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Russian Empire
Россійская Имперія
Timeline: Emancipation (Map Game)
OTL equivalent: Russian Empire
Flag of Oryol (variant) Tsardom of Russia
1721 - Present
Flag of Russia Greater coat of arms of the Russian empire
Coat of arms
Russia 1861
Russia in northern Eurasia
CapitalSt. Petersburg
Largest city Moscow
Other cities Odessa, Sevastopol, Kerch, Nikolayev, Rostov
Official languages Russian
Regional languages Polish, Finnish
Ethnic groups  Russian, Ukrainian, Turkic-Tatar, Polish, Belarussian, Yiddish
Religion Russian Orthodox Church
Demonym Russian
Religion Russian Orthodox Church
Government Absolute monarchy with limited Parliament
 -  Emperor Nicholas II
History
 -  Accession of Peter I 7 May 1682 
 -  Empire proclaimed 22 October 1721 
 -  Decembrist revolt 26 December 1825 
 -  Emancipation of Serfdom 3 March 1861 
Population
 -  1860 census 80 million 
Currency Ruble

The Russian Empire (Russian: Россійская Имперія; Transliteration: Rossiyskaya Imperiya) is a large Eurasian nation. An international power, Russia is rich in natural resources and is the world's largest nation. Russia is bordered by many other important nations, including Sweden, Prussia, Austria, the Ottoman Empire, Persia, and China. Like all empires, Russia includes a large disparity in terms of economics, ethnicity and religion.

History[]

Kievan Rus' (882-1283)[]

Grand Duchy of Muscovy (1283-1547)[]

Tsardom of Russia (1547-1721)[]

Imperial Russia (1721-Present)[]

Government[]

Emperors[]

Portrait Name Reignspan Lifespan Notes
Peter I by Kneller Peter I 1721-1725 1672-1725 Tsar from 1682-1721
Catherine I of Russia by Nattier Catherine I 1725-1727 1684-1727 Wife of Peter I
Peter II by unknown Peter II 1727-1730 1715-1730 Grandson of Peter I
Anna 1730-1740 1693-1740 Daughter of Ivan V
Ivan VI 1740-1741 1740-1764 Great-grandson of Ivan V
Elizabeth 1741-1762 1709-1762 Daughter of Peter I
Coronation portrait of Peter III of Russia -1761 Peter III 1762-1762 1728-1762 Grandson of Peter I
1780s or 1770 catherine ii Catherine II 1762-1796 1729-1796 Wife of Peter III
Paul i russia Paul I 1796-1801 1754-1801 Son of Peter III
Alexander I of Russia Alexander I 1801-1825 1777-1825 Son of Paul I
Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia Constantine Pavlovich 1779-1831 1825 Son of Paul I
Franz Krüger - Portrait of Emperor Nicholas I - WGA12289 Nicholas I 1796-1855 1825-1855 Son of Paul I
Alexander ii of russia Alexander II 1855-1881 1818-1881 Son of Nicholas I
Tsarevitch Nicholas Alexandrovitch Nicholas II 1881-Present 1843-Present Son of Alexander II

Duma[]

The Duma is the bicameral legislature of the Russian Empire. The two houses are the Council (which is elected nonpartisanly by region) and the Congress (which is elected by party-list proportional representation across all of Russia).

There are four major political parties with representation in the Congress. Taken together, they fill the 500 seats. To govern alone, an absolute majority of 251 seats is required. As this is extremely difficult, pundits predict that few governments will rule alone. They are:

  •   Russian National Congress
    Ultranationalist party
  •   Russian Conservative Party
     Traditional conservative, pro-nobility party
  •   Party for National Progress
    Liberal party
  •   Democratic Labor Front
    Workers' rights party
Year Seating Map RNC RCP PNP DLF
1875 1875 Duma - Emancipation 56 186 214 44
1880 1880 Duma - Emancipation 78 154 198 70

Economy[]

The Russian economy is a complex mixture of traditional peasant-based farming and modern industry. The Russian population is overwhelmingly rural, with only 15% living in urban areas and only 10% working in industry.

