What modern countries were part of the Russian Empire. Russian empire. Exploration and mapping of the seas and oceans

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 system 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.

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, Kiev, 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, Kiev, 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, Kiev, Vilna, Kovno, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Courland, Livonian, Estonian, Warsaw, Kalisz, Kielce, Lomzhinsk, Lublin, Petrokov, Plock, Radom, Suwalk, Baku, Elizavetpolskaya (Elisavetpolskaya), Kutaisskaya, Stavropolskaya, Tiflisskaya, Black Sea, Erivanskaya, Yeniseiskaya, Irkutskaya, Tobolskaya, Tomskaya, Abo-Bjorneborgskaya, 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 a member of the Narodnaya Volya organization, Ignaty Grinevetsky, 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 within 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.

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

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 XIII century, Rus' consisted of about 15 principalities. However, the natural course of centralization was crossed out by the Mongol invasion (1237-1240). Further unification of the Russian lands took place in difficult foreign policy conditions and was dictated primarily by political prerequisites.

In the XIV century, most of the Russian lands were united around Vilna - the capital of the emerging Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia. During the 13th-15th centuries, the Gorodensky, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Turov-Pinsk, Kiev principalities, as well as most of the Chernihiv region, Volyn, Podolia, Smolensk region and a number of other Russian lands were in the possession of the great Lithuanian princes from the Gediminovich family. Thus, the sole rule of the Rurikovichs and the tribal unity of Rus' have gone into the past. Lands were annexed both by military and peaceful means.

The end of the 15th - the beginning of the 16th centuries became a kind of frontier, after which the lands annexed to Russia formed a single whole with it. The process of joining the rest of the legacy of Ancient Rus' dragged on for another two centuries, and by this time their own ethnic processes had gained strength there.

In 1654 Left-Bank Ukraine joined Russia. The lands of the Right-Bank Ukraine (without Galicia) and Belarus became part of the Russian Empire as a result of the second division of the 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 a new idea of ​​the royal power of the Moscow princes was Metropolitan Zosima. In the essay "The Presentation of the Paschal", submitted to the Moscow Cathedral in 1492, he emphasized that Moscow became the new Constantinople thanks to the fidelity of Rus' to God. God Himself appointed Ivan III - "the new Tsar Constantine to the new city of Constantine - Moscow and the whole 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, she 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 hampered Rus' was broken, and the road to Siberia was opened.

V. Surikov "Conquest of Siberia by Yermak"

The era of Ivan the Terrible also marked the beginning of the conquest of Siberia. A small detachment of Cossacks Yermak Timofeevich, hired by the Ural industrialists Stroganovs to protect against the raids 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 no longer restored. A few years later, the tsarist archers of the voivode Voeikov crushed the last resistance. The gradual development of Siberia by the Russians began. Over the next decades, forts and trading settlements began to appear: Tobolsk, Verkhoturye, Mangazeya, Yeniseisk and Bratsk.

Russian empire

P. Zharkov "Portrait of Peter I"

On August 30, 1721, the Treaty 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, Estonia and Livonia.

Russia has become a great European power. Peter I accepted from the Senate the titles "Great" and "Father of the Fatherland", 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 Office (or Council of Ministers) in 1699. It was transformed in 1711 into the Governing Senate. Establishment of 12 collegiums with a specific scope of activity and authority.

The system of state administration has become more perfect. The activities of most state bodies became regulated, the collegiums had a clearly defined area of ​​activity. Supervisory bodies were created.

Regional (provincial) reform

At the first stage of the reform, Peter I divided Russia into 8 provinces: Moscow, Kyiv, Kazan, Ingermanland (later St. Petersburg), Arkhangelsk, Smolensk, Azov, Siberia. They were ruled by governors who were in charge of the troops located on the territory of the province, and also possessed full administrative and judicial power. At the second stage of the reform, the provinces were divided into 50 provinces ruled by governors, and those were divided into districts led by zemstvo commissars. The governors were stripped of their administrative power and were in charge of judicial and military matters.

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

Judicial reform

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

A large number of judicial bodies and persons who carried out judicial activities (the emperor himself, governors, governors, etc.) brought confusion and confusion to the proceedings, the introduction of the possibility of "knocking out" testimony under torture created grounds for abuse and bias. At the same time, the adversarial nature of the process was established and the need for the verdict to be based on specific articles of the law corresponding to the case under consideration.

