In the wake of the Finnish War of 1808-09 that ended with the Peace of Hamina and the formation of the Grand Duchy of Finland, many former officers of the Swedish Army transferred their loyalties to the Tsar. This was not uncommon at the time and any guilt those officers’ felt was soon swept away when officers in Sweden rose up and overthrew King Gustav IV Adolf.

The Russian Empire was not purist in regards to ethnicity and so the Finns were seen as another people within the Empire. The Tsar became their sovereign, no different from changes to the monarchy in the past.

Over the next century, many sons of Finland joined the ranks of the Imperial military. Over 400 of them would rise to the rank of General or Admiral. Serving the Tsar loyally throughout numerous campaigns until the last days of the Empire.

This page will be an ever-growing list of the almost 500 Finnish generals and admirals who served Imperial Russia. Each name will feature a small biography about the person, his family, background and their service, including citations, honours or merits received.

Alexis Alfthan
Carl Johan Woldemar Alfthan
Georg von Alfthan
Fredrik Alopaeus
Jakob Alopaeus
Adolf Aminoff
Johan Fredrik Gustav Aminoff
Edvard Reinhold von Ammondt
Otto Wilhelm von Ammondt
Arvid Conrad Appelgren
Peter Magnus Aquilander