The Russian Empire: Map & History
The colossal northern Eurasian land superpower spanning across Eastern Europe, Siberia, Central Asia, and Alaska across three continents.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The Russian Empire was an empire that extended across northern Eurasia from 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in 1917, forming the final era of Tsarist Russia and the wider Russian monarchy. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about 22,800,000 km2 (8,800,000 sq mi), roughly one-sixth of the world's landmass, making it the third-largest empire in history, behind only the British and Mongol empires. The 1897 Russian census found a population of 126 million with considerable ethnic, linguistic, religious, and socioeconomic diversity.
Modern Countries Once Part of The Russian Empire
At its mapped extent, The Russian Empire covered territory in 24 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Kazakhstan1721–1916 CE · nearly all
- Azerbaijan1727–1916 CE · nearly all
- Belarus1772–1916 CE · nearly all
- Kyrgyzstan1859–1916 CE · nearly all
- Turkmenistan1868–1916 CE · nearly all
- Tajikistan1864–1916 CE · nearly all
- Armenia1803–1916 CE · nearly all
- Estonia1721–1916 CE · nearly all
- Latvia1721–1916 CE · nearly all
- Moldova1769–1916 CE · nearly all
- Aland1809–1916 CE · nearly all
- Uzbekistan1864–1916 CE · nearly all
- Finland1809–1916 CE · nearly all
- Russia1721–1916 CE · most
- Ukraine1721–1916 CE · most
- Bulgaria1877–1879 CE · most
- Georgia1803–1916 CE · most
- Lithuania1794–1915 CE · most
- Romania1769–1879 CE · a large part
- Poland1762–1915 CE · a large part
- China1871–1904 CE · a small part
- Iran1727–1916 CE · a small part
- United States1788–1867 CE · a small part
- Turkey1880–1916 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
- Alaska, United States
- Sakha (Yakutia), Russia
- Heilongjiang, China
- Jilin, China
- Irkutsk, Russia
- Sverdlovsk, Russia
- Liaoning, China
- Krasnoyarsk, Russia
- Khabarovsk, Russia
- Khanty-Mansiy, Russia
- Chelyabinsk, Russia
- Kemerovo, Russia
- Aqmola, Kazakhstan
- Bashkortostan, Russia
- Chita, Russia
- Sakhalin, Russia
- Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Altay, Russia
- Amur, Russia
- East Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan
- Murmansk, Russia
- Novosibirsk, Russia
- Qaraghandy, Kazakhstan
- Rostov, Russia
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside The Russian Empire's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
The Russian Empire in Depth
History
From the 10th to 17th century, the Russian lands were dominated by a noble class known as the boyars, above whom stood the grand prince and later the tsar, an absolute monarch. The foundations of a unified Russian state and eventually the Russian Empire were laid in the 15th century under Ivan III. Moscow became the leading Russian principality and came to dominate the region known as Great Russia; by the early 16th century, the remaining Russian states were united with Moscow. The subjects of the Muscovite ruler were overwhelmingly Great Russian in ethnicity and Orthodox in religion.
Government and administration
From its initial proclamation in 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1905, the Russian Empire was led by an emperor (also referred to as tsar), who ruled as an absolute monarch. The adoption of the Russian Constitution of 1906 marked an important step toward constitutionalism in Russia: while the emperor retained the legal title and status of autocrat, his legislative monopoly was ended as laws now required the approval of the elected parliament. Nevertheless, the form of government is best described as a semi-constitutional monarchy. The emperor retained ultimate authority, including an absolute veto over legislation, the right to promulgate exceptional decrees, control of foreign affairs, and special prerogatives in defense legislation.
Military
The armed forces of the Russian Empire consisted of the Imperial Russian Army and the Imperial Russian Navy. The Emperor of Russia was the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and implemented his military policies through the Ministry of War and the Ministry of the Navy, which were tasked with administering their respective branches. There was no joint staff, but joint commissions were formed to work on specific tasks that involved both services. The Main Staff of the War Ministry administered the Army's organization, training, and mobilization, as well as coordinating the different branches of the Army, while the General Staff was tasked with operational planning. This structure developed in the 1860s after the Crimean War.
Economy
Before the abolition of serfdom in 1861, Russia's economy mainly depended on agriculture. By the census of 1897, 95% of the Russian population lived in the countryside. Nicholas I attempted to modernize his country, and have it not been so dependent on a single economic sector. During the reign of Alexander III, many reforms occurred. The Peasants' Land Bank was founded in 1883 to provide loans for Russian peasants, both as individuals and in communes. The Nobles' Land Bank, in 1885, made loans at nominal interest rates to the landed nobility. The poll tax was abolished in 1886.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Russian Empire (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The Russian Empire: Key Facts
| Capital | Saint Petersburg |
|---|---|
| Official languages | Russian, Polish, Finnish, Swedish |
| Form of government | constitutional monarchy |
| Currencies | gold rouble, ruble |
| Founded | 22 October 1721 |
| Dissolved | 1 September 1917 |
Preceded by
- Talysh Khanate
- Principality of Abkhazia
- Shahrisabz beylik
- Tsardom of Russia
- Kingdom of Imereti
Succeeded by
- Russian Republic
- Kingdom of Poland
Facts from Wikidata Q34266 (CC0).
Interactive map
Russian Empire on the World War I map →
See Russian Empire’s territory change day by day from 1 August 1914, with every battle it fought.
Key Events in the History of The Russian Empire
Mapped, with their causes, timeline and answers to common questions.
Russian Empire Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which The Russian Empire appears, with the other states of the time.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
Proclaimed in 1721 by Peter the Great following victory over Sweden in the Great Northern War, the Russian Empire transformed Russia into a premier European and Asian power. Peter founded Saint Petersburg as a "window to Europe," while Catherine the Great expanded the empire southward to the Black Sea and Crimea. Spanning eleven time zones from Poland to the Bering Strait and down to the Pamir Mountains, the empire unified Eurasia via the construction of the 9,289-km Trans-Siberian Railway.
Russian Empire Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Peter the Great establishes a new naval capital on the Baltic Sea.
Treaty of Nystad concludes the Great Northern War; Peter assumes title of Emperor.
Catherine the Great secures direct naval access to the Black Sea.
Defeat and expulsion of Napoleon’s Grande Armée from Moscow.
Breakthrough engineering connects Moscow to Vladivostok.
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓Construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest continuous rail artery in world history
- ✓Monumental classical architecture, the Hermitage Museum, and cultural institutions of Saint Petersburg
- ✓Golden Age of Russian literature, music, and science (Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky, Mendeleev)
- ✓Consolidation of northern Eurasian territorial boundaries from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean
Russian Empire: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Russian Empire exist?
The Russian Empire is dated to 1721 CE – 1917 CE (Peak: 1895 CE), in the Early Modern & Industrial Age era.
What was the capital of the Russian Empire?
The capital of the Russian Empire was Saint Petersburg (1712–1917), Moscow.
How large was the Russian Empire at its peak?
At its peak in 1895 the Russian Empire covered about 22,800,000 km².
How did the map of the Russian Empire change over time?
The Russian Empire appears on 4 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1800 CE to 1914 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Geographic Lifelines
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Raigad