Military reforms

The introduction of recruitment, the creation of the navy, the establishment of the Military Collegium, which was in charge of all military affairs. Introduction with the help of the "Table of Ranks" of 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, numbering up to 212 thousand people by 1725, and a strong navy. Subdivisions were created in the army: regiments, brigades and divisions, in the navy - squadrons. Many military victories were won. These reforms (although ambiguously assessed by different historians) created a springboard for the further success of Russian weapons.

Church reform

The institution of the patriarchate was actually liquidated. In 1701, the management of church and monastery lands was reformed. Peter 1 restored the Monastic order, which controlled church revenues and the trial of the monastery peasants. In 1721, the Spiritual Regulations were adopted, which actually deprived the church of independence. To replace the patriarchate, the Holy Synod was created, whose members 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 partly lost its authority in society.

Financial reforms

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

Increase in revenues of the treasury several times. But! It was achieved at the expense of the impoverishment of the bulk of the population, and most of this income was embezzled.

Culture and life

Peter I led the fight against the external manifestations of the "outdated" way of life (the most famous ban on beards), but no less paid attention to the introduction of the nobility to education and secular Europeanized culture. Secular educational institutions began to appear, the first Russian newspaper was founded, translations of many books into Russian appeared. Success in the service of Peter made 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, 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 the digital schools created by decree of 1714 in provincial cities, called " to teach children of all ranks literacy, numbers and geometry". It was supposed to create two such schools in each province, where education was supposed 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 with fierce resistance and was canceled. Peter's attempt to create an all-estate elementary school failed (the creation of a network of schools ceased after his death, most of the digital schools under his successors were redesigned into class schools for the training of 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 being organized, 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 (theatre, masquerades). The interior decoration of houses, the way of life, the composition of food, 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 mingled freely, unlike earlier 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 "arts" abroad.

On December 30, 1701, Peter issued a decree ordering to write full names in petitions and other documents instead of derogatory half-names (Ivashka, Senka, etc.), not to fall on your knees in front of the tsar, in winter, in the cold, wear a hat in front of the house in which you are king, do not shoot. 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. He by special decrees (1700, 1702 and 1724) forbade forced marriage and marriage. It was prescribed that there should be at least six weeks between the betrothal and the wedding, "so that the bride and groom could recognize each other." If during this time, the decree said, “the bridegroom does not want to take the bride, or the bride does not want to marry the groom,” no matter how the parents insisted, “there is freedom.”

The transformations of the era of Peter I led to the strengthening of the 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).

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 division 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.

Atlas of the Russian Empire 1792

The Russian world is reborn! It is being revived despite various difficulties and opposition from our “sworn friends”. And today it is already obvious to the whole world.

Crimea, Abkhazia and South Ossetia have already returned to their homeland. So far - only these small fragments of the destroyed great empire.

But if we work conscientiously and work hard, if we preserve traditional moral and spiritual values, if we are united in our goals and opinions, then very soon the rest of the Russian world will again gather into a single multinational empire in which all peoples will be brotherly equal and build their common Great Fatherland.

In the meantime, we need to prepare for this future. It is necessary to comprehend Russian culture, learn the Russian language and the history of our Motherland, store, multiply and disseminate this knowledge so that no one can mislead and lead us astray, or our descendants.

And now I'll tell you about what actually was going to. About places that were sprinkled with the blood of a Russian soldier and whose inhabitants swore allegiance to the Russian Tsar, about those states and lands that were ever part of Russia, about fragments of the Russian world.

1. Belarus

As you know, Belarus became an independent state only in 1991. Before Gorbachev's betrayal, its inhabitants lived quite well as part of the USSR as an autonomous republic, and before the emergence of the USSR, as part of the Russian Empire.

Belarus was included in the empire by gradually joining the lands that were previously part of the Commonwealth, and if you look even deeper into the past - the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Ancient Rus'.

Belarus has always differed somewhat from Great Rus' in the peculiarities of the language. folk traditions and national costumes. Its cities had wider self-government, similar to the Magdeburg Law, but the inhabitants of this land were Slavs by blood, Orthodox by faith, and always felt themselves to be part of Russia.

2. Ukraine

Ukraine also first emerged as an independent state following the revolution in the Russian Empire in 1918 and, after a year of independence, re-entered the now USSR as one of the republics.

At the same time, in its modern form, the country exists only thanks to the efforts of all the peoples of the Russian Empire. Without them, the southeastern half of the country would simply not exist.

Until the 18th century, the territory of modern Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Kharkov, Donetsk and Lugansk regions was practically uninhabited due to the raids of the Tatar hordes from the Crimea. Here was the Wild Field.

Only during the time of Catherine the Great did the raids of the Tatars completely stop, the Crimea became Russian. and the above-named lands were inhabited by His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin by Little Russians and Great Russians from the central provinces. This is how Novorossiya appeared, later administratively included in Ukraine.

