The Russian Empire - Summary on a map

Aug 9, 2023

The Russian Empire - Summary on a map

Let’s retrace on maps the Russian Empire history, from the end of the Rurik Dynasty in 1598 to the fall of the Romanov dynasty in 1917.
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Support the channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geohistory
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English translation \u0026 voiceover: Matthew Bates https://www.epicvoiceover.com/
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Original French version:    • L’Empire russe - résumé sur cartes
Russian version:    • Российская империя - история на карте
Arabic version: Coming soon
Spanish version:    • El Imperio Ruso - resumen en mapas
Portuguese version (Brazil):    • O Império Russo
Japanese version:    • ロシア帝国とウクライナの歴史
German version:    • Das Russische Reich - Zusammenfassung…
Corean version:    • 러시아 제국 - 지도로 보는 러시아의 역사
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Music: Late Truth / Audio Hertz (YouTube Library)
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Software: Adobe After Effects
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Chapters
00:00 Time of Troubles
01:15 Reconstruction of the country
02:32 Little Russia
03:50 Peter I
04:58 The Russian Empire
06:50 The Seven Years’ War
08:25 Catherine the Great
10:14 Napoleon
11:51 Patriotic War of 1812
13:25 Insurrections and revolutions
15:06 The Crimean War
16:44 Instability
18:32 Japan
20:20 World War I

#geohistory #history #russia #russianempire

Content

0.56 -> In the Tsardom of Russia, after the death of Feodor I in 1598,

5.84 -> the Rurik dynasty that had ruled the country for 700 years extinguishes.

10.958 -> Then starts a period of troubles, as there are many pretenders to the title of Tsar competing for the throne,

17.28 -> including impostors who claim to be of the Rurik lineage.

21.01 -> Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth also intervene, and each support their candidate to the throne.

28.277 -> After a victory, the Polish prince enters Moscow and becomes the new Tsar.

33.861 -> But soon revolts break out, and he’s driven out.

37.452 -> Representatives from all over the country gather to elect a new tsar.

41.885 -> They choose to place on the throne Michael Romanov,

45.316 -> a young man from among the older, aristocratic families called the Boyars.

50.017 -> He is the first of a new, very long dynasty.

53.559 -> But he inherits a devastated country, ruined by years of wars and instability.

59.717 -> Groups of looters plunder the countryside, while Polish and Swedish armies still occupy Russian territories.

66.744 -> In order to restore the state, Michael I set two objectives: to ensure peace, and to stabilize the state’s finances.

78.8 -> At first, the Tsar, without an army capable of fighting,

82.27 -> negotiates and obtains a truce with Sweden, and then with Poland.

86.468 -> He is forced to give up many territories, losing access to the Baltic Sea.

90.869 -> On the other hand, in the distant lands to the east, Cossack explorers progress without much resistance,

97.157 -> seizing territories and building new outposts.

100.275 -> They subjugate the local tribes, and force them to pay a fur tax.

104.924 -> In 1639, explorer Ivan Moskvitin reaches the coast of the Pacific Ocean.

111.247 -> Further south, explorations around the Amur River lead to the first contacts with China.

117.233 -> In 1648, Semyon Dezhnev becomes the first Russian to cross what would later be called the Bering Strait.

124.882 -> Throughout the country, the numerous taxes intended to fill state coffers provoke revolts.

130.495 -> In response, Tsar Alexis re-establishes order, notably by reinforcing the serfdom of the peasants,

137.238 -> who represent the largest source of income for the State.

140.477 -> The peasants are no longer allowed to leave their lords, who are given all rights over them,

146.106 -> with the lords also now responsible for collecting taxes on behalf of the state.

155.36 -> In the West, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is the result of the union, in 1569, of Poland and Lithuania,

163.12 -> which had conquered a large part of the territories of the former Kievan Rus during the Mongol domination.

169.278 -> These lands, mostly Orthodox, are a space of relative freedom for the peasants and Cossacks who live there.

175.962 -> But the local Polish nobility wants to convert them to Catholicism, and make them serfs.

182.202 -> An armed revolt breaks out, attacking the Polish, as well as the Jews,

186.8 -> who are massacred because they were in charge of collecting taxes.

190.548 -> In Moscow, Patriarch Nikon, the highest representative of the Orthodox Church in the country,

196.924 -> wants to reform the Church and return to the original Byzantine texts.

