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The island of Ruhnu. Source: Ruhnu Municipality
News<br>In 1920 and 1921, the residents of Ruhnu asked the King of Sweden to allow the island to unite with Sweden. When that failed, the people of Ruhnu used the territorial dispute between Estonia and Latvia as leverage to negotiate special rights from the Estonian state.
Until now, Ruhnu's incorporation into Estonia has primarily been viewed through the lens of the territorial dispute between Estonia and Latvia. However, new research by historian Mart Kuldkepp shows that the island's fate was shaped by more than just diplomacy between states. The Swedish-speaking community of a few hundred residents played an active role in the negotiations, skillfully taking advantage of competing Estonian, Latvian and Swedish interests to secure a number of special rights from the newly established Estonian state.<br>Kuldkepp said the broad outlines of Ruhnu's story were already known in Estonian historiography, but they have generally been examined from the perspective of the states involved. "It has generally been understood that there was some kind of disagreement with Latvia over the question of Ruhnu — which country it should belong to. I wanted to take a closer look at the story, but not only from the Estonian and Latvian perspectives. I also wanted to examine it from the perspective of the people of Ruhnu themselves and how they tried to protect and advance their own interests in that situation," Kuldkepp explained.<br>The research was prompted by previously unused sources discovered in the Swedish National Archives: petitions sent by the people of Ruhnu to the King of Sweden in 1920 and 1921. In them, the islanders asked to be allowed to unite with Sweden. That led Kuldkepp to ask how the people of Ruhnu themselves sought to navigate the situation.<br>In addition to the Swedish archives, Kuldkepp drew on Estonian archival materials, contemporary newspapers and, to a lesser extent, Latvian sources. According to him, combining perspectives from different countries ultimately made it possible to place the community itself at the center of the story. "If you look only at Estonian or Swedish materials, the picture is incomplete. Examining the issue from multiple directions made it possible to bring the islanders themselves more clearly into focus," he said.<br>An island living by its own laws<br>Ruhnu differed from every other Coastal Swedish community. It was the only entirely Swedish-speaking settlement in Estonia and had been part of Livonia for centuries. Even more important, however, was the island's extraordinary isolation. "During the winter, it was almost impossible to reach the island. Pack ice formed around it, blocking all traffic. There are stories about how even the biggest political developments did not reach the island until much later," the historian said.<br>As a result, the Russian imperial authorities maintained only a limited presence on the island. "The Russian Empire did not have the administrative capacity to ensure that taxes were properly collected there, that military conscripts were drafted or that all official regulations were followed," Kuldkepp said.<br>This led the people of Ruhnu to believe they had a historic right to live independently. They considered the privileges granted to them during the Swedish era to still be in force. "They had their own understanding of Swedish law, believing they lived under old Swedish-era laws. They believed the King of Sweden had once granted them certain privileges and that those privileges remained valid," he said.<br>That shaped the community's identity and fostered a sense that they enjoyed a special status. Kuldkepp said they saw themselves as, in a sense, superior to other Coastal Swedes and even to Estonians.<br>While the birth of the independent Republic of Estonia marked a new beginning for most Estonians, Kuldkepp said the situation was the opposite for the people of Ruhnu. Whereas the republic created new opportunities for most Coastal Swedes, the people of Ruhnu felt they had taken a step backward.<br>The reason was straightforward. "They had become accustomed to living separately. They did as they pleased and no one bothered them very much. Then, all of a sudden, the Republic of Estonia arrives and begins establishing state...