Western Ukraine and Hungarian Transcarpathia. inhabited by Rusyns became Ukrainian thanks to the care of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, who again returned these lands to the USSR.

Ukraine. or rather Little Russia, until the 20th century, it had never been an independent state. After the fragmentation of Ancient Rus', its lands constantly changed hands. At different times, different parts of Little Russia and Western Ukraine (in the past, the Galicia-Volyn principality of Ancient Rus') were controlled by Poles, Turks and Tatars. Austrians, Hungarians. until finally these lands were gathered as part of Russia.

Ukraine has also always had its own flavor of Russian culture. customs and language, but a common faith with Russia and the desire for unity.

3. Baltic republics

In ancient times, the Slavs settled far into Europe. The western borders of their lands were on the Elbe (Labe). Hence our similarity with the Germans, Poles and Balts. a lot of Russian blood flows in their veins.

In the Middle Ages, the Slavic tribes of Lutich, Bodrich and Prussians. living in the territory of modern Germany, were Romanized, converted to Catholicism and almost lost their Slavic identity and language. Although something remains, for example, the name of Leipzig corresponds to the Russian Lipetsk - both "city of limes."

Baltic Slavic tribes - Estonians. Livs and Latgalians were Germanized much later, during the time of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky, by the Teutonic Order and not as qualitatively as the Germans, while Lithuanians and Yotvingians first fell into the zone of Russian influence.

Later, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania arose on the lands of Lithuania, which, due to the feudal fragmentation of Rus', absorbed Belarus and. in union with Poland became the mighty Commonwealth. Later this state was destroyed. Mostly not by external enemies. but by the internal intrigues of the magnates and the arrogant gentry.

At the same time, the lands of Lithuania became Russian, along with the lands of Livonia, Estland, Courland and Latgale, partly torn away from the Swedes, partly bought from them, and partly joined voluntarily.

Here, until 1991, there was also no statehood of its own (1918, when independence from the Russian Empire was illegally proclaimed by the self-proclaimed "government" for a short time, does not count). Respectively. there could be no “occupation” of lands that had been Russian for more than 200 years.

Many local nobles (barons Osten-Sackeny for example) were faithful servants of our common Fatherland. and local merchants made a fortune precisely on the Russian Baltic trade.

4. Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan

Here in Georgia the country had its own independent state. During the time of the great Queen Tamar, Georgia generally included almost the entire Caucasus. A number of ethnic groups live in this country, speaking several languages, but they are all united into a single whole by a common culture and Orthodoxy.

Like the countries described above, Georgia has constantly served as a bone of contention. First between Byzantium and the Persian Empire, then between Persia and the Ottoman Empire. As a result, Georgia was brought to the brink of destruction. And in 1783, Tsar Heraclius signed the Treaty of Georgievsk and gave the country under the protection of Russia.

From now on actually. and since 1801 legally Georgia was a part of Russia. Since 1917, it has become one of the republics of the USSR and again separated only as a result of the harmful activities of Gorbachev.

Armenia (and to be precise, Eastern Armenia) was also annexed to Russia at the beginning of the 19th century - during the reign of Nicholas I following the results of the Russian-Persian wars. And was a part of it until the same year.

Armenia has a difficult fate. In the past, it was also a large independent state with a distinctive culture, which in one of the eras united the entire Caucasus. Armenia is a country of pre-Chalcedonian Orthodoxy with its own alphabet, repeatedly subjected to genocide by the Turks and Persians.

As a result of all national cataclysms, a solid part of Armenians lives in France and Spain, part - in Eastern Armenia, part - in Western Armenia, which is now part of Turkey. At the same time, Western Armenia. not being an independent state, almost three times the size of Eastern Armenia.

Azerbaijan had its own statehood in Antiquity and. periodically, in the Middle Ages. Periodically, because these lands were constantly conquered by other countries: the Mongol Empire, the Persian Empire, Armenia, Georgia.

Finally, at the beginning of the 19th century, this territory became part of the Russian Empire. where she stayed until the familiar 1991.

5. Kazakhstan

The Kazakhs were a Turkic nomadic people who lived on the territory of the Central Asian steppe. They were part of the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan, and from the 16th to the 19th centuries they formed their own khanate, consisting of 3 zhuzes (destinies): the Elder, the Middle and the Younger.

Gradually, from the first third of the 18th century, the lands of Kazakhstan began to be part of Russia, through economic and cultural expansion, the foundation of Russian cities in the steppe and the integration of the Kazakhs into the number of the Russian irregular army. By the middle of the 19th century, all the lands of modern Kazakhstan became part of the Russian Empire.

