Sibelius's association with the Järnefelts helped to awaken and develop his own nationalism; in 1892, the year of his marriage to Aino, he completed his first overtly nationalistic work, the symphonic suite "Kullervo".
Sibelius's association with the Järnefelts helped to awaken and develop his own nationalism, at a time when Finland's autonomy was under increasing attack from a "Russification" policy. In 1892, the year of his marriage to Aino, he completed his first overtly nationalistic work, the symphonic suite "Kullervo".