G became part of the empire. Territorial composition of the Russian Empire. Territory of the Russian Empire

At the beginning of the 19th century. there was an official consolidation of the borders of Russian possessions in North America and in northern Europe. The St. Petersburg Conventions of 1824 defined borders with American () and English possessions. The Americans pledged not to settle north of 54°40" N on the coast, and the Russians - to the south. The border of Russian and British possessions ran along the coast from 54° N to 60° N at a distance of 10 miles from the ocean's edge , taking into account all the bends of the coast. The Russian-Swedish Convention of 1826 established the Russian-Norwegian border.

Academic expeditions of V. M. Severgin and A. I. Sherer in 1802-1804. to the north-west of Russia, Belarus, the Baltic states and were devoted mainly to mineralogical research.

Period geographical discoveries in the populated European part of Russia ended. In the 19th century expeditionary research and its scientific synthesis were mainly thematic. Of these, we can name the zoning (mainly agricultural) of European Russia into eight latitudinal stripes, proposed by E. F. Kankrin in 1834; botanical and geographical zoning of European Russia by R. E. Trautfetter (1851); studies of the natural conditions of the Caspian Sea, the state of fishing and other industries there (1851-1857), carried out by K. M. Baer; N.A.’s work (1855) on the fauna of the Voronezh province, in which he showed deep connections between the fauna and physical-geographical conditions, and also established patterns of distribution of forests and steppes in connection with the nature of the relief and soils; classical soil studies of V.V. in the zone, begun in 1877; a special expedition led by V.V. Dokuchaev, organized by the Forestry Department to comprehensively study the nature of the steppes and find ways to combat. In this expedition, a stationary research method was used for the first time.

Caucasus

The annexation of the Caucasus to Russia necessitated the study of new Russian lands, the knowledge of which was poor. In 1829, the Caucasian expedition of the Academy of Sciences, led by A. Ya. Kupfer and E. X. Lenz, explored the Rocky Range in the system Greater Caucasus, determined the exact heights of many mountain peaks of the Caucasus. In 1844-1865 The natural conditions of the Caucasus were studied by G.V. Abikh. He studied in detail the orography and geology of the Greater and Dagestan, the Colchis Lowland, and compiled the first general orographic diagram of the Caucasus.

Ural

Among the works that developed the geographical understanding of the Urals are the description of the Middle and Southern Urals, made in 1825-1836. A. Ya. Kupfer, E. K. Hoffman, G. P. Gelmersen; publication of “Natural History of the Orenburg Region” by E. A. Eversman (1840), which provides a comprehensive description of the nature of this territory with a well-founded natural division; expedition of the Russian Geographical Society to the Northern and Polar Urals (E.K. Goffman, V.G. Bragin), during which the peak of Konstantinov Kamen was discovered, the Pai-Khoi ridge was discovered and explored, an inventory was compiled, which served as the basis for drawing up a map of the explored part of the Urals . A notable event was the journey in 1829 of the outstanding German naturalist A. Humboldt to the Urals, Rudny Altai and the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Siberia

In the 19th century Research continued in Siberia, many areas of which were very poorly studied. In Altai in the 1st half of the century the sources of the river were discovered. Katun, explored (1825-1836, A. A. Bunge, F. V. Gebler), the Chulyshman and Abakan rivers (1840-1845, P. A. Chikhachev). During his travels, P. A. Chikhachev carried out physical, geographical and geological research.

In 1843-1844. A.F. Middendorf collected extensive material on orography, geology, climate, and the organic world Eastern Siberia And Far East, for the first time information was obtained about the nature of Taimyr and the Stanovoy Range. Based on the travel materials, A. F. Middendorf wrote in 1860-1878. published “Journey to the North and East of Siberia” - one of the best examples of systematic reports on the nature of the explored territories. This work provides a description of all the main natural ingredients, as well as the population, the features of the relief of Central Siberia, the uniqueness of its climate are shown, the results of the first scientific study of permafrost are presented, and the zoogeographic division of Siberia is given.

In 1853-1855. R. K. Maak and A. K. Sondgagen investigated the geology and life of the population of the Central Yakut Plain, the Central Siberian Plateau, the Vilyui Plateau, and surveyed the river.

In 1855-1862. The Siberian expedition of the Russian Geographical Society carried out topographic surveys, astronomical determinations, geological and other studies in the south of Eastern Siberia.

A large amount of research was carried out in the second half of the century in the mountains of southern Eastern Siberia. In 1858, geographical research in the Sayan Mountains was carried out by L. E. Schwartz. During them, topographer Kryzhin carried out a topographic survey. In 1863-1866. research in Eastern Siberia and the Far East was carried out by P. A. Kropotkin, who paid special attention to relief and. He explored the Oka, Amur, Ussuri rivers, ridges, and discovered the Patom Highlands. The Khamar-Daban ridge, coastline, Angara region, Selenga basin, were explored by A. L. Chekanovsky (1869-1875), I. D. Chersky (1872-1882). In addition, A. L. Chekanovsky explored the basins of the Lower Tunguska and Olenyok rivers, and I. D. Chersky explored the upper reaches of the Lower Tunguska. A geographical, geological and botanical survey of the Eastern Sayan was carried out during the Sayan expedition by N.P. Bobyr, L.A. Yachevsky, and Ya.P. Prein. The study of Sayanskaya in 1903 was continued by V.L. Popov. In 1910 he carried out geographical study border strip between Russia and China from Altai to Kyakhta.

In 1891-1892 During his last expedition, I. D. Chersky explored the Nerskoye Plateau and discovered three high mountain ranges behind the Verkhoyansk Range: Tas-Kystabyt, Ulakhan-Chistai and Tomuskhay.

Far East

Research continued on Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands and the adjacent seas. In 1805, I. F. Kruzenshtern explored the eastern and northern shores of Sakhalin and the northern Kuril Islands, and in 1811, V. M. Golovnin made an inventory of the middle and southern parts of the Kuril ridge. In 1849, G.I. Nevelskoy confirmed and proved the navigability of the Amur mouth for large ships. In 1850-1853. G.I. Nevelsky and others continued their research on Sakhalin and adjacent parts of the mainland. In 1860-1867 Sakhalin was explored by F.B., P.P. Glen, G.W. Shebunin. In 1852-1853 N. K Boshnyak explored and described the basins of the Amgun and Tym rivers, lakes Everon and Chukchagirskoe, the Bureinsky ridge, and Khadzhi Bay (Sovetskaya Gavan).

In 1842-1845. A.F. Middendorf and V.V. Vaganov explored the Shantar Islands.

