In Soviet times, Marshal Mannerheim was spoken of as a "reactionary statesman of Finland." It was customary to mention him, basically, only in connection with the line of defense that bore his name during the Soviet-Finnish war. Meanwhile, Mannerheim's connection with Russia is limited not only to the Winter War. In Finland itself, the attitude towards his personality is ambiguous. The bearer of the contemptuous nickname "Rossi" (i.e. Russian) and the national hero, whose monument was erected by descendants in the center of Helsinki, are one and the same person.

Baron Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim was born on June 4, 1867 near the city of Turku in Finland, which was then part of the Russian Empire (the Grand Duchy of Finland). His native language was Swedish, Carl Gustav came from an old family, rooted in Holland and partly Germany. In the 17th century his ancestors moved to Sweden, their surname Marhein began to sound like Mannerheim, and then moved to Finland. The Swedish family of Mannerheim gave Scandinavia many statesmen, scientists, commanders

The Mannerheim family occupied a rather prominent position in society. Gustav's father Karl Robert graduated from the University of Helsingfors, collected works of art, had musical training, sang in the national opera, wrote poetry, and was engaged in translations, as he spoke several languages. The mother of the future Marshal Helen von Yulin was the daughter of a major Finnish magnate. However, the baron, who loved to live in a big way, managed to squander both his inheritance and his wife's dowry. After 18 years of marriage, he fled to Paris with his mistress, leaving his wife and seven children destitute. Unable to withstand this, Helen died a year later of a heart attack, the children were taken in by relatives.

It was decided to send Gustav to study in a cheap cadet corps near Vyborg, but he was soon expelled from it for disobedience to discipline. Relatives wanted to find him another occupation, but suddenly Gustav changed and, against all odds, decided to make a military career, choosing for this the Nikolaev Cavalry School in St. Petersburg. In 1887 he was enrolled in the cavalry as an officer, in 1889 he graduated from college with the rank of lieutenant. In his memoirs, Mannerheim respectfully recalls his teachers at the cavalry school, especially General Alekseev (during the First World War - Deputy Supreme Commander). In St. Petersburg, he became friends with Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich, the future Emperor Nicholas II, which had a beneficial effect on his future career. For two years Mannerheim served in the "black dragoons" (15th Alexandria Dragoon Regiment, stationed in Western Poland), and then was enlisted in the cavalry regiment, the honorary commander of which was the empress herself. To Empress Maria Feodorovna, a Dane by origin, Mannerheim treated with special respect. Subsequently, after the revolution, during his trip to Europe, the baron paid a visit to the empress to express his respect (Maria Feodorovna spent her last years of her life in Denmark). During the coronation of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna, Mannerheim stood on the guard of honor.

In 1802, Gustav married the daughter of a Russian general, Anastasia Arapova, but this marriage was not happy, in 1901 they parted, and officially divorced only in 1919. His wife and two daughters settled in Paris. The eldest, Anastasia, converted to Catholicism and took the veil before the First World War. She spent almost 20 years in a Carmelite convent in England, but eventually gave up monastic life. The youngest, Sophie, will move in with him in the 18th year, intending to stay permanently, but she did not like life in Helsinki. She will return to France, but will correspond regularly with her father and occasionally visit him.

During the Russo-Japanese War, where Mannerheim went as a volunteer, he distinguished himself in battles on the territory of Manchuria. He finished the war with the rank of major. In early March 1906, Mannerheim, who had risen to the rank of colonel, received an order from the Russian General Staff to go on a scientific and reconnaissance expedition in Central Asia. The main goal of the expedition was to find out the results of the reform policy pursued in China after the defeat of the Boxer Rebellion, and its impact on the regions bordering Russia. In addition, it was necessary to draw maps of the roads along which the detachment would advance, to study their possible military significance. Military reconnaissance and espionage activities were disguised as scientific work. Mannerheim's affiliation with the Russian army was supposed to be kept completely secret, presenting him as a Swedish citizen who was taking part in a major French research expedition. Having traveled on horseback for 3,000 km to Beijing itself, the pseudoscientist not only completed the task under the most difficult conditions, but also became interested in scientific activity. In Beijing, Mannerheim had a chance to meet with General Kornilov, who at that time was working in China as a military attache. Coincidentally, it was Kornilov who sent Mannerheim on the expedition two years earlier in Tashkent. Mannerheim would meet with him later, in 1917, at that time the baron would also be among the generals who did not accept the revolution. I must say that Mannerheim was familiar not only with Kornilov, but with almost all the leaders of the White movement.

In his diary about his travels in Asia, Mannerheim entered what he saw and felt, observed and experienced directly, without relying on prejudices and patterns. His observations, notes, maps, photographs (more than one and a half thousand of them were made), measurements, copied rock paintings, collected ancient manuscripts, books would do honor to any researcher, because they contained information on geography, history, ethnography, anthropology, culture and other sciences. For example, a fragment of a text in one of the ancient northern Iranian dialects went around all the universities of European countries, and a Buddhist text written in a square Mongolian script of the 13th - mid-16th centuries remained unique.

Mannerheim tried to learn Chinese. In addition to an interpreter, he hired another Chinese to be able to train in the language (in addition to his native Swedish, Mannerheim spoke English, French, Russian, Finnish and German). Mannerheim left Beijing only once to meet with the Dalai Lama, who lived in China as a prisoner under constant supervision. “The Dalai Lama seemed to me a lively and intelligent person, strong spiritually and physically,” the baron wrote. His Holiness immediately asked if Mannerheim had brought him any message, probably he was waiting for news from the tsar or the government of Russia. But the baron had nothing with him, not even a gift for the Dalai Lama, and he handed over his pistol (in his memoirs, Mannerheim, commenting on this episode, wrote: “The times are such that even a holy person needs a pistol more often than prayer”). In his memoirs, the baron, who felt sympathy for the Dalai Lama, subsequently noted with satisfaction that he managed to return to Tibet and, taking advantage of the weakening of the great powers, create an independent state.

Mannerheim presented a report on this expedition personally to the king, who was very interested in the adventures of the baron. The audience given at the Tsarskoye Selo Palace lasted instead of the planned 20 minutes 1 hour 20. As a reward, Mannerheim received the rank of major general and a regiment near Warsaw. He was very proud of his scientific work, and the report on it was finalized in 1940.

During the First World War, Mannerheim became the commander of the elite 12th Cavalry Division, and three years later he commanded an army corps and was promoted to lieutenant general. He was awarded almost all Russian orders. In his behavior, Mannerheim was a true aristocrat. His aristocracy was also manifested in his demeanor (“posture expresses a state of mind,” he used to say), and his attentive attitude towards subordinates: he remembered the names and surnames of many privates, where they came from, whether there was a family, etc. Interestingly, at the front, Mannerheim and General Denikin, the future leader of the Volunteer Army, commanded neighboring divisions. At the beginning of 1917, Mannerheim was on vacation. Arriving in St. Petersburg, he found himself in the very whirlpool of revolutionary events. Mannerheim's attitude towards the revolution was hostile, and the fall of the monarchy was a terrible blow. He refused to swear allegiance to the Provisional Government, because he had already sworn allegiance to the Tsar and the Fatherland (and kept it to the end: despite any changes, he always kept a portrait of Nicholas II on his desk). The October coup became a personal tragedy for Mannerheim, he decides to leave Russia.

In Finland, too, things were restless. By that time, two opposing military groups had already formed in the country: on the one hand, well-trained voluntary self-defense units "shutskor" formed by activists of bourgeois parties in case of an armed struggle against the Russian occupation forces. Shutskor and later formed the backbone of the White Army. On the other hand, scattered detachments of workers, created after the February Revolution and often undergoing military training with the help of Russian Bolsheviks: they gradually united into the Red Guard. The third, and very significant, military force was the Russian soldiers and sailors of the Baltic Fleet, who were still in Finland.

Mannerheim assumed command of the units opposing the Red Army and the Finnish Red Guard. Armed forces were formed on the basis of the shutskor, which also included volunteers from Russia and Sweden, the weapons came from Germany. Mannerheim also received help from the German General Count von der Goltz, who from February 1918 commanded the 12th German division (Eastern Naval Division). The division of General von der Goltz was originally stationed in the Baltic states, fighting there against the Red Army. By joint efforts, the White Finns and the German expeditionary force of General von der Goltz forced the Red Guard units to retreat first to the city of Vyborg (where they lost the battle on April 24), and then to the territory of Soviet Russia. in mid-May, Mannerheim hosted a victory parade: the civil war was over and the disarmed Russian troops left the country. In December 1918 Karl Mannerheim was proclaimed regent of Finland.

