As a result of the Northern War of 1700-1721, the powerful Swedish army was defeated and the Russian lands captured by Sweden at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries were returned. The city of St. Petersburg is built at the mouth of the Neva, where the capital of Russia is moved in 1712. Moscow state becomes in 1721 the Russian Empire, headed by the All-Russian Emperor.

Of course, Russia took a long time to create an empire, and not only the victory in the Northern War contributed to this.

Long haul

At the beginning of the 13th century, Rus' consisted of about 15 principalities. However, the natural course of centralization was interrupted by the Mongol invasion (1237-1240). The further unification of Russian lands took place in difficult foreign policy conditions and was dictated primarily by political prerequisites.

In the 14th century, most of the Russian lands were united around Vilna - the capital of the emerging Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia. During the XIII-XV centuries, the principalities of Goroden, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Turovo-Pinsk, Kiev, as well as most of the Chernigov region, Volyn, Podolia, Smolensk region and a number of other Russian lands came into the possession of the great Lithuanian princes from the Gediminovich family. Thus, the individual rule of the Rurikovichs and the clan unity of Rus' became a thing of the past. The annexation of lands took place both military and peacefully.

The end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries became a kind of boundary, after which the lands annexed to Russia formed a single whole with it. The process of adding the rest of the inheritance Ancient Rus' lasted for another two centuries, and by this time its own ethnic processes had gained strength.

In 1654, Left Bank Ukraine joined Russia. The lands of Right Bank Ukraine (without Galicia) and Belarus became part of the Russian Empire as a result of the second partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1793.

“The Russian kingdom (both conceptually, ideologically, and institutionally) had two sources: the “kingdom” (Khanate) of the Golden Horde and the Byzantine Orthodox kingdom (empire).”

One of the first to formulate new idea the royal power of the Moscow princes was Metropolitan Zosima. In the essay “Exposition of Paschal,” submitted to the Moscow Council in 1492, he emphasized that Moscow became the new Constantinople thanks to Rus'’s loyalty to God. God Himself appointed Ivan III - “the new Tsar Constantine to the new city of Constantine - Moscow and the entire Russian land and many other lands of the sovereign.” Thus, Ivan IV was the first Tsar crowned king. This happened on January 16, 1547.

Under Ivan IV, Russia managed to significantly expand its possessions. As a result of the campaign against Kazan and its capture in 1552, it gained the middle Volga region, and in 1556, with the capture of Astrakhan, the lower Volga region and access to the Caspian Sea, which opened up new trade opportunities with Persia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. At the same time, the ring of hostile Tatar khanates that constrained Rus' was broken, and the road to Siberia was opened.

V. Surikov "Conquest of Siberia by Ermak"

The era of Ivan the Terrible also marked the beginning of the conquest of Siberia. A small detachment of Cossacks Ermak Timofeevich, hired by the Ural industrialists Stroganovs to protect against the attacks of the Siberian Tatars, defeated the army of the Siberian Khan Kuchum and took his capital Kashlyk. Despite the fact that due to the attacks of the Tatars, few of the Cossacks managed to return alive, the collapsed Siberian Khanate was never restored. A few years later, the royal archers of the governor Voeikov crushed the last resistance. The gradual development of Siberia by Russians began. Over the next decades, forts and trading settlements began to emerge: Tobolsk, Verkhoturye, Mangazeya, Yeniseisk and Bratsk.

Russian empire

P. Zharkov "Portrait of Peter I"

On August 30, 1721, the Peace of Nystadt was concluded between Russia and Sweden, according to which Russia received access to the Baltic Sea, annexed the territory of Ingria, part of Karelia, Estland and Livonia.

Russia became a great European power. Peter I accepted the titles “Great” and “Father of the Fatherland” from the Senate, he was proclaimed emperor, and Russia - an empire.

The formation of the Russian Empire was accompanied by a number of reforms.

Public Administration Reform

Creation of the Near Chancellery (or Council of Ministers) in 1699. It was transformed in 1711 into the Governing Senate. Creation of 12 boards with a specific scope of activity and powers.

System government controlled has become more perfect. The activities of most government bodies became regulated, and the boards had a clearly defined area of ​​activity. Supervisory authorities were created.

Regional (provincial) reform

At the first stage of the reform, Peter I divided Russia into 8 provinces: Moscow, Kyiv, Kazan, Ingria (later St. Petersburg), Arkhangelsk, Smolensk, Azov, Siberian. They were controlled by governors who were in charge of the troops located on the territory of the province, and also had full administrative and judicial power. At the second stage of the reform, the provinces were divided into 50 provinces governed by governors, and they were divided into districts led by zemstvo commissars. Governors were deprived of administrative power and resolved judicial and military issues.

