The
Russian Empire (
Pre-reform Russian ?????????? ???????,
Modern Russian ?????????? ???????,
translit Rossiyskaya Imperiya) was a state that existed from 1721 until the
Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the
Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the
Soviet Union. It was
the second largest contiguous empire the world has ever seen, surpassed only by the
Mongol Empire. At one point in 1866, it stretched from eastern
Europe, across
Asia, and into
North America.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Russia was the largest country in the world, extending from the Arctic Ocean to the north to the Black Sea on the south, from the Baltic Sea on the west to the Pacific Ocean on the east. Across this vast realm were scattered the Emperor's 176.4 million subjects, the third largest population of the world at the time, after Qing China and British Empire, but still represented a great disparity in economic, ethnic, and religious positions. Its government, ruled by the Emperor, was one of the last absolute monarchies left in Europe. Prior to the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 Russia was one of the five major Great Powers of Europe.
The Russian Empire was a natural successor to the Tsardom of Muscovy. Though the empire was only officially proclaimed by Tsar Peter I following the Treaty of Nystad (1721), some historians[who?] would argue that it was truly born when Peter acceded to the throne in early 1682.
Peter was deeply impressed by the advanced technology, warcraft, and statecraft of the West. He studied modern tactics and fortifications and built a strong army of 300,000 made up of his own subjects, whom he conscripted for life. The Strelets Troops were incorporated into the regular army. In 1697–1698, he became the first Russian prince to ever visit the West, where he and his entourage made a deep impression. In celebration of his conquests, Peter assumed the title of emperor as well as tsar, and Muscovite Russia officially became the Russian Empire late in 1721.