201.318 -> But many Orthodox refuse to abandon the Russian tradition,

205.381 -> and distance themselves from the Church, causing a schism.

208.983 -> The Old Believers will gradually be suppressed.

212.213 -> In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Russia offers protection to the Cossack revolt, which provokes a war.

219.423 -> Thirteen years later, Russia wins, and takes over a large territory that it calls Little Russia.

225.727 -> The rights of the Cossacks there will be progressively suppressed.

233.36 -> On the shores of the Caspian Sea, a Cossack revolt breaks out,

237.613 -> bringing together peasants on the run, old believers, and minorities.

242.077 -> They go up the Volga, attacking nobles and administrative authorities, and gaining the support of the population.

249.088 -> Finally, in Simbirsk, the poorly equipped rebel army is defeated.

253.623 -> In the Far East, tensions rise with China for control of the Amur River basin.

258.474 -> To avoid a war, Russia abandons its ambitions in the region.

263.099 -> But the new Tsar Peter I is much more interested in the West.

267.51 -> He organizes an embassy of 200 people, that he joins incognito,

272.695 -> in order to discover and learn more about the European powers, especially the Dutch Republic, which is a great maritime power.

280.771 -> The Tsar spends several months there, working in the shipyards.

284.697 -> On his return, he wants to equip his country with a modern military fleet.

289.683 -> But to do so, he has to gain access to the Baltic Sea, and thus defeat the powerful Sweden, which is blocking him.

301.44 -> After joining an anti-Swedish coalition with Denmark and Saxony,

305.854 -> the Russian army besieges Narva, but is quickly routed by the Swedish army.

310.939 -> The latter then moves towards Poland and Saxony,

314.128 -> giving Peter I a much-needed respite to reinforce his army and resume the offensive.

320.221 -> After a victory at the mouth of the Neva River, he decides to found there a new city, which he names St. Petersburg.

327.923 -> In 1707, the Swedish army, having dominated its enemies, leaves Saxony and marches towards Moscow.

335.691 -> But while Swedish reinforcements and supplies arrive from Riga,

340.329 -> King Charles XII decides, against all odds, to branch off to Little Russia,

345.236 -> where he counts on the support of the Cossacks, and the abundance of wheat.

349.23 -> Peter I takes advantage of this to intercept the reinforcing army.

353.748 -> In the south, after a harsh winter, the Swedish army is finally defeated.

358.783 -> Charles XII takes refuge in the Ottoman Empire, which provokes a short war, but without success, for Russia.

366.209 -> In 1712, Peter I makes Saint Petersburg the new capital of Russia.

371.56 -> But a large part of the population is opposed to his policy of the Westernization of the country,

377.259 -> including his heir apparent, son Alexis.

380.487 -> The latter is put on trial, and dies, probably under torture.

385.278 -> In 1721, a peace treaty is signed with Sweden.

389.063 -> The Tsarate of Russia wins and becomes the Russian Empire.

393.22 -> Emperor Peter the Great gets what he wanted; Russia is now firmly established on the shores of the Baltic Sea,

400.607 -> and turned towards Europe, where it is now a major player.

404.39 -> In 1725, Peter the Great dies without an heir son.

413.6 -> In 1730, Anna, Peter's niece, becomes the Empress.

417.903 -> She dreams of having access to the Black Sea.

420.751 -> But for this to happen, the Crimean Khanate, and its powerful Ottoman ally, must be defeated.

427.178 -> A Russian army enters Crimea, and a second one into Moldavia.

432.121 -> Austria joins the offensive, but without success.

435.548 -> Fearing that it could turn out badly, the Russian armies withdraw, and despite the heavy losses incurred,

442.227 -> Russia cedes back the conquered territories, except for the city of Azov.

446.933 -> After the death of Anna, Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great, seizes power.

452.398 -> At the same time, in the East, Vitus Bering, a Danish navigator working for Russia,

458.022 -> discovers and explores the coasts of America.

461.023 -> On the European side, after the War of the Austrian Succession, an intense diplomatic game upsets the traditional alliances.

469.196 -> Great Britain moves closer to Prussia,

472.104 -> while Russia allies itself with Austria and France.

475.699 -> The Seven Years' War breaks out, and Russian armies enter Prussia, but they face fierce resistance.

482.457 -> After years of fighting, while victory is imminent for Russia, Elizabeth dies.