In the 50-60s. XIX century The coastal parts of Primorye were explored: in 1853 -1855. I. S. Unkovsky discovered the bays of Posyet and Olga; in 1860-1867 V. Babkin surveyed the northern shore of the Sea of ​​Japan and Peter the Great Bay. The Lower Amur and the northern part of Sikhote-Alin were explored in 1850-1853. G. I. Nevelsky, N. K. Boshnyak, D. I. Orlov and others; in 1860-1867 - A. Budishchev. In 1858, M. Venyukov explored the Ussuri River. In 1863-1866. and Ussuri were studied by P.A. Kropotkin. In 1867-1869 major trip made in the Ussuri region. He conducted comprehensive studies of the nature of the Ussuri and Suchan river basins and crossed the Sikhote-Alin ridge.

middle Asia

As individual parts of Central Asia annexed to the Russian Empire, and sometimes even preceding it, Russian geographers, biologists and other scientists explored and studied their nature. In 1820-1836. organic world Mugodzhar, General Syrt and the Ustyurt plateau were explored by E. A. Eversman. In 1825-1836 carried out a description of the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, the Mangystau and Bolshoi Balkhan ridges, the Krasnovodsk plateau G. S. Karelin and I. Blaramberg. In 1837-1842. A.I. Shrenk studied Eastern Kazakhstan.

In 1840-1845. The Balkhash-Alakol basin was discovered (A.I. Shrenk, T.F. Nifantiev). From 1852 to 1863 T.F. Nifantiev carried out the first surveys of lakes, Zaysan. In 1848-1849 A.I. Butakov carried out the first survey, a number of islands and Chernyshev Bay were discovered.

Valuable scientific results, especially in the field of biogeography, were brought by the 1857 expedition of I. G. Borschov and N. A. Severtsov to Mugodzhary, the Emba River basin and the Big Barsuki sands. In 1865, I. G. Borshchov continued research on the vegetation and natural conditions of the Aral-Caspian region. He considered steppes and deserts as natural geographical complexes and analyzed the mutual relationships between relief, moisture, soils and vegetation.

Since the 1840s exploration of the highlands of Central Asia began. In 1840-1845 A.A. Leman and Ya.P. Yakovlev discovered the Turkestan and Zeravshan ranges. In 1856-1857 P.P. Semenov laid the foundation for the scientific study of the Tien Shan. The heyday of research in the mountains of Central Asia occurred during the period of the expeditionary leadership of P. P. Semenov (Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky). In 1860-1867 N.A. Severtsov explored the Kirghiz and Karatau ridges, discovered the Karzhantau, Pskem and Kakshaal-Too ridges in 1868-1871. A.P. Fedchenko explored the Tien Shan, Kukhistan, Alai and Trans-Alai ranges. N.A. Severtsov, A.I. Scassi discovered the Rushansky ridge and the Fedchenko glacier (1877-1879). The research carried out made it possible to identify the Pamirs as a separate mountain system.

Research in the desert regions of Central Asia was carried out by N. A. Severtsov (1866-1868) and A. P. Fedchenko in 1868-1871. (Kyzylkum desert), V. A. Obruchev in 1886-1888. (Karakum desert and ancient Uzboy valley).

Comprehensive studies of the Aral Sea in 1899-1902. spent .

North and Arctic

At the beginning of the 19th century. The discovery of the New Siberian Islands ended. In 1800-1806. Y. Sannikov made an inventory of the islands of Stolbovoy, Faddeevsky, and New Siberia. In 1808, Belkov discovered an island, which received the name of its discoverer - Belkovsky. In 1809-1811 visited by the expedition of M. M. Gedenstrom. In 1815, M. Lyakhov discovered the islands of Vasilyevsky and Semyonovsky. In 1821-1823 P.F. Anjou and P.I. Ilyin carried out instrumental research, culminating in the compilation of an accurate map of the New Siberian Islands, explored and described the islands of Semenovsky, Vasilyevsky, Stolbovoy, the coast between the mouths of the Indigirka and Olenyok rivers, and discovered the East Siberian polynya.

In 1820-1824. F. P. Wrangel in very difficult natural conditions a trip was made across the north of Siberia and the Arctic Ocean, the coast from the mouth of the Indigirka to the Kolyuchinskaya Bay (Chukchi Peninsula) was explored and described, and the existence was predicted.

Research was carried out in Russian possessions in North America: in 1816, O. E. Kotzebue discovered a large bay in the Chukchi Sea off the western coast of Alaska, named after him. In 1818-1819 The eastern coast of the Bering Sea was explored by P.G. Korsakovsky and P.A. Ustyugov, the Alaska-Yukon delta was discovered. In 1835-1838 The lower and middle reaches of the Yukon were studied by A. Glazunov and V.I. Malakhov, and in 1842-1843. - Russian naval officer L. A. Zagoskin. He also described hinterland Alaska. In 1829-1835 The coast of Alaska was explored by F.P. Wrangel and D.F. Zarembo. In 1838 A.F. Kashevarov described the northwestern coast of Alaska, and P.F. Kolmakov discovered the Innoko River and the Kuskokwim (Kuskokwim) ridge. In 1835-1841. D.F. Zarembo and P. Mitkov completed the discovery of the Alexander Archipelago.

The archipelago was intensively explored. In 1821-1824. F.P. Litke on the brig “Novaya Zemlya” explored, described and compiled a map of the western coast of Novaya Zemlya. Attempts to inventory and map the eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya were unsuccessful. In 1832-1833 The first inventory of the entire eastern coast of the South Island of Novaya Zemlya was made by P.K. Pakhtusov. In 1834-1835 P.K. Pakhtusov and in 1837-1838. A.K. Tsivolka and S.A. Moiseev described the eastern coast of the North Island up to 74.5° N. sh., the Matochkin Shar Strait is described in detail, Pakhtusov Island is discovered. A description of the northern part of Novaya Zemlya was made only in 1907-1911. V. A. Rusanov. Expeditions led by I. N. Ivanov in 1826-1829. managed to compile an inventory of the southwestern part of the Kara Sea from Nos to the mouth of the Ob. The research carried out made it possible to begin the study of vegetation, fauna and geological structure Novaya Zemlya (K. M. Baer, ​​1837). In 1834-1839, especially during a major expedition in 1837, A.I. Shrenk explored the Czech Bay, the coast of the Kara Sea, the Timan Ridge, the island, the Pai-Khoi ridge, and the polar Urals. Explorations of this area in 1840-1845. continued A.A. Keyserling, who conducted the survey and explored the Timan Ridge and the Pechora Lowland. He conducted comprehensive studies of the nature of the Taimyr Peninsula and the North Siberian Lowland in 1842-1845. A. F. Middendorf. In 1847-1850 The Russian Geographical Society organized an expedition to the Northern and Polar Urals, during which the Pai-Khoi ridge was thoroughly explored.

In 1867, Wrangel Island was discovered, an inventory of the southern coast of which was made by the captain of the American whaling ship T. Long. In 1881, the American researcher R. Berry described the eastern, western and most of the northern coast of the island, and the interior of the island was explored for the first time.

In 1901, the Russian icebreaker “ ”, under the command of S. O. Makarov, visited. In 1913-1914 A Russian expedition led by G. Ya. Sedov wintered on the archipelago. At the same time, a group of participants from G.L. Brusilov’s expedition in distress on the ship “St. Anna”, headed by navigator V.I. Albanov. Despite the difficult conditions, when all energy was aimed at preserving life, V.I. Albanov proved that Petermann Land and King Oscar Land, which appeared on the map of J. Payer, do not exist.