White losses were relatively small - about 5 thousand people. More than 20 thousand of the Red Finns died; of these, only a few thousand - in battles; the rest were executed or died of starvation and disease in concentration camps. Moreover, prisoners of war and women and children were executed and thrown into camps, which caused outrage in Europe. It is still not clear to what extent Mannerheim was involved in this "bloodbath", as the Finns still call that time. It is known that he tried to stop the senseless bloodshed, but the situation, as almost always happens in a situation of war, got out of hand in many areas. In addition, at the end of May 1918, he resigned and for some time could not influence the course of events.

Attitude towards Mannerheim after the 18th year was ambivalent: many considered him the culprit of the White Terror and the death of tens of thousands of prisoners. And on the other hand, grateful fellow citizens in 1919 collected hundreds of thousands of signatures and 7.5 million marks as a gift to Mannerheim, the liberator of the fatherland. It is known that Mannerheim offered military cooperation to the leadership of the White movement in Russia and even an offensive against red Petrograd. But neither the Supreme Ruler of Russia, Admiral Kolchak, nor the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of southern Russia, General Denikin, agreed to such cooperation with Finland. The reason was that they both stood for a united and indivisible Russia.

On June 17, 1919, the Republic of Finland was proclaimed. In the same month, General Mannerheim voluntarily resigned as Regent of Finland. But he continued to be one of the country's most prominent political figures, retaining enormous personal influence over its armed forces. In 1931, when Marshal Mannerheim was already over 60 years old, the country's government again returned him to active state activity. He was appointed chairman of the Defense Council of the state, which was to resolve military issues in the face of aggravated relations between Finland and its neighbor, the Soviet Union. For eight years (the construction of the first fortifications began as early as 1927), Karl Mannerheim supervised the construction of a powerful fortification line on the Karelian Isthmus, which went down in military history as the Mannerheim Line. German, English, French and Belgian fortifiers took part in its construction. The total length of the line was 135 kilometers, and its depth was 95 kilometers. In total, there were 220 kilometers of solid wire fences, 200 - forest blockages and 80 - near-tank gouges.

In 1939, the former general of the Russian imperial army with the rank of marshal of Finland became the commander-in-chief of the army of the Republic of Finland. Since the summer of 1938, Moscow has demanded the lease of the four largest islands in the Gulf of Finland; Mannerheim believed that the islands should be given up, since their defense was still impossible. The government did not even begin to consider this issue. A year later, Molotov and Ribbentrop signed a non-aggression pact. There was a secret protocol in it, giving the Baltic states and Finland to the mercy of the USSR. After the partition of Poland, demands increased - now the Russians wanted, in addition to the islands, part of the Karelian Isthmus and a naval base in Khanko in exchange for territories in East Karelia. On November 26, the so-called "Mainila incident" takes place: shelling of a border village located on Soviet territory. The Soviet Union blamed Finland for this, although it later became clear that the shots were fired from the Soviet side. On November 28, the USSR denounces the 1932 non-aggression treaty with Finland; on the 29th, diplomatic relations are broken off. a communist puppet government of Finland is created, headed by Otto Ville Kuuinen; On December 3, the Soviet side concludes a treaty of friendship and mutual assistance with this "people's government". And when the USSR is expelled from the League of Nations, this gives reason to declare that the USSR is providing assistance to the "legitimate government elected by the working people"

The Soviet-Finnish war began with the bombing of the Finnish capital of Helsinki and the city of Viipuri (modern Vyborg). Approximately one million servicemen participated in the war from the USSR side. In addition to the ground forces, the Baltic Fleet conducted combat operations. Mannerheim, on the other hand, had an army of 300 thousand people, of which only 50 thousand belonged to regular, regular troops. In the Finnish army that fought against the Red Army, there were many volunteers from the Scandinavian and other European states. Mannerheim's defensive tactics on the Karelian Isthmus proved to be effective. Fortifications with a length of almost 150 km were an almost continuous chain of trenches and dugouts, protected by anti-tank ditches, boulders and barbed wire. The second row of fortifications was being built already before the war in a feverish rush. In general, their power was exaggerated by Soviet propaganda, as the offensive bogged down. The marshal himself liked to say: “The Mannerheim Line is Finnish soldiers.” Another terrible enemy of the Russians was the cold. The ratio of casualties in this war turned out to be amazing: it was approximately 1:5, i.e. there were 5 Red Army soldiers per Finn (the Finns lost 23 thousand killed in battle and missing in action).

By February, the human and technical resources of the Finns were depleted. On February 21, throwing 27 army divisions with tanks and artillery into battle, Soviet troops broke through the Finnish defenses in a 12-kilometer section. On March 12, 1940, little Finland capitulated to prevent the advance of Soviet troops deep into its territory. Under the terms of the peace treaty between the USSR and the Republic of Finland, the state border on the Karelian Isthmus moved away from Leningrad beyond the line of the cities of Vyborg and Sortavala, 10% of the country went to the Soviet Union and, from there, 400,000 refugees poured into the interior of the country, who needed to be given shelter and work. But nevertheless, the moral victory was on the side of the Finns - the whole world started talking about the courage and bravery of a small nation that could not be conquered.

When Carl Gustav was 13 years old, his father went bankrupt, and leaving his family, he went to Paris. In January of the following year, his mother died.

In 1882, 15-year-old Gustav entered the Finnish cadet corps in the city of Hamina. In the spring of 1886 he was expelled from the corps for unauthorized absence.

Entering the cavalry school in 1887, two years later, in 1889, 22-year-old Gustav Mannerheim graduated with honors. He was also promoted to the rank of officer.

At the end of May 1918, Mannerheim resigned from the post of commander in chief, possibly due to disagreement with the German-oriented government policy. On March 7, 1918, he received the rank of cavalry general (Finland), and in December 1918, after the defeat of Germany in World War I and the change in Finland's foreign policy from pro-German to pro-Entante, he was proclaimed regent - the temporary head of the Finnish state and achieved international recognition of independent Finland.

Mannerheim assumed that the victory of the Whites in Finland could be part of an all-Russian anti-Bolshevik campaign and considered the possibility of an offensive by the Finnish army on red Petrograd.

In the years 1920-1930, Mannerheim was engaged in a wide variety of activities: he visited France, Poland and other European countries, India with semi-official visits, took part in the management of commercial banks, social activities, and served as chairman of the Red Cross of Finland. In 1931 he accepted an offer to become president of the State Defense Committee of Finland, in 1933 Mannerheim was awarded the honorary military rank of Field Marshal of Finland.

Until the 1930s, the foreign policy of the Soviet Union achieved quite a lot of success: European countries recognized the USSR and established diplomatic relations with it. The Soviet Union joined the League of Nations. This circumstance led to the widespread spread of pacifist sentiments in all sections of European society, which began to believe in the onset of an era of peace.

Mannerheim is actively negotiating with a number of European countries, seeking help in a possible confrontation with the Soviet Union. At the same time, together with Paasikivi, he is trying to find a compromise between the demands of the USSR and the patriotic public in Finland. At these negotiations, Paasikivi told Stalin that "Finland wants to live in peace and stay out of conflicts", to which the latter replied: "I understand, but I assure you that this is impossible - the great powers will not allow it."

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In the autumn of 1918, the Kingdom of Finland was created for a while. Finland was ruled by two regents and an elected monarch. On May 18, 1918, the Finnish Parliament gave its consent to the appointment of Per Evind Svinhufvud, chairman of the Senate (government), as regent. On December 12 of the same year, the parliament accepted his resignation and approved Karl Mannerheim as the new regent. On October 9, 1918, the parliament elected the German Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse-Kassel (Fredrik Kaarle in Finnish transcription) to the throne of Finland under the name of Väinö I, who abdicated on December 14 of the same year, after the defeat of Germany in the First World War.

Until the end of his life, Mannerheim always had a portrait with a photograph and a personal signature of Emperor Nicholas II on his desktop.