There was a centralization of power. Local governments have almost completely lost influence.

Judicial reform

Peter 1 created new judicial bodies: the Senate, the Justice Collegium, the Hofgerichts, and the lower courts. Judicial functions were also performed by all colleagues except Foreign. The judges were separated from the administration. The court of kissers (an analogue of the jury trial) was abolished, and the principle of the inviolability of an unconvicted person was lost.

A large number of judicial bodies and persons carrying out judicial activities (the emperor himself, governors, governors, etc.) introduced confusion and confusion into legal proceedings, the introduction of the possibility of “knocking out” testimony under torture created the ground for abuse and bias. At the same time, the adversarial nature of the process and the need for the sentence to be based on specific articles of the law corresponding to the case under consideration were established.

Military reforms

The introduction of conscription, the creation of a navy, the establishment of a Military Collegium in charge of all military affairs. Introduction using the Table of Ranks military ranks, uniform for all of Russia. Creation of military-industrial enterprises, as well as military educational institutions. Introduction of army discipline and military regulations.

With his reforms, Peter 1 created a formidable regular army, which by 1725 numbered up to 212 thousand people and a strong navy. Units were created in the army: regiments, brigades and divisions, and squadrons in the navy. Many military victories were won. These reforms (although assessed ambiguously by different historians) created a springboard for further successes of Russian weapons.

Church reform

The institution of the patriarchate was virtually eliminated. In 1701, the management of church and monastic lands was reformed. Peter 1 restored the Monastic Order, which controlled church revenues and the court of monastic peasants. In 1721, the Spiritual Regulations were adopted, which actually deprived the church of independence. To replace the patriarchate, the Holy Synod was created, the members of which were subordinate to Peter 1, by whom they were appointed. Church property was often taken away and spent on the needs of the emperor.

The church reforms of Peter 1 led to the almost complete subordination of the clergy to secular power. In addition to the elimination of the patriarchate, many bishops and ordinary clergy were persecuted. The Church could no longer pursue an independent spiritual policy and partially lost its authority in society.

Financial reforms

The introduction of many new (including indirect) taxes, monopolization of the sale of tar, alcohol, salt and other goods. Damage (reduction in weight) of a coin. The kopeck becomes the main coin. Transition to poll tax.

Increase in treasury revenues several times. But! It was achieved due to the impoverishment of the bulk of the population, and most of this income was stolen.

Culture and life

Peter I led the fight against external manifestations of an “outdated” way of life (the most famous is the ban on beards), but no less paid attention to introducing the nobility to education and secular Europeanized culture. Secular educational institutions began to appear, the first Russian newspaper was founded, and translations of many books into Russian appeared. Peter made success in service for the nobles dependent on education.

N. Nevrev "Peter I"

A number of measures were taken to develop education: on January 14, 1700, a school of mathematical and navigational sciences was opened in Moscow. In 1701-1721, artillery, engineering and medical schools were opened in Moscow, an engineering school and a naval academy in St. Petersburg, and mining schools at the Olonets and Ural factories. In 1705, the first gymnasium in Russia was opened. The goals of mass education were to be served by digital schools created by decree of 1714 in provincial cities, designed to “ teach children of all ranks literacy, numbers and geometry" It was planned to create two such schools in each province, where education was to be free. Garrison schools were opened for soldiers' children, and a network of theological schools was created for the training of priests in 1721. Peter's decrees introduced compulsory education for nobles and clergy, but a similar measure for the urban population met fierce resistance and was cancelled. Peter's attempt to create an all-class primary school failed (the creation of a network of schools ceased after his death, most of the digital schools under his successors were repurposed as estate schools for training the clergy), but nevertheless, during his reign the foundations were laid for the spread of education in Russia.

Peter I created new printing houses.

In 1724, Peter approved the charter of the Academy of Sciences, which was opened after his death.

Of particular importance was the construction of stone Petersburg, in which foreign architects took part and which was carried out according to the plan developed by the Tsar. He created a new urban environment with previously unfamiliar forms of life and pastime (theater, masquerades). The interior decoration of houses, lifestyle, food composition, etc. have changed.

By a special decree of the tsar in 1718, assemblies were introduced, representing a new form of communication between people in Russia. At the assemblies, the nobles danced and communicated freely, unlike previous feasts and feasts.

