CalendarZ

    • English English
    • español español
    • français français
    • português português
    • русский русский
    • العربية العربية
    • 简体中文 简体中文
  • Home
  • Religious Holidays
  • National Holidays
  • Other Days
  • On This Day
  • Tools
    • Date converter
    • Age Calculator
  1. Home
  2. On This Day
  3. May
  4. 3
  5. Ernst Tandefelt

Deaths on May 3

Ernst Tandefelt
1948May, 3

Ernst Tandefelt

Ernst Tandefelt, Finnish assassin of Heikki Ritavuori (b. 1876)
Knut Ernst Robert Tandefelt (10 March 1876 in Sysmä, Finland – 3 May 1948 in Sipoo, Finland) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish nobleman.

The mentally unstable Tandefelt shot the Finnish Minister of Internal Affairs Heikki Ritavuori dead at Ritavuori's home door at Nervanderinkatu 11 in Etu-Töölö, Helsinki on 14 February 1922, to affect Finland's politics in the Kindred Nations Wars (heimosodat) taking place in Eastern Karelia. The event was the only murder of a government minister and the only political assassination in the entire history of independent Finland.

Tandefelt has often been suspected of having acted because of an extreme right-wing conspiracy, but there is no binding evidence of this. Tandefelt himself said he acted alone.

Tandefelt was sentenced to life imprisonment of hard labor. Later, the Supreme Court of Finland ordered him to undergo a mental health examination. Tandefelt was legally found to be partially insane and the sentence was lowered to 12 years of hard labor. Tandefelt died in the Nikkilä's mental hospital on 3 May 1948.

Tandefelt's grandfather was the second cousin of Otto Johan Tandefelt, one of the convicted participants in the lynch mob that killed Axel von Fersen in 1810.

References

  • Ernst Tandefelt
  • Heikki Ritavuori

Choose Another Date

Events on 1948

  • 3Apr

    Marshall Plan

    United States President Harry S. Truman signs the Marshall Plan, authorizing $5 billion in aid for 16 countries.
  • 14May

    1948 Arab-Israeli War

    Israel is declared to be an independent state and a provisional government is established. Immediately after the declaration, Israel is attacked by the neighboring Arab states, triggering the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
  • 15May

    1948 Arab-Israeli War

    Following the expiration of The British Mandate for Palestine, the Kingdom of Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia invade Israel thus starting the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
  • 16Jul

    1948 Arab-Israeli War

    Following token resistance, the city of Nazareth, revered by Christians as the hometown of Jesus, capitulates to Israeli troops during Operation Dekel in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
  • 3Aug

    Alger Hiss

    Whittaker Chambers accuses Alger Hiss of being a communist and a spy for the Soviet Union.

About CalendarZ

CalendarZ

In addition of showing the dates of significant holidays and events; CalendarZ enables you easily check out the time remaining to a certain date and all other details.

Our Partners

WoWDeals : All Deals in One Place

Quick Navigation

  • Home
  • Upcoming Holidays
  • Religious Holidays
  • National Holidays
  • Other Days
  • Blog
  • Age Calculator
  • On This Day

© 2025 CalendarZ. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us / Privacy Policy

English   |   español   |   français   |   português   |   русский   |   العربية   |   简体中文