In 2009, the creation of the biopic Mannerheim began.

On September 28, 2012 in Helsinki, as part of the Love and Anarchy Film Festival (Rakkautta & Anarkiaa), the premiere of the film Marshal of Finland, which tells about Mannerheim's personal life and love affairs, took place. The fact that Kenyan black actor Talley Savalos Ochieno played the lead role caused a public discussion.

On the monument to K. G. E. Mannerheim erected in Helsinki, he is depicted in an army winter hat of a pre-revolutionary Russian pattern.

Mannerheim spoke Swedish, Russian, Finnish, English, French, German and Polish.

In Finland, there is the Marshal Mannerheim Heritage Foundation, the main purpose of which is to preserve the memory of Mannerheim, as well as financially support research in the field of Finnish military history.

Monuments to Mannerheim:
equestrian monument in Helsinki (opened in 1960),
monument in Turku,
monument in Tampere,
equestrian monument in Lahti,
Museum of the Headquarters of Marshal Mannerheim and a monument in Mikkeli,
museum in the Louhisaari family castle.
On June 14, 2007, on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the birth of K. G. Mannerheim, a bust of the Cavalier Guard Mannerheim was erected in St. Petersburg and an exposition dedicated to his life and work was opened (Shpalernaya street, house 41, Marshal hotel).

Karl Mannerheim, Colonel of the Russian Imperial Army. Poland, 1909

For Finns, this man is a national hero. It must be admitted that the Finnish statehood, in fact, took place precisely thanks to him ... the help of Germany in 1918, and also the goodwill of the Soviet Union. And who is he - Karl Mannerheim, for a Russian person? No, he was not a patriot of Russia, neither when he served in her army, nor when he fought against her ...

"Mannerheim's order in connection with the landing of German troops in Finland

At the request of the Finnish government, detachments of the victorious and mighty German army landed on Finnish soil to help us drive out the villainous Bolsheviks. I am convinced that the brotherhood in arms, which is imprinted in the current struggle with blood, should further strengthen the friendship and trust that Finland has always had in the great Kaiser and the mighty German people. I hope that the young Finnish army, fighting side by side with the glorious German troops, will be imbued with that iron discipline, sense of order and sense of duty that created the greatness of the German army and led it from victory to victory. Welcoming the arrival of the brave German troops, I hope that every Finnish person will understand the great sacrifice made by the noble German people to our country at a time when Germany needs every person to fight on the Western Front.

(The defeat of the White Finnish interventionists in Karelia in 1918-22. Collection of documents / Compiled by A.M. Fedotov; edited by P.G. Sofinov. [Tegozero]: State Publishing House of the Karelian-Finnish SSR, 1944. P.16-17 )

Nevertheless, according to the beliefs of fans of Russia-which-we-have-lost, the Bolsheviks are German agents, and Mannerheim is "a real Russian hero and patriot."

He earned his Iron Cross honestly...

Mannerheim and President Ryti inspect Finnish troops in the city of Enso

Finnish President Kyösti Kallio with Mannerheim. Helsinki railway station. December 19, 1940

Mannerheim at headquarters in the summer of 1941

Mannerheim, Supreme Commander of the Finnish Army. Helsinki. 1941

Mannerheim with the generals of the headquarters are looking through binoculars towards Leningrad and Kronstadt. 1941

Marshal Carl Gustav Mannerheim and General Rudolf Walden

Mannerheim, Major General Erkki Raapan and Lieutenant General Harald Ekvist

“During the liberation war of 1918, I (note - Mannerheim) told the Karelians of Finland and the East that I would not sheathe my sword until Finland and East Karelia were free,” the first and last Finnish marshal inspired his fighters. - Twenty-three years North Karelia and Olonia were waiting for the fulfillment of this promise, a year and a half after the heroic Winter War, Finnish Karelia, devastated, was waiting for the dawn to dawn ... At this historic moment for the world German and Finnish soldiers - just like in the war of liberation in 1918 - stand against Bolshevism and the Soviet Union. The struggle of the German brothers in arms next to our liberator soldiers in the North will further strengthen the long-standing and strong military brotherhood, help to destroy the threat of Bolshevism and guarantee a bright future.… The freedom of Karelia and Great Finland shimmer before us in a huge whirlpool of world-historical events.

In total, almost 600 thousandth international army was concentrated in Finland, including 16 Finnish and 2 German infantry divisions, as well as 2 divisions of Austrian mountain riflemen. The SS troops were represented by the 6th SS Mountain Infantry Division "Nord", reinforced by a battalion of French tanks, manned by both natives of the Reich and ethnic Germans from other countries. In addition, Finland concentrated 2 jaeger and ski brigades here, and from other territories of the then united Europe, an Estonian regiment, a Swedish volunteer battalion and a Norwegian, also volunteer, SS ski battalion subsequently arrived. By June 22, this whole armada, accompanied by more than 200 tanks and almost 900 aircraft with black German and blue Finnish swastikas, was ready to attack. The operation, which received the code name "Silberfuks" - "Polar Fox", provided for the rapid capture of Murmansk and Leningrad, as well as all the main stations of the railway connecting them. At the same time, Mannerheim's troops were to occupy Karelia and, having reached the White Sea, complete the creation of Great Finland

Mannerheim made his contribution to the blockade and the resulting mass death of Leningraders from starvation, and the successors of his cause do not intend to repent of this. For example, Tino Vihavainen, professor at the University of Helsinki, who is considered the main Finnish specialist in the history of war, still claims that the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Leningraders is the fault of themselves and the fighters who defended the city. They would have surrendered to the mercy of the winner and ate their gruel calmly. Indeed, in the occupied territory, where almost all non-Finnish-speaking residents were sent to concentration camps, only one in five of them died behind barbed wire. And taking into account those who were shot and died of starvation due to massive requisitions of food in favor of uninvited "liberators", we can safely say that the occupation cost their lives a third of the Russian population of the captured part of Karelia.

And someone would not have passed a good gallows for this, if Mannerheim and his friends had not sold their beloved Fuhrer with all the giblets. After the defeat of the Finnish army near Vyborg and Petrozavodsk, they managed to agree with Moscow on a separate peace. In exchange for withdrawing from the war, transferring the nickel mines near Pechenga to the Soviet Union and stabbing the German "brothers in arms" in the back, Finland relatively successfully jumped off the Nazi train rushing into the abyss.

Source: Yuri Nersesov "The Dream of an Imperial Finn"

Fuhrer and Mannerheim at the airport. June 4, 1942

The Fuhrer and Mannerheim at the airport, June 4, 1942

Hitler, Marshal Mannerheim and President Ryti in Imatra. 06/04/1942

To the photo above

They walk one path...

Adolf Hitler greets German and Finnish officers 06/04/1942

Adolf Hitler and Karl Mannerheim at the railway station in Imatra. 06/04/1942 (Hitler arrived at Mannerheim's 75th birthday celebration)

Handshake. 06/04/1942

Mannerheim's visit to Germany on July 27, 1942.

Mannerheim's visit to Germany. July 27, 1942

Apparently bent over the map

Mannerheim receives Heinrich Himmler

To the photo above

Cup for victory...

Company

To the photo above

Mannerheim and the German representative at the General Staff of the Finnish Army, General of the Infantry V. Erfurt

Karl Mannerheim, President Risto Ryti and General Waldemar Erfurt

Mannerheim in negotiations with Wehrmacht General E. Dietl

The Finnish Museum of Photography / Eric Sundström/ Regent of Finland C. G. E. Mannerheim, 1919, Helsinki.

Gustav Mannerheim was a general of the Russian imperial army, a traveler-explorer, and then, during the period of independence, the commander-in-chief during three wars and twice the head of state.

Along with Sibelius, during his lifetime he became the most famous Finn both at home and abroad.

Already early in his career, he became the object of a somewhat mythologized admiration and respect, which was embodied in street names, monuments, and in a popular museum house. Admiration and respect have changed over time.

The winning side initially treated the commander-in-chief in the war of 1918 with admiration, this figure was so legendary. The losing side felt hatred.

Between 1939 and 1944 the enemy tried to stir up these already subsided negative moods again, achieving, however, rather the opposite result.

