There were many empires in the world, which were famous for their we alth, 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. The Russian Empire, which lasted 196 years, from 1721 to 1917, did not bypass a similar fate.
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 B altic 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 toThe British Empire, which owned numerous colonies. At the beginning of the 20th century, the territory of the Russian Empire included:
- 78 provinces + 8 Finnish provinces;
- 21 region;
- 2 districts.
Provinces consisted of counties, the latter were divided into camps and sections. The following administrative-territorial administration existed in the empire:
- The territory was administratively divided into European Russia, the Caucasus region, Siberia, Central Asia, the Kingdom of Poland, Finland.
- Caucasian Viceroy alty, it included the territory of the entire region, including modern Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kuban, Dagestan, Abkhazia and the Black Sea coast of Russia.
- Governorships: Kiev, Moscow, Warsaw, Irkutsk, Amur, Turkestan, Steppe, Finland.
- Military governorship - Kronstadt.
- The major cities were Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Riga, Odessa, Tiflis, Kharkov, Saratov, Baku, Dnepropetrovsk and Yekaterinoslav (Krasnodar).
- Mayors ruled in large cities such as St. Petersburg, Moscow, Sevastopol or Odessa.
- Departmental districts were divided into judicial, military, educational and postal-telegraph districts.
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;
- Tuva Republic;
- Ossetia;
- Ingushetia;
- Ukraine.
During the foreign colonial policy of Catherine II, the Russian Empire included the Kuril Islands, Chukotka, Crimea, Kabarda (Kabardino-Balkaria), Belarus and the B altic states. Part of Ukraine, Belarus and the B altic States went to Russia after the division of the Commonwe alth (modern Poland).
Square of the Russian Empire
From the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea and from the B altic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, the territory of the state stretched, 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:
- 19 941, 5 km land;
- 49 360, 4 km - sea.
Let's 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, 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.
Following the strikes of 1917 and thanks to the February Revolution, the independence of Finland was proclaimed and it seceded 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 Commonwe alth 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 is togetherwith Bohdan Khmelnitsky he 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 is 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 Crimea changed quickly, and some took the throne two or three times.
Russian soldiers more than once suppressed rebellions 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 treated the inhabitants of Crimea peacefully, showed themkindness 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 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 check this information, but the famous navigator did not confirm Dezhnev's facts - the 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 it 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, a Russian-American company was organized, which had the following powers:
- she ruled Alaska;
- could organize an armed army and ships;
- have your own flag.
Russian colonizers 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,who 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 they 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 part of Russia.
