Sophie Mannerheim Jr.

Sophie Mannerheim Jr.

Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. Widely regarded by Finns and non-Finns alike as the father of the modern independent state of Finland, Mannerheim served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, Regent of Finland (1918–1919) Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces during World War II, Marshal of Finland, and the sixth President of Finland (1944–1946).

Mannerheim was born in the Grand Principality of Finland, Russian Empire (name in Russian: Густав Карлович Ма́ннергейм, Gustav Karlovich Mannerheim), into a family of Swedish-speaking aristocrats who had settled in Finland in the late 18th century. His paternal German ancestor Marhein had emigrated to Sweden during the 17th century. His maternal ancestry has its roots in Södermanland, Sweden.

Mannerheim made a career in the Imperial Russian Army, rising to the rank of lieutenant general. He also had a prominent place in the ceremonies for Tsar Nicholas II's coronation and later had several private meetings with the Russian Tsar. After the Bolshevik revolution, Finland declared its independence but was soon embroiled in civil war between the pro-Bolshevik "Reds" and the "Whites" who were the troops of the Senate of Finland. Mannerheim was appointed the military chief of the Whites. Twenty years later, when Finland was at war with the Soviet Union during 1939–1944, Mannerheim successfully led the defence of Finland as commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces. In 1944, when the prospect of Germany's defeat in World War II became clear, Mannerheim was elected President of Finland and oversaw peace negotiations with the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom (Finland was never at war with the US). He resigned the presidency in 1946 and died in 1951.