Johan Fredrik Aminoff (26 January 1756 Bromarv,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

– 30 March 1842 Bromarv

) was a Finnish

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

, General, and Statesman who had major influence in Finland during the Kingdom of Sweden, and later in the newly formed

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed from 1809 to 1917 as an Autonomous region, autonomous state within the Russian Empire. Originating in the 16th century as a titular grand duchy held by the Monarc ...

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

Family

He was born into the Aminoff noble family, which traced its roots to the Holy Roman Empire and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Aminoff was born at Riilahti Manor in 1756. His parents were Master of Horse Fredrik Aminoff and Maria Elisabet Rotkirch.

Career

In 1763, he joined the Nyland and Tavastehus County Cavalry Regiment. Later, he studied at the Royal Academy of Turku. After that, Aminoff moved to

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

to serve as a

Page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

for the King of Sweden, Adolf Frederick, in 1770. When

Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he saw ...

became King in 1771, he favored Aminoff. Aminoff served as an officer in the Widow Queen's Life Regiment before being transferred to the King's Life Guard. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant in 1773, Lieutenant in 1775, Army Captain in 1777, Sub-Captain in 1781, and Captain in 1782. Finally, he became a Lieutenant Colonel in 1787. He took part in the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790. King Gustav III advanced Aminoff to the position of Colonel and Commander of the Pori County Regiment. He was elevated into the

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

n nobility. King Gustav III was assassinated in 1792 by nobleman

Jacob Johan Anckarström Jacob Johan Anckarström (11 May 1762 – 27 April 1792) was a Swedish people, Swedish military officer who is known as the assassination, assassin of King Gustav III of Sweden. He was convicted and executed for regicide. Life He was the son of ...

. Gustav III was unpopular among the Swedish nobility because of his absolutism. Aminoff lost his status because he was a supporter of the King. Aminoff was viewed as a representative of the ancien régime. During the regency led by Baron

Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm Baron Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm (7 July 1756 in Sjundeå, Nyland, Sweden (now Finland) – 27 December 1813 in Schleswig), was a Swedish statesman. He acted as the de facto regent of Sweden during the minor regency of Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden ...

, Aminoff was not popular. The regency accused him of being involved in a conspiracy with the ambassador, Baron

Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt Count Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt (; 31 March 1757 – 19 August 1814) was a Finnish-Swedish count, baron, courtier, general and diplomat who was later in Russian service. In Finland, he is considered one of the greatest Finnish statesmen. His advi ...

. Aminoff was imprisoned for treason and sentenced to death, as well as to lose his honor, titles, and fortunes. However, his death sentence was commuted to a life sentence in 1794. King

Gustav IV Adolf Gustav IV Adolf or Gustav IV Adolph (1 November 1778 – 7 February 1837) was King of Sweden from 1792 until he was deposed in a coup in 1809. He was also the last Swedish monarch to be the ruler of Finland. The occupation of Finland in 180 ...

reached adulthood in 1796 and subsequently granted Aminoff his freedom, honor, titles, and fortunes. Aminoff returned to command the Pori County Regiment. In 1799, the king promoted Aminoff to the rank of Major General. The new main building at Riilahti Manor was constructed between 1803 and 1806 by architect Pehr Granstedt, who later designed the Imperial Palace in Helsinki. Aminoff, Gabriel von Bonsdorff, and Johan Albrecht Ehrenström were involved in the design process of the new main building and the new

English landscape garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...

that surrounds it. The Finnish War started in 1808. Aminoff was appointed to Count

Wilhelm Mauritz Klingspor Count Wilhelm Mauritz Klingspor (7 December 1744 – 15 May 1814) was a Swedish noble military officer and one of the Lords of the Realm. He is probably best known from his time as field marshal of Finland during the Finnish War, where his command ...

's army headquarters as Chief of Staff and Advisor. In September 1808, a temporary truce was established between the Swedish and Russian forces. Aminoff was tasked with traveling to Stockholm to present the new conditions to the King. Following the meeting, Aminoff was granted the title of Baron, but he never introduced his title at the House of Nobility in Stockholm. After the Kainuu armistice agreement in March 1809 between Sweden and Russia, Aminoff returned to his Riilahti Manor in Bromarv, Finland. Despite the Russian occupation, Aminoff chose to stay in Finland. In 1809, Emperor Alexander I convened the Diet of Porvoo, which established the Grand Duchy of Finland within

, granting Finland autonomy as part of the empire. In 1810, Aminoff led a Finnish officer delegation to meet with the Emperor of Russia,

Grand Duke of Finland The Grand Duke of Finland, alternatively the Grand Prince of Finland after 1802, was, from around 1580 to 1809, a title in use by most Swedish monarchs. Between 1809 and 1917, it was included in the title of the emperor of Russia, who was also t ...

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. Aminoff negotiated an agreement with the Emperor that allowed Finnish officers, the majority of whom were members of the nobility, to retain their salaries and estates. In 1811, Emperor Alexander I invited Aminoff to become a member of the Committee for Finnish Affairs in Saint Petersburg. In the same year, he was appointed as a Privy Councillor. In 1812, Emperor Alexander confirmed Aminoff's baronial title with a special document. In 1812, French emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

invaded Russia. During

the Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, Aminoff acted as the chairman of the committee. He again acted as the chairman in 1814 because Count

passed away. In 1818, he and his sons were introduced to the House of Nobility in Finland. Emperor Alexander I visited the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1819. During his visit, he elevated Aminoff to the rank of Count. In 1821, Emperor Alexander I invited Aminoff to become the chairman of the Committee for Finnish Affairs. Aminoff declined the Emperor's invitation. Instead, he became the vice-chancellor of the Imperial Academy of Turku in 1821, with the Crown Prince Nicholas I acting as the Chancellor. Aminoff was conservative, and both the Finnish and Russian elites opposed revolutionary ideologies at the university. The Great Fire of Turku occurred in September 1827, and Aminoff retired from his position in December of the same year. In 1828, the Imperial Academy was relocated to

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, the new capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland. In 1823, emperor Alexander I granted Aminoff the title of president.

Three Gustavians

Aminoff was one of the three Gustavians who were favorites of the assassinated King of Sweden, Gustav III. Aminoff, Johan Albrecht Ehrenström, and Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt received death sentences from the regency because the Armfelt Conspirary, but were all pardoned by King Gustav IV Adolf. Later, Aminoff, Ehrenström, and Armfelt became favorites of Emperor of Russia, Grand Duke of Finland Alexander I, and heavily influenced and shaped the Grand Duchy in Finland. All of them were appointed to high-ranking positions.

Titles

* President (1823) * Count (1819) * Privy Councillor (1811) * Baron (1808)

Honours

* Diamond snuffbox with miniature of Alexander I of Russia (1821) *

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

Grand Cross (1808) *

Commander (1801) *

Knight (1789)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aminoff, Johan Fredrik 18th-century Finnish nobility Counts Barons Finnish generals Aminoff family 1756 births 1842 deaths Swedish generals 18th-century Swedish nobility Politicians from the Russian Empire Finland under Swedish rule 18th-century Swedish military personnel 18th-century Finnish military personnel Gustavian era people Finnish people from the Russian Empire Court of Gustav III 18th-century people from the Russian Empire People from the Grand Duchy of Finland