When they became part of the Russian Empire. The territorial composition of the Russian Empire. Exploration and mapping of the seas and oceans

The formation of the Russian Empire happened on October 22, 1721, according to the old style, or on November 2. It was on this day that the last Russian tsar, Peter the Great, declared himself emperor of Russia. This happened as one of the consequences of the northern war, after which the Senate asked Peter 1 to accept the title of Emperor of the country. The state received the name "Russian Empire". Its capital was the city of St. Petersburg. For all the time, the capital was transferred to Moscow only for 2 years (from 1728 to 1730).

Territory of the Russian Empire

Considering the history of Russia of that era, it must be remembered that at the time of the formation of the empire, large territories were annexed to the country. This became possible thanks to the successful foreign policy of the country, which was led by Peter 1. He created a new history, a history that returned Russia to the ranks of world leaders and powers whose opinion should be reckoned with.

The territory of the Russian Empire was 21.8 million km2. It was the second largest country in the world. In the first place was the British Empire with its numerous colonies. Most of them have retained their status to this day. The first laws of the country divided its territory into 8 provinces, each of which was controlled by a governor. He had full local authority, including the judiciary. Later, Catherine 2 increased the number of provinces to 50. Of course, this was done not by annexing new lands, but by crushing them. This greatly increased the state apparatus and rather significantly reduced the effectiveness of local government in the country. We will talk about this in more detail in the corresponding article. It should be noted that at the time of the collapse of the Russian Empire, its territory consisted of 78 provinces. The largest cities in the country were:

1. St. Petersburg.
2. Moscow.
3. Warsaw.
4. Odessa.
5. Lodz.
6. Riga.
7. Kyiv.
8. Kharkiv.
9. Tiflis.
10. Tashkent.

The history of the Russian Empire is full of both bright and negative moments. In this time period, which lasted less than two centuries, a huge number of fateful moments were invested in the fate of our country. It was during the period of the Russian Empire that the Patriotic War, campaigns in the Caucasus, campaigns in India, European campaigns took place. The country developed dynamically. The reforms affected absolutely all aspects of life. It was the history of the Russian Empire that gave our country great commanders, whose names are on the lips to this day not only in Russia, but throughout Europe - Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov and Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov. These illustrious generals forever inscribed their names in the history of our country and covered Russian weapons with eternal glory.

Map

We present a map of the Russian Empire, a brief history of which we are considering, which shows the European part of the country with all the changes that have occurred in terms of territories over the years of the existence of the state.

Population

By the end of the 18th century, the Russian Empire was the largest country in the world in terms of area. Its scale was such that the messenger, who was sent to all corners of the country to report the death of Catherine 2, arrived in Kamchatka after 3 months! And this despite the fact that the messenger rode almost 200 km daily.

Russia was also the most populous country. In 1800, about 40 million people lived in the Russian Empire, most of them in the European part of the country. A little less than 3 million lived beyond the Urals. The national composition of the country was motley:

• East Slavs. Russians (Great Russians), Ukrainians (Little Russians), Belarusians. For a long time, almost until the very end of the Empire, it was considered a single people.
• Estonians, Latvians, Latvians and Germans lived in the Baltics.
• Finno-Ugric (Mordovians, Karelians, Udmurts, etc.), Altai (Kalmyks) and Turkic (Bashkirs, Tatars, etc.) peoples.
• The peoples of Siberia and the Far East (Yakuts, Evens, Buryats, Chukchi, etc.).

In the course of the formation of the country, part of the Kazakhs and Jews who lived on the territory of Poland, who, after its collapse, went to Russia, turned out to be its citizenship.

The main class in the country were peasants (about 90%). Other classes: philistinism (4%), merchants (1%), and the remaining 5% of the population were distributed among the Cossacks, the clergy and the nobility. This is the classic structure of an agrarian society. Indeed, the main occupation of the Russian Empire was agriculture. It is no coincidence that all the indicators that lovers of the tsarist regime are so proud of today are related to agriculture (we are talking about the import of grain and butter).

By the end of the 19th century, 128.9 million people lived in Russia, of which 16 million lived in cities, and the rest in villages.

Political system

The Russian Empire was autocratic in the form of its government, where all power was concentrated in the hands of one person - the emperor, who was often called, in the old manner, the king. Peter 1 laid down in the laws of Russia precisely the unlimited power of the monarch, which ensured the autocracy. Simultaneously with the state, the autocrat actually controlled the church.

