Page "Zachris Topelius" Paragraph 4

He came to Helsinki in 1831 and became a member of the circle of young nationalist men surrounding Johan Ludvig Runeberg, in whose home he stayed for some time.

Topelius became a student at the Imperial Alexander University of Finland in 1833, received his master's degree degree in 1840, the Licentiate degree in 1844 and was made a doctor of philosophy in 1847, having defended a dissertation titled De modo matrimonia jungendi apud fennos quondam vigente (" About the custom of marriage among the ancient Finns ").

Besides history, his academic studies had for periods been devoted both to Theology and Medicine.

He was secretary of Societas pro fauna et flora fennica 1842-1846, was employed by the university library 1846-1861, and taught History, Statistics and Swedish at the school Helsingfors lyceum during the same period.