In 1878-1879 During two navigations, a Russian-Swedish expedition led by the Swedish scientist N.A.E. on the small sailing-steam vessel “Vega” was the first to navigate the Northern Sea Route from west to east. This proved the possibility of navigation along the entire Eurasian Arctic coast.

In 1913, the Northern Hydrographic Expedition under the leadership of B. A. Vilkitsky on the icebreaking steamships “Taimyr” and “Vaigach”, exploring the possibility of passing the route north of Taimyr, met solid ice and following their edge to the north, discovered the islands called the Land of Emperor Nicholas II (now Severnaya Zemlya), approximately mapping its eastern, and the following year - southern shores, as well as the island of Tsarevich Alexei (now -). The western and northern shores remained completely unknown.

Russian Geographical Society

The Russian Geographical Society (RGS), founded in 1845, (since 1850 - the Imperial Russian Geographical Society - IRGO) has great merit in the development of domestic cartography.

In 1881, the American polar explorer J. DeLong discovered the islands of Jeannette, Henrietta and Bennett northeast of the island of New Siberia. This group of islands was named after its discoverer. In 1885-1886 A study of the Arctic coast between the Lena and Kolyma rivers and the New Siberian Islands was carried out by A. A. Bunge and E. V. Toll.

Already at the beginning of 1852, it published its first twenty-five-verst (1:1,050,000) map of the Pai-Khoi coastal ridge, compiled based on materials from the Ural Expedition of the Russian Geographical Society of 1847-1850. For the first time, the Pai Khoi coastal ridge was depicted with great accuracy and detail.

The Geographical Society also published 40-verst maps of the river areas of the Amur, the southern part of the Lena and Yenisei and about. Sakhalin on 7 sheets (1891).

Sixteen large expeditions of the IRGO, led by N. M. Przhevalsky, G. N. Potanin, M. V. Pevtsov, G. E. Grumm-Grzhimailo, V. I. Roborovsky, P. K. Kozlov and V. A. Obruchev, made a great contribution to the filming of Central Asia. During these expeditions, 95,473 km were covered and filmed (of which over 30,000 km were accounted for by N. M. Przhevalsky), 363 astronomical points were determined and the altitudes of 3,533 points were measured. The position of the main mountain ranges and river systems, as well as lake basins of Central Asia, was clarified. All this contributed significantly to the creation of modern physical card Central Asia.

The heyday of the expeditionary activities of the IRGO occurred in 1873-1914, when the society was headed by Grand Duke Konstantin, and the vice-chairman was P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky. During this period, expeditions were organized to Central Asia and other regions of the country; two polar stations were created. Since the mid-1880s. The expeditionary activities of the society are increasingly specialized in certain fields - glaciology, limnology, geophysics, biogeography, etc.

IRGO made a great contribution to the study of the country's topography. To process the leveling and produce a hypsometric map, the IRGO hypsometric commission was created. In 1874, IRGO carried out, under the leadership of A. A. Tillo, the Aral-Caspian leveling: from Karatamak (on the northwestern shore of the Aral Sea) through Ustyurt to the Dead Kultuk Bay of the Caspian Sea, and in 1875 and 1877. Siberian leveling: from the village of Zverinogolovskaya in the Orenburg region to Lake Baikal. The materials of the hypsometric commission were used by A. A. Tillo to compile the “map of European Russia” on a scale of 60 versts per inch (1: 2,520,000), published by the Ministry of Railways in 1889. More than 50 thousand elevation marks were used to compile it , obtained as a result of leveling. The map revolutionized ideas about the structure of the relief of this territory. It presented in a new way the orography of the European part of the country, which has not changed in its main features to this day; the Central Russian and Volga uplands were depicted for the first time. In 1894, the Forestry Department under the leadership of A. A. Tillo with the participation of S. N. organized an expedition to study the origins main rivers European Russia, which provided extensive material on relief and hydrography (in particular, on lakes).

The Military Topographical Service carried out, with the active participation of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, a large number of pioneering reconnaissance surveys in the Far East, Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia, during which maps were drawn up of many territories that had previously been “blank spots” on the map.

Mapping the territory in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Topographic and geodetic works

In 1801-1804. “His Majesty’s Own Map Depot” released the first state multi-sheet (107 sheets) map at a scale of 1:840,000, covering almost all of European Russia and called the “Cental-sheet Map”. Its content was based mainly on materials from the General Survey.

In 1798-1804. The Russian General Staff, under the leadership of Major General F. F. Steinhel (Steingel), with the extensive use of Swedish-Finnish topographic officers, carried out a large-scale topographic survey of the so-called Old Finland, i.e., the areas annexed to Russia along the Nystadt (1721) and Abosky (1743) to the world. The survey materials, preserved in the form of a handwritten four-volume atlas, were widely used in the compilation of various maps at the beginning of the 19th century.

After 1809, the topographic services of Russia and Finland were united. Wherein Russian army received a ready-made educational institution for training professional topographers - military school, founded in 1779 in the village of Gappaniemi. On the basis of this school, on March 16, 1812, the Gappanyem Topographic Corps was established, which became the first special military topographic and geodetic educational institution in the Russian Empire.

In 1815, the ranks of the Russian army were replenished with topographical officers of the General Quartermaster of the Polish Army.

Since 1819, topographic surveys began in Russia on a scale of 1:21,000, based on triangulation and carried out mainly using scales. In 1844 they were replaced by surveys at a scale of 1:42,000.

On January 28, 1822, the Corps of Military Topographers was established at the General Headquarters of the Russian Army and the Military Topographic Depot. State topographic mapping became one of the main tasks of military topographers. The remarkable Russian surveyor and cartographer F. F. Schubert was appointed the first director of the Corps of Military Topographers.

In 1816-1852. In Russia, the largest triangulation work of that time was carried out, extending 25°20" along the meridian (together with Scandinavian triangulation).

Under the leadership of F. F. Schubert and K. I. Tenner, intensive instrumental and semi-instrumental (route) surveys began, mainly in the western and northwestern provinces of European Russia. Based on materials from these surveys in the 20-30s. XIX century semitopographic (semi-topographic) maps of the provinces were compiled and engraved on a scale of 4-5 versts per inch.

The military topographic depot began in 1821 to compile a survey topographic map of European Russia on a scale of 10 versts per inch (1:420,000), which was extremely necessary not only for the military, but also for all civilian departments. The special ten-verst map of European Russia is known in the literature as the Schubert Map. Work on creating the map continued intermittently until 1839. It was published on 59 sheets and three flaps (or half-sheets).

A large amount of work was carried out by the Corps of Military Topographers in different parts of the country. In 1826-1829 Detailed maps on a scale of 1:210,000 were compiled for the Baku province, the Talysh Khanate, the Karabakh province, the plan of Tiflis, etc.

In 1828-1832. A survey of Wallachia was also carried out, which became a model of work of its time, since it was based on a sufficient number of astronomical points. All maps were compiled into a 1:16,000 atlas. The total survey area reached 100 thousand square meters. verst.

Since the 30s. Geodetic and boundary work began to be carried out on. Geodetic points carried out in 1836-1838. triangulations became the basis for creating accurate topographic maps of Crimea. Geodetic networks developed in Smolensk, Moscow, Mogilev, Tver, Novgorod provinces and other areas.