An important point - after the reign of Paul 1, autocracy in Russia could no longer be called absolute. This happened due to the fact that Paul 1 issued a decree that canceled the system for the transfer of the throne, established by Peter 1. Peter Alekseevich Romanov, let me remind you, decided that the ruler himself determines his successor. Some historians today speak of the negative of this document, but this is precisely the essence of autocracy - the ruler makes all decisions, including about his successor. After Paul 1, the system returned, in which the son inherits the throne after his father.

Rulers of the country

Below is a list of all the rulers of the Russian Empire during the period of its existence (1721-1917).

All the rulers were from the Romanov dynasty, and after the overthrow of Nicholas 2 and the murder of himself and his family by the Bolsheviks, the dynasty was interrupted, and the Russian Empire ceased to exist, changing the form of statehood to the USSR.

Main dates

During its existence, and this is almost 200 years, the Russian Empire has experienced many important moments and events that have had an impact on the state and people.

• 1722 - Table of ranks
• 1799 - Suvorov's foreign campaigns in Italy and Switzerland
• 1809 - Accession of Finland
• 1812 - Patriotic War
• 1817-1864 - Caucasian War
• 1825 (December 14) - Decembrist uprising
• 1867 Sale of Alaska
• 1881 (March 1) the murder of Alexander 2
• 1905 (January 9) - Bloody Sunday
• 1914-1918 - World War I
• 1917 - February and October revolutions

End of the Empire

The history of the Russian Empire ended on September 1, 1917, according to the old style. It was on this day that the Republic was proclaimed. This was proclaimed by Kerensky, who by law did not have the right to do so, so declaring Russia a Republic can safely be called illegal. Only the Constituent Assembly had the authority to make such a declaration. The fall of the Russian Empire is closely connected with the history of its last emperor, Nicholas 2. This emperor had all the qualities of a worthy person, but had an indecisive character. It was because of this that the riots occurred in the country that cost Nicholas himself 2 lives, and the Russian Empire - existence. Nicholas 2 failed to severely suppress the revolutionary and terrorist activities of the Bolsheviks in the country. True, there were objective reasons for this. Chief among which, the First World War, in which the Russian Empire was involved and exhausted in it. The Russian Empire was replaced by a new type of state structure of the country - the USSR.

Russian empire - a state that existed from November 1721 to March 1917.

The empire was created after the end of the Northern War with Sweden, when Tsar Peter the Great proclaimed himself emperor, and ended its existence after the February Revolution of 1917 and the last emperor, Nicholas II, resigned his imperial powers and abdicated from the throne.

The population of the vast power at the beginning of 1917 was 178 million people.

The Russian Empire had two capitals: from 1721 to 1728 - St. Petersburg, from 1728 to 1730 - Moscow, from 1730 to 1917 - St. Petersburg again.

The Russian Empire had vast territories: from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea in the south, from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east.

The major cities of the empire were St. Petersburg, Moscow, Warsaw, Odessa, Lodz, Riga, Kyiv, Kharkov, Tiflis (modern Tbilisi), Tashkent, Vilna (modern Vilnius), Saratov, Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, Tula, Astrakhan, Ekaterinoslav (modern Dnepropetrovsk), Baku, Chisinau, Helsingfors (modern Helsinki).

The Russian Empire was divided into provinces, regions and districts.

As of 1914, the Russian Empire was divided into:

a) provinces - Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan, Bessarabia, Vilna, Vitebsk, Vladimir, Vologda, Volyn, Voronezh, Vyatka, Grodno, Yekaterinoslav, Kazan, Kaluga, Kyiv, Kovno, Kostroma, Courland, Kursk, Livonia, Minsk, Mogilev, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Olonets, Orenburg, Oryol, Penza, Perm, Podolsk, Poltava, Pskov, Ryazan, Samara, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Simbirsk, Smolensk, Tauride, Tambov, Tver, Tula, Ufimsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kholm, Chernihiv, Estonian, Yaroslavl, Volyn, Podolsk, Kyiv, Vilna, Kovno, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Courland, Livonian, Estonian, Warsaw, Kalisz, Kielce, Lomzhinsk, Lublin, Petrokov, Plock, Radom, Suwalk, Baku, Elizavetpol (Elisavetpol), Kutaisi, Stavropol, Tiflis, Black Sea, Erivan, Yenisei, Irk Utskaya, Tobolskaya, Tomskaya, Abo-Björneborgskaya, Vazaskaya, Vyborgskaya, Kuopioskaya, Nielanskaya (Nyulandskaya), St. Michelskaya, Tavastguskaya (Tavastgusskaya), Uleaborgskaya

b) regions - Batumi, Dagestan, Kars, Kuban, Terek, Amur, Trans-Baikal, Kamchatka, Primorskaya, Sakhalin, Yakut, Akmola, Trans-Caspian, Samarkand, Semipalatinsk, Semirechensk, Syr-Darya, Turgay, Ural, Fergana, Don Army Region;

c) districts - Sukhumi and Zakatalsky.