S. Khlebovsky "Assemblies under Peter I"

Peter invited foreign artists to Russia and at the same time sent talented young people to study “art” abroad.

On December 30, 1701, Peter issued a decree that ordered full names to be written in petitions and other documents instead of derogatory half-names (Ivashka, Senka, etc.), not to fall on your knees before the Tsar, and in winter, in the cold, to wear a hat in front of the house in which king, don't take it off. He explained the need for these innovations in this way: “Less baseness, more zeal for service and loyalty to me and the state - this honor is characteristic of the king...”.

Peter tried to change the position of women in Russian society. By special decrees (1700, 1702 and 1724) he prohibited forced marriage. It was prescribed that there should be at least a six-week period between betrothal and wedding, “so that the bride and groom can recognize each other.” If during this time, the decree said, “the groom does not want to take the bride, or the bride does not want to marry the groom,” no matter how the parents insist on it, “there will be freedom.”

The transformations of the era of Peter I led to increased Russian state, the creation of a modern European army, the development of industry and the spread of education among the upper classes of the population. An absolute monarchy was established, headed by the emperor, to whom the church was also subordinate (through the chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod).

Russian empire - monarchical class multinational state of the early 18th - early 20th centuries. It developed on the basis of the Russian centralized state, which in 1721 Peter I declared an empire.

The Russian Empire included: from the 18th century. Baltic states, Right Bank Ukraine, Belarus, part of Poland, Bessarabia, North Caucasus; from the 19th century, in addition, Finland, Transcaucasia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia and the Pamirs. By the end of the 19th century. The territory of the Russian Empire was 22,400,000 km².

Population

According to the 1897 census, the population was 128,200,000 people, including European Russia - 93,400,000, Kingdom of Poland - 9,500,000, Grand Duchy of Finland - 2,600,000, Caucasus Territory - 9,300,000, Siberia - 5,800,000, Central Asian regions - 7,700,000. More than 100 peoples and nationalities lived on the territory of the Russian Empire. 57% of the population were non-Russian peoples. Tsarism brutally oppressed non-Russian peoples, pursued a policy of forced Russification, suppression of national culture, and incitement of interethnic hatred. Russian was the official national language, mandatory for all state and public institutions. According to the expression, the Russian Empire was a “prison of nations.”

Administrative division

The territory of the Russian Empire in 1914 was divided into 81 provinces and 20 regions. There were 931 cities. Some provinces and regions were united into governorates-general (Warsaw, Irkutsk, Kiev, Moscow, Amur, Stepnoe, Turkestan and Finland). The official vassals of the Russian Empire were the Khanate of Bukhara and the Khanate of Khiva. In 1914, the Uriankhai Territory (now the Republic of Tyva) was accepted under the protectorate of the Russian Empire.

Autocratic system. Caricature

Structure of power and society

The Russian Empire was a hereditary monarchy headed by an emperor who exercised autocratic power. This provision was enshrined in the “Basic State Laws”. A member of the emperor's family and his relatives constituted the imperial house (see ""). The emperor exercised legislative power through State Council(since 1810) and (since 1906), he directed the state apparatus through the Senate, the Council of Ministers and ministries. The Emperor was the supreme leader armed forces Russian Empire (see Russian Army, Russian Navy). In the Russian Empire Christian church was part of the state; "primary and dominant" was Orthodox Church, which was ruled by the emperor through the Synod.

The entire population was considered subjects of the Russian Empire, the male population (from 20 years old) was obliged to swear allegiance to the emperor. Subjects were divided into 4 estates (“states”):

• nobility;
• clergy;
• city ​​dwellers (honorary citizens, guild merchants, townspeople and townspeople, artisans or guild workers);
• rural inhabitants (that is, peasants).

The ruling class was the nobility. belonged to him political power. The local population of Kazakhstan, Siberia and a number of other regions of the empire were separated into an independent “state” and were called foreigners (see “”). This category was managed by .

Extensive legislation was collected in the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire and the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire. The Russian Empire had a coat of arms - a double-headed eagle with royal regalia; state flag - a cloth with white, blue and red horizontal stripes; the national anthem, which began with the words: “God save the Tsar.”

Decline and collapse of the empire

In the process of historical development of Russia in the 2nd half of the 19th century. moved from to, and at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. has entered the stage. In Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. The economic and social prerequisites for a people's revolution have matured. The center of the revolutionary movement moved from Western Europe in Russia. The revolution of 1905-1907 shook the foundations of autocracy and was a “dress rehearsal” for the bourgeois and proletarian revolution. overthrew the autocracy

The formation of the Russian Empire took place on October 22, 1721 according to the old style, or November 2. It was on this day that the last Russian Tsar, Peter 1 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 became the city of St. Petersburg. During all this time, the capital was moved to Moscow for only 2 years (from 1728 to 1730).

