Almost immediately after the death of Alexander the Great, the struggle for his great and ownerless inheritance began. And soon this struggle resulted in the division of territories, the beginning of which was laid by Ptolemy, who spoke out for the division and creation of a "federation of satrapies."
At first, they did not support him, converging on a compromise: there remained an illusory royal power, which was given to the feeble-minded and easily controlled Arrhidaeus, but the satraps had already distributed to themselves parts of the empire in which they felt more and more independent, as if thereby justifying the proposal of Ptolemy, who managed to get yourself Egypt - the most profitable part of the empire, rich and quite isolated.
Then a bloody struggle for power and territory began, in which the entire reigning house perished, including Arrhidaeus, Olympias, Alexander's mother, Alexander's widow Roxana, and many of Alexander's associates. The civil strife seemed endless and became bloodier. The empire had already completely disintegrated into the lot of the most successful of the surviving commanders of the great king. Actually, it actually began to disintegrate even under him - he fought for too long somewhere on the edge of the country and built little sovereign building. He enlarged this building too much, not caring that, while adding a new one, he had not yet achieved a monolith in the old one. And now the shortcomings of the original design came out. Even Ptolemy forgot about the idea of "federation".
All the new rulers assumed royal titles, and each built his own independent destinies and powers, not thinking about the past. Only clashes between these heirs of Alexander continued, but these were already purely predatory wars - the one who felt strong wanted to chop off a piece from a weaker neighbor. No one thought that he was fighting against his brother yesterday.
To the question "In what year did Russia become an empire?" Not everyone will be able to give an accurate answer. Someone forgot that the country was proudly called it, someone may not know this at all. But it was at that time that it was recognized as one of the most powerful powers in the world, there was a significant economic and cultural upsurge of the state. Therefore, you need to know when this rich on historical events path.
General information
Russian empire- this is a state that existed from 1721 until the February Revolution, when the collapse of the existing political system and Russia became a republic. The country became an empire after the Northern War during the reign of Peter the Great. The capital changed - it was St. Petersburg, then Moscow, then St. Petersburg, renamed Leningrad after the revolution.
The borders of the Russian Empire stretched from the Arctic Ocean on the northern borders to the Black Sea - on the south, from Baltic Sea- in the western to the Pacific Ocean - in the east. Thanks to such a vast territory, Russia was considered the third largest power in the world. At the head of the state was the emperor, who was an absolute monarch until 1905.
The Russian Empire was founded by Peter the Great, who in the course of his reforms completely changed the state structure. Russia has turned from an estate monarchy into an absolutist empire. Absolutism is introduced into the Military Regulations. Peter, who took the country as a model Western Europe, decided to proclaim it an imperial power.
For achievement absolute monarchy the Boyar Duma and the Patriarchate, which could influence the royal decisions, are abolished. After the introduction of the Table of Ranks, the main support of the monarch is the nobility, and the church becomes synodal, which is subordinate to the emperor. Russia has a permanent army and navy, which allows expanding Russian borders in a westerly direction, access to the Baltic Sea was won. Peter founded St. Petersburg, which later became the capital of the empire.
On October 22 (November 2), 1721, after the end of the Northern War, Russia was proclaimed an empire, and Peter the Great himself became emperor. In the eyes of the European rulers, Russia thus showed everyone that it has great political influence and that it must be reckoned with. Not all powers recognized the increased influence of Russia, Poland submitted later than all, claiming part of the territories of Kievan Rus.
The period of "enlightened absolutism"
After the death of Peter the Great, an era began palace coups- a time when there was no stability in the country, therefore, there was no significant state rise. Everything changed when, during the next coup, Catherine the Second ascended the throne. During her reign, Russia makes another breakthrough as in foreign policy, and in internal arrangement states.
During Russian-Turkish wars the Crimea is conquered, Russia takes an active part in the division of Poland, the development of Novorossia takes place. During the colonization of Transcaucasia, Russian interests collide with Persian and Ottoman ones. In 1783, the Treaty of St. George was signed on patronage over Eastern Georgia.
There were also popular uprisings. Catherine the Great created a "Charter to the nobility", which exempted him from compulsory military service, but the peasants were still obliged to perform military service. The reaction of the peasantry and Cossacks, from whom the Empress took away their liberties, was "Pugachevshchina".
Catherine's reign proceeds in the spirit of enlightened absolutism; she personally corresponds with the famous French philosophers of that time. Freestyle is founded Economic Society encourages the development of science and art. But at the same time, the Empress understands that the vast territory of the Russian Empire requires tight control and absolute monarchy.