It would be useful to mention that the Russian Empire in its last years before the collapse included once independent countries - Finland, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia.

The Russian Empire was ruled by one royal dynasty - the Romanovs. For 296 years of the existence of the empire, she was ruled by 10 emperors and 4 empresses.

The first Russian Emperor Peter the Great (reigned in the Russian Empire 1721 - 1725) was in this rank for 4 years, although the total time of his reign was 43 years.

Peter the Great set as his goal the transformation of Russia into a civilized country.

Over the last 4 years of his stay on the imperial throne, Peter carried out a number of important reforms.

Peter carried out a reform of public administration, introduced the administrative-territorial division of the Russian Empire into provinces, created a regular army and a powerful navy. Peter also abolished ecclesiastical autonomy and subjugated

imperial church. Even before the formation of the empire, Peter founded St. Petersburg, and in 1712 he moved the capital there from Moscow.

Under Peter, the first newspaper was opened in Russia, many educational institutions for the nobility were opened, and in 1705 the first general education gymnasium was opened. Peter also put things in order in the design of all official documents, forbidding the use of half-names in them (Ivashka, Senka, etc.), forbade forced marriage, taking off his hat and kneeling when the king appeared, and also allowed marital divorces. Under Peter, a whole network of military and naval schools was opened for the children of soldiers, drunkenness was prohibited at feasts and meetings, and state officials were forbidden to wear beards.

To improve the educational level of the nobles, Peter introduced the compulsory study of a foreign language (in those days - French). The role of the boyars was leveled, many boyars from yesterday's semi-literate peasants turned into educated nobles.

Peter the Great forever deprived Sweden of the status of an aggressor country, defeating the Swedish army near Poltava in 1709, led by the Swedish king Charles XII.

During the reign of Peter the Russian Empire annexed to its possessions the territory of modern Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as the Karelian Isthmus and part of Southern Finland. In addition, Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina (the territory of modern Moldova and Ukraine) were included in Russia.

After the death of Peter, Catherine I ascended the imperial throne.

The Empress did not reign for long, only two years (reigned 1725 - 1727). However, her power was rather weak and was actually in the hands of Alexander Menshikov, Peter's comrade-in-arms. Catherine showed interest only in the fleet. In 1726, the Supreme Privy Council was created, which, under the formal chairmanship of Catherine, ruled the country. During Catherine's time, bureaucracy and embezzlement flourished. Catherine only signed all the papers that were handed over to her by representatives of the Supreme Privy Council. Within the council itself, there was a struggle for power, reforms in the empire were suspended. During the reign of Catherine the First, Russia did not wage any wars.

The next Russian emperor, Peter II, also reigned for a short time, only three years (reigned 1727 - 1730). Peter II became emperor when he was only eleven years old, and he died at the age of fourteen from smallpox. In fact, Peter did not rule the empire, for such a short period he did not even have time to show interest in state affairs. The real power in the country continued to be in the hands of the Supreme Privy Council and Alexander Menshikov. Under this formal ruler, all the undertakings of Peter the Great were leveled. The Russian clergy made attempts to separate from the state, the capital was moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow, the historical capital of the former Moscow principality and the Russian state. The army and navy fell into decay. Corruption and massive theft of money from the state treasury flourished.

The next Russian ruler was Empress Anna (reigned 1730-1740). However, in reality, the country was ruled by her favorite Ernest Biron, the Duke of Courland.

The powers of Anna herself were greatly curtailed. Without the approval of the Supreme Privy Council, the empress could not impose taxes, declare war, spend the state treasury at her own discretion, promote to high ranks above the rank of colonel, and appoint an heir to the throne.

Under Anna, the proper maintenance of the fleet and the construction of new ships were resumed.

It was under Anna that the capital of the empire was returned back to St. Petersburg.