In the 1970s, during the period of activation of the left forces, criticism of Mannerheim was again voiced. Admiration, accordingly, was most emphasized in connection with the death and funeral of the marshal of Finland, in connection with the construction of an equestrian monument in the late 1950s, as well as in the 1980s and 1990s.

Mannerheim's personality has been the subject of active scientific study since the 1950s.

Gustav Mannerheim was born on June 4, 1867 at Louhisaari Castle in Askainen, north of Turku. He was the third child and inherited the title of baron. The family was a count, and the count's title passed to the eldest son. His father Count Carl Robert Mannerheim, as well as close relatives of his mother Hedwig Charlotte Helena (Helene) von Yulin, were industrialists and entrepreneurs, and his grandfather, President of the court court Count Carl Gustav Mannerheim, and great-grandfather, Senator Count Carl Erik Mannerheim, were high-ranking officials.

Among close relatives, admiral Johann Eberhard von Schanz, who made a brilliant career in the Far East and St. Petersburg, a traveler-researcher, Professor Baron Adolf Eric Nordenskiöld, who achieved worldwide fame and moved to Sweden, as well as cousins ​​of his sister's grandfather, could serve as role models. Shernval (among them was one), who won success in the high society of St. Petersburg.

The initial stage of Mannerheim's military career in St. Petersburg was based both on family ties and recommendations from the paternal side, and on the financial assistance of relatives from the mother.

The bankruptcy of his father, his flight-like departure from Finland, the breakup of the family and the early death of his mother left a mark on Gustav Mannerheim's childhood and influenced his dispatch at the age of fifteen in 1882 to the Finnish Cadet Corps in Hamina (Friedrichsgam). The previously typical military career for the nobility now increasingly served other life goals, an example of which was Mannerheim's father.

The rapidly deteriorating economic situation of the family and the ambitious and stubborn nature of Gustav were perfect for a military career, Mannerheim, however, was expelled from the Cadet School for violation of discipline in 1886.

He entered the private Böka Gymnasium in Helsinki and passed the matriculation exam in 1887. Immediately after that, he went to St. Petersburg, where in September 1887 he was able to enter the Nikolaev Cavalry School. In this demanding military institution, he successfully studied and was promoted to cornet in 1889.

Mannerheim's goal was to get into one of the elite units of the imperial guard, but he was first seconded to the provincial garrison in Poland. From there, a year later, he ended up in the cavalry regiment of Her Imperial Majesty's Guards, which was part of the Life Guards of His Imperial Majesty, using the recommendations of court ladies, relatives of the Empress, and with the financial support of his uncle.

Mannerheim was promoted to lieutenant of the guard in 1893, junior captain in the guard in 1899, and captain in the guard in 1902. Mannerheim remained loyal to the Empress (from 1894 Empress Dowager) Maria Feodorovna, who was considered the commander of this regiment, paid her courtesy visits in Denmark in the 1920s. and kept her photograph on the table in his salon in Helsinki next to a photograph of Nicholas II.

Thanks to his graceful appearance and good manners, Mannerheim played a prominent role at the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra in Moscow in 1896.

In 1892, he married Anastasia Arapova, a rich general's daughter. The marriage, arranged by relatives, saved Mannerheim from the financial difficulties that had previously darkened his life. Service in the guards regiment assumed such expenses for social life, for which the officer's salary was not enough. From the point of view of Anastasia Arapova, the brilliant Mannerheim, who enjoyed success in the world, was a good choice.

The couple, who had two daughters, Sofia and Anastasia, apparently spoke French at home in St. Petersburg; Russian and German were used on estates in the Moscow region and in Courland. However, a crisis arose in the relationship, and the couple separated, in fact in 1903, and officially a little later. However, they restored their relationship in the 1930s. In 1937, in Helsinki, Mannerheim participated in the funeral of his ex-wife in the Orthodox rite.

Apparently, Mannerheim's ideas about marriage were influenced by the image of an independent and enterprising Finnish woman and, above all, by the example of his elder sister Sophia, who was very close to him. Anastasia Mannerheim, in turn, was a type of woman, brought up in all respects for the secular life of high society. At the same time, she was characterized by religious sacrifice, which manifested itself when in 1901 she went on a humanitarian mission of the Red Cross to the Far East. Later, Baroness Mannerheim and her daughters moved to France.

Mannerheim rekindled his relationship with his daughters when he moved to Finland after World War I. Sophia visited Finland from time to time and learned a little Swedish. During Mannerheim's tenure as regent in 1919, she performed the representative functions of the hostess, and at the promotion ceremony at the Faculty of Philosophy she was assigned an honorary ceremonial role.

Mannerheim did not get into the Academy of the General Staff, apparently mainly due to insufficient knowledge of the Russian language. Instead, he became a horse specialist, both buying breeding and working horses for the army, and trying to run a stud farm on his estate on his own, partly following the example of his brother Johan Mannerheim, who moved to Sweden.

From 1903, he commanded an exemplary squadron and supervised the training of riding in the Guards Cavalry Regiments, and also achieved fame in riding competitions. Mannerheim, however, was looking for ways to further advancement.

When the war with Japan began in February 1904, he volunteered for the front, and was sent with the rank of lieutenant colonel to the 52nd Nezhinsky Hussar Regiment, which was on the Manchurian front.

At the same time, his older brother, bank director Count Karl Mannerheim, was exiled to Sweden as one of the leaders of the anti-government political opposition, and those circles to which he belonged were looking for contacts with Japan in order to foment an uprising in Finland.

Some other relatives also moved to Sweden, and arguments from both sides can be found in their correspondence. Mannerheim emphasized the importance of participation in the war for his career. In this way, he could compensate for the failure to enter the General Staff Academy and, along the way, alleviate the psychological and social problems associated with divorce.

At the front, Mannerheim acted proactively and sought to distinguish himself, but at the same time he had to deal with the inept conduct of the war and discord among the high command. The leadership appreciated him, and although he failed to receive the most coveted award, the George Cross, he was promoted to colonel for his courage in the battle of Mukden. The order was dated the day of the battle.

Even then, Mannerheim planned to organize a long reconnaissance expedition to little-known regions of Asia. He was exemplified by Nordenskiöld, Swedish and Russian explorers-travelers (Sven Hedin, Nikolai Przhevalsky), and some other officers.

At the same time, he believed that a successful expedition would allow him to distinguish himself, which he needed to advance in his career. Obviously, his goal was to command the guards regiment.

After returning from the Russo-Japanese War, Mannerheim in 1905-1906. spent some time in Finland and Sweden. As a representative of the baronial branch of his family, he participated for the first time in the Diet of Estates, the last in the history of Finland.

At the Diet, Mannerheim did not take part in public political discussions, but he made personal connections and became known as a person who, in the event of a possible change in the political situation, could, according to the old tradition, be thought of as a candidate for senators or even ministers of state. -secretaries.

Carefully preparing for the expedition to Asia, to which he had already been appointed, Mannerheim simultaneously established relations with scientific and Fennoman circles. Perhaps the chief of the general staff, General Palitsyn, and his reformist entourage specifically wanted to keep Mannerheim away from the politically turbulent world in order to save him for future assignments as an unbiased person.

However, during the Asian expedition of Mannerheim, Palitsyn was forced to resign. However, later they still started talking about the idea of ​​​​appointing Mannerheim as Assistant Minister of State Secretary or Minister of State Secretary, but the political situation did not allow such a decision to be made in which the candidacy of Minister of State Secretary would suit both the emperor and the Finnish elite.

Mannerheim began his long expedition from Kashgar (Turkmenistan) in October 1906, his goal was Beijing. Accompanied by only a few people, he rode through the territory, almost entirely belonging to China.

His task was to explore these largely uninhabited mountainous and desert regions, which were of interest to Russia, China and Great Britain. The scientific goals of the expedition were related to the military - to get the most complete description of the territory.

Mannerheim demonstrated a notable scientific talent and ambition by researching the customs, languages ​​and ethnic traits of the tribes he encountered, archeology, amassing a collection of objects, and taking photographs.

The collection arrived in Helsinki to the Finno-Ugric Society, which later published Mannerheim's detailed travel diary and helped him write a travel essay intended for the general public. Photographic materials were published in the 1990s, at the same time the collections were presented in the new Ethnographic Museum of Helsinki.

