Nikolay Bobrikov
Nikolay Bobrikov | |
---|---|
Николай Бобриков | |
Frederick Heiden | |
Succeeded by | Ivan Obolensky |
Personal details | |
Born | January 27 [ Russo-Turkish War |
Awards | See below |
Nikolay Ivanovich Bobrikov (
Biography
Early life
Nikolay Ivanovich Bobrikov was born on January 15, 1839, and attended the
Governor-General of Finland
In 1898, Tsar
Upon appointment, he introduced a Russification programme into the Grand Duchy, the 11 main points were:
- Unification of the Finnish army.
- Restricting the power of the Minister–Secretary of State.
- Introducing of a special programme for dealing with cases common to the empire and the grand duchy.
- Adoption of the Russian language as the official language of the Senate, education and administration.
Bobrikov quickly became very unpopular and hated in Finland as he was an adamant supporter of the curtailing of the grand duchy's extensive autonomy, which had in the late 1800s come into conflict with Russian ambitions of a unified and indivisible Russian state. In 1899, Nicholas II signed the "February Manifesto" which marked the beginning of the first "Years of Oppression" (sortovuodet) from the traditional Finnish perspective. In this manifesto the tsar decreed that the Diet of the Estates of Finland could be overruled in legislation if it was in Russian imperial interests. Half a million Finns, considering the decree a coup against the Finnish constitution, signed a petition to Nicholas II requesting to revoke the manifesto. The tsar didn't even receive the delegation bringing the petition.[1]
In 1900, Bobrikov issued orders that all correspondence between government offices was to be conducted in Russian and that education in the Russian language was to be increased in schools. The Finnish army was abolished in 1901, and Finnish conscripts could now be forced to serve with Russian troops anywhere in the Russian empire. To the first call-up in 1902, only 42% of the conscripts showed up. In 1905, conscription in Finland was abolished since Finns were seen as unreliable.[1] In 1903, Bobrikov was given dictatorial powers by the tsar so that he could dismiss government officials and close newspapers.
Assassination
On June 16, 1904, Bobrikov was assassinated by
On June 3, at 11:00 am, in the Senate building on the second floor staircase, an attempt was made on the life of the Finnish governor-general and commander of the troops, Adjutant-General N. I. Bobrikov; an official of the main school management in Finland and a former employee of the Senate, the son of a former senator, Yevgeny Shauman fired three shots at the governor-general. One bullet hit the neck is not dangerous, another contusil, hitting the order, the third - in the stomach. On giving first aid to a Russian doctor, the governor-general was moved home. Doctors recognized the need to produce an early operation. The wounded man took communion. After the abdomen, the bullet was removed. Many blood clots have been found; part of the small intestine wounded by the bullet was removed. The wounded man died quietly on the night of June 4th. The criminal shot himself on the spot.[This quote needs a citation]
Honours and awards
Domestic
- Order of St. Anna, 3rd class (14.4.1865)
- Order of St. Stanislaus, 2nd class
- Order of St. Anna, 2nd class with Imperial Crown (17.11.1869, Imperial Crown on 30.8.1873)
- Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class (30.8.1871)
- Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class (30.8.1875)
- Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st class (30.8.1878)
- Order of St. Anna, 1st class (30.8.1880)
- Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd class (15.5.1883)
- Order of the White Eagle (30.8.1887)
- Order of St. Alexander Nevskywith diamonds signs (30.8.1891, diamond sign on 14.5.1896)
- Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class (1.1.1902)
References
- ^ S2CID 97163876.
Further reading
- Lavery, Jason Edward (2006). The history of Finland. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0313328374.
- Thaden, Edward, ed. (1981). Russification in the Baltic Provinces and Finland, 1855–1914. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691615295.
- Polvinen, Tuomo (1995). Imperial borderland : Bobrikov and the attempted Russification of Finland, 1898–1904. London: Hurst & Co. ISBN 978-1850652298.