After Anna, Ivan VI became emperor (year of reign 1740) became the youngest emperor in the history of tsarist Russia. He was put on the throne at the age of two months, but Ernest Biron continued to have real power in the empire.

The reign of Ivan VI turned out to be short. Two weeks later there was a palace coup. Biron was removed from power. The baby emperor lasted a little over a year on the throne. During his formal reign, no significant events occurred in the life of the Russian Empire.

And in 1741, Empress Elizabeth (reigned 1741-1762) ascended the Russian throne.

During the time of Elizabeth, Russia returned to the Petrine reforms. The Supreme Privy Council, which for many years replaced the real power of the Russian emperors, was liquidated. The death penalty was abolished. The privileges of the nobility were legislated.

During the reign of Elizabeth, Russia participated in a number of wars. In the Russian-Swedish war (1741 - 1743), Russia again, like Peter the Great once, won a convincing victory over the Swedes, having won a significant part of Finland from them. This was followed by the brilliant Seven Years' War against Prussia (1753-1760), which ended with the capture of Berlin by Russian troops in 1760.

During the time of Elizabeth, the first university was opened in Russia (in Moscow).

However, the empress herself had weaknesses - she often liked to arrange luxurious feasts that pretty much devastated the treasury.

The next Russian emperor, Peter III, reigned for only 186 days (the year of reign was 1762). Peter energetically engaged in state affairs, during his short stay on the throne, he abolished the Office of Secret Affairs, created the State Bank and for the first time introduced paper money into circulation in the Russian Empire. A decree was created forbidding landowners to kill and maim peasants. Peter wanted to reform the Orthodox Church along Protestant lines. The document "Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility" was created, which legally fixed the nobility as a privileged class in Russia. Under this king, the nobles were exempted from compulsory military service. All high-ranking nobles exiled during the reign of previous emperors and empresses were released from exile. However, another palace coup prevented this sovereign from continuing to work properly and reign for the benefit of the empire.

Empress Catherine II (reigned 1762 - 1796) comes to the throne.

Catherine II, along with Peter the Great, is considered one of the best empresses, whose efforts contributed to the development of the Russian Empire. Catherine came to power through a palace coup, overthrowing her husband Peter III, who was cold towards her and treated her with undisguised disdain.

The period of Catherine's reign had the saddest consequences for the peasants - they were completely enslaved.

However, under this empress, the Russian Empire significantly pushed its borders to the west. After the division of the Commonwealth, Eastern Poland became part of the Russian Empire. Also included in it and Ukraine.

Catherine liquidated the Zaporozhian Sich.

During the reign of Catherine the Russian Empire victoriously ended the war with the Ottoman Empire, taking Crimea from it. As a result of this war, the Kuban was also included in the Russian Empire.

Under Catherine, there was a mass opening of new gymnasiums throughout Russia. Education became available to all city dwellers, except peasants.

Catherine founded a number of new cities in the empire.

During the time of Catherine, a major uprising took place in the empire under the leadership of

Emelyan Pugacheva - as a result of further enslavement and enslavement of the peasants.

The reign of Paul I, which followed Catherine, did not last long - only five years. Paul introduced brutal cane discipline in the army. Corporal punishment for nobles was brought back. All nobles were required to serve in the army. However, unlike Catherine, Paul improved the position of the peasants. Corvee was limited to only three days a week. The grain tax in kind from the peasants was abolished. The sale of peasants along with the land was prohibited. It was forbidden to separate peasant families during the sale. Fearing the impact of the recent French Revolution, Paul imposed censorship and banned the importation of foreign books.

Pavel died unexpectedly in 1801 from apoplexy.

His successor, Emperor Alexander I (reigned 1801 - 1825) - during his time on the throne, carried out a victorious Patriotic War against Napoleonic France in 1812. During the reign of Alexander, the Georgian lands - Megrelia and the Imeretian kingdom - became part of the Russian Empire.

Also during the reign of Alexander the First, a successful war was waged with the Ottoman Empire (1806-1812), which ended with the annexation of part of Persia (the territory of modern Azerbaijan) to Russia.

As a result of the next Russian-Swedish war (1806-1809), the territory of all of Finland became part of Russia.

The emperor died unexpectedly of typhoid fever in Taganrog in 1825.

One of the most despotic emperors of the Russian Empire, Nicholas the First (reigned 1825-1855), ascends the throne.

On the very first day of the reign of Nicholas in St. Petersburg there was an uprising of the Decembrists. The uprising ended badly for them - artillery was used against them. The leaders of the uprising were imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg and soon executed.

