There were many empires in the world that were famous for their wealth, magnificent palaces and temples, conquests and culture. Among the greatest of them are such powerful states as the Roman, Byzantine, Persian, Holy Roman, Ottoman, and British empires.
Russia on the historical map of the world
The empires of the world collapsed, disintegrated, and in their place separate independent states were formed. The Russian empire, which lasted 196 years, starting from 1721 and ending with 1917, did not pass by a similar fate.
It all began with the Principality of Moscow, which, thanks to the conquests of princes and kings, grew at the expense of new lands in the west and in the 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 adopted the imperial title by decision of the Senate.
Territory and composition of the Russian Empire
In size and extent of its possessions, Russia occupied the second place in the world, second only to the British Empire, which owned numerous colonies. At the beginning of the XX century, the territory of the Russian Empire included:
- 78 provinces + 8 Finland;
- 21 areas;
- 2 counties.
The provinces consisted of counties, the latter divided into camps and sections. The following administrative-territorial administration existed in the empire:
- The territory was administratively divided into European Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia, the Kingdom of Poland, and Finland.
- Caucasian government, it included the territory of the entire region, including modern Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Kuban, Dagestan, Abkhazia and the Black Sea coast of Russia.
- Governor-General: Kiev, Moscow, Warsaw, Irkutsk, Amur, Turkestan, Stepnoe, Finland.
- Military Governorate - Kronstadt.
- Major cities were Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Riga, Odessa, Tiflis, Kharkov, Saratov, Baku, Dnepropetrovsk and Ekaterinoslav (Krasnodar).
- Town governors ruled in large cities such as St. Petersburg, Moscow, Sevastopol or Odessa.
- Departmental districts were divided into judicial, military, educational and postal and telegraphic.
Many lands joined the Russian Empire voluntarily, and some as a result of aggressive campaigns. The territories included in 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 Russian Empire included the Kuril Islands, Chukotka, Crimea, Kabarda (Kabardino-Balkaria), Belarus and the Baltic states. Part of Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states went to Russia after the partition of the Commonwealth (modern Poland).
The area of the Russian Empire
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 square meters. kilometers, and the length of its borders was as follows:
- 19 941.5 km - land;
- 49 360,4 km - sea.
Let us stop and talk about certain 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, by which it ceded this territory. The capital of the Russian Empire was now covered by new lands that defended St. Petersburg from the north.
When Finland became part of the Russian Empire, it retained great autonomy, despite Russian absolutism and autocracy. She had her own constitution, according to which the power in the principality was divided into executive and legislative. The legislative body 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 loved to relax, but also the Romanovs reigning house. This city, which is now called Helsinki, was chosen by many Russian people who enjoyed their holidays in resorts and rented summer residences from local residents.
After the strikes of 1917 and thanks to the February Revolution, independence of Finland was proclaimed, and it withdrew from Russia.
Joining of Ukraine to Russia
Right-bank Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire during the reign of Catherine II. The Russian Empress first destroyed the hetman, and then the Zaporizhzhya Sich. In 1795, the Commonwealth was finally divided, and its lands were transferred to Germany, Austria and Russia. So, Belarus and Right-Bank Ukraine became part of the Russian Empire.
After the Russo-Turkish war of 1768-1774 Catherine the Great annexed the territory of the modern Dnepropetrovsk, Kherson, Odessa, Nikolaev, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhya 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, along with Bogdan Khmelnitsky, concluded the Pereyaslavsky Treaty, according to which Left-Bank Ukraine became part of the Moscow kingdom on the basis of autonomy. Not only Cossacks participated in the parliament, but also ordinary people who made this decision.
Crimea is the pearl of Russia
The Crimean Peninsula was incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1783. On July 9, the famous Manifesto at the cliff of Ak-Kai was read, and the Crimean Tatars agreed to become subjects of Russia. First, the noble Murza, and then the ordinary inhabitants of the peninsula, took the oath of allegiance to the Russian Empire. After that, walks, 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 coast of Crimea and the Kuban from the end of the 15th century were the possessions of Turks and Crimean Tatars. During the wars with the Russian Empire, the latter gained some independence from Turkey. The rulers of Crimea changed quickly, and some occupied the throne two or three times.
Russian soldiers more than once suppressed the rebellions organized by the Turks. The last Khan of Crimea, Shahin-Giray, dreamed of making a European power out of the peninsula, wanted to carry out military reform, but no one wanted to support his undertakings. Taking advantage of the confusion, Prince Potemkin recommended that Catherine the Great include Crimea into the Russian Empire through a military campaign. The Empress agreed, but with one condition, that the people themselves expressed their consent to this. Russian troops peacefully reacted to the inhabitants of the Crimea, showed kindness and care to them. Shahin-Girey renounced power, and the Tatars were guaranteed freedom to practice religion and observe local traditions.
The easternmost outskirts of the empire
The development of Alaska by the Russians began in 1648. Semyon Dezhnev, a Cossack and a traveler, conducted an expedition, reaching Anadyr in Chukotka. Having learned about this, Peter I sent Bering to check this information, but the famous navigator did not confirm the facts of Dezhnev - the fog hid the coast of Alaska from his team.
Only in 1732 the crew of the ship "St. Gabriel" landed for the first time in Alaska, and in 1741, Bering studied in detail the coast of both it and the Aleutian Islands. Exploration of the new area began gradually, merchants sailed and formed settlements, built the capital and called it Sitka. Alaska as part of the Russian Empire was not yet famous for gold, but for a furry beast. Here furs of various animals were hunted, which were in demand both in Russia and in Europe.
Under Paul I, they organized a Russian-American company, 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 - 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 - ears, Russians did not make friends. It was a warlike and very cruel tribe that practiced cannibalism.
Why did they sell Alaska?
These vast territories sold the United States for $ 7.2 million. The agreement was signed in the US capital, Washington. The background for the sale of Alaska has recently been called different.
Some say that the reason for the sale was the human factor and the reduction in the number of sables and other fur-bearing animals. There were very few Russians living in Alaska, their number was 1,000 people. Others hypothesize that Alexander II was afraid to lose 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. The government was thinking whether to sell the Ussuri region, which was sparsely populated and poorly managed. However, hotheads have cooled, and Primorye remained part of Russia.