The Kazakhs have retained their own language and original culture. which, however, borrowed a lot from the culture of Russia. Writing and education came to the country along with the Russian population.

6. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

The Kokand and Khiva khanates, the Emirate of Bukhara, the regions of nomadic Turkmens and the Pamirs were conquered by Russian troops as a result of "punitive" campaigns in the 19th century.

True, unlike the punitive expeditions of the Western powers, which destroyed the masses of the native population, the Russian troops sought to force the authorities and the population of these states to peace and free the Russian and Kazakh slaves, because the detachments of the above Central Asian states regularly raided the lands of the Kazakhs and the towns of Russian settlers.

As a result, Russian military contingents had to be brought into these lands and began to draw them into the orbit of the Russian world. The merit in industrialization, enlightenment and raising the cultural level of Central Asia belongs mainly to the Bolsheviks, although this process began in the Russian Empire.

At the same time, the ancient culture of Central Asia was not at all suppressed. On the contrary, it enriched Russian culture.

7. Moldova

Until the XIV century, the territory of modern Moldova was part of the possessions of various tribal unions and state formations, including Ancient Rus'.

From the 14th to the 16th centuries, the Moldavian principality was independent until it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. The country professed Orthodoxy, and was quite rich both culturally and economically due to its favorable geographical position - near the Black Sea and the Danube River - a large European waterway, at the junction of Russian, Turkish and European civilizations.

In 1711, the Moldavian ruler Dmitry Cantemir in Iasi swore allegiance to Russia, however. due to the unsuccessful Prut campaign of Peter the Great, the principality had to be returned to the Ottomans again.

The struggle for it stretched for two and a half centuries. Moldova in parts (Bessarabia, Bukovina, Western Moldova) was reconquered by Russia, was part of Romania, until finally it finally became part of the USSR at the end of World War II. The country, constantly gravitating towards Russia, gained independence in 1991.

8. Poland

The statehood and greatness of Poland are beyond doubt. At a certain moment in history, this power was so powerful that it was on its basis that the unification of the Slavic world could take place. Then it included many German territories, Lithuania, Belarus, Little Russia, Western Ukraine and even some Great Russian territories.

But Western values ​​- democracy and magnate freemen eventually undermined the possibilities of Poland so much that it ceased to exist. Played a role and confrontation with other major powers - the Austrian Empire, Prussia, Sweden, Russia and Turkey.

Poland ceased to exist as an independent state in 1795 following the third partition between Russia, Austria and Prussia. At the same time, Little Russia, Belarus and Lithuania went to Russia, and Prussia and Austria divided the indigenous Polish lands and Western Ukraine.

As a result of the Napoleonic Wars, the map of Europe was redrawn several times and the Duchy of Warsaw, created by him from the former Austrian and Prussian provinces of Poland, almost completely became part of the Russian Empire under the name of the Kingdom of Poland in 1815.

For a whole century, the Poles were part of Russia, until the First World War and the revolutions of 1917 again led it to independence.

9. Finland

The Grand Duchy of Finland was part of the Russian Empire from 1809 to 1917. It got there, being torn away from Sweden following the results of the Russian-Swedish war of 1808-1809.

The territory enjoyed such wide autonomy that the Finns could not even serve in the Russian army, and the emperor's decrees had to be approved by the Finnish Seimas. It was during the period of Russian rule that Finland experienced the rise of national culture and economy.

If you dive deep into history, then in Ancient Rus' the Finns, like the Korels, Laplanders and other northern peoples, were in the orbit of Russian influence and traded with Novgorod merchants.

10. Liaodong Peninsula

The Liaodong Peninsula with the cities of Port Arthur and Dalny were leased to Russia by China for 99 years with the right to extend it or purchase these lands.

Port Arthur was an ice-free military port, while Dalniy was a civil harbor on the Pacific Ocean, which was very important for the development of these lands by Russia. As a result of the shameful Peace of Portsmouth, the “half-Sakhalin” Count Witte surrendered this and a number of other Russian territories to the Japanese.

11. Alaska

Alaska. It was discovered by the expedition of the Cossack Semyon Dezhnev in 1648, and later settled by Russian hunters (together with the Aleutian Islands), for the sake of fishing for the fur of the sea beaver (this is the “beaver collar” Pushkin meant in Onegin).

Russian America bordered in the south on the California possessions of the Spaniards, not reaching 80 km to San Francisco, where Russians and Spaniards were fruitfully friends (see the novel "The Great Ocean", the rock opera "Juno and Avos").