Mannerheim returned to St. Petersburg in September 1908. The Emperor listened with interest to his report on the trip.

Now Mannerheim deserved the regiment, however, the issue was delayed until January 1909, when he finally received the coveted position of commander of the guards regiment, however, first in the provincial Novominsky garrison in Poland. Guards units were usually stationed in St. Petersburg, but there were also several in Poland, and one was based in Helsinki until 1905.

The Polish front was vital in preparing for a possible war with Germany and Austria-Hungary. Mannerheim established himself as a successful commander-mentor both in Novominsky and in Warsaw, where he was transferred in 1911 as commander of the Guards Lancer Regiment of His Imperial Majesty.

In 1911 he was promoted to major general, and in 1912 he entered the retinue of His Imperial Majesty, which corresponded to the rank of lieutenant general. With the liquidation of the retinue in 1917, he was promoted to lieutenant general.

In Warsaw, Mannerheim spent one of the happiest stages of his life: he achieved success in his career, perceived his work as important and enjoyable, established close and fruitful relationships with the highest circles of the Polish aristocracy, and was able to keep in touch with his brothers and sisters in Finland and Sweden. .

He became strongly attached to Princess Maria Lubomirskaya. Most of Mannerheim's letters addressed to her have survived and have been published. They give future generations the opportunity to recognize Mannerheim as a refined, sympathetic and sensual person. Letters to Mrs. Lubomirskaya were mainly sent from the front of the world war that began in August 1914.

Throughout the war, Mannerheim was in the army, mainly on the fronts against Austria-Hungary and in Romania. He had to spend these years in physically and psychologically difficult conditions and had a chance to experience both successes and failures. After the first setbacks, Russia managed to maintain its position, and the war dragged on.

On December 18, 1914, for his valor, he was awarded the long-desired George Cross. The February Revolution of 1917 immediately affected the situation in the army and the course of the war. Mannerheim was not favored by the new government and was relieved of his duties in September.

He was in reserve and tried to restore his health in Odessa. After the situation in Russia became more and more confused, and after the large-scale offensive operation of Kornilov (the so-called Kornilov rebellion) failed, Mannerheim began to think about retiring and returning to Finland.

But even in Finland in the autumn of 1917 the situation became more and more chaotic, the threat of civil war grew, when, with the collapse of the state machine, both the Red and White Guards began to be created. In January 1918, the bourgeois senate, chaired by P.E. Svinhufvuda and his military experts settled on Mannerheim's candidacy for the post of commander of the pro-government civil guard detachments (shutskor).

Mannerheim was considered the most suitable of the generals, Finns by origin, who served or are serving in the Russian army. Without a doubt, this assessment was based on his background and social contacts, as well as political connections, including with relatives who were in opposition.

Mannerheim's anti-German and anti-antantophile convictions did not influence the choice, which later led to a conflict, since Svinhufvud and the leading bourgeois circles of Finland as a whole made a bet on Germany earlier in the autumn, counting on military support for the separation of Finland from Russia.

Mannerheim was formally appointed to the post of commander-in-chief on January 16, 1918 and went to Seinäjoki, where he deployed his headquarters in an area that was a stronghold of the whites and favorably distinguished by the proximity of the main transport routes.

The Senate, the government of Finland, was located in Vaasa. He formed a staff of Finns who served in the Russian army and reinforced it with a significant number of Swedish volunteer officers who played an important military and political role.

Mannerheim did not want Germans at the headquarters, and Germany, before the conclusion of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on March 3, 1918, was not ready to send its soldiers to Finland. When Germany later decided to take part in resolving the situation in Finland and send the Baltic Division under the command of General Count Rüdiger von der Goltz to this end, Mannerheim was forced to change his strategy for political reasons.

The war began in Pohjanmaa as a "war of liberation" with the disarmament of several Russian garrisons. This was of significant importance both in terms of acquiring weapons and the formation of a northern foothold, and in terms of legitimizing the war as a whole. Mannerheim's goal now was to form troops (conscription was introduced) and train them, as well as to obtain weapons from Sweden and elsewhere. With the approach of German intervention, he decided to hasten the capture of Tampere, a stronghold of the Reds, which he managed to do after fierce fighting and heavy losses on both sides.

At the same time, the white army advanced towards Savo and southward, and the headquarters was moved to Mikkeli. Mannerheim, no doubt, all this time proceeded from the possibility that the White Russians, with the help of the Western countries of the Entente, would sooner or later try to overthrow the Bolshevik government, and that Finland would participate in this operation.

To emphasize the Finnish (“non-German”) nature of the war of liberation, on May 16, 1918, Mannerheim staged a grand victory parade for his “peasant army” in Helsinki.

Von der Goltz and his troops had defeated the Red government and its military forces in Helsinki a month earlier, and pro-German sentiment was strong in the city. Now Mannerheim stood in opposition to the pro-German military-political orientation of the Senate, which, in the name of ensuring security from Russia and from its own Reds, completely placed Finland in the German sphere of influence.

When the Senate disagreed with Mannerheim's demands, he left the country on June 1, 1918, convinced that the Entente would win anyway. Thus, Mannerheim was not in the country at the final, fateful stage of the liberation war, marked by mass deaths from disease and starvation in huge concentration camps and lengthy trials.

Even during the war, he tried to stop the "White Terror" and objected to the mass arrests of the Reds, as well as to the practice of individual trials on charges of treason.

In the autumn of 1918, Mannerheim negotiated in London and Paris, and when in Finland, after the defeat of Kaiser Germany, the form of government was to be changed, in accordance with the forms of government of 1772 and 1789. Mannerheim was invited to the post of regent with the powers of the temporary exercise of the highest state power until the final resolution of the issue of the form of government, which became topical already in 1917.

In order to strengthen Mannerheim's position and his orientation towards the Entente, the interested powers sent large consignments of food to Finland, which saved the country from starvation.

In the spring of 1919, he succeeded in obtaining the recognition of Finland's independence by Great Britain and the United States, as well as the renewal of recognition by France, which had previously agreed to recognition, but then withdrew it.

Mannerheim used these recognitions and his official visits to Stockholm and Copenhagen, as well as other symbolic acts, to significantly strengthen the new sovereign status of Finland, trying to consolidate its orientation towards the victorious countries France and England, as well as Sweden.

The question of Russia's future, however, remained open. Mannerheim hoped that the power of the communists there, as in Finland and Hungary, could be overthrown. The biggest issue during Mannerheim's regency was the attitude towards the attempt of White Russian troops to capture Petrograd, which would probably lead to the overthrow of the Bolshevik government.

Mannerheim believed that Finland should have been involved in the operation, but negotiations with the White Russians proved difficult. Russian whites could not make decisions that were the prerogative of the national assembly, just as they could not guarantee the sovereignty of Finland.

Finland, on the other hand, having bowed to the side of Germany, having defeated the Reds, who advocated stronger ties with Russia, and then having consolidated sovereignty with the help of Western states, has already quite definitely opposed Russia, regardless of what she might become at the proposed national assembly.

As the border skirmishes on the Karelian Isthmus continued, especially in June 1919, the activists tried to persuade Mannerheim to use his monarchical power and launch an offensive. But Mannerheim refused these proposals, because he did not find sufficient political support for this idea in Finland.

On July 17, 1919, he approved a new form of government, worked out as a result of a compromise decision in Parliament in June. Mannerheim did not personally intervene in the discussion on the form of government, but in a speech he delivered on May 16, 1918, for reasons of a domestic and foreign policy nature, he advocated a strong government power, and it could reasonably be assumed that he would not approve a purely parliamentary form board.

Since the idea of ​​a monarchical form of government, proposed in the autumn, was closely linked to the defeated Germany, and since the choice of the king could not enlist the support of any great power as a guarantor of the security of Finland, the only option remained a compromise between monarchical and parliamentary forms of government - a presidential republic, sometimes referred to as an "elective monarchy".

Such a form of government assigned to the president such broad authority to issue decrees and some other rights that they were never fully applied in practice.

The form of government of 1919 appeared during the civil war in Russia and the state of war between Finland and Russia, and it showed its effectiveness, especially in difficult times from the point of view of foreign policy.

The period of Mannerheim's tenure as regent, in addition to the constitution and the recognition of independence by foreign states, is reminiscent of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, established by him, awarded for military and civil merit; the year before, he, as Commander-in-Chief, established the Order of the Cross of Liberty, which was revived as an award for military merit in 1939.

