Johannes Ferdinand "Hannes" Ignatius (1871,

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

– 1941) was a Finnish soldier and a prominent advocate for Finnish independence.

Biography

Ignatius was the son of the Fennophile Senator, Karl Ferdinand Ignatius, and Amanda Kristina Bergman. Ignatius received his military education at The

Hamina Cadet School The Hamina Cadet School and Finland Cadet School were the common names for the Fredrikshamn cadet school during the period 1819–1901. The Cadet School was founded in 1780 by Georg Magnus Sprengtporten at Kuopio and transferred in 1781 to Ranta ...

from 1885–1892, and at the Nicholas Academy of General Staff in St Petersburg from 1896–1899.

Military service

Ignatius served in the Finnish Dragoon Regiment from 1892 to 1901. He was promoted to captain in 1900. After the abolition of The

Military of the Grand Duchy of Finland Between 1809 and 1917 Finland was an autonomous part of the Russian Empire as the Grand Duchy of Finland. Between 1881 and 1901 the Grand Duchy had its own army. Before that several other military units had also been formed. The Grand Duchy inher ...

, he sought a career in business from 1901–1917. During World War I Ignatius was a prominent member of the Military Committee working for the

Independence of Finland Finland declared its independence on 6 December 1917. The formal Declaration of Independence was only part of the long process leading to the independence of Finland. History Proclamation of Empress Elizabeth (1742) The subject of an indepe ...

and was promoted to colonel and then major general in 1918. Ignatius served as the Quartermaster General of the White Army during the

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War; . Other designations: Brethren War, Citizen War, Class War, Freedom War, Red Rebellion and Revolution, . According to 1,005 interviews done by the newspaper ''Aamulehti'', the most popular names were as follows: Civil W ...

from the 18February until 6May 1918, and as Chief of Staff from May 1918 to June 1918. During the Winter War, Ignatius again held the post of Chief of Staff. Ignatius was the chairman of the publishing committee of ''Suomen Vapaussota 1918'' (The Finnish War of Independence). In 1918 he wrote the book ''

Gustaf Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comma ...

''. He was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of

Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comm ...

in the 1920s and 1930s.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ignatius, Hannes 1871 births 1941 deaths Military personnel from Helsinki People from Uusimaa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Finnish lieutenant generals Military personnel of the Russian Empire People of the Finnish Civil War (White side) Chiefs of Staff (Finnish Defence Forces)