The Siege of Olavinlinna in 1788
On July 3, 1788, the Savo Brigade attacked Savonlinna, which at that time was on the Russian side of the border. The small town was captured without resistance, but the fortress refused to open its gates, even though the attackers demanded it in the name of the King of Sweden, Gustav III.
No assault on the fortress was attempted, and the attackers did not even have siege artillery or scaling ladders. As a result, the attacking force of 1,700 men laid siege to the defenders in the castle, who numbered only 230.
The attack on Savonlinna was carried out even before war had been officially declared. Gustav III believed that a skirmish in Puumala—which the king himself had orchestrated—justified the offensive. Gustav wanted to attack Russia in any case and issued an ultimatum to Russia that it could not possibly accept.
Empress Catherine II denounced the attack on Savonlinna as a barbaric act of violence and declared war on Sweden on July 11—before she even received the ultimatum.
From the attackers’ perspective, the operation was an embarrassing failure, which was sealed by the lifting of the siege on August 21. The attackers’ indecisive and half-hearted actions can be explained by the fact that war had not yet been officially declared, and there were fears about the potential consequences of taking harsh measures.
Gustav III’s offensive war was also considered an unacceptable gamble by many officers, who believed the king had no legal right to wage it. This gave rise to a movement within the officer corps to end the war. The discontent culminated in the so-called Anjala Declaration, signed on August 12, 1788.
The commander of the attack, Colonel Berndt Johan Hastfehr, maintained contacts with the Russians and also received a significant sum of money from them. He was soon removed from command due to the failed operation and brought to trial. He was replaced by Colonel Curt von Stedingk, who, however, was no longer able to achieve any success.
The failure to capture Olavinlinna and the abandonment of Savonlinna was a serious setback for Sweden in Gustav III's war, as it prevented the Swedish lake fleet from operating south of Savonlinna.
Author: Timo Vihavainen 2025
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