487.845 -> Her nephew Peter III comes to the throne and, being a great admirer of Prussia, immediately stops the war.

495.22 -> In spite of the enormous losses, he returns all the occupied territories to Prussia,

501.237 -> without compensation, which does not go down well in Russia.

508.88 -> A few months later, Peter III is the victim of a coup d'état fomented by his own wife,

514.72 -> Catherine, who seizes the throne despite her German origins.

518.374 -> She begins her reign by strengthening Russian influence in Poland, which provokes a rebellion there.

524.62 -> The Ottoman Empire, after incidents on its border, declares war on Russia.

529.538 -> This satisfies the empress, who also dreams of having access to the Black Sea,

534.447 -> but also of creating a Greek neo-Byzantine state which would control the straits leading to the Mediterranean Sea.

541.84 -> Russian troops enter Bucharest, while a military fleet from the Baltic Sea completely destroys the Ottoman fleet.

549.033 -> Fearing an Austrian intervention against the new Russian domination in the Balkans,

554.24 -> Prussia and Russia offer Austria a share between the three powers of one third of the Polish lands.

560.72 -> In Russia, a Cossack insurrection involving peasants and many subjugated peoples gains momentum,

567.706 -> forcing Catherine II to send forces there.

570.666 -> The same year, a peace agreement is signed with the Ottoman Empire.

574.68 -> Russia occupies Crimea militarily, but in 1783 it violates the treaty and annexes the territory.

582.753 -> Many settlers arrive there, driving out the Muslim population.

587.181 -> The military port of Sevastopol is founded.

590.184 -> Then, after a new victory against the Ottomans, the port of Odessa is established.

595.846 -> In the north, Poland is now entirely partitioned between its neighbors.

600.567 -> Russia obtains many Slavic and Baltic territories,

604.211 -> but the country is now a neighbor of two great, Germanic powers.

608.181 -> In 1796, Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great, dies.

617.76 -> In France, the revolution started in 1789.

621.343 -> This, followed by the execution of King Louis XVI,

625.457 -> makes the European monarchies fear the spread of revolutionary ideas throughout the continent.

631.601 -> In 1798, Russia joins an anti-French alliance.

635.417 -> A Russian-Austrian army drives the French out of Italy, while a Russian-Ottoman fleet seizes the Ionian Islands.

643.212 -> In the Caucasus, Russia and Persia quarrel over control of the region, which leads to war.

649.226 -> In 1805, Alexander I join the 3rd coalition against Napoleon’s France,

654.499 -> but his army is defeated at Austerlitz.

657.969 -> Two years later, Napoleon moves on the former territories of Poland.

662.347 -> The Russian armies are again defeated, forcing Alexander I to sign a peace treaty.

667.732 -> Napoleon leads the way, creating the Duchy of Warsaw, and forging an alliance with Russia,

673.724 -> which commits itself to respecting the continental blockade against the United Kingdom.

679.39 -> With peace assured with Napoleon, Russia can concentrate on other fronts, against Persia, the Ottoman Empire,

686.735 -> or Sweden for control of Finland.

689.142 -> In 1808, Napoleon, having troubles on the Iberian Peninsula, fears that Austria will take advantage of this to attack him.

697.564 -> He then invites Alexander I to Erfurt to ensure their alliance and his support.

703.296 -> But Alexander doesn’t cooperate. Napoleon believes that he cannot count on Russia, and so prepares to invade the country.

715.52 -> In June 1812, Napoleon and his armies enter Russia, hoping for a quick victory.

721.23 -> But the Russian armies avoid confrontation and retreat, forcing the French to go far inland.

727.044 -> At the gates of Moscow, a bloody battle finally takes place,

731.062 -> after which the Russians withdraw, leaving Moscow to the French.

734.706 -> But the city is deserted and burned.

737.052 -> Napoleon desperately tries to get a peace treaty signed, but Alexander doesn’t follow through.

743.194 -> Finally, Napoleon is forced to turn back, while an exceptionally harsh winter decimates his army.

749.75 -> Harassed by the Russian armies, Napoleon barely manages to flee the country with a small part of his army.

756.758 -> But Alexander I continues the war in Europe, and he is joined by Prussia, Austria, and Sweden,

763.315 -> while the French are driven out of Spain by the English, Portuguese, and Spanish armies.

768.532 -> Alexander I and his allies enter Paris and obtain the abdication of Napoleon.

