and materiel troops.-History of the Finnish Army:Between 1809 and 1917 Finland was an autonomous part of...
.
Hamina Cadet School was abolished in 1903 with the abolition of the separate Army of the Grand duchy of Finland
Military of the Grand Duchy of Finland
Between 1809 and 1917 Finland was an autonomous part of the Russian Empire as the Grand Duchy of Finland. Between 1881 and 1901 the Grand Duchy had its own army. Before that several other military units had also been formed....
as part of the Russification policy
Russification of Finland
The policy of Russification of Finland was a governmental policy of the Russian Empire aimed at limiting the special status of the Grand Duchy of Finland and possibly the termination of its political autonomy and cultural uniqueness...
. The conscription of Finnish soldiers directly to various units of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
was seen as illegal and unconstitutional in Finland. Finnish officers protested first in through mass resignations and later through a strategy of disobedience, in what is now known as the Conscription strikes. Finally it was settled that the Grand Duchy of Finland would fulfil its obligation to the common defence with a monetary compensation to the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
instead through the provision of conscripts.
Significance
Many of the officers from the Fredrikshamn Cadet school played an important part in the early independence movement of Finland; both in the administration of the Grand Duchy as well as in active support of the resistance.In 1917 when the Russian Empire broke apart and Finland gained its independence, as the highest ranking Finnish officer at the time, Mannerheim was called by the Senate to organise the Civil Guard into a new Finnish army. Until early 1917 Mannerheim was a general in the Imperial Russian Army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
commanding Russian cavalry troops in the southern front. After the abdication of the Tsar Nicholas II in March, he returned to Finland.
Some other former Hamina cadets such as Carl Enckell
Carl Enckell
Carl Enckell was a Finnish politician, officer and a diplomat. He was the first representative of independent Finland in Saint Petersburg...
, Rudolf Walden
Rudolf Walden
Karl Rudolf Walden was a Finnish industrialist and general.He received his military education in Hamina Cadet School 1892–1900....
, and Hannes Ignatius
Hannes Ignatius
Johannes Ferdinand Ignatius was a prominent Finnish independence man and a soldier.* Cavalry Captain, 1900* Colonel, 1918* Major General, 1918* Lieutenant General, 1928...
would rise to the occasion, but their effect was due to individual abilities. Most reliable Finnish officers from Hamina were too old and retired from active duty to form an effective core for the new Finnish army.
The field command of the new army had to be formed from the members in the Finnish Jäger troops
Finnish Jäger troops
The Jäger Movement were volunteers from Finland trained in Germany as Jägers during World War I. Supported by Germany to enable a Finnish sovereign state, it was one of many means by which Germany intended to weaken Russia and to cause Russia's loss of western provinces and...
. These were men who had travelled as individuals to Germany 1915-1917 to receive training in the German army in order to liberate Finland. Jäger troops had fought against the Russian empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Those Finnish officers who had continued to serve in the Russian army were seen unpatriotic and considered unreliable by the Jäger.
Therefore at first there was a certain degree of distrust between Mannerheim's headquarters and the younger, mainly Finnish speaking, generation of Jäger officers. However the differences never surfaced during the war of 1918
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
. After the Whites' victory in that war, Mannerheim resigned as Commander-in-Chief, dismayed at the increasing German influence in Finnish military and political affairs.
After the fall of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
later in 1918 the background of individual officers lost its political significance. Mannerheim was called in to be the Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Finland. Army of Finland and the Civil Guard were organised by Mannerheim and Walden as the Minister of Defence. However jäger officers continued to form the basis of the officer core.
Notable Hamina cadets
Field Marshal Mannerheim was a cadet at Hamina cadet school. Due to a disciplinary breach he was expelled in his final year in 1886, which caused him to continue his military career in the Imperial Russian ArmyImperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
.
Carl Enckell
Carl Enckell
Carl Enckell was a Finnish politician, officer and a diplomat. He was the first representative of independent Finland in Saint Petersburg...
, a politician, officer and a diplomat, graduated as an officer from Hamina Cadet School after which he served in the Imperial Russian Army learning fluent Russian. In 1917 Enckell negotiated for Finnish independence in Saint Petersburg in the position of Finnish Minister Secretary of State
Finnish Minister Secretary of State
The Minister–Secretary of State for Finland represented Finnish interests in the Imperial Court in Saint Petersburg. Before 1834 the title was secretary of state...
and representative of Senate of Finland
Senate of Finland
The Senate of Finland combined the functions of cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in the independent Republic of Finland from 1917 to 1918....
. Later he served Finland on several occasions as the minister of foreign affairs and as the Finnish delegate to the League of Nations.
General Rudolf Walden
Rudolf Walden
Karl Rudolf Walden was a Finnish industrialist and general.He received his military education in Hamina Cadet School 1892–1900....
received his military education at Hamina Cadet School 1892-1900. He was the best of his class. Walden was dismissed from service in 1902, in connection with a conscription strike. After leaving the army Walden had a notable career in business.
General Hannes Ignatius
Hannes Ignatius
Johannes Ferdinand Ignatius was a prominent Finnish independence man and a soldier.* Cavalry Captain, 1900* Colonel, 1918* Major General, 1918* Lieutenant General, 1928...
received his military education at Hamina Cadet School 1885-1892, and in the Nicholas Academy of General Staff in St Petersburg 1896-1899. Served in the Finnish Dragoon Regiment 1892-1901 after which he was a businessman.
Vilhelm Aleksander Thesleff
Vilhelm Aleksander Thesleff
Vilhelm Aleksander Thesleff was a Finnish general, first Minister of defence of Finland and briefly the commander in chief of the Finnish army....
received his military education at Hamina Cadet School from 1894–1901, and in the Nicholas Academy of General Staff in St.Petersburg 1904-1907, and the Officers Cavalry School 1910-1911. He was a Finnish general, first Minister of Defence of Finland and briefly the commander in chief of the Finnish army in 1918.
Waldemar Becker
Waldemar Becker
Evert Gustav Waldemar Becker, also known as Becker-Bei and Ilmarinen, was a Finnish soldier, politician and adventurer, a lifetime appeared in several continents, and fought a number of countries, armies ranks...
graduated from the Hamina Cadet School in 1858, served in the Finnish Guard and then in Russian Academy for General Staff. Deserted Russian army in 1862 after which he served with several different regimes and armies on four continents, including France, Spain, Mexico, Egypt and Serbia.