In 1826, the Russian army had to defend its distant frontiers from the troops of the Persian Shah who unexpectedly invaded Transcaucasia. The Russo-Persian war lasted two years. At the end of the war, Armenia was taken from Persia.

In 1830, during the reign of Nicholas I, an uprising against the Russian autocracy took place on the territory of Poland and Lithuania. In 1831, the uprising was crushed by Russian regular troops.

Under Nicholas the First, the first railway from St. Petersburg to Tsarskoe Selo was built. And by the end of the period of his reign, the construction of the St. Petersburg-Moscow railway was being completed.

During the time of Nicholas I, the Russian Empire waged another war with the Ottoman Empire. The war ended with the preservation of Crimea as part of Russia, however, the entire Russian navy was removed from the peninsula in accordance with the agreement.

The next emperor - Alexander II (reigned 1855 - 1881) in 1861 completely abolished serfdom. Under this tsar, the Caucasian War was carried out against the detachments of the Chechen highlanders under the leadership of Shamil, the Polish uprising of 1864 was suppressed. Turkestan was annexed (modern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.

Under this emperor, Alaska was sold to America (1867).

Another war with the Ottoman Empire (1877-1878) ended with the liberation of Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro from the Ottoman yoke.

Alexander II is the only Russian emperor who died a violent unnatural death. A bomb was thrown at him by Ignaty Grinevetsky, a member of the Narodnaya Volya organization, during his walk along the embankment of the Catherine Canal in St. Petersburg. The emperor died on the same day.

Alexander III becomes the penultimate Russian emperor (reigned 1881 - 1894).

Under this tsar, the industrialization of Russia began. Railways were built throughout the European part of the empire. The telegraph became widespread. Telephone communication was introduced. In large cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg) electrification was carried out. There was a radio.

Under this emperor, Russia did not wage any wars.

The last Russian emperor - Nicholas II (reigned 1894 - 1917) - took the throne at a difficult time for the empire.

In 1905-1906, the Russian Empire had to fight with Japan, which captured the Far Eastern port of Port Arthur.

In the same year, 1905, an armed uprising of the working class took place in the largest cities of the empire, which seriously undermined the foundations of autocracy. The work of the Social Democrats (future communists) led by Vladimir Ulyanov-Lenin was unfolding.

After the revolution of 1905, tsarist power was seriously limited and transferred to the local Dumas.

The First World War, which began in 1914, put an end to the further existence of the Russian Empire. Nicholas was not ready for such a protracted and exhausting war. The Russian army suffered a series of crushing defeats from the troops of Kaiser's Germany. This hastened the collapse of the empire. Desertions from the front became more frequent among the troops. Looting flourished in the rear cities.

The inability of the tsar to cope with the difficulties that arose in the war and inside Russia provoked a domino effect, in which, in two or three months, the huge and once powerful Russian empire was on the verge of collapse. In addition to this, revolutionary sentiment intensified in Petrograd and Moscow.

In February 1917, a provisional government came to power in Petrograd, staging a palace coup and depriving Nicholas II of real power. The last emperor was asked to get out of Petrograd with his family, which Nicholas immediately took advantage of.

On March 3, 1917, at the Pskov station, in the carriage of his imperial train, Nicholas II officially abdicated the throne, deposing the powers of the Russian emperor.

The Russian Empire quietly and peacefully ceased to exist, giving way to the future empire of socialism - the USSR.

There were many empires in the world, which were famous for their wealth, luxurious palaces and temples, conquests and culture. Among the greatest of them are such powerful states as the Roman, Byzantine, Persian, Holy Roman, Ottoman, British empires.

Russia on the historical map of the world

Empires of the world collapsed, disintegrated, and separate independent states were formed in their place. A similar fate did not bypass the Russian Empire, which lasted 196 years, starting from 1721 and ending in 1917.

It all started with the Moscow principality, which, thanks to the conquests of princes and tsars, grew at the expense of new lands in the west and east. Victorious wars allowed Russia to seize important territories that opened the way for the country to the Baltic and Black Seas.

Russia became an empire in 1721, when Tsar Peter the Great assumed the imperial title by decision of the Senate.

Territory and composition of the Russian Empire

In terms of the size and extent of its possessions, Russia ranked second in the world, second only to the British Empire, which owned numerous colonies. At the beginning of the 20th century, the territory of the Russian Empire included:

• 78 provinces + 8 Finnish;
• 21 regions;
• 2 districts.