During the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, events take place that turned and completely changed Russian history. Despite the fact that the emperor favored industrial growth and demographic growth, the number of peasants and workers dissatisfied with working conditions is growing: the latter demand an 8-hour working day, and the peasantry wants to divide the landowners' lands.
During that period, Russia is trying to expand its Far Eastern borders, this leads to a clash of interests with Japan, which resulted in war and defeat, which was the result of the revolution. After that, Russia stopped expanding its influence in the Far East. The revolution was suppressed, the emperor made concessions - he created a Parliament that allowed political parties. But this did not help: discontent continued to grow, including with the policy of Russification in Finland, the Poles were outraged by the loss of Polish autonomy, and the Jews by the repressive policies that had increased since the 1880s.
The Russian Empire took part in the First World War, which led to a huge tension of all participating countries. Due to the large military expenditures, a huge number of peasants are mobilized, which leads to an aggravation of the food issue. Growing difficulties cause dissatisfaction with politics and the established state structure of all segments of the population, which results in the February Revolution of 1917, and in 1924 the USSR appears.
Why was it told about the reign of these two emperors and the empress? In what year did Russia become an empire? That's right, in 1721, during the reign of Peter the Great, during the reign of the Russian Empire, the Russian Empire made a big leap in its development, and Nicholas II became the last Russian emperor, and it was necessary to write about the reasons that led to the collapse of the empire. Russian state had a great influence in world politics, the emperors sought to expand their borders, but did not take into account the interests of the common population, who were dissatisfied with politics, which led to the creation of the republic.
At the time of the highest prosperity of the Roman Empire, its dominion extended over vast territories - their total area was about 6.51 million square kilometers. However, in the list of the largest empires in history, the Roman one occupies only the nineteenth place.
What do you think, which one is the first one?
The most big empire in the world throughout history
Mongolian
294 (21.8 % )
Russian
213 (15.8 % )
Spanish
48 (3.6 % )
british
562 (41.6 % )
Mongolian
118 (8.7 % )
Turkic Khaganate
18 (1.3 % )
Japanese
5 (0.4 % )
18 (1.3 % )
Macedonian
74 (5.5 % )
Now we know the correct answer...
Millennia of human existence passed under the sign of wars and expansions. Great states arose, grew and collapsed, which changed (and some continue to change) the face of the modern world.
Empire - the most powerful type of state, where under the rule of a single monarch (emperor) united various countries and peoples. Let's take a look at the ten biggest empires that have ever appeared on the world stage. Oddly enough, but in our list you will not find either the Roman, or the Ottoman, or even the empire of Alexander the Great - history has seen more.
10. Arab Caliphate
Population: -
State area: - 6.7
Capital: 630-656 Medina / 656 - 661 Mecca / 661 - 754 Damascus / 754 - 762 Al-Kufa / 762 - 836 Baghdad / 836 - 892 Samarra / 892 - 1258 Baghdad
Beginning of domination: 632 g
Fall of the empire: 1258
The existence of this empire marked the so-called. The "golden era of Islam" - the period from the 7th to the 13th century AD. e. The caliphate was founded immediately after the death of the founder of the Muslim faith, Muhammad, in 632, and the Medina community founded by the prophet became its core. Centuries of Arab conquests increased the area of the empire to 13 million square meters. km, covering territories in all three parts of the Old World. By the middle of the 13th century, the Caliphate, torn apart by internal conflicts, was so weakened that it was easily captured first by the Mongols and then by the Ottomans, the founders of another great Persian empire.
9. Japanese Empire
Population: 97,770,000
State area: 7.4 million km2
Capital: Tokyo
Beginning of reign: 1868
Fall of an empire: 1947
Japan is the only empire on the modern political map. Now this status is rather formal, but 70 years ago it was Tokyo that was the main center of imperialism in Asia. Japan - an ally of the Third Reich and fascist Italy - then tried to establish control over the western coast of the Pacific Ocean, sharing a vast front with the Americans. At this time, the peak of the territorial scope of the empire came, which controlled almost the entire maritime space and 7.4 million square meters. km of land from Sakhalin to New Guinea.
8. Portuguese Empire
Population: 50 million (480 BC) / 35 million (330 BC)
State area: - 10.4 million km2
Capital: Coimbra, Lisbon
Since the 16th century, the Portuguese have been looking for ways to break through the Spanish isolation in the Iberian Peninsula. In 1497, they opened a sea route to India, which marked the beginning of the growth of the Portuguese colonial empire. Three years earlier, the Tordesillas Treaty was concluded between the “sworn neighbors”, which actually divided the world known at that time between the two countries, on unfavorable last conditions for the Portuguese. But this did not stop them from collecting more than 10 million square meters. km of land, most of which was occupied by Brazil. The handover of Macau to the Chinese in 1999 ended Portugal's colonial history.