The insignia of these knightly orders was made by a famous artist

Gallen-Kallela, who was slightly older than Mannerheim, was one of his adjutants in 1919, later in the same year he received the title of honorary professor. He also developed other state symbols of Finland, but most of them were rejected after the resignation of Mannerheim.

Elections for the President of the Republic, in accordance with the new constitution, were held on July 25, 1919, but not by electors, but, as an exception, by Parliament. Mannerheim received 50 MPs from the conservative National Coalition Party and the Swedish People's Party, but Kaarlo Juho Stålberg, President of the Supreme Administrative Court, won with 143 votes and was supported by the Agrarian Union, the Progressive Party and the Social Democrats.

A trusting relationship was not established between Mannerheim and Stolberg, and the plans to appoint Mannerheim as commander-in-chief of the army, or as commander-in-chief of the squadron detachments with very independent powers, did not materialize.

After that, Mannerheim went into private life, and a rather large fund was raised for him (“civil gift”), on the basis of which he could exist. He rented a villa in the Kaivopuisto park that belonged to the Fazer family and reconstructed it so that it would meet the needs of a man leading an everyday, modest soldier's life, but, on the other hand, would correspond to the status of a familyless aristocrat, a former head of state.

In the 1920s he devoted much of his time to the Finnish Red Cross and to the 1920 General Mannerheim Union for the Protection of Children. Within the framework of the latter, he fought for the unity of the nation and for smoothing out the contradictions generated by the civil war. In this he was helped by his sister, and later by the famous pediatrician, honored doctor Arvo Ylppö, as well as many other people.

Mannerheim also traveled abroad to hunt and to sanatoriums, and kept in touch with political and diplomatic circles. Obviously, to some extent, he missed an active life, not being completely satisfied with only humanitarian work, minor involvement in business (chairing the board of the Liittopankki bank, a summer cafe near his villa in Hanko), reading, attending concerts and social life .

The economic and political crisis that began in 1929 again actualized the status of Mannerheim, and some right-wing groups wanted Mannerheim to become a military dictator. He, however, was wary of the Lapuan movement and the various groups of its supporters and made no commitments; he closely followed the situation, preparing, probably, for the possibility of a seizure of power by the Lapuans.

In March 1931, Per Evind Svinhufvud, who became president at this turbulent time, soon after his election appointed Mannerheim chairman of the Defense Council and commander-in-chief in case of war, thereby formally reintegrating him into the state system.

In 1933, Mannerheim received the rank of marshal. Changes in the world since 1933 have shifted the emphasis in Finnish defense policy. The enthusiasm for East Karelia and Ingermanland that had survived until then, as well as the ideology of Greater Finland, waned as Germany and the Soviet Union rapidly gained strength.

At the same time, the relative importance of the League of Nations, which was considered an important guarantor for Finland and other small states, weakened. Mannerheim participated in the recognition of the "Scandinavian orientation", a policy officially recognized in 1935, which, however, did not give Finland security guarantees.

The Scandinavian orientation, however, was of great political and psychological significance, and when war broke out between Finland and the USSR in 1939, this led to a volunteer movement and large-scale humanitarian and military assistance from Sweden, and also aroused sympathy for Finland in Western countries.

In 1933–1939 Mannerheim, in addition to Sweden, actively developed relations with Great Britain. He represented Finland at the funeral of King George V and had contacts with the Royal Air Force and the British aviation industry.

He maintained relations with Germany during hunting trips with Marshal Hermann Goering. However, during his seventieth birthday in 1937, as well as during the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the civil war in 1938 - both of these dates turned into national events - he emphasized the importance of national unity and closer ties with the Social Democrats, who first entered the government in coalition with the Agrarian Union than ties with Germany.

Despite constant pressure from Mannerheim, the main parts of the army by the autumn of 1939 were still poorly equipped. During Finnish-Soviet border and security talks, Mannerheim believed that Finland was not in a position to stick to such a hard line as the government was pursuing, and recommended agreeing to territorial concessions and territory exchanges, threatening to resign several times.

When negotiations failed and the war broke out on November 30, 1939, Mannerheim assumed the duties of commander in chief and re-established headquarters in Mikkeli. He remained commander-in-chief until December 31, 1944, during which time he was mostly based in Mikkeli. Despite his age and health problems, he worked continuously throughout the war, with the exception of a couple of short holidays, thereby giving the headquarters, the entire army and the people an example of dedication in a critical situation.

During the Winter War, the subsequent period known as the “truce”, and also during the “Continuation War” that began on June 25, 1941, Mannerheim was part of a group of 4–5 people that actually led country.

In addition to Mannerheim, this circle included Risto Ryti, who became president in 1940, prime ministers J.V. Rangel and Edwin Linkomies, Foreign Ministers Väinö Tanner, Rolf Witting and K.H.W. Ramsay, as well as Lieutenant General Rudolf Walden, who has always held the post of Minister of Defense.

Thus, already in 1939-1940. Mannerheim significantly influenced the course of the Winter War and attempts to conclude peace. He emphasized that the army, despite the heroism shown in the defense, was weak and at the limit of its capabilities, and that therefore it was necessary to accept the difficult conditions of peace, which was done.

After the Winter War, Finland experienced constant pressure from the Soviet Union, which was associated with the situation in the world as a whole. The only counterbalance to this pressure could be Germany, but it was also in alliance with the USSR. However, from September 1940, Germany began to take Finland under its wing in its relations with the USSR, and from the beginning of 1941 military contacts between headquarters gradually became closer. Until the very last moment, it was unclear whether (and when) Germany would start a war against the Soviet Union.

During this period, Finland, however, was able to significantly improve the level of equipment of its army. Finland's entry into the war in the summer of 1941 aroused great research interest immediately after the war and in later periods; attempts were made to find out when Finland "finally" joined the German military preparations against the Soviet Union, and who in Finland led these preparations or knew about them.

Military leadership of Marshal Mannerheim during the war 1941-1944. had an important psychological significance: with his authority, he kept the generals at headquarters and front commanders, as well as members of the government, in submission and restrained internal conflicts and rivalries, common for a protracted war.

The political significance of his authority was also manifested in relations with Germany: Mannerheim, of the entire leadership of Finland, most clearly demanded - and could demand - the formal and real observance of the political and military independence of Finland.

An interesting example of this was the 75th anniversary of Mannerheim on June 4, 1942, when Adolf Hitler, the Fuhrer of Germany, personally came to congratulate Mannerheim, who had just been promoted to marshals of Finland. Mannerheim's behavior in this situation is considered an exemplary combination of emphasized politeness and firmness in maintaining his own authority.

This made it possible to reject Germany's claim to dictate over Finland, or the demand for a formal union treaty, thus making it possible to get out of the situation with the help of guarantees given by President Ryti in the summer of 1944, which remained in force for only a few weeks.

Mannerheim's psychological, nationally unifying role was emphasized during the war in various ways: for example, in the form of postage stamps, and also by the fact that on the day of his birth almost all cities in Finland had streets bearing his name. The Order of the Cross of Liberty was supplemented by the Mannerheim Cross with a cash prize awarded for special heroism.

The elderly marshal came to the front several times and attended various patriotic events, consoling war orphans and relatives of the dead.

The Soviet offensive in June-July 1944 forced the Finnish army to withdraw from East Karelia and retreat west of Vyborg on the Karelian Isthmus. As a result, there was a willingness to accept even the most difficult peace conditions. To do this, it was necessary to change the government and break off relations with Germany. Mannerheim agreed, and on August 4, 1944, the parliament elected him President of the Republic.

From that moment began the peace process, for which Mannerheim, apparently, managed to find the optimal time. Germany was thought to be weak enough that, despite its military position and air control in the Baltics, to expend forces on the occupation of Finland (as happened in Romania), and German feeble attempts were rebuffed from the start.

The Soviet Union, in turn, was no longer interested in the complete surrender or military occupation of Finland, since it concentrated its forces on the Baltic, Polish and German directions.

The Western powers and Sweden were ready to politically and economically support the separate peace of Finland. At the same time, the Finnish people, after the loss of Eastern Karelia, the Karelian Isthmus and Vyborg, were ready to accept difficult peace conditions, the adoption of which in the spring, when the army had not yet been defeated on the Svir and the Southern Isthmus, could lead the country and the army to a crisis of loyalty.