The provinces consisted of districts, the latter were divided into camps and sections. The empire had the following administrative-territorial administration:

Many lands joined the Russian Empire voluntarily, and some as a result of aggressive campaigns. The territories that became part of it at their own request were:

• Georgia;
• Armenia;
• Abkhazia;
• Tyva Republic;
• Ossetia;
• Ingushetia;
• Ukraine.

In the course of the foreign colonial policy of Catherine II, the Kuril Islands, Chukotka, Crimea, Kabarda (Kabardino-Balkaria), Belarus and the Baltic states became part of the Russian Empire. Part of Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic States went to Russia after the partition of the Commonwealth (modern Poland).

Russian Empire Square

From the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea and from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, the territory of the state extended, occupying two continents - Europe and Asia. In 1914, before the First World War, the area of ​​the Russian Empire was 69,245 sq. kilometers, and the length of its borders was as follows:

Let's stop and talk about individual territories of the Russian Empire.

Grand Duchy of Finland

Finland became part of the Russian Empire in 1809, after a peace treaty was signed with Sweden, according to which it ceded this territory. The capital of the Russian Empire was now covered by new lands that protected St. Petersburg from the north.

When Finland became part of the Russian Empire, it retained great autonomy, despite Russian absolutism and autocracy. It had its own constitution, according to which power in the principality was divided into executive and legislative. The legislature was the Sejm. Executive power belonged to the Imperial Finnish Senate, it consisted of eleven people elected by the Sejm. Finland had its own currency - Finnish marks, and in 1878 received the right to have a small army.

Finland, as part of the Russian Empire, was famous for the coastal city of Helsingfors, where not only the Russian intelligentsia, but also the reigning house of the Romanovs, loved to relax. This city, which is now called Helsinki, was chosen by many Russian people who enjoyed relaxing in resorts and renting dachas from local residents.

After the strikes of 1917 and thanks to the February Revolution, the independence of Finland was proclaimed, and it withdrew from Russia.

Accession of Ukraine to Russia

Right-bank Ukraine became part of the Russian Empire during the reign of Catherine II. The Russian Empress first destroyed the Hetmanate, and then the Zaporozhian Sich. In 1795, the Commonwealth was finally divided, and its lands were ceded to Germany, Austria and Russia. So, Belarus and Right-Bank Ukraine became part of the Russian Empire.

After the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. Catherine the Great annexed the territory of modern Dnepropetrovsk, Kherson, Odessa, Nikolaev, Lugansk and Zaporozhye regions. As for the Left-bank Ukraine, it voluntarily became part of Russia in 1654. Ukrainians fled from the social and religious repressions of the Poles and asked for help from the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. He, together with Bohdan Khmelnitsky, concluded the Treaty of Pereyaslav, according to which the Left-Bank Ukraine became part of the Muscovite kingdom on the rights of autonomy. Not only Cossacks participated in the Rada, but also ordinary people who made this decision.

Crimea - the pearl of Russia

The Crimean peninsula was incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1783. On July 9, the famous Manifesto was read at the Ak-Kaya rock, and the Crimean Tatars agreed to become subjects of Russia. First, the noble murzas, and then the ordinary inhabitants of the peninsula, took an oath of allegiance to the Russian Empire. After that, festivities, games and festivities began. Crimea became part of the Russian Empire after the successful military campaign of Prince Potemkin.

This was preceded by difficult times. The Crimean coast and the Kuban were the possessions of the Turks and Crimean Tatars from the end of the 15th century. During the wars with the Russian Empire, the latter gained some independence from Turkey. The rulers of the Crimea were replaced quickly, and some occupied the throne two or three times.

Russian soldiers more than once suppressed the rebellions that were organized by the Turks. The last Khan of Crimea, Shahin Giray, dreamed of making the peninsula a European power, he wanted to carry out a military reform, but no one wanted to support his undertakings. Taking advantage of the confusion, Prince Potemkin recommended to Catherine the Great that Crimea be incorporated into the Russian Empire through a military campaign. The empress agreed, but on one condition, that the people themselves express their consent to this. Russian troops peacefully treated the inhabitants of the Crimea, showed them kindness and care. Shahin Giray renounced power, and the Tatars were guaranteed freedom to practice religion and observe local traditions.