7. Turkic Khaganate
Area - 13 million km2
one of the largest ancient states in the history of mankind in Asia, created by a tribal union of the Turks (Turkuts) headed by rulers from the Ashina clan. During the period of greatest expansion (the end of the 6th century), it controlled the territories of China (Manchuria), Mongolia, Altai, East Turkestan, West Turkestan (Central Asia), Kazakhstan and the North Caucasus. In addition, tributaries of the Kaganate were Sasanian Iran, the Chinese states of Northern Zhou, Northern Qi since 576 and from the same year the Turkic Kaganate is tearing away from Byzantium North Caucasus and Crimea.
6. French Empire
Population: -
State area: 13.5 million square meters km
Capital: Paris
Beginning of reign: 1546
Fall of an empire: 1940
France became the third European power (after Spain and Portugal) to become interested in overseas territories. Starting from 1546 - the time of the founding of New France (now Quebec, Canada) - the formation of Francophonie in the world begins. Having lost the American opposition to the Anglo-Saxons, and also inspired by the conquests of Napoleon, the French occupied almost all of West Africa. In the middle of the twentieth century, the area of the empire reached 13.5 million square meters. km, more than 110 million people lived in it. By 1962, most of the French colonies had become independent states.
Chinese Empire
5. Chinese Empire (Qing Empire)
Population: 383,100,000
State area: 14.7 million km2
Capital: Mukden (1636–1644), Beijing (1644–1912)
Beginning of reign: 1616
Fall of the empire: 1912
The most ancient empire of Asia, the cradle of oriental culture. The first Chinese dynasties ruled from the 2nd millennium BC. e., but a single empire was created only in 221 BC. e. During the reign of Qing - the last monarchical dynasty of the Middle Kingdom - the empire occupied a record area of 14.7 million square meters. km. This is 1.5 times more than that of the modern Chinese state, mainly due to Mongolia, now independent. In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution broke out, putting an end to the monarchy in China, turning the empire into a republic.
4. Spanish Empire
Population: 60 million
State area: 20,000,000 km2
Capital: Toledo (1492-1561) / Madrid (1561-1601) / Valladolid (1601-1606) / Madrid (1606-1898)
Fall of the empire: 1898
The period of Spain's world domination began with the voyages of Columbus, who opened up new horizons for Catholic missionary work and territorial expansion. In the 16th century, almost the entire Western Hemisphere was "at the feet" of the Spanish king with his "invincible armada". It was at this time that Spain was called “the country where the sun never sets”, because its possessions covered the seventh part of the land (about 20 million sq. Km) and almost half of the sea routes in all corners of the planet. The greatest empires of the Incas and Aztecs fell to the conquistadors, and in their place a predominantly Hispanic Latin America was formed.
3. Russian Empire
Population: 60 million
Population: 181.5 million (1916)
State area: 23,700,000 km2
Capital: St. Petersburg, Moscow
Fall of the empire: 1917
The largest continental monarchy in human history. Its roots reach the times of the Moscow principality, then the kingdom. In 1721, Peter I proclaimed the imperial status of Russia, which owned vast territories from Finland to Chukotka. At the end of the 19th century, the state reached its geographical peak: 24.5 million square meters. km, about 130 million inhabitants, over 100 ethnic groups and nationalities. Russian possessions at one time there were the lands of Alaska (before its sale by the Americans in 1867), as well as part of California.
2. Mongol Empire
Population: more than 110,000,000 people (1279)
State area: 38,000,000 km2 (1279)
Capital: Karakorum, Khanbalik
Beginning of reign: 1206
Fall of the empire: 1368
The greatest empire of all times and peoples, whose meaning of existence was one - war. The great Mongolian state was formed in 1206 under the leadership of Genghis Khan, having grown over several decades to 38 million square meters. km, from the Baltic Sea to Vietnam, and at the same time killing every tenth inhabitant of the Earth. By the end of the 13th century, its uluses covered a quarter of the land and a third of the world's population, which then numbered almost half a billion people. The ethno-political framework of modern Eurasia was formed on the fragments of the empire.
1. British Empire
Population: 458,000,000 (approximately 24% of the world's population in 1922)
State area: 42.75 km2 (1922)
Capital London
Beginning of reign: 1497
Empire Fall: 1949 (1997)
The British Empire is the largest ever existing state in the history of mankind with colonies on all inhabited continents.