774.529 -> In Vienna, the victors meet to draw new borders for Europe and restore the monarchies.

780.24 -> Alexander I, having played a major role in the fall of Napoleon,

784.733 -> acquires a large part of the Duchy of Warsaw, which retains a certain autonomy.

789.928 -> In addition, that same year, he creates the Holy Alliance, whose mission is to ensure peace in Europe.

796.647 -> Russia triumphs on the European level.

799.769 -> Meanwhile, in America, the fur trade develops under the influence of the Russian-American Company.

809.36 -> After the death of Alexander I, successor Constantine refuses to take the throne.

815.179 -> His brother Nicholas then becomes the new emperor.

818.323 -> But as soon as he takes power, he narrowly avoids a military coup.

822.798 -> In response, he strengthens the autocracy and surveillance in the country.

827.39 -> In the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire is undermined by a Greek insurrection.

832.147 -> Russia takes advantage of this and provokes a war.

835.563 -> The Russian army is getting dangerously close to Constantinople,

839.935 -> but Nicholas I knows that France, and especially the United Kingdom, are not happy with the rise of Russian power,

846.861 -> and would not let the capital be taken.

849.06 -> After the signing of a peace treaty, Russia consolidates its presence on the Black Sea.

854.563 -> In 1830, several revolutions break out in Europe, including in Poland,

859.322 -> where the Russian army intervenes violently, provoking discontent in the continent.

864.593 -> The emperor then strengthens his alliances with Prussia and Austria,

868.904 -> and obtains a defensive alliance with the Ottoman Empire.

872.325 -> With his western borders secured, Nicholas I is able to concentrate on the Caucasus Mountains,

878.663 -> where many mainly Muslim peoples fiercely resist the Russian invader.

883.555 -> In Europe, the Holy Alliance is challenged by the rise of nationalism.

888.181 -> Everywhere, people rise up, aiming for more autonomy.

892.237 -> Fearing the spread of revolutionary ideas in Russia, Nicholas I supports his allies.

898.787 -> The Austrian Empire, on the verge of implosion,

902.143 -> receives precious help from the Russian army to quell the Hungarian revolution.

910.56 -> After new tensions, a war breaks out against the Ottoman Empire.

914.151 -> The Russian armies win on land and on sea.

917.479 -> But this time, France and the United Kingdom intervene and declare war on Russia.

923.054 -> For their part, Prussia and Austria, despite their alliances, remain neutral.

928.296 -> The Russian troops withdraw from the Balkans.

931.004 -> In the Black Sea, the Franco-British fleets dominate with their recent steamships.

936.018 -> After a military landing, the better equipped coalition armies beat the Russians.

941.094 -> After the death of Nicholas I and the peace signed by Alexander II,

946.411 -> Russia realizes that it is far behind in development in the military, economic, industrial, and agricultural spheres.

954.042 -> The new emperor decides to reform and modernize the whole country.

958.623 -> He first accelerates the development of railroads to facilitate access to remote regions and their resources.

965.878 -> In the Far East, taking advantage of China's decline,

968.786 -> Russia pushes back the border to the Amur River.

972.721 -> Alexander II then frees peasants from serfdom, but they are now linked to their communities,

978.681 -> and must go into debt to buy back the land they cultivate.

982.426 -> The emperor also reforms the army, the educational system, governmental administration, and the justice system.

989.641 -> In Central Asia, Russian conquests are bringing the country closer to the rival British Empire.

995.86 -> Fearing a new war against the latter, the emperor decides to sell Alaska to the United States,

1001.534 -> considering the region too difficult to defend.

1008.72 -> In the Balkans, insurrections undermine the Ottoman Empire.

1012.56 -> Russia takes advantage of this, and after a new war, imposes the independence of new states.

1018.579 -> But the European powers refuse Russian supremacy in the region, and meet in Berlin to review the treaty.

1025.361 -> In Russia, the population sees this as a German betrayal.

1029.59 -> In addition, the situation is complicated for Alexander II.

1033.75 -> His numerous reforms are causing discontent.

1036.935 -> The peasants don’t have total freedom, and the nobles have lost their privileges.

1041.797 -> The development of industry gives rise to a working class community whose working conditions are very difficult.

1048.874 -> Finally, the Russification of the empire is done at the expense of the many minorities that represent a third of the population.

1057.373 -> Revolutionary movements rise up.