Thus, in August-September 1944, Mannerheim, with the support of the Finnish Ambassador in Stockholm, G.A. Gripenberga led the peace talks, simultaneously acting as President, Commander-in-Chief, and in practice both Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (especially after Prime Minister Antti Hakzel was paralyzed during the negotiations).

Mannerheim briefly concentrated all power in his own hands; his authority was extremely important in terms of shaping public sentiment and leading the army. The army had to quickly reorient itself, as relations with Germany and the German troops in Northern Finland were broken, and, accordingly, it was necessary to establish cooperation with the military, and soon with the civilian representatives of the former enemy, the Soviet Union.

Mannerheim's authority retained its significance when, after the conclusion of the armistice in Helsinki, the Allied Control Commission began to operate and when the new one, formed by Yu.K. The Paasikivi political government in November 1944 replaced the short-term presidential ("technical") cabinets of Hakzel and Urho Castren.

At this point, the period of concentration of power in the hands of Mannerheim for the duration of the peace process ended, and, despite great doubts, he was forced to agree to the appointment of a communist representative, Interior Minister Yrjö Leino, to the Paasikivi government.

But even after that, Mannerheim remained a mainstay of the Paasikivi government, especially due to the suspicions of the right, although he did not actively support the government and its new political orientation, probably because he was not sure of the government's policy, and also because he wanted to preserve the possibility of a change office.

The degree of participation of Mannerheim in the leadership of the state also decreased due to deteriorating health. He went to Stockholm for an operation and then on holiday to Portugal.

And although Mannerheim was elected president for an emergency period, he, however, did not want to resign, for example, immediately after the parliamentary elections in the spring of 1945. This was partly due to the fact that the situation in the world remained uncertain, as the war in Europe continued until May 1945, and partly because Mannerheim was afraid of being convicted at the trial of those responsible for the war, which was provided for by the terms of the Armistice Agreement, and which the Allied Control Commission insisted on as soon as possible.

However, both in the interests of the Finns and in the interests of the Soviet Union, it was to save Mannerheim from this, and when this circumstance became clear, he resigned in March 1946.

The students expressed their respect for him with a torchlight procession, which in those conditions was a significant event. The Communists were also ready to acknowledge Mannerheim's role in bringing about peace.

Subsequently, Mannerheim, whose health was deteriorating, was in Stockholm, but mainly in the Valmont sanatorium in Montreux (Switzerland). There he, along with assistants, which included Infantry General Erik Heinrichs and Colonel Aladar Paasonen, wrote memoirs. He told his assistants about his life path, who wrote them down in the form of chapters of a future book.

After that, Mannerheim checked the manuscript, sometimes making significant corrections. By the time of Mannerheim's death on January 27, 1951 (January 28 Finnish time), the work was almost completed, and this allowed the publication of the first volume in the same year.

Mannerheim's body was brought to Finland, the coffin was placed with honors (lit de parade) in the Main Church of Helsinki (the current Cathedral), and tens of thousands of people passed him in silence.

On February 4, 1951, Mannerheim was buried with full military honors at the Heroes' Cemetery in Hietaniemi. On this frosty day, an honor guard of reserve soldiers, students, and scouts stretched across the city. For reasons of political caution, the government decided not to take part in the funeral ceremony. Despite this, Prime Minister Urho Kekkonen and Foreign Minister Oke Harz participated in the funeral procession.

The speech in the Main Church was delivered by the Chairman of the Parliament K.-A. Fagerholm. The fact that he was a Social Democrat symbolically pointed to the origins of the 1930s. and the understanding, strengthened during the war, of the idea of ​​recognizing the historical national consensus in Finland. This was recognized by all social groups and the press, with the exception of the communists.

The funeral of Mannerheim, the attention and respect for his figure, which then manifested itself abroad and, in particular, at home, which increased significantly after the publication of his memoirs and the opening of the Mannerheim Museum in his house in Kaivopuisto, marked an ideological turning point, a transition from the "post-war" stage from its denial of the previous history to a new identity, implying the unity and continuity of the various stages of Finnish history - from tsarist times and the interwar period, including the war and the post-war years.

Back in 1937, with the consent of Mannerheim, a fund was created for the construction of an equestrian monument in his honor - the first in Finland. Some accused Mannerheim of vanity, but more significant, of course, was that he recognized the need for symbols to unite the nation. Mannerheim became a symbolic figure as early as 1918, and this role became even stronger in the 1930s. and during the war. In this "role" he could contribute to the development of national identity in the direction in which he considered necessary.

The main values ​​for him were the European orientation, i.е. closeness to Sweden and Western European culture, the maintenance of combat readiness and, as a necessary condition for this, a strong national consensus, for which it was necessary to overcome the split that arose as a result of the conflict between reds and whites, as well as concern for the health and future of children and youth.

He opposed socialism as a doctrine and the Soviet Union as its embodiment, as well as against nationalism, which manifested itself in Germany in the form of National Socialism, and in Finland in the form of "ultra-Finnish" movements. On the language issue in Finland, he advocated an atmosphere of harmony.

He himself, who knew languages ​​well and had extensive international experience, considered it important to maintain international contacts at various levels. He emphasized the great importance of foreign policy and understanding the balance of power in the world, in comparison with domestic political disagreements, petty politicking and legal literalism.

During the First World War, Mannerheim realized the need to preserve and care for the personnel, and during the wars of 1939-1944 (1945). he was especially concerned with minimizing casualties, caring for the wounded, and honoring the fallen.

The equestrian monument project was revived largely thanks to the initiative of the Students' Union of the University of Helsinki, and this led to three results: the increase in Mannerheim's fame through fundraising and the issuance of a special badge for this, to the erection of the monument itself, which, after several competitions, was completed by the sculptor Aimo Tukiainen and solemnly opened on June 4, 1960, and to the fact that, with the remaining funds, among other things, a historical monument was bought into state ownership - Mannerheim's native home, the Louhisaari estate.

Later, monuments to Mannerheim were erected in several cities in Finland: Mikkeli, Lahti, near Tampere and in Turku. Back in the 1930s. Two biographies of Mannerheim have been published (by Kai Donner and Annie Woipio-Juvas).

After his death, a film consisting of documentary footage appeared in 1957–1959. The first large-scale and detailed biography of Mannerheim was published, written by his close associate Infantry General Eric Heinrichs.

In the 1960s The Mannerheim Foundation, created according to his will, whose main task was to send Finnish officers to foreign higher military schools, opened the archive of letters, which the foundation inherited by will, for Mannerheim's relative, the Swedish professor Stig Jagerskjöld.

Very significant archival research in different countries, the discovery of letters and interviews conducted by Jagersheld resulted in a large-scale eight-volume work.

At the time when the Englishman D.E.O. Screen took up the study of the Russian period of Mannerheim's life, began to pay attention to the various stages of the Mannerheim cult. His image was addressed in novels and plays (in particular, Paavo Rintala, Ilmari Turja).

In the 1970s the left movement criticized Mannerheim, rather directed against his cult. Of the latest studies on Mannerheim, the most significant is Veijo Meri's book, a psychologically accurate biography of Mannerheim (1988).

Material taken from the One Hundred Remarkable Finns Biographies Collection on the website of the National Library of Finland © Biografiakeskus, Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, PL 259, 00171 HELSINKI

Appendix:

Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim, b. 4/6/1867, Askainen, died 27/1/1951, Lausanne. Parents: Count Karl Robert Mannerheim and Charlotte Helena von Yulin. Wife: 1892–1919 Anastasia Arapova, b. 1872. Died 1936b wife's parents: Major General Nikolai Arapov and Vera Kazakova. Children: Anastasia, b. 1893. died 1978; Sofia, b. 1895, died 1963.

The soldier who does not dream of becoming a general is bad. Karl Mannerheim went from cornet in the Russian tsarist army to field marshal and president of Finland. He was an ally of Hitler, but Joseph Stalin personally struck him off the list of war criminals.

Mannerheim and the national question

The President of Finland was a Swede by birth, he devoted 30 years to the Russian army, and it was in the Russian Empire that he grew up and developed. Mannerheim's adjutant, even during World War II, was the Russian hussar Ignat Karpachev. It is significant that Mannerheim addressed him strictly by his first name and patronymic.