Agriculture remains backward by Western European standards. Many fields are still plowed by hand and only about half of the peasants have a horse to aid in their farm work. This, coupled with the difficult winters, makes agriculture typically a subsistence living for the peasant class. This is an area where Emperor Alexander II has promised to make substantial reforms in the coming years, once the emancipation of serfdom is completed.

One of the most dominant industries is mining. Among the minerals most mined in the Empire (largely in Siberia, the Urals and the Caucuses) are: iron, copper, zinc, manganese, lead, silver, gold, and platinum. Near the mining sites of these minerals are typically metalwork plants to process the ores. They are then shipped throughout the empire as needed and to St. Petersburg to be sold to the rest of Europe.

Currently, the nation is being transformed by the mass spread of rail lines throughout the nation. Connecting major cities with the outposts of the East, the decisions of where to lay train tracks and what cities are made the new depots and which are left behind, has led to much conflict between local nobles and villagers.

Military[]

The Russian military is comprised of the Imperial Russian Army and the Imperial Russian Navy. Also often considered a part of the military establishment is the Third Section, the secret police. 

Army[]

Navy[]

Naval Ensign of Russia

The Naval Ensign of Russia

Naval Jack of Russia

Naval Jack of Russia

1864 resumption of Black Sea naval presence.

Third Section[]

The Third Section is the semi-militaristic secret police of the Russian Empire responding directly to the Chancellor (and therefore not truly being part of the military) ...

Culture[]

St

Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, St Petersburg

The Russian Empire is a mixture of many different culture and ethnicities spread throughout the realm. Although most consider themselves to be culturally Russian, most speak Russian and the Russian Orthodox Church is the largest religion, there are a variety of other subcultures within the Empire.

In the western parts of the Empire some such cultures are the Poles, Finns, Latvians, Estonians, and Lithuanians. These people tend to be Latin Catholic and speak their native tongues although education in Russian is increasingly mandatory. Closer to the Russians are the Ukrainians and Belorussians, who are separated by a few centuries but were united under the Kievan Rus' period. Mixed within this area is a small Yiddish-Jewish community.

In Central Asia and the Caucasus are many subgroups. There are Georgians and Armenians, who primarily practice versions of Christianity and speak native tongues. Another potent group includes Kazakhs, Turkmen and Tatars. These people are largely Sunni Muslims and have native Turkic languages.

In the far north and east are native peoples. While small in population, some such groups are the Maris, Komis, Khants, Nenets, Yakuts, Evenks, Nivkhs, and Koryaks. These people are regularly forced to learn Russian and assimilate into Russian culture in these regions and Russian settlement in their homeland is continued.

Foreign Relations[]

The Russian Empire has traditionally shied from close alliances with foreign powers, largely because it has been excluded from Western European diplomatic circles. Under Peter the Great, the Empire began to focus upon its relations with other nations, starting to look outwards, but even then Russia's large size and many land borders resulted in more rivalries than partnerships.

As recently as 1856, Russia was in the Crimean War opposing the United Kingdom, France, the Ottoman Empire, and the precursors of the Italian Kingdom. Since then, Russia has made overtures towards Austria, attempted a rapprochement with France and aided a failing Ottoman Empire, seeing them as natural allies in Europe.

In Central Asia, a noted rivalry exists between Russia and Great Britain. Called  "the Great Game" or the "Tournament of Shadows," this tension is due to expansion in the region north of Persia - currently occupied by Kokand, Khiva and Bukhara. These tough tensions have spilled over to European relations as well, but it is currently thought that these tensions will not escalate to a full-scaled war.

In recent years, diplomatic relations with foreign nations have improved. There is currently a trade agreement with the Netherlands and Denmark and a non-aggression pact with Japan.

East Asian diplomacy is dominated by the Treaty of Hanseong, which binds Austria, Taiping China and Korea (a Russian satellite state) together in a mutual defensive alliance and trade agreement.

There is also a pending alliance with Saxony, provided complications over Poland can be worked out.

Footnotes[]

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