Russian Empire

For other places with a similar name, see Russia (disambiguation).

The Russian Empire, also known as Tsarist Russia, Tsarist Empire or Imperial Russia, and sometimes simply as Russia, was a country in Europe and Asia from November 1721 until its dissolution in March 1917. When the Russian Empire collapsed, it became the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR), as part of the Soviet Union.

Russian Empire Россійская Имперія Российская Империя Rossiyskaya Imperiya
1721–1917
Motto:
Anthem:
Russia in 1914      Lost in 1856–1914      Spheres of influence      Protectorates
Capital	Saint Petersburg (1721–1728; 1730–1917) Moscow (1728–1730)
Official languages	Russian • French (widely used among the upper classes until the 19th century)
Religion (1897)	84.2% Christianity 69.3% Eastern Orthodox (official) 9.2% Catholic 5.7% Other Christian 11.1% Islam 4.2% Judaism 0.3% Buddhism 0.2% Others
Demonym(s)	Russian
Government	Unitary absolute monarchy (1721–1906) Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy (1906–1917)
Emperor
• 1721–1725 (first)	Peter I
• 1894–1917 (last)	Nicholas II
Chancellor/Prime Minister
• 1810–1812 (first)	Nikolai Rumyantsev
• 1917 (last)	Nikolai Golitsyn
Legislature	Governing Senate
• Upper house	State Council (1810–1917)
• Lower house	State Duma (1905–1917)
History
• Treaty of Nystad	10 September 1721
•	2 November 1721
• Table of Ranks	4 February 1722
• Decembrist revolt	26 December 1825
• Emancipation reform	3 March 1861
• Selling of Alaska	18 October 1867
• 1905 Revolution	Jan 1905 – Jul 1907
• October Manifesto	30 October 1905
• Constitution adopted	6 May 1906
• February Revolution	8–16 March 1917
•	14 September 1917
Area
1866
Population
• 1897	125,640,021
Currency	Russian ruble
Preceded by Succeeded by Tsardom of Russia Provisional Government Russian Republic

By the late 19th century, it covered about 22,800,000 square kilometres (8,800,000 sq mi) making it the third-largest empire in history.

Russian EmpireRusso-Japanese War To The Russian Revolution Media

• God Save The Tsar! Russian national anthem 1833 to 1917. Recorded in 1915. Performed by the chorus and orchestra of St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society

• Orchestral Instrumental Rendition

• Rufst_du,_mein_Vaterland,_God_Save_the_King,_Íslands_minni,_Kongesangen_and_Oben_am_jungen_Rhein_(1938)

• 

  A painting depicting the Battle of Narva (1700) in the Great Northern War

• 

  'The Victory at Poltava' by Alexander Evstafyevich Kotzebue, 1862, Hermitage

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  Peter the Great officially proclaimed the Russian Empire in 1721 and became its first emperor. He instituted sweeping reforms and oversaw the transformation of Russia into a major European power. Painting by Jean-Marc Nattier, 1717.

• View of Moscow River from the Kremlin, 1908