At the southernmost point of our domain, Fort Ross was established there and peasants settled to supply Alaska with local wheat. An active Orthodox mission was conducted in Alaska, and Indian children studied at schools along with Russian settlers.

Alaska was sold to the United States in 1867, during a war that threatened Russia with Great Britain, since then these territories were difficult to defend (the Trans-Siberian Railway and icebreakers did not yet exist).

12. Hawaii

They were part of Russia for only 1 year. But there were. The leader of Kaumualiya swore allegiance to the Russian Emperor in 1816. In Hawaii, 3 Russian fortresses and 1 trading post were even founded.

But the central authorities did not support the efforts of the Russian-American Company to develop the islands, and by the end of 1817, the Americans seized control of them.

13. Svalbard Archipelago and Bear Island

The islands were appropriated by Norway as a result of the Russian Revolution of 1917. Prior to this, most states recognized Russian ownership of this disputed territory.

In Russian Svalbard is called Grumant. The archipelago was explored by the Vikings and Russian Pomors at the same time - around the 10th century.

The islands were rich in birds and marine animals. but no one really needed them - it was easier to fish around them and beat the whales, which was what Russian and European fishermen did until the beginning of the 20th century.

True, Russian fishermen often wintered on the islands, and in some historical periods they had small permanent settlements here. Therefore, the islands should be considered Russian, especially in the light of the following information.

14. Eastern Norway

Like Finland, in the 10th century it entered the orbit of influence of the Old Russian state. The lands of Norway to the east of the Tromsø fjord were considered Russian.

At the beginning of the 11th century, Prince Yaroslav the Wise gave part of the land east of Tromsø to the future Norwegian king Harald III as a dowry for his daughter.

The remaining Russian lands in Eastern Norway were annexed by Sweden during the period of feudal fragmentation of the Old Russian state.

15. Archipelago Grand Duchy

The Archipelago Grand Duchy arose on the territory of the Ottoman Empire during the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774.

When the Russian fleet burned all the Turkish ships in the Chesme Bay, the Greeks of 27 islands of the Aegean Sea swore allegiance to Empress Catherine II and began to actively help the Russian squadron in the fight against the Turks. The capital of the new Russian province was the city of Auza on the island of Paros. Russian sailors and ground troops began to settle here seriously and for a long time.

But following the results of the Kuchuk-Kainarji peace treaty, this conquest of Russia was handed over to the Turks by our diplomats and the Greeks from the islands, in order to avoid massacre, they had to flee to the Crimea (and around Europe).

16. Western Armenia

Russia's struggle for the unification of Armenia has been going on for centuries. During the Russian-Turkish wars, Western Armenia partly joined Russia, then to return to Turkey again and be recaptured.

Our possessions here reached their maximum by 1916 as a result of the offensive. which was caused by the Armenian genocide by the Turkish army.

Russia then included Trebizond and Kars, Erzerum, Erzincan, Bayazet and Van. However, the Armenians were not destined to be fully reunited. The revolution plunged the Russian Empire into chaos, and Western Armenia again went to Turkey.

17. Southern coast of the Caspian Sea

Not everyone knows that Russia once owned it too. We received Rasht, Astrabad and the entire southern and western coast of the Caspian as a result of the Persian campaign of Emperor Peter the Great.

Later, Empress Anna Ioannovna returned the southern coast of the Caspian to Persia in exchange for help in the war with the Turks, which she never received.

18. Hokkaido

The last of the lands that were once part of Russia. Hokkaido was called Ezo in ancient times and, along with Sakhalin, was inhabited by the Ainu.

Unlike the Japanese, the Ainu are not Mongoloids, but Caucasoids. The people of this nationality wore thick beards and mustaches, had a large physique, and for the most part hunted fur-bearing animals and fished.

Back in the 17th century, Russian explorers who reached the Far East and Alaska discovered the Kuril Islands, which numbered 22. Moreover, it was Ezo that was considered the 22nd island.

Russian exploration and trade missions repeatedly visited Hokkaido. At the same time, Japan itself considered the island a foreign territory. As early as 1792, the head of the central government of Japan, Matsudaira Sadanobu, spoke about this in official correspondence.

And the first yasak (fur tax) by the Russian Empire was received from the Ezo Ainu back in 1779, when they were accepted into Russian citizenship.

Ezo was captured and became part of Japan only in 1869 as an overseas territory. At the same time, the island was renamed Hokkaido.

Some of the above lands do not have stable cultural ties with Russia. But each of them was paid for with Russian sweat and Russian blood, which means that someday they should rightfully be part of Russia again.