In 1833, the head of the KVT, General F. F. Schubert, organized an unprecedented chronometric expedition in the Baltic Sea. As a result of the expedition, the longitudes of 18 points were determined, which, together with 22 points related to them trigonometrically, provided a reliable basis for surveying the coast and soundings of the Baltic Sea.

From 1857 to 1862 under the leadership and funds of the IRGO, work was carried out at the Military Topographical Depot to compile and publish on 12 sheets a general map of European Russia and the Caucasus region on a scale of 40 versts per inch (1: 1,680,000) with an explanatory note. On the advice of V. Ya. Struve, the map for the first time in Russia was created in the Gaussian projection, and Pulkovsky was taken as the prime meridian on it. In 1868, the map was published, and later it was reprinted several times.

In subsequent years, a five-verst map on 55 sheets, a twenty-verst map and an orographic forty-verst map of the Caucasus were published.

Among the best cartographic works of the IRGO is the “Map of the Aral Sea and the Khiva Khanate with their surroundings” compiled by Ya. V. Khanykov (1850). The map was published on French The Paris Geographical Society and on the recommendation of A. Humboldt was awarded the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle, 2nd degree.

The Caucasian military topographic department, under the leadership of General I. I. Stebnitsky, conducted reconnaissance in Central Asia along the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.

In 1867, a Cartographic Establishment was opened at the Military Topographical Department of the General Staff. Together with the private cartographic establishment of A. A. Ilyin, opened in 1859, they were the direct predecessors of modern domestic cartographic factories.

A special place among the various products of the Caucasian WTO was occupied by relief maps. The large relief map was completed in 1868, and was exhibited at the Paris Exhibition in 1869. This map is made for horizontal distances on a scale of 1:420,000, and for vertical distances - 1:84,000.

The Caucasian military topographic department under the leadership of I. I. Stebnitsky compiled a 20-verst map of the Trans-Caspian region based on astronomical, geodetic and topographical work.

Work was also carried out on topographic and geodetic preparation of the territories of the Far East. Thus, in 1860, the position of eight points was determined near the western coast of the Sea of ​​Japan, and in 1863, 22 points were determined in Peter the Great Bay.

The expansion of the territory of the Russian Empire was reflected in many maps and atlases published at this time. Such in particular is the “General Map of the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Finland annexed to it” from the “Geographical Atlas of the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Finland” by V. P. Pyadyshev (St. Petersburg, 1834).

Since 1845, one of the main tasks of the Russian military topographical service has been the creation of a Military Topographical Map of Western Russia on a scale of 3 versts per inch. By 1863, 435 sheets of military topographical maps had been published, and by 1917 - 517 sheets. On this map, the relief was conveyed by strokes.

In 1848-1866. under the leadership of Lieutenant General A.I. Mende, surveys were carried out aimed at creating topographic boundary maps, atlases and descriptions for all provinces of European Russia. During this period, work was carried out on an area of ​​about 345,000 square meters. verst. Tver, Ryazan, Tambov and Vladimir provinces were mapped on a scale of one verst per inch (1:42,000), Yaroslavl - two versts per inch (1:84,000), Simbirsk and Nizhny Novgorod - three versts per inch (1:126,000) and Penza province - on a scale of eight versts per inch (1:336,000). Based on the results of the surveys, IRGO published multicolor topographic boundary atlases of the Tver and Ryazan provinces (1853-1860) on a scale of 2 versts per inch (1:84,000) and a map of the Tver province on a scale of 8 versts per inch (1:336,000).

The Mende filming had an undoubted influence on the further improvement of state mapping methods. In 1872, the Military Topographical Department of the General Staff began work on updating the three-verst map, which actually led to the creation of a new standard Russian topographic map on a scale of 2 versts in an inch (1:84,000), which was a most detailed source of information about the area, used in troops and the national economy until the 30s. XX century A two-verst military topographic map was published for the Kingdom of Poland, parts of the Crimea and the Caucasus, as well as the Baltic states and areas around Moscow and. This was one of the first Russian topographic maps on which the relief was depicted as contour lines.

In 1869-1885. A detailed topographic survey of Finland was carried out, which was the beginning of the creation of a state topographic map on a scale of one mile per inch - the highest achievement of pre-revolutionary military topography in Russia. Single-versus maps covered the territory of Poland, the Baltic states, southern Finland, Crimea, the Caucasus and parts of southern Russia north of Novocherkassk.

By the 60s. XIX century The Special Map of European Russia by F. F. Schubert on a scale of 10 versts per inch is very outdated. In 1865, the editorial commission appointed captain General Staff I. A. Strelbitsky, under whose leadership the final development of all instructional documents that determined the methods of compilation, preparation for publication and publication of a new cartographic work was carried out. In 1872, the compilation of all 152 sheets of the map was completed. The ten verstka was reprinted many times and partially supplemented; in 1903 it consisted of 167 sheets. This map was widely used not only for military purposes, but also for scientific, practical and cultural purposes.

By the end of the century, the work of the Corps of Military Topographers continued to create new maps for sparsely populated areas, including the Far East and Manchuria. During this time, several reconnaissance detachments covered more than 12 thousand miles, performing route and visual surveys. Based on their results, topographic maps were later compiled on a scale of 2, 3, 5 and 20 versts per inch.

In 1907, a special commission was created at the General Staff to develop a plan for future topographic and geodetic work in European and Asian Russia, chaired by the head of the KVT, General N. D. Artamonov. It was decided to develop the new 1st class triangulation according to a specific program proposed by General I. I. Pomerantsev. KVT began implementing the program in 1910. By 1914, the bulk of the work was completed.

By the beginning of the First World War, a large volume of large-scale topographic surveys had been completed in the entire territory of Poland, in the south of Russia (triangle Chisinau, Galati, Odessa), in the Petrograd and Vyborg provinces partially; on a verst scale in Livonia, Petrograd, Minsk provinces, and partly in Transcaucasia, on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea and in Crimea; on a two-verst scale - in the north-west of Russia, east of the survey sites on the half- and verst-scale.

The results of topographic surveys of previous and pre-war years made it possible to compile and publish a large volume of topographic and special military maps: half-verst map of the Western border area (1:21,000); verst map of the Western border space, Crimea and Transcaucasia (1:42,000); military topographic two-verst map (1:84,000), three-verst map (1:126,000) with relief expressed by strokes; semi-topographic 10-verst map of European Russia (1:420,000); military road 25-verst map of European Russia (1:1,050,000); 40-verst Strategic Map (1:1,680,000); maps of the Caucasus and neighboring foreign countries.

In addition to the listed maps, the Military Topographical Department of the Main Directorate of the General Staff (GUGSH) prepared maps of Turkestan, Central Asia and adjacent states, Western Siberia, the Far East, as well as maps of all of Asian Russia.

Over the 96 years of its existence (1822-1918), the corps of military topographers completed an enormous amount of astronomical, geodetic and cartographic work: identified geodetic points - 63,736; astronomical points (by latitude and longitude) - 3900; 46 thousand km of leveling passages were laid; Instrumental topographic surveys were carried out on a geodetic basis on various scales over an area of ​​7,425,319 km2, and semi-instrumental and visual surveys were carried out over an area of ​​506,247 km2. In 1917, the Russian Army supplied 6,739 types of maps of different scales.

