The University of Helsinki was founded in the city of Turku, then called Abo, in the period when Finland was part of the Swedish kingdom, as the Royal Academy of Abo, by order of Queen Christina. It was the only university in Finland for centuries. After Finland became a grand duchy of the Russian Empire, the Great Fire of Turku in 1827 destroyed much of the city, and the university was moved to Helsinki, which had become the capital, in 1828. It was a centre of the Finnish national movement in the nineteenth century, and in 1917 Finland became independent. Today it is Finland's largest and oldest university, with strong research in the sciences and humanities.
Before and after
- 1640Founding of New Bedford
- 1640Founding of Haverhill
- 1640Founding of Malden
- 1640Founding of Woburn
- 26 March 1640Founding of University of Helsinki
- 30 May 1640Death of Peter Paul Rubens
- from 7 June 1640 to 13 October 1659Reapers' War
- from 1 December 1640 to 13 February 1668Portuguese Restoration War
- 1642The Night Watch
More in Society, economy & sport
- 8 February 1575Founding of Leiden University
- from 31 December 1600 to 1 June 1874Founding of East India Company
- 5 November 1605Gunpowder Plot
- August 1619The first enslaved Africans arrive in English Virginia
- 1734Founding of University of Göttingen
- 14 November 1740Founding of University of Pennsylvania
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 17th century.