The easternmost edge of the empire

The development of Alaska by the Russians began in 1648. Semyon Dezhnev, a Cossack and traveler, led an expedition, reaching Anadyr in Chukotka. Upon learning of this, Peter I sent Bering to verify this information, but the famous navigator did not confirm Dezhnev's facts - fog hid the coast of Alaska from his team.

Only in 1732 the crew of the ship "Saint Gabriel" landed in Alaska for the first time, and in 1741 Bering studied in detail the coast of both her and the Aleutian Islands. Gradually, the exploration of a new area began, merchants sailed and formed settlements, built a capital and called it Sitka. Alaska, as part of the Russian Empire, was not yet famous for gold, but for fur-bearing animals. Furs of various animals were mined here, which were in demand both in Russia and in Europe.

Under Paul I, the Russian-American Company was organized, which had the following powers:

• she ruled Alaska;
• could organize an armed army and ships;
• have your own flag.

The Russian colonialists found a common language with the local people - the Aleuts. The priests learned their language and translated the Bible. The Aleuts were baptized, the girls willingly married Russian men and wore traditional Russian clothes. With another tribe - Koloshi, the Russians did not make friends. It was a warlike and very cruel tribe that practiced cannibalism.

Why was Alaska sold?

These vast territories were sold to the US for $7.2 million. The agreement was signed in the US capital - Washington. The reasons for the sale of Alaska have recently been called different.

Some say that the reason for the sale was the human factor and the reduction in the number of sable and other fur-bearing animals. There were very few Russians living in Alaska, their number was 1000 people. Others hypothesize that Alexander II was afraid of losing the eastern colonies, therefore, before it was too late, he decided to sell Alaska for the price that was offered.

Most researchers agree that the Russian Empire decided to get rid of Alaska because there were no human resources to cope with the development of such distant lands. Thoughts arose in the government as to whether to sell the Ussuri Territory, which was sparsely populated and poorly managed. However, hotheads cooled down, and Primorye remained a part of Russia.

The Russian Empire existed from 1721 to 1917. It occupied a huge territory, almost 36 million square kilometers, from Eastern Europe to Asia (inclusive). The empire had an autocratic type of government and the capital in the city of St. Petersburg. The population of the empire was more than 170 million people and included more than a hundred different ethnic groups. The largest of them are Christians, Muslims and Jews.

The Russian Empire was born during the reign of Peter the Great (1694-1725) after Russia won the Great Northern War (1700-1721). In this war, Russia fought against the Swedish and Polish empires.

Most of the population of Russia at that time consisted of serfs. The Russian rulers tried to reform the system by abandoning slavery, following the example of Western states. This led to the abolition of serfdom in 1861. The cancellation occurred during the reign of Alexander II (1855-1881). The liberation of the peasants did not lead to an improvement in their lives. Disagreements and intrigues in the ruling circles grew, and as a result, this led to the fact that Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate on March 15, 1917, during.

Absolute dominance over their neighbors in Europe and Asia

The Russian offensive into East Prussia and Austria-Hungary was supposed to divert German troops from the western front. During the implementation of this plan, the Russian Empire suffered catastrophic losses and a number of defeats in 1914-1915. The incompetence of the military leadership and serious problems within the country affected. The losses suffered during the war caused massive unrest, especially among the proletariat, peasantry and soldiers.

This led to massive protests in 1916. The split in the government grew, and the opposition Progressive Bloc was formed. Regardless of all attempts by the government to maintain order and the monarchy, demonstrators in the capital called for the abolition of autocracy. was forced to abdicate on March 15, thereby ending the existence of the Russian Empire. Seven months later, the Bolshevik Revolution began and the Soviet Union emerged.

In the 1720s the delimitation of Russian and Chinese possessions continued under the Burinsky and Kyakhta treaties of 1727. In the areas adjacent to, as a result of the Persian campaign of Peter I (1722-1723), the border of Russian possessions temporarily covered even all the western and Caspian territories of Persia. In 1732 and 1735 in connection with the aggravation of Russian-Turkish relations, the Russian government, interested in an alliance with Persia, gradually returned the Caspian lands to it.

In 1731, the nomadic Kirghiz-Kaisaks () of the Younger Zhuz voluntarily accepted Russian citizenship, and in the same 1731 and 1740. - Middle Zhuz. As a result, the empire included the territories of the entire eastern Caspian, the Aral Sea, the Ishim and the Irtysh. In 1734, the Zaporizhian Sich was again accepted into Russian citizenship.

In 1783, the Georgievsky Treaty was concluded with the kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti (Eastern) on the voluntary recognition of the Russian protectorate over it.