Territory of the Russian Empire

When considering the history of Russia of that era, it is necessary to remember 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 new story, a history that returned Russia to the ranks of world leaders and powers whose opinions are worth taking into account.

The territory of the Russian Empire was 21.8 million km2. It was the second largest country in the world. In first place was the British Empire with its numerous colonies. Most of them have retained their status to this day. The country's first laws divided its territory into 8 provinces, each of which was governed by a governor. He had full local power, including judicial power. Subsequently, Catherine 2 increased the number of provinces to 50. Of course, this was done not through the annexation of new lands, but through fragmentation. This increased quite a lot state machine and quite significantly reduced the efficiency 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. Saint 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. This time period, which lasted less than two centuries, included a huge number of fateful moments 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, and 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 famous 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 took place 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 largest country world by 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 3 months later! And this despite the fact that the messenger rode almost 200 km every day.

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. Just under 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 Baltic states.
• Finno-Ugric (Mordovians, Karelians, Udmurts, etc.), Altai (Kalmyks) and Turkic (Bashkirs, Tatars, etc.) peoples.
• Peoples of Siberia and the Far East (Yakuts, Evens, Buryats, Chukchi, etc.).

As the country developed, some of the Kazakhs and Jews who lived on the territory of Poland became its subjects, but after its collapse they went to Russia.

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, clergy and nobility. This is the classic structure of an agrarian society. And indeed, the main occupation of the Russian Empire was agriculture. It is no coincidence that all the indicators that fans of the tsarist regime love to be 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 its form of government, where all power was concentrated in the hands of one person - the emperor, who was often called, in the old manner, the tsar. Peter 1 laid down in the laws of Russia precisely the unlimited power of the monarch, which ensured autocracy. Simultaneously with the state, the autocrat actually ruled the church.

An important point is that 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 according to which the system of transfer of the throne established by Peter 1 was abolished. Peter Alekseevich Romanov, let me remind you, decreed that the ruler himself determines his successor. Some historians today talk about the negative aspects 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 from 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.

Key dates

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

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

Completion of the Empire

The history of the Russian Empire ended on September 1, 1917, 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 this, so declaring Russia a Republic can safely be called illegal. Only the Constituent Assembly had the authority to make such a proclamation. 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 unrest occurred in the country that cost Nicholas himself 2 his life, and the Russian Empire its existence. Nicholas 2 failed to harshly suppress the revolutionary and terrorist activities Bolsheviks in the country. There were indeed objective reasons for this. The main one is 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 government system in the country - the USSR.

There were many empires in the world that 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, and British empires.

Russia on the historical world map

The empires of the world collapsed, disintegrated, and in their place separate independent states were formed. The Russian Empire, which existed for 196 years, from 1721 to 1917, did not escape a similar fate.

It all started with the Principality of Moscow, which, thanks to the conquests of princes and kings, grew to include new lands in the west and east. Victorious wars allowed Russia to take possession of important territories that opened the country's path to the Baltic and Black Seas.

Russia became an empire in 1721, when Tsar Peter the Great accepted 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 counties, the latter were divided into camps and sections. The empire had the following administrative-territorial administration:

Many lands were annexed to 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.

During 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 division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (modern Poland).

Russian Empire Square

From the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea and from the Baltic Sea to Pacific Ocean The territory of the state extended, occupying two continents - Europe and Asia. In 1914, before World War I, the area of ​​the Russian Empire was 69,245 square meters. 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, which defended 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 legislative body was the Sejm. Executive power belonged to the Imperial Finnish Senate, it consisted of eleven people elected by the Diet. 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 happily vacationed at resorts and rented dachas from local residents.

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

Annexation 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 Zaporozhye Sich. In 1795, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was finally divided, and its lands went to Germany, Austria and Russia. Thus, 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 Left Bank Ukraine, it voluntarily became part of Russia in 1654. Ukrainians fled from social and religious repression of the Poles and asked for help from the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. He, together with Bogdan Khmelnitsky, concluded the Pereyaslav Treaty, according to which Left Bank Ukraine became part of the Muscovite kingdom with autonomy rights. Not only Cossacks took part 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 out at the Ak-Kaya rock, and the Crimean Tatars expressed their consent to become subjects of Russia. First, the noble Murzas, and then ordinary residents of the peninsula, took an oath of allegiance to the Russian Empire. After this, festivities, games and celebrations 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 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 a certain independence from Turkey. The rulers of Crimea changed quickly, and some occupied the throne two or three times.

