page_title: Postage stamps and postal history of Finland
section_title: Early history: background
hierarchical_section_title: Postage stamps and postal history of Finland / Early history: background
caption_attribution_description: English: Postage stamp depicting Finnish composer Leevi Madetoja Suomi: Postimerkki, jossa kuvattuna suomalainen säveltäjä Leevi Madetoja
context_page_description: Finland has produced postage stamps for use since 1856.
context_section_description: In the war of 1808-1809, Russian troops conquered Finland. Finland had been a part of Sweden and was annexed to the Russian empire at the Peace Treaty of Hamina on September 17th, 1809. Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire. The Russian Tsar Alexander I (1801-1825) promised that Finland could uphold the existing religion, the basic laws and privileges of the social order. 
  Finland was allowed to manage its affairs and employment of its own civil servants. A parliament began to assemble from the year 1863 - the same year where Finnish language got official status and became equal with the Swedish language. In 1865, Finland got its own currency - penni and markka - which quickly turned out to be stronger than the Russian Rouble. From the 1860s, trading - import and export - grow rapidly. Population grew from 1 million in 1809 to over 3 million by the end of World War I. 
  When Alexander III ascended the throne in 1881, a process of making Finland a more integrated part of the empire started - many attacks were made in the Russian public on the special rights of the Finnish people and efforts were undertaken to abolish these special rights granted to them, and by many small steps this led to the Russification of the Finnish Post.
caption: Commemorative honoring Leevi Madetoja, 1987
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