In general, by 1917, a huge amount of field survey material had been obtained, a number of remarkable cartographic works had been created, but the coverage of the territory of Russia with topographic survey was uneven, and a significant part of the territory remained unexplored in topographic terms.

Exploration and mapping of seas and oceans

Russia's achievements in studying the World Ocean were significant. One of the important incentives for these studies in the 19th century, as before, was the need to ensure the functioning of Russian overseas possessions in Alaska. To supply these colonies, round-the-world expeditions were regularly equipped, which, starting from the first voyage in 1803-1806. on the ships “Nadezhda” and “Neva” under the leadership of Yu. V. Lisyansky, they made many remarkable geographical discoveries and significantly increased the cartographic knowledge of the World Ocean.

In addition to the hydrographic work carried out almost annually off the coast of Russian America by officers of the Russian Navy, participants in round-the-world expeditions, employees of the Russian-American Company, among whom were such brilliant hydrographers and scientists as F. P. Wrangel, A. K. Etolin and M . D. Tebenkov, continuously expanded knowledge about the northern part of the Pacific Ocean and improved navigation maps of these areas. Particularly great was the contribution of M.D. Tebenkov, who compiled the most detailed “Atlas of the Northwestern coasts of America from Cape Corrientes and the Aleutian Islands with the addition of some places of the Northeastern coast of Asia,” published by the St. Petersburg Maritime Academy in 1852

In parallel with the study of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, Russian hydrographers actively explored the coasts of the Arctic Ocean, thus contributing to the finalization of geographical ideas about the polar regions of Eurasia and laying the foundations for the subsequent development of the Northern Sea Route. Thus, most of the coasts and islands of the Barents and Kara Seas were described and mapped in the 20-30s. XIX century expeditions of F.P. Litke, P.K. Pakhtusov, K.M. Baer and A.K. Tsivolka, who laid the foundations for the physical-geographical study of these seas and the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. To solve the problem of developing transport links between European Pomerania, expeditions were equipped for a hydrographic inventory of the coast from Kanin Nos to the mouth of the Ob River, the most effective of which were the Pechora expedition of I. N. Ivanov (1824) and the inventory of I. N. Ivanov and I. A. Berezhnykh (1826-1828). The maps they compiled had a solid astronomical and geodetic basis. Research of sea coasts and islands in northern Siberia at the beginning of the 19th century. were largely stimulated by the discoveries by Russian industrialists of islands in the Novosibirsk archipelago, as well as the search for mysterious northern lands (“Sannikov Land”), islands north of the mouth of the Kolyma (“Andreev Land”), etc. In 1808-1810. During the expedition led by M. M. Gedenshtrom and P. Pshenitsyn, which explored the islands of New Siberia, Faddeevsky, Kotelny and the strait between the latter, a map of the Novosibirsk archipelago as a whole, as well as the mainland sea coasts between the mouths of the Yana and Kolyma rivers, was created for the first time. For the first time, a detailed geographical description of the islands has been completed. In the 20s the Yanskaya (1820-1824) expedition under the leadership of P.F. Anzhu and the Kolyma expedition (1821-1824) under the leadership of F.P. Wrangel were sent to the same areas. These expeditions carried out the work program of M. M. Gedenstrom’s expedition on an expanded scale. They were supposed to survey the coastline from the Lena River to the Bering Strait. The main merit of the expedition was the compilation of a more accurate map of the entire continental coast of the Arctic Ocean from the Olenyok River to Kolyuchinskaya Bay, as well as maps of the group of Novosibirsk, Lyakhovsky and Bear Islands. In the eastern part of the Wrangel map, according to local residents, an island was marked with the inscription “Mountains can be seen from Cape Yakan in the summer.” This island was also depicted on maps in the atlases of I. F. Krusenstern (1826) and G. A. Sarychev (1826). In 1867 it was discovered by the American navigator T. Long and in commemoration of the merits of the remarkable Russian polar explorer was named after Wrangel. The results of the expeditions of P. F. Anjou and F. P. Wrangel were summarized in 26 handwritten maps and plans, as well as in scientific reports and works.

The research carried out in the middle of the 19th century had not only scientific, but also enormous geopolitical significance for Russia. G.I. Nevelsky and his followers intensive marine expeditionary research in Okhotsk and. Although the island position of Sakhalin was known to Russian cartographers from the very beginning of the 18th century, which was reflected in their works, the problem of accessibility of the Amur mouth for sea vessels from the south and north was finally and positively resolved only by G. I. Nevelsky. This discovery decisively changed the attitude of the Russian authorities towards the Amur and Primorye regions, showing the enormous potential capabilities of these rich areas, provided, as the research of G.I. Nevelskoy proved, with end-to-end water communications leading to the Pacific Ocean. These studies themselves were carried out by travelers, sometimes at their own peril and risk, in confrontation with official government circles. The remarkable expeditions of G.I. Nevelsky paved the way for the return of the Amur region to Russia under the terms of the Aigun Treaty with China (signed on May 28, 1858) and the annexation of Primorye to the Empire (under the terms of the Beijing Treaty between Russia and China, concluded on November 2 (14), 1860 .). results geographical research on the Amur and in Primorye, as well as changes in borders in the Far East in accordance with the treaties between Russia and China were cartographically declared on maps of the Amur and Primorye compiled and published as soon as possible.

Russian hydrographers in the 19th century. continued active work in the European seas. After the annexation of Crimea (1783) and the creation of the Russian navy in the Black Sea, detailed hydrographic surveys of the Azov and Black Seas began. Already in 1799, a navigational atlas was compiled by I.N. Billings to the northern coast, in 1807 - I.M. Budishchev’s atlas to the western part of the Black Sea, and in 1817 - “General map of the Black and Sea of ​​Azov" In 1825-1836 under the leadership of E.P. Manganari, based on triangulation, a topographic survey of the entire northern and western sea was carried out, which made it possible to publish the “Atlas of the Black Sea” in 1841.

In the 19th century Intensified study of the Caspian Sea continued. In 1826, based on the materials of detailed hydrographic work of 1809-1817, carried out by the expedition of the Admiralty Boards under the leadership of A.E. Kolodkin, the “Complete Atlas of the Caspian Sea” was published, which fully met the requirements of shipping of that time.

In subsequent years, the atlas maps were refined by the expeditions of G. G. Basargin (1823-1825) on the west coast, N. N. Muravyov-Karsky (1819-1821), G. S. Karelin (1832, 1834, 1836) and others - on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. In 1847, I.I. Zherebtsov described the bay. In 1856, a new hydrographic expedition was sent to the Caspian Sea under the leadership of N.A. Ivashintsova, who carried out systematic surveying and description for 15 years, drawing up several plans and 26 maps that covered almost the entire coast of the Caspian Sea.

In the 19th century Intensive work continued to improve maps of the Baltic and White Seas. An outstanding achievement of Russian hydrography was the “Atlas of the Whole Baltic Sea...” compiled by G. A. Sarychev (1812). In 1834-1854. Based on the materials of the chronometric expedition of F. F. Schubert, maps were compiled and published for the entire Russian coast of the Baltic Sea.