In the west of the country, the main territorial acquisitions were associated with three sections (1772, 1793, 1795). The intervention of Prussia and Austria in the internal affairs of Poland led in 1772 to its division, in which Russia was forced to take part, acting to protect the interests of the Orthodox population of Western Ukraine and. Part of Eastern Belarus (along the Dnieper -) and part of Livonia went to Russia. In 1792, Russian troops again entered the territory of the Commonwealth at the call of the Targowice Confederation. As a result of the second partition of Poland in 1793, the Right-bank Ukraine and part of Belarus (with Minsk) were ceded to Russia. The third division of the Commonwealth (1795) led to the liquidation of the independence of the Polish state. Courland, Lithuania, part of Western Belarus and Volhynia went to Russia.

In the south-east of Western Siberia in the XVIII century. there was a gradual advance to the south: to the upper reaches of the Irtysh and Ob with tributaries (Altai and the Kuznetsk basin). The Russian possessions also covered the upper reaches of the Yenisei, excluding the sources themselves. Further to the east, the borders of Russia in the XVIII century. determined by the border with the Chinese Empire.

In the middle and second half of the century, the possessions of Russia, by right of discovery, covered southern Alaska, discovered in 1741 by the expedition of V. I. Bering and A. I. Chirikov, and the Aleutian Islands, annexed in 1786.

Thus, during the XVIII century, the territory of Russia increased to 17 million km2, and the population from 15.5 million people. in 1719 to 37 million people in 1795

All these changes in the territory, as well as the development of the state structure of the Russian Empire, were accompanied (and in some cases preceded) by intensive research, primarily and most of all topographic and general geographical.

In the 19th century, as well as in the previous century, the state territory of our fatherland continued to change, mainly in the direction of expansion. The territory of the country increased especially strongly in the first fifteen years of the 19th century. as a result of wars with Turkey (1806-1812), (1804-1813), Sweden (1808-1809), France (1805-1815).

The beginning of the century is significant for the expansion of the possessions of the Russian Empire. In 1801, the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti (Eastern Georgia), which had been under the protectorate of Russia since 1783, voluntarily joined Russia.

The unification of Eastern Georgia with Russia contributed to the subsequent voluntary entry into Russia of the Western Georgian principalities: Megrelia (1803), Imeretia and Guria (1804). In 1810, Abkhazia and Ingushetia voluntarily joined Russia. However, the coastal fortresses of Abkhazia and Georgia (Sukhum, Anaklia, Redut-Kale, Poti) were held by Turkey.

The Bucharest peace treaty with Turkey in 1812 ended the Russo-Turkish war. Russia kept in its hands all the regions up to the river. Arpachay, Adzharian mountains and. Only Anapa was returned to Turkey. On the other side of the Black River, Bessarabia received the cities of Khotyn, Bendery, Akkerman, Kiliya and Izmail. The border of the Russian Empire was established along the Prut to, and then along the Kiliya channel of the Danube to the Black Sea.

As a result of the war with Iran, the North Azerbaijani khanates joined Russia: Ganja (1804), Karabakh, Shirvan, Sheki (1805), Cuban, Baku, Derbent (1806), Talysh (1813), and in 1813 the Gulistan peace treaty was signed, according to which Iran recognized the accession to Russia of Northern Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Eastern Georgia, Imeretia, Guria, Megrelia and Abkhazia.

Russo-Swedish War 1808-1809 ended with the accession of Finland to Russia, which was announced by the manifesto of Alexander I in 1808 and approved by the Friedrichsham Peace Treaty of 1809. The territory of Finland up to the river was ceded to Russia. Kemi, including the Aland Islands, Finnish and part of the province of Västerbotten up to the river. Torneo. Further, the border was established along the Torneo and Munio rivers, then north along the Munioniski-Enonteki-Kilpisjarvi line to the border with. Within these boundaries, the territory of Finland, which received the status of an autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, remained until 1917.

According to the Tilsit peace treaty with France in 1807, Russia received the Bialystok district. The Schönbrunn Peace Treaty of 1809 between Austria and France led to the transfer of the Tarnopol region by Austria to Russia. And, finally, the Vienna Congress of 1814-1815, which ended the wars of the coalition of European powers with Napoleonic France, consolidated the division between Russia, Prussia and Austria of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, most of which, having received the status of the Kingdom of Poland, became part of Russia. At the same time, the Tarnopol region was returned to Austria.