Mannerheim respected the Russians and did not hide his reverence even when communicating with Hitler.

When Mannerheim was already president of Finland, he insisted that all the inhabitants of his country be called precisely "Finns", and not the more neutral "Finlanders". The national interests of Finland for the Swede, who served half his life in the Russian army, were in the first place. Since 1942, Mannerheim's birthday has been celebrated in Finland as the day of the Finnish army.

Mannerheim and languages

Mannerheim was fluent in Russian, English, French and German. He knew eight languages ​​in total. Paradoxically, his native Swedish and Finnish were far from ideal. Of course, this could not but attract attention. The marshal's language awkwardness was a favorite topic for jokes of his fellow citizens.

Mannerheim and the cavalry

Horses were Mannerheim's main passion. His life and military career was closely connected with the cavalry. Mannerheim's military career developed rapidly. This was due to the defiant initiative of the young cavalryman. Carl Gustav avoided staff work, although he was forced to devote time and effort to it from time to time. For the successful organization of the work of the office of the stable part, the young cavalry guard was noted in the order and promoted to the position of head of the harness department, which was under special control of the Minister of the Court, Count Frederiks. And at this place, Mannerheim managed to distinguish himself: he reorganized the unit and personally taught blacksmiths how to shoe horses.

He went from joining a cavalry guard regiment to being seconded to the prestigious cavalry school of General Brusilov.

For special successes and excellent driving qualities, Brusilov appoints Karl the commander of a training squadron and a member of the school's training committee. At school, this squadron was the standard of everything new and best in cavalry science. At first, Mannerheim was considered a "guards upstart", but the skill of the baron allowed him to gain respect even with this promotion.

Mannerheim and the Russo-Japanese War

Mannerheim took an active part in the Russo-Japanese War. He was the initiator of several successful military operations. For skillful leadership and personal courage, the baron was awarded the rank of colonel.

At the same time, Mannerheim takes part in "deep reconnaissance" on the territory of Mongolia. The purpose of intelligence was to search for Japanese forces in Manchuria, to eliminate diplomatic scandals, intelligence was carried out by the "local police".

The colonel wrote: “My detachment is just hunzuns, that is, local robbers from the main road ... These bandits ... know nothing but a Russian magazine rifle and cartridges ... My detachment hastily assembled from garbage. There is neither order nor unity in it ... although they cannot be blamed for lack of courage. They managed to break out of the encirclement where the Japanese cavalry drove us ... The army headquarters was very satisfied with our work - we managed to map about 400 miles and give information about Japanese positions throughout the territory of our activity. This was the last operation in the Russian-Japanese war.

Mannerheim and orders

Mannerheim became the only person in history to receive awards from both opposing sides during the First and Second World Wars. He also became the only person awarded the highest rank of Finland - Marshal of Finland.

In total, Mannerheim had 123 orders and other state awards, including the St. George Cross and all the military awards of Russia until 1918.

The same Leonid Brezhnev, who was very fond of awards, had 115 of them. Mannerheim's name is even engraved in the St. George's Hall of the Kremlin.

Mannerheim and the Dalai Lama

In 1906-1908, Mannerheim undertook a secret reconnaissance expedition to China. The baron thoroughly prepared for his mission, studied archival documents of the expedition of Przhevalsky and Pevtsov, met with the explorer of Central Asia Kozlov.

During the expedition, Mannerheim met with the Dalai Lama XIII, collected a lot of information, brought a lot of photographs, intelligence, artifacts and phonetic studies.

Mannerheim rode about 14,000 kilometers on horseback and was even accepted as an honorary member of the Russian Geographical Society.

Mannerheim and the Mannerheim Line

In January 1918, Mannerheim submitted his resignation and left for Finland. Since that time, Mannerheim's ambitions have been connected with the idea of ​​preserving the independence of Finland. At first, he holds the post of commander-in-chief of the Finnish army, then becomes the temporary head of the Finnish state and seeks international recognition of independent Finland.

Mannerheim is popularly known as the creator of the so-called "Mannerheim line". Before the Soviet-Finnish war, Mannerheim initiated the reconstruction of defensive structures between the Gulf of Finland and Ladoga.

The name of the defensive line is rather arbitrary, since fortification work on this site has been carried out since the beginning of the 1920s.

For almost 135 kilometers, a defensive belt was stretched, the basis for which was the very relief of the Karelian Isthmus. The defense capability of the "Mannerheim Line" was exaggerated by propaganda. At one time it was considered almost impassable. There were rumors that machine-gun pillboxes on the line could be used to shell Leningrad. After the war, the fortifications were dismantled. Sappers blew up the remaining firing points of the pillbox. In the spring of 1941, an armored cap, internal equipment, ventilation devices and doors dismantled from the pillbox of the fortified Summa unit were delivered to Moscow. An eight-ton viewing armored cap was installed in the park of the Central House of the Red Army

Mannerheim, Stalin and Hitler

During the secret negotiations between the USSR and Finland on the withdrawal of the latter from the war, Stalin, through diplomats, conveyed to the Finnish government the condition: "We will accept only such an agreement, behind which Marshal Mannerheim will stand." When Herta Kuusinen was tasked with compiling a list of top Finnish war criminals, she did. Mannerheim was also on this list. Stalin crossed out Mannerheim with a red pencil and wrote: "Do not touch."

Where did Stalin have such a disposition towards a man whose country was an ally of Nazi Germany? It must be HOW Mannerheim helped Hitler. He did it with his characteristic originality.

He refuses to subordinate the Finnish army to the German command, but he does not agree to take German units under his command. At the beginning of 1942, in response to regular questions from the Wehrmacht generals about the fate of the Finnish front, Mannerheim chopped off: "I will not advance anymore." Hitler understands that it is useless to rely on Mannerheim and finds himself an obedient ally - General Talvel. At that time, the main German task was the capture of Sukho Island. It was necessary to land troops on Sukho and firmly gain a foothold. Then the Germans would be able to fully control the transportation along Ladoga, both on ice and on water. Leningrad would have been left without supplies and died. Mannegraim cannot forbid General Talvela to carry out the operation, but he finds his own methods. Suddenly, the Finns fall ill with an incomprehensible serious illness - the equipment that previously worked like clockwork ceases to function, Finnish diligence disappears somewhere. German sailors are surprised: nothing is done on time.

Hitler urgently comes to Mannerheim's anniversary and showers him with expensive gifts: a chic Mercedes-770, 3 military all-terrain vehicles, the Order of the German Eagle with a large golden cross. The most important gift was his own portrait of the Reich Chancellor, painted by the artist Truppe.

Mannerheim sells an expensive Mercedes to Sweden, gives away all-terrain vehicles to the army, and throws the cross and portrait away, out of sight. For him, meeting with Hitler is a diplomatic ritual, nothing more. The Germans never took Sukho Island: Mannerheim managed to warn the Soviet command, and the methods he chose, which slowed down the German advance, bore fruit.

Mannerheim and ballerina

Mannerheim was distinguished by enviable adventurism and even recklessness in matters of the heart. In January 1924, when he was already considered an enemy of the Bolshevik state, the 57-year-old Mannerheim arrived in Moscow and wooed the ballerina Ekaterina Geltser.

The wedding of the "young" is carried out by the disgraced Patriarch Tikhon. In addition, Mannerheim, together with Geltser, visit the mausoleum, standing in line for many hours in Epiphany frosts.

The ballerina then fell ill with bilateral pneumonia, Mannerheim could not wait for her recovery and left for Finland. They didn't see each other again.

Mannerheim and vodka

Accustomed in the Russian army to the daily use of good vodka, Mannerheim was extremely dissatisfied with the quality of Finnish spirits. D

In order to beat off the taste that bothered the marshal, 20 grams of French vermouth and 10 grams of gin were added to one liter of Finnish vodka.

The drink was called "Marshal's stack". In honor of his anniversary, Mannerheim, from whom Hitler expected decisive action, decided to please his soldiers and sent trucks with vodka to the front line. Two bottles of vodka per dugout. On the marshal's birthday, the Finnish army became incapable of combat, which had already become a sign to the USSR and allies: the Finns had finished their war.