Significant changes to the maps of the White Sea and the northern coast of the Kola Peninsula were made by the hydrographic works of F. P. Litke (1821-1824) and M. F. Reinecke (1826-1833). Based on materials from the work of Reinecke’s expedition, the “Atlas of the White Sea...” was published in 1833, the maps of which were used by sailors until the beginning of the 20th century, and the “Hydrographic Description of the Northern Coast of Russia”, which supplemented this atlas, can be considered as a model geographical description coasts. Imperial Academy Sciences awarded this work to M. F. Reinecke in 1851 with the full Demidov Prize.

Thematic mapping

Active development of basic (topographic and hydrographic) cartography in the 19th century. created the basis necessary for the development of special (thematic) mapping. Its intensive development dates back to the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In 1832, the Main Directorate of Communications published the Hydrographic Atlas of the Russian Empire. It included general maps at scales of 20 and 10 versts per inch, detailed maps at a scale of 2 versts per inch and plans at a scale of 100 fathoms per inch and larger. Hundreds of plans and maps were compiled, which contributed to increasing the cartographic knowledge of the territories along the routes of the corresponding roads.

Significant cartographic works in the 19th and early 20th centuries. carried out by the Ministry of State Property formed in 1837, in which in 1838 the Corps of Civil Topographers was established, which carried out mapping of poorly studied and unexplored lands.

An important achievement of Russian cartography was the “Marx Great World Desk Atlas” published in 1905 (2nd edition, 1909), which contained over 200 maps and an index of 130 thousand geographical names.

Mapping nature

Geological mapping

In the 19th century intensive cartographic study continued mineral resources Russia and their exploitation, special geognostic (geological) mapping is being developed. At the beginning of the 19th century. Many maps of mountain districts, plans of factories, salt and oil fields, gold mines, quarries, and mineral springs were created. The history of exploration and development of mineral resources in the Altai and Nerchinsk mountain districts is reflected in particular detail in the maps.

Numerous maps of mineral deposits, plans of land plots and forest holdings, factories, mines and mines were compiled. An example of a collection of valuable handwritten geological maps is the atlas “Map of Salt Mines”, compiled in the Mining Department. The collection's maps date mainly from the 20s and 30s. XIX century Many of the maps in this atlas are much broader in content than ordinary maps of salt mines, and are, in fact, early examples of geological (petrographic) maps. Thus, among the maps of G. Vansovich of 1825 there is a Petrographic map of the Bialystok region, Grodno and part of the Vilna province. The “Map of Pskov and part of the Novgorod province: with indications of rock-stone and salt springs discovered in 1824...” also has rich geological content.

An extremely rare example of an early card represents “ Topographic map peninsula of Crimea…” with the designation of the depth and quality of water in villages, compiled by A. N. Kozlovsky in 1842 on cartographic basis 1817. In addition, the map provides information about the areas of territories with different water supplies, as well as a table of the number of villages by county that need watering.

In 1840-1843. English geologist R. I. Murchison, together with A. A. Keyserling and N. I. Koksharov, conducted research that for the first time gave a scientific picture of the geological structure of European Russia.

In the 50s XIX century The first geological maps begin to be published in Russia. One of the earliest is “Geognostic map of the St. Petersburg province” (S. S. Kutorga, 1852). The results of intensive geological research were expressed in the “Geological Map of European Russia” (A.P. Karpinsky, 1893).

The main task of the Geological Committee was to create a 10-verst (1:420,000) geological map of European Russia, in connection with which a systematic study of the relief and geological structure of the territory began, in which such prominent geologists as I.V. Mushketov, A. P. Pavlov and others. By 1917, only 20 sheets of this map were published out of the planned 170. Since the 1870s. Geological mapping of some areas of Asian Russia began.

In 1895, the “Atlas of Terrestrial Magnetism” was published, compiled by A. A. Tillo.

Forest mapping

One of the earliest handwritten maps of forests is “Map for viewing the state of forests and the timber industry in [European] Russia,” compiled in 1840-1841, as established, by M. A. Tsvetkov. The Ministry of State Property carried out major work on mapping state forests, the forest industry and forest-consuming industries, as well as improving forest accounting and forest cartography. Materials for it were collected through requests through local departments of state property, as well as other departments. Two maps were drawn up in their final form in 1842; the first of them is a map of forests, the other was one of the early examples of soil-climatic maps, which indicated climatic bands and dominant soils in European Russia. A soil-climate map has not yet been discovered.

Work to compile a map of forests in European Russia revealed the unsatisfactory state of organization and mapping and prompted the Scientific Committee of the Ministry of State Property to create a special commission to improve forest mapping and forest accounting. As a result of the work of this commission, detailed instructions and symbols for drawing up forest plans and maps were created, approved by Tsar Nicholas I. Special attention The Ministry of State Property devoted itself to organizing work on the study and mapping of state-owned lands in Siberia, which acquired a particularly wide scope after the abolition of serfdom in Russia in 1861, one of the consequences of which was the intensive development of the resettlement movement.

Soil mapping

In 1838, a systematic study of soils began in Russia. A large number of handwritten soil maps were compiled primarily from inquiries. A prominent economic geographer and climatologist, Academician K. S. Veselovsky, compiled and published the first consolidated “Soil Map of European Russia” in 1855, which shows eight soil types: chernozem, clay, sand, loam and sandy loam, silt, solonetzes, tundra , swamps. The works of K. S. Veselovsky on climatology and soils of Russia were the starting point for the works on soil cartography of the famous Russian geographer and soil scientist V. V. Dokuchaev, who proposed a truly scientific classification for soils based on the genetic principle, and introduced their comprehensive study taking into account factors soil formation. His book “Cartography of Russian Soils,” published by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Industry in 1879 as an explanatory text for the “Soil Map of European Russia,” laid the foundations of modern soil science and soil cartography. Since 1882, V.V. Dokuchaev and his followers (N.M. Sibirtsev, K.D. Glinka, S.S. Neustruev, L.I. Prasolov, etc.) conducted soil, and in fact complex physiographic studies in more than 20 provinces. One of the results of these works were soil maps of the provinces (on a 10-verst scale) and more detailed maps of individual counties. Under the leadership of V.V. Dokuchaev, N.M. Sibirtsev, G.I. Tanfilyev and A.R. Ferkhmin compiled and published the “Soil Map of European Russia” at a scale of 1:2,520,000 in 1901.

Socio-economic mapping

Farm mapping

The development of capitalism in industry and agriculture necessitated a deeper study National economy. For this purpose, in the middle of the 19th century. overview economic maps and atlases begin to be published. The first economic maps of individual provinces (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Yaroslavl, etc.) are being created. The first economic map published in Russia was “Map of the industry of European Russia showing factories, factories and industries, administrative places for the manufacturing part, the main fairs, water and land communications, ports, lighthouses, customs houses, the main piers, quarantines, etc., 1842” .

