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August Philip Armfelt

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Portrait by Niclas Lafrensen, c. 1790

August Philip Armfelt (15 March 1768, in Juva, Finland – 29 August 1839, in Kemiö, Finland) was a Finnish baron, aide-de-camp of King Gustav III of Sweden, statesman, chamberlain, and owner of Wiurila Mansion.[1][2]

Family

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Armfelt's father was major general, baron Magnus Vilhelm Armfelt and mother baroness Maria Catharina Wennerstedt. His brother was count, general Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt.[3]

Armfelt married Johanna Fredrika Lovisa Taube. The couple had five children.[1]

He was the great grandson of baron, general Carl Gustaf Armfeltd.[4]

Career

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He became a sergeant in the Life Dragoon Regiment in 1776 and was promoted to cornet in the Life Dragoon Regiment on 29 April 1778. He subsequently pursued studies at the military academy in Karlskrona and at the Collegium Carolinum in Braunschweig.[1]

In 1782, Armfelt met John Quincy Adams, the son of an American diplomat, in Turku. Adams later became the President of the United States.[5]

He returned to Sweden in 1785. On 19 December 1787, he became a lieutenant in the Life Dragoon Regiment and was appointed captain in the army and staff adjutant to the King Gustav III in the same year. In 1790, he advanced to senior adjutant to the King as well as major in the army. He was awarded the Knight of the Order of the Sword (RSO) on 2 May 1790 and accompanied the King on his journey to Aachen in 1791. On 19 December 1791, he became a major in the Åbo County Regiment. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the army and wing adjutant general on 15 May 1792.[1]

He was a Gustavian and, therefore, a strong supporter of King Gustav III, who was assassinated in 1792.[6]

He was discharged on 16 December 1793, with permission to remain in the army as wing adjutant general and was finally discharged from military service on 11 May 1795.[1]

Russia conquered Finland from Sweden during the Finnish War in 1809. Armfelt participated in the Diet of Porvoo that same year. At the Diet, Emperor Alexander I of Russia, who was also the Grand Duke of Finland, established the Grand Duchy of Finland.[7]

He was registered at the Finnish House of Nobility under number 13 among barons on 30 January 1818 and became an actual chamberlain at the Imperial Russian court on 27 September 1819. The title of actual chamberlain was awarded by Alexander I of Russia.[1]

Armfelt was a royalist, and he supported enlightened ideals such as abolitionism.[6]

Wiurila Mansion

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The main building of Wiurila Mansion.
Economic buildings at Wiurila Mansion.

He owned Wiurila Mansion in Halikko parish. Armfelt focused on developing his grand estate. Armfelt was interested in industry, modern agriculture, and the forestry sector. He owned a brewery, a distillery, mills, sawmills, a glass factory, as well as extensive farmland and forests.[8]

He oversaw the construction of the new main building at Wiurila, which was designed by Charles Bassi in the early 19th century and built between 1806 and 1811. Later, he witnessed construction of a new economic building, designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, which was constructed between 1835 and 1840. The economic buildings are also called the 'English complex', which refers to Armfelt's interest in Great Britain and its achievements in modern agriculture and industry. He was one of the largest and wealthiest landowners in Finland.[1][8][9][6]

Journeys to the Kingdom of Great Britain 1790-1791

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The French Revolution, which began in 1789, and Russia’s growing influence in the Baltic region strengthened cooperation between Sweden and the Kingdom of Great Britain. The British navy depended on Finnish tar and Swedish iron.[6] Armfelt participated in Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). An English captain, Edward Payne, who was Armfelt’s friend, was killed in the battle of Savitaipale. Payne was the grandson of Edward Payne the Elder, governor of the Bank of England. Armfelt traveled to Ealing, England, and delivered a message to Edward Payne the Elder, informing him that his grandson had died in the war.[6]

Armfelt met William Sidney Smith in Finland and they traveled together to England. Armfelt wrote three laudatory articles about Smith in the Åbo Tidning newspaper; Smith later achieved the rank of admiral in the Royal Navy.[6]

Armfelt's travels in England were comprehensive, as he visited London, Oxford, Stratford, Warwick, Coventry, Birmingham, Lichfield, Manchester, and other cities.[6]

During his visit to England, Armfelt met members of the British royal family. He became acquainted with Bishop Samuel Goodenough, who served as vice-president of the Royal Society and was founder of the London Society of Antiquaries, as well as the porcelain manufacturer John Wedgwood.[6]

Armfelt visited Warwick Castle, which was owned by George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick, and Oxford University. He became familiar with the production of Cheshire cheese.[6]

Armfelt was prepared to take part in the operations of the Royal Navy, as the country was preparing for war against France.[6]

Armfelt’s trips to England ended because King Gustav III of Sweden was assassinated in 1792.[6]

A large landslide occurred in Halikko, in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars, causing local farmers to lose their homes. Armfelt turned to his English acquaintances, who donated sums of money to assist the poor farmers of Halikko. Sir John Perceval, the son of Charles Perceval, 2nd Baron Arden, and nephew of Prime Minister Spencer Perceval, made donations to local farmers. Carl John of Dumfries and Windsor, the grandson of John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute, also contributed. Perceval donated 150 roubles, while Dumfries and Windsor gave 300 roubles. On March 24, 1814, Armfelt published an article in the Åbo Allmänna Tidning praising the hospitality of the English and their willingness to support fellow human beings. He commended English charitable societies and foundations.[6]

Armfelt read English books and spoke the language fluently. He was interested in English inventions. Armfelt researched railroads and their use in mines. He was optimistic about the new invention. At that time, Sweden did not have any railroads. Armfelt was ahead of his time.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Armfelt nr 213". Adelsvapen-Wiki (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  2. ^ "A Swedish-Finnish Antiquarian & Military Officer in England by Professor Jussi Nuorteva". Society of Antiquaries of London. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  3. ^ "Armfelt nr 213". Adelsvapen-Wiki (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  4. ^ "Armfelt nr 213". Adelsvapen-Wiki (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  5. ^ Virtapohja, Kalle (2025-07-13). "Kalle Virtapohja: Vain vähän linnoitettu Turku". ts.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m SocAntiquaries (2024-10-14). A Swedish-Finnish Antiquarian & Military Officer in England by Jussi Nuorteva. Retrieved 2025-07-18 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Herranen, Merja (1986). Porvoon valtiopäivät 1809. Museum of Porvoo.
  8. ^ a b "Wiurila gård vill göra sig av med snobb-ryktet: "Man kan komma hit i smutsiga arbetskläder och äta sin lunch"". Svenska Yle (in Swedish). 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  9. ^ "Wiurilan kartanon perintö – vanhaa eurooppalaisuutta ja uutta yrittäjyyttä Varsinais-Suomessa". Yle Luovat sisällöt ja media (in Finnish). 2019-08-12. Retrieved 2025-07-20.