Russian soldiers more than once suppressed revolts organized by the Turks. The last Khan of Crimea, Shahin-Girey, dreamed of making a European power out of the peninsula and wanted to carry out military reform, but no one wanted to support his initiatives. Taking advantage of the confusion, Prince Potemkin recommended that Catherine the Great incorporate Crimea 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 residents of Crimea peacefully and showed them kindness and care. Shahin-Girey abdicated power, and the Tatars were guaranteed freedom to practice religion and observe local traditions.

The easternmost edge of the empire

Russian exploration of Alaska began in 1648. Semyon Dezhnev, a Cossack and traveler, led an expedition that reached Anadyr in Chukotka. Having learned about 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.

It was only in 1732 that the crew of the ship St. Gabriel first landed in Alaska, and in 1741 Bering studied the coast of both it and the Aleutian Islands in detail. Gradually, exploration of the new area began, merchants arrived and formed settlements, built a capital and called it Sitka. Alaska, as part of the Russian Empire, was not yet famous for its gold, but for its fur-bearing animals. The 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.

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, girls willingly married Russian men and wore traditional Russian clothes. The Russians never made friends with another tribe, the Koloshi. It was a warlike and very cruel tribe that practiced cannibalism.

Why did they sell Alaska?

These vast territories were sold to the United States for $7.2 million. The agreement was signed in the US capital - Washington. Prerequisites for the sale of Alaska to Lately are 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, so, 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 about whether to sell the Ussuri region, which was sparsely populated and poorly managed. However, the hotheads cooled down, and Primorye remained part of Russia.

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 Kyrgyz-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 region, the Aral region, the Ishim region and the Irtysh region. In 1734, the Zaporozhye Sich was again accepted into Russian citizenship.

In 1783, the Treaty of Georgievsk was concluded with the kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti (Eastern) on 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 Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the call of the Targowica Confederation. As a result of the second partition of Poland in 1793, Right Bank Ukraine and part of Belarus (with Minsk) went to Russia. The third partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1795) led to the elimination of the independence of the Polish state. Courland, Lithuania, part of Western Belarus and Volyn went to Russia.

In the southeast of Western Siberia in the 18th century. there was a gradual advance to the south: to the upper reaches of the Irtysh and Ob with its tributaries (Altai and Kuznetsk Basin). Russian possessions also covered the upper reaches of the Yenisei, excluding the sources themselves. Further east, the borders of Russia in the 18th century. determined by the border with the Chinese Empire.

In the middle and second half of the century, Russia's possessions, 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 18th 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 territory, as well as the development of the state structure of the Russian Empire, were accompanied (and in some cases preceded) by intensive research - first and foremost topographical and general geographical.

In the 19th century, just like 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 dramatically 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 was marked by the expansion of the possessions of the Russian Empire. In 1801, the Kartli-Kakheti kingdom (Eastern Georgia), which had previously been under Russian protectorate 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), Imereti 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 Russian-Turkish war ended with the Bucharest Peace Treaty with Turkey in 1812. Russia retained in its hands all the regions up to the river. Arpachay, Adjara Mountains and. Only Anapa was returned to Turkey. On the other side of the Black River she received Bessarabia with the cities of Khotin, Bendery, Akkerman, Kilia and Izmail. The border of the Russian Empire was established along the Prut to, and then along the Chilia 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), Kuba, Baku, Derbent (1806), Talysh (1813), and in 1813 the Gulistan Peace Treaty was signed, according to which Iran recognized the annexation of Northern Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Eastern Georgia, Imereti, Guria, Megrelia and Abkhazia to Russia.

Russian-Swedish War 1808-1809 ended with the annexation 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 went to Russia. Kemi, including the Aland Islands, Finnish and part of the province of Västerbotten to the river. Torneo. Further, the border was established along the Torneo and Munio rivers, then north along the Munioniski-Enonteki-Kilpisyarvi line to the border with. Within these borders, 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 Treaty of Schönbrunn in 1809 between Austria and France led to Austria transferring the Tarnopol region to Russia. And finally, the Congress of Vienna of 1814-1815, which ended the war 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, receiving the status of the Kingdom of Poland, became part of Russia. At the same time, the Tarnopol region was returned to Austria.