For 400 years of its formation, it has withstood the competition for world domination with other "colonial titans": France, Holland, Spain, Portugal. During its heyday, London controlled a quarter of the world's land (over 34 million square kilometers) on all inhabited continents, as well as vast expanses of the ocean. Formally, it still exists in the form of the Commonwealth, while countries such as Canada and Australia actually remain subject to the British crown.
International Status in English- the main heritage of Pax Britannica.
Something else interesting for you from history: remember, or for example. Here you are. maybe you didn't know what was and
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The formation of the Russian Empire happened on October 22, 1721, according to the old style, or on November 2. This is the last day Russian tsar Peter 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 was the city of St. Petersburg. For all the time, the capital was transferred to Moscow only for 2 years (from 1728 to 1730).
Territory of the Russian Empire
Considering the history of Russia of that era, it must be remembered that at the time of the formation of the empire, large territories were annexed to the country. This became possible thanks to the successful foreign policy of the country, which was led by Peter 1. He created new history, a story that returned Russia to the ranks of world leaders and powers whose opinion should be reckoned with.
The territory of the Russian Empire was 21.8 million km2. It was the second largest country in the world. In the first place was the British Empire with its numerous colonies. Most of them have retained their status to this day. The first laws of the country divided its territory into 8 provinces, each of which was controlled by a governor. He had full local authority, including the judiciary. Later, Catherine 2 increased the number of provinces to 50. Of course, this was done not by annexing new lands, but by crushing them. This increased quite a lot state machine and significantly reduced the effectiveness 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 countries were:
- Saint Petersburg.
- Moscow.
- Warsaw.
- Odessa.
- Lodz.
- Riga.
- Kyiv.
- Kharkov.
- Tiflis.
- Tashkent.
The history of the Russian Empire is full of both bright and negative moments. In this time period, which lasted less than two centuries, a huge number of fateful moments were invested 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, 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 illustrious generals forever inscribed their names in the history of our country and covered Russian weapons with eternal glory.
Map
We present a map of the Russian Empire, a brief history of which we are considering, which shows the European part of the country with all the changes that have occurred in terms of territories over the years of the existence of the state.
Population
By the end of the 18th century, the Russian Empire was largest country world by area. Its scale was such that the messenger, who was sent to all corners of the country to report the death of Catherine 2, arrived in Kamchatka after 3 months! And this despite the fact that the messenger rode almost 200 km daily.
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. A little less than 3 million lived beyond the Urals. National composition countries 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 Baltics.
- Finno-Ugric (Mordovians, Karelians, Udmurts, etc.), Altai (Kalmyks) and Turkic (Bashkirs, Tatars, etc.) peoples.
- The peoples of Siberia and Far East(Yakuts, Evens, Buryats, Chukchi, etc.).
In the course of the formation of the country, part of the Kazakhs and Jews who lived on the territory of Poland, who, after its collapse, went to Russia, turned out to be its citizenship.
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, the clergy and the nobility. This is the classic structure of an agrarian society. 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 are talking about the import of grain and butter).
By the end of the 19th century, 128.9 million people lived in Russia, of which 16 million lived in cities, and the rest in villages.
Political system
The Russian Empire was autocratic in the form of its government, where all power was concentrated in the hands of one person - the emperor, who was often called, in the old manner, the king. Peter 1 laid down in the laws of Russia precisely the unlimited power of the monarch, which ensured the autocracy. Simultaneously with the state, the autocrat actually controlled the church.
An important point - 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 that canceled the system for the transfer of the throne, established by Peter 1. Peter Alekseevich Romanov, let me remind you, decided that the ruler himself determines his successor. Some historians today speak of the negative 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 after 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).
Emperor |
Years of government |
|---|---|
| Peter 1 | 1721-1725 |
| Catherine 1 | 1725-1727 |
| Peter 2 | 1727-1730 |
| Anna Ioannovna | 1730-1740 |
| Ivan 6 | 1740-1741 |
| Elizabeth 1 | 1741-1762 |
| Peter 3 | 1762 |
| Catherine 2 | 1762-1796 |
| Pavel 1 | 1796-1801 |
| Alexander 1 | 1801-1825 |
| Nicholas 1 | 1825-1855 |
| Alexander 2 | 1855-1881 |
| Alexander 3 | 1881-1894 |
| Nicholas 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.
Main dates
During its existence, and this is almost 200 years, the Russian Empire has experienced many important points and events that have had an impact on the state and people.