A significant cartographic work is the “Economic-statistical atlas of European Russia from 16 maps,” compiled and published in 1851 by the Ministry of State Property, which went through four editions - 1851, 1852, 1857 and 1869. This was the first economic atlas in our country dedicated to agriculture. It included the first thematic maps (soil, climate, agricultural). The atlas and its text part make an attempt to summarize the main features and directions of development of agriculture in Russia in the 50s. XIX century

Of undoubted interest is the handwritten “Statistical Atlas” compiled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs under the leadership of N.A. Milyutin in 1850. The Atlas consists of 35 maps and cartograms reflecting a wide variety of socio-economic parameters. It was apparently compiled in parallel with the “Economic Statistical Atlas” of 1851 and provides a lot of new information in comparison with it.

A major achievement of domestic cartography was the publication in 1872 of the “Map of the most important sectors of productivity of European Russia” compiled by the Central Statistical Committee (about 1:2,500,000). The publication of this work was facilitated by the improvement in the organization of statistics in Russia, associated with the formation in 1863 of the Central Statistical Committee, headed by the famous Russian geographer, vice-chairman of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky. Materials collected over the eight years of the existence of the Central Statistical Committee, as well as various sources from other departments, made it possible to create a map that comprehensively and reliably characterizes the economy of post-reform Russia. The map was an excellent reference tool and valuable material for scientific research. Distinguished by the completeness of its content, expressiveness and originality of mapping methods, it is a remarkable monument to the history of Russian cartography and historical source, which has not lost its meaning to this day.

The first capital atlas of industry was “Statistical Atlas of the Main Sectors of the Factory Industry of European Russia” by D. A. Timiryazev (1869-1873). At the same time, maps of the mining industry (Ural, Nerchinsk district, etc.), maps of the location of the sugar industry, agriculture, etc., transport and economic maps of cargo flows along railways and waterways were published.

One of best works Russian socio-economic cartography of the early 20th century. is the “Commercial and Industrial Map of European Russia” by V.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shan scale 1:1 680 000 (1911). This map presented a synthesis of the economic characteristics of many centers and regions.

It is worth mentioning one more outstanding cartographic work created by the Department of Agriculture of the Main Directorate of Agriculture and Land Management before the First World War. This is an atlas album “Agricultural Industry in Russia” (1914), representing a collection of statistical maps of agriculture. This album is interesting as an experience of a kind of “cartographic propaganda” of the potential opportunities of agriculture in Russia to attract new capital investments from abroad.

Population mapping

P.I. Keppen organized the systematic collection of statistical data on the number and ethnographic characteristics of the population of Russia. The result of P. I. Keppen’s work was the “Ethnographic Map of European Russia” on a scale of 75 versts per inch (1:3,150,000), which went through three editions (1851, 1853 and 1855). In 1875, a new large ethnographic map of European Russia was published on a scale of 60 versts per inch (1:2,520,000), compiled by the famous Russian ethnographer, Lieutenant General A.F. Rittikh. At the Paris International Geographical Exhibition the map received a 1st class medal. Ethnographic maps of the Caucasus region on a scale of 1:1,080,000 (A.F. Rittich, 1875), Asian Russia (M.I. Venyukov), the Kingdom of Poland (1871), Transcaucasia (1895), etc. were published.

Among other thematic cartographic works, one should name the first map of European Russia compiled by N. A. Milyutin (1851), “General Map of the Entire Russian Empire with the Degree of Population” by A. Rakint on a scale of 1:21,000,000 (1866), which included Alaska.

Comprehensive research and mapping

In 1850-1853. The police department released atlases of St. Petersburg (compiled by N.I. Tsylov) and Moscow (compiled by A. Khotev).

In 1897, G.I. Tanfilyev, a student of V.V. Dokuchaev, published a zoning of European Russia, which was first called physiographic. Tanfilyev’s scheme clearly reflected zonality, and also outlined some significant intrazonal differences in natural conditions.

In 1899, the world's first National Atlas of Finland, which was part of the Russian Empire, but had the status of an autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, was published. In 1910, the second edition of this atlas appeared.

The highest achievement of pre-revolutionary thematic cartography was the major “Atlas of Asian Russia”, published in 1914 by the Resettlement Administration, accompanied by an extensive and richly illustrated text in three volumes. The atlas reflects the economic situation and conditions for agricultural development of the territory for the needs of the Resettlement Administration. It is interesting to note that this publication for the first time included a detailed overview of the history of cartography in Asian Russia, written by a young naval officer, later a famous historian of cartography, L. S. Bagrov. The contents of the maps and the accompanying text of the atlas reflect the results of the great work of various organizations and individual Russian scientists. For the first time, the Atlas provides an extensive set of economic maps for Asian Russia. Its central section consists of maps on which, with backgrounds of different colors, the general picture of land ownership and land use is shown, which displays the results of ten years of activity of the Resettlement Administration in settling the resettled people.

There is a special map dedicated to the distribution of the population of Asian Russia by religion. Three maps are dedicated to cities, which show their population, budget growth and debt. Cartograms for agriculture show the share of different crops in field cultivation and the relative number of the main types of livestock. Mineral deposits are marked on a separate map. Special maps of the atlas are dedicated to communication routes, postal institutions and telegraph lines, which, of course, were of extreme importance for sparsely populated Asian Russia.

So, at the beginning of the First World War, Russia came with cartography that provided the needs of defense, national economy, science and education of the country, at a level that fully corresponded to its role as a great Eurasian power of its time. At the beginning of the First World War, the Russian Empire possessed vast territories, displayed, in particular, on general map state, published by the cartographic establishment of A. A. Ilyin in 1915.

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 independence 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. were 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 development government system The Russian Empire was 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 Treaty of Bucharest with Turkey in 1812 was completed Russian-Turkish war. 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 Åland 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 Congress of Vienna 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.

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

Considering the history of Russia of that era, it is necessary to remember that at the time of the formation of the empire, the country was annexed large areas. This was made possible thanks to the successful foreign policy country 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 greatly increased the state apparatus 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. Largest cities the countries 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 consider, which shows European part countries with all the changes that have occurred in terms of territories over the years of the existence of the state.

Population

Already 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 lovers of the tsarist regime love to be so proud of today are associated with agriculture (we're talking about on 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).

Rulers of the Russian Empire

Emperor	Years of reign
Peter 1	1721-1725
Ekaterina 1	1725-1727
Peter 2	1727-1730
Anna Ioannovna	1730-1740
Ivan 6	1740-1741
Elizabeth 1	1741-1762
Peter 3	1762
Ekaterina 2	1762-1796
Pavel 1	1796-1801
Alexander 1	1801-1825
Nikolay 1	1825-1855
Alexander 2	1855-1881
Alexander 3	1881-1894
Nikolay 2	1894-1917

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 – Foreign trips Suvorov to 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 strictly suppress the revolutionary and terrorist activities of the 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.

Atlas of the Russian Empire 1792

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

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

But if we work conscientiously and 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 fraternal equal and will 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, preserve, increase and disseminate this knowledge so that no one can mislead and lead either us or our descendants astray from the right path.

And now I’ll tell you about what I was actually planning to talk about. About the 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 once part of Russia, about the 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 within 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 through the gradual annexation of lands that were previously part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and if you look even deeper into the past - the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Ancient Rus'.

