Handeln över Kvarken : En studie av sjöhandelsförbindelserna mellan Vasa stad och Västerbotten under perioden 1809-1830

AbstractThis thesis examines the sea trade between the city of Vasa in Österbotten and the county of Västerbotten in Sweden during the period 1809-1830 and aims to determine how the division of Sweden into two countries in 1809 affected the trade. In order to systematically treat data, a theoretical concept of quantitative network analysis is applied. The primary source material consists of accounts from the custom house in Vasa.The results show that the sea trade had resumed within a year after the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in 1809. The sea trade over Kvarken was predominated by agents from Västerbotten, particularly from Umeå. In 1810, the first boat departed from Umeå to Vasa, a trend which would come to accelerate up to a culmination in 1816 as regards the number of boats and the quantity of goods. The sea trade later experienced a successive decline between 1817 and 1830, which marks the end of the studied period. The agents which travelled over Kvarken were initially peasants, albeit over time these were successively replaced by skippers and other sea-faring professionals. Concerning shipped goods, the study also concludes that the main products shipped from Västerbotten to Vasa were fish and fabrics. Conversely, the main products shipped from Vasa to Västerbotten were cattle and grains.Even though the trade had importance for the Vasa region in terms of supplying important staple goods, the trade with Västerbotten represented just a small percentage of the total goods shipped through Vasa port. The trades swift recovery after the division is partly attributed to the good relations between Sweden and Russia after the Treaty of Fredrikshamn (1809); but also the favorable tariff policy between the two countries. Another contributing factor to the increase in trade between Vasa and Västerbotten at the time may have been the limitation of trade with continental Europe as a result of the ongoing Napoleonic Wars. Key words: Sea trade, Vasa, Österbotten, Umeå, Västerbotten, Kvarken, 19th century