- 1722 - Table of ranks
- 1799 - Suvorov's foreign campaigns in Italy and Switzerland
- 1809 - Accession of Finland
- 1812 – Patriotic War
- 1817-1864 – Caucasian war
- 1825 (December 14) - Decembrist uprising
- 1867 Sale of Alaska
- 1881 (March 1) the murder of Alexander 2
- 1905 (January 9) - Bloody Sunday
- 1914-1918 - First World War
- 1917 - February and October revolutions
End of the Empire
The history of the Russian Empire ended on September 1, 1917, according to the 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 so, so declaring Russia a Republic can safely be called illegal. The authority for such a proclamation was only Constituent Assembly. The fall of the Russian Empire is closely connected with the history of its last emperor, Nicholas 2. This emperor had all the qualities worthy person, but had an indecisive character. It was because of this that the riots occurred in the country that cost Nicholas himself 2 lives, and the Russian Empire - existence. Nicholas 2 failed to severely suppress the revolutionary and terrorist activities of the Bolsheviks in the country. True, there were objective reasons for this. Chief among which, the First World War, in which the Russian Empire was involved and exhausted in it. replaced the Russian Empire new type state structure countries - the USSR.
Empire- when one person (monarch) has power over a vast territory inhabited by numerous peoples of different nationalities. This ranking is based on the influence, longevity and power of various empires. The list is based on the assumption that an empire should, most of the time, be ruled by an emperor or king, this excludes the modern so-called empires of the United States and the Soviet Union. Below is a ranking of the ten greatest empires in the world.
At the height of his power (XVI-XVII), Ottoman Empire was located on three continents at once, controlling most of Southeast Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. It consisted of 29 provinces and numerous vassal states, some of which were later absorbed into the empire. The Ottoman Empire has been at the center of interaction between the Eastern and Western worlds for six centuries. In 1922, the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist.
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four Islamic Caliphates (system of government) established after the death of Muhammad. The empire under the rule of the Umayyad dynasty covered more than five million square kilometers, making it one of the largest in the world, as well as the largest Arab-Muslim empire ever established in history.
Persian Empire (Achaemenid)
The Persian Empire basically united all of Central Asia, which consisted of many different cultures, kingdoms, empires and tribes. It was the largest empire in ancient history. At the peak of its power, the empire covered about 8 million square kilometers.
The Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire was part of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages. Permanent capital and civilizational center Byzantine Empire was Constantinople. During its existence (more than a thousand years), the empire remained one of the most powerful economic, cultural and military forces in Europe despite setbacks and loss of territory, especially during the Roman-Persian and Byzantine-Arab wars. The empire received a mortal blow in 1204 on the fourth Crusade.
The Han Dynasty is regarded as a golden age in Chinese history in terms of scientific advancement, technological progress, economic, cultural and political stability. Even to this day, most Chinese call themselves the Han people. Today, the Han people are considered the largest ethnic group in the world. The dynasty ruled China for nearly 400 years.
The British Empire covered more than 13 million square kilometers, which is about a quarter of the earth's landmass of our planet. The population of the empire was approximately 480 million people (approximately one-fourth of humanity). The British Empire is by far one of the most powerful empires that has ever existed in human history.
In the Middle Ages, the Holy Roman Empire was considered the "superpower" of its time. It consisted of eastern France, all of Germany, northern Italy, and part of western Poland. It was officially dissolved on August 6, 1806, after which there appeared: Switzerland, Holland, the Austrian Empire, Belgium, the Prussian Empire, the principalities of Liechtenstein, the Confederation of the Rhine and the first french empire.
The Russian Empire existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution in 1917. She was the heir to the kingdom of Russia, and the predecessor Soviet Union. The Russian Empire was the third largest of the ever-existing states, second only to the British and Mongolian empires.
It all started when Temujin (later known as Genghis Khan, considered one of the most brutal rulers in history) vowed in his youth to bring the world to its knees. The Mongol Empire was the largest adjacent empire in human history. The capital of the state was the city of Karakoram. The Mongols were fearless and ruthless warriors, but they had little experience in managing such a vast territory, which caused the Mongol Empire to quickly fall.
Ancient Rome made a great contribution to the development of law, art, literature, architecture, technology, religion and language in the Western world. In fact, many historians consider the Roman Empire to be the "ideal empire" because it was powerful, fair, long-lived, large, well-defended, and economically advanced. The calculation showed that from its foundation to the fall, a whopping 2214 years passed. It follows that the Roman Empire is the most great empire ancient world.
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