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 inherited its allotment system (Finnish: ruotujakolaitos, Swedish: indelningsverket) from the Swedish military organization. However, For several decades, Russian rulers did not require military service from Finland - operations and defence were mostly taken care by Russian troops based in the Grand Duchy. As a result, officer benefits of the allotment system became practically pensions, as payment was based on passive availability, not on actual service.

The Diet of Finland made a pact with Tsar Alexander I; Finland paid a tax to Russia as compensation and military service was not called. This lasted until the Crimean War, 1854, during and after which Finland set up some sharpshooter battalions based on rote system.

In March 1810, Tsar Alexander I ordered the dissolvement for 50 years of the Finnish units that had been part of the Swedish Army. At the same time, the allotment system remained as the basis of Finnish military organization. As a result of Alexander's order, enlisted men were not drafted, but officers, non-commissioned officers and military officials retained their previous benefits. A Senate military affairs committee was set up in 1809 to handle all matters pertaining to the allotment system.

Upon Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, the Minister State Secretary of Finland in St. Petersburg, count Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt, advocated for a recruited force of 2,400 light Jäger, who would operate on skis in the winter. Essentially in accordance with Armfelt's proposals, Tsar Alexander on 16 September 1812 ordered the establishment of three Jäger regiments, each with a strength of 1,200 men. The recruits were supposed to be volunteers, but already by early October 1812, vagabonds and men without legal protection were being impressed into service in the regiments. The mission of these forces was to defend Finland, but they could also be sent to defend other Baltic areas.

...
Wikipedia