Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Grand Duchy of Finland existed from 1809 to 1917 as an autonomous state within the Russian Empire. It was formed after Sweden's defeat in the Finnish War and the signing of the Treaty of Fredrikshamn on the 17th of September 1809, and it ended when Finland declared independence during the Russian Revolution.
The Emperor of Russia served as the Grand Duke of Finland throughout the duchy's existence. The emperor was represented in Finland by a governor-general, and Finnish matters were handled through a dedicated Secretary of State rather than through the Russian imperial cabinet.
The Senate of Finland, founded in 1809, was the highest governing body of the Grand Duchy and was composed of native Finnish citizens. It served primarily in an advisory role until it gained the right to representation in 1886, and it became the precursor to the modern Finnish government, supreme court, and supreme administrative court.
Russification policies aimed to absorb Finland culturally, socially, economically, and politically into Russia. Key measures included the February Manifesto of 1899 under Nicholas II, which made Russian law supreme; the dissolution of the Finnish Army in 1901; and Governor-General Nikolai Bobrikov's requirement that Russians serve in public office and that Russian become the administrative language of Finland.
Finland's autonomy was established at the Diet of Porvoo on the 29th of March 1809, when Tsar Alexander I guaranteed that Finland's laws, liberties, and religion would remain unchanged in exchange for allegiance. The administrative framework, drafted in part by Mikhail Speransky, created a Finnish Senate of Finnish citizens and gave the emperor a dedicated Finnish Secretary of State, insulating Finnish governance from the Russian imperial cabinet.
The Kalevala, published in 1835, was the Finnish national epic and became a central force in the Fennoman movement, strengthening Finnish nationalism and unity. Its publication marked the peak of a reading craze that had taken hold in Finland in the 1830s, and it prompted Nicholas I to prohibit all Finnish publications that were not religious or economic in nature in 1850.