1060.167 -> Some become radicalized, and Alexander II becomes the target of attacks.

1065.075 -> After several failed attempts, the emperor is assassinated in 1881.

1070.748 -> Jews are accused of being involved in the attack, which provokes a wave of pogroms throughout the country,

1077.252 -> and pushes millions of Jews to flee to Europe and the United States.

1081.821 -> The new emperor Alexander III wants to revise his father's reforms and restore a strong autocracy.

1089.686 -> In Europe, after the signing of an alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy,

1095.499 -> Russia becomes increasingly isolated.

1097.9 -> The country then approaches France, also isolated since its defeat against Germany in 1871.

1104.668 -> The two countries sign an alliance.

1107.074 -> In Russia, the construction of a trans-Siberian railway opens the way to the Far East.

1117.04 -> In 1895, expansionist Japan defeats China.

1121.247 -> The new emperor Nicolas II takes advantage of China's weakness

1125.622 -> to obtain authorization to build a railroad that crosses Manchuria.

1129.896 -> But in China, a revolt undermines the Qing Dynasty, and an international alliance intervenes to quell the revolt.

1137.692 -> The Russian army then occupies Manchuria,

1140.458 -> which provokes the discontent of Japan, which has its eye on this territory.

1145.547 -> In 1904, war breaks out and turns to the advantage of the Japanese, who dominate the Russian armies.

1152.802 -> The Baltic military fleet, after several months of navigation, is defeated by the Japanese fleet.

1159.4 -> This Russian defeat provokes a revolution.

1162.348 -> Workers organize strikes, peasants attack the property of nobles, and minorities demand more autonomy.

1169.988 -> Finally, a railway workers' strike paralyzes the country.

1173.543 -> With his back to the wall, Emperor Nicholas II is forced to accept the establishment of a State Duma,

1179.934 -> that is, a legislative assembly, which weakens the autocracy.

1183.726 -> After bloodily crushing the last revolutionary pockets,

1187.687 -> the country's economy is revived.

1189.986 -> The production of iron, coal, and oil increases, which boosts industrial development.

1195.761 -> The standard of living rises, and the country modernizes.

1199.362 -> Moreover, a rapprochement takes place with the United Kingdom

1203.702 -> in order to delimit the zones of influence in Central Asia.

1207.806 -> France, the United Kingdom, and Russia form the Triple Entente,

1211.18 -> which oppose the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

1216.312 -> A total war seems inevitable. The powers are preparing for it.

1225.12 -> In the Balkans, the heir of Austria is assassinated by a Bosnian Serb nationalist.

1230.88 -> In retaliation, Austria-Hungary, supported by Germany, declares war on Serbia.

1236.256 -> Russia, which wants to protect the Slavs in the Balkans, decrees general mobilization,

1242.407 -> and in a few days, all of Europe enters into war.

1246.059 -> St. Petersburg, whose name has a strong German sound, is renamed Petrograd.

1251.235 -> In London, the members of the Triple Entente agree not to sign a separate peace.

1256.873 -> The Russian armies are pushed back from East Prussia, but manage to move into Galicia.

1262.397 -> The Ottoman Empire joins the Triple Alliance and closes the straits, isolating Russia completely.

1269.013 -> In 1915, while the western front is frozen in trenches,

1273.312 -> Germany turns to Russia, where it seizes many territories, but here too, the front is frozen.

1279.495 -> Millions of refugees wander the country,

1282.885 -> while the war effort concentrates 80% of Russia’s industry, to the detriment of civilian needs.

1288.618 -> Inflation and rationing put the population to the sword as the war drags on.

1294.107 -> The emperor and his wife become increasingly unpopular,

1297.788 -> especially as they are under the influence of the mysterious Rasputin, who is considered a charlatan.

1303.745 -> In Petrograd, strikes turn into uncontrollable armed revolts.

1308.503 -> Emperor Nicholas II is finally forced to abdicate, which marks the end of the Romanov dynasty.

1315.948 -> A provisional government managed by the State Duma takes over.

1320.225 -> It tries to ease tensions, but chooses not to sign a separate peace with Germany.

1325.338 -> The war continues. The discontent within the population, too.

1329.867 -> A few months later, during a second revolution, the Bolsheviks, with Lenin at their head,

1335.459 -> seize power, and directly sign a cease-fire with Germany.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjDjnhOzqIU