kingdom · Scandinavia and the Baltic
Kingdom of Finland (1918)
Origins
After the civil war, conservative politicians wanted a strong monarchy tied to Germany, whose troops had helped the Whites win. On 9 October 1918 a rump parliament, without the Social Democrats, elected Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse as king of Finland. Pehr Evind Svinhufvud served as regent.
Rule and society
The kingdom existed largely on paper. Frederick Charles never came to Finland, and no coronation took place. German influence over the army and the economy was strong, and the monarchists hoped the throne would secure German protection against Soviet Russia.
Decline and legacy
Germany's defeat in November 1918 made a German king impossible. Frederick Charles renounced the throne on 14 December 1918, and Mannerheim replaced Svinhufvud as regent. The constitution of 1919 created the Republic of Finland, and the monarchy project was abandoned.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Kingdom of Finland (1918) was a protectorate of German Empire1918 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Finland (1918). In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-finland-1918
- MLA
- “Kingdom of Finland (1918).” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-finland-1918. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Finland (1918).” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-finland-1918.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Finland (1918)’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-finland-1918 (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