Belarus has always been somewhat different from Great Rus' features of the language. folk traditions and national costumes. Its cities had broader 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 his 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 simply would 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 raids by Tatar hordes from the Crimea. Here was the Wild Field.

Only during the time of Catherine the Great did the Tatar raids completely stop and Crimea became Russian. and the above-mentioned 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. populated 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, 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 (formerly the Galicia-Volyn principality of Ancient Rus') were controlled by Poles, Turks and Tatars. Austrians, Hungarians. until finally these lands came together as part of Russia.

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

3. Baltic republics

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

In the Middle Ages, the Slavic tribes of the Lyutichs, Bodrichis and Prussians. living in the territory of modern Germany were Romanized, converted to Catholicism and almost lost their Slavic identity and language. Although some things remain, for example, the name of Leipzig corresponds to the Russian Lipetsk - both are “city of linden trees”.

Baltic Slavic tribes - Estonians. The Livs and Latgalians were Germanized much later, during the time of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky, by the Teutonic Order and not as qualitatively as the Germans, and the Lithuanians and Yatvingians initially 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 it became the powerful Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Later this state was destroyed. Mainly not by external enemies. but by the internal intrigues of magnates and arrogant gentry.

At the same time, the lands of Lithuania became Russian, along with the lands of Livonia, Estonia, Courland and Latgale, partly seized from the Swedes, partly purchased from them, and partly joined voluntarily.

It also did not have its own statehood until 1991 (1918, when the self-proclaimed “government” illegally declared independence from the Russian Empire for a short period of 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 of Osten-Sacken for example) were faithful servants of our common Fatherland. and local merchants made a fortune precisely in Russian Baltic trade.

4. Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan

Here in Georgia the country had its own independent state. During the time of the great Queen Tamara, Georgia generally included almost the entire Caucasus. This country is home to a number of nationalities that speak 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 Irakli signed the Treaty of Georgievsk and gave the country under the protection of Russia.

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

Armenia (or, 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 Russian-Persian wars. And she was part of it until that same year.

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

As a result of all the national cataclysms, a significant part of the Armenians live in France and Spain, some in Eastern Armenia, and some in Western Armenia, which is now part of Turkey. At the same time, Western Armenia. not 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 year 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 (departments): Senior, Middle and Younger.

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

Kazakhs have preserved their own language and unique culture. which, however, borrowed a lot from Russian culture. Writing and education came to the country along with the Russian population.

6. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

The Kokand and Khiva Khanates, the Bukhara Emirate, the regions of nomadic Turkmens and the Pamirs were conquered Russian troops due to “punitive” campaigns in the 19th century.

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

As a result, Russian military contingents had to be introduced into these lands and began to draw them into the orbit of the Russian world. The credit for 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 suppressed at all. On the contrary, it enriched Russian culture.

7. Moldova

Until the 14th century, the territory of modern Moldova was part of the possessions of various tribal unions and state entities, including Ancient Rus'.

From the 14th to the 16th centuries, the Principality of Moldova 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 location - near the Black Sea and the Danube River - a major European waterway, at the junction of Russian, Turkish and European civilizations.

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

The struggle for it lasted for two and a half centuries. Moldova in parts (Bessarabia, Bukovina, Western Moldova) was again conquered by Russia, became part of Romania, until it finally 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 cannot be doubted. At a certain point 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 freedom - ultimately undermined Poland's capabilities so much that it ceased to exist. The confrontation with other major powers - the Austrian Empire, Prussia, Sweden, Russia and Turkey - also played a role.

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 the indigenous Polish lands and Western Ukraine were divided by Prussia and Austria.

As a result 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 after being torn away from Sweden following the Russian-Swedish War of 1808-1809.

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

If you dive deep into history, then in Ancient Rus' the Finns, like the Korelians, 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 Dalniy were leased to Russia by China for 99 years with the right to extend it or purchase these lands.

Porta Arthur was an ice-free military port, and Dalny was a civil harbor on Pacific Ocean, which was very important for the development of these lands by Russia. As a result of the shameful Peace of Portsmouth, the “semi-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 harvesting sea beaver fur (it was this “beaver collar” that Pushkin had in mind in Onegin).

Russian America bordered in the south with the Californian possessions of the Spaniards, not reaching 80 km from San Francisco, where the Russians and the Spaniards were fruitful friends (see the novel “The Great Ocean”, the rock opera “Juno and Avos”).

At the southernmost point of our territory, Fort Ross was established and farmers settled there to supply Alaska with local wheat. There was an active Orthodox mission in Alaska, and Indian children studied in schools along with Russian settlers.

Alaska was sold to the United States in 1867, during the war with Great Britain that threatened Russia, since at that time 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 they were. Chief Kaumualii 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 over them.

13. Spitsbergen Archipelago and Bear Island

The islands were appropriated by Norway following the Russian Revolution of 1917. Before this, most states recognized Russian ownership of this disputed territory.

In Russian, Spitsbergen 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 bird and sea animals. but no one really needed them - it was easier to fish around them and kill whales, which is 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 light of the following information.

14. Eastern Norway

Like Finland, in the 10th century it was included in 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 donated part of the lands 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 in the territory Ottoman Empire during the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774.

When the Russian fleet burned all the Turkish ships in Chesme Bay, the Greeks of the 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 forces began to settle here seriously and for a long time.

But as a result of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty, this conquest of Russia was surrendered to the Turks by our diplomats and the Greeks from the islands, in order to avoid massacre, had to flee to 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 piecemeal joined Russia, only to later return to Turkey and be recaptured again.

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

Russia then included Trebizond and Kars, Erzurum, Erzincan, Bayazet and Van. However, the Armenians were not destined to be completely reunited. The revolution plunged the Russian Empire into chaos, and Western Armenia again fell 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 Sea as a result of the Persian campaign of Emperor Peter the Great.

Later, Empress Anna Ioannovna returned the southern coast of the Caspian Sea 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 in ancient times was called Ezo and, along with Sakhalin, was inhabited by the Ainu.

Unlike the Japanese, the Ainu are not Mongoloids, but Caucasians. The people of this ethnic group wore thick beards and mustaches, had a large build, and mostly lived by hunting fur-bearing animals and fishing.

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

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

And the first yasak (fur tax) by the Russian Empire was received from the Ainu of Ezo 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, in fairness, they should once again be part of Russia.

Russian empire- monarchical class multinational state of the early 18th - early 20th centuries. Developed on the basis of 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, middle Asia and Pamir. 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 had 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 of the armed forces of the Russian Empire (see Russian Army, Russian Navy). In the Russian Empire, the Christian Church was part of the state; “primary and dominant” was the 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 ​​inhabitants (honorary citizens, guild merchants, townspeople and townspeople, artisans or guild workers);
• rural inhabitants (that is, peasants).

The ruling class was the nobility. Political power belonged to him. 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 progress historical development Russia in the 2nd half of the 19th century. moved from to , and to late XIX- early 20th century 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 to Russia. The revolution of 1905-1907 shook the foundations of the autocracy and brought about “ dress rehearsal"bourgeois and proletarian revolution. overthrew the autocracy