Romanov Empire: The Russian Empire Under Romanov Rule

Contents13

• When the empire existed
• How the Romanov Empire grew
• Government under the Romanov Empire
• How it differs from the Soviet Union
• Record detail: territorial peak, disputed figure
• Why "Romanov Empire" is not the term historians use
• Foreign policy across the empire's history
• Flag and symbols
• Population and scale
• Romanov Empire rulers, 1721-1917
• The Romanov Empire and its peoples
• The Romanov Empire at war
• Verdict: the Romanov Empire in brief

"Romanov Empire" is not the formal name historians use. The formal name is the Russian Empire. The Romanov dynasty ruled it for its whole life. That runs from 1721, when Peter I took the title Emperor, to Nicholas II's fall in 1917.

TL;DR: "Romanov Empire" is a popular name for the Russian Empire. The Romanovs ruled it from 1721, when Peter I became emperor, to 1917, when Nicholas II gave up the throne. It grew to span Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Siberia. Its peak area is usually given as about 22 to 23 million square kilometres.

When the empire existed

How the Romanov Empire grew

The empire grew across two centuries under a line of Romanov rulers. Peter I won Baltic coastline from Sweden, after a war that lasted over twenty years. Catherine II took land in three partitions of Poland-Lithuania. Prussia and Austria shared in them. She also took Crimea in 1783, after wars with the Ottoman Empire.

Rulers in the 1800s pushed the borders further still. They moved into the Caucasus. They moved into Central Asia, with campaigns against the khanates of Khiva, Bukhara and Kokand.

The Trans-Siberian Railway, begun in 1891, tied Siberia to the rest of the state. Russia also held Alaska as a fur-trading colony. It sold Alaska to the United States in 1867, partly because the far-off land was hard to defend.

Government under the Romanov Empire

For nearly its whole life, the empire had no elected national parliament. The emperor held total power. Councils and ministers advised him, but he chose them himself.

That changed only after the 1905 Revolution. It forced Nicholas II to allow an elected parliament, the Duma, from 1906. Even then, the emperor could close it and rule by decree between sessions.

How it differs from the Soviet Union

The Russian Empire and the Soviet Union are not the same state. The empire was a monarchy, ruled by the Romanovs. The Soviet Union was a one-party communist state.

It had different borders and a different system of rule. It was formed in 1922, after a civil war. Five years passed between the empire's fall in 1917 and the Soviet state's birth. First came a provisional government, then civil war.

Record detail: territorial peak, disputed figure

Territorial extent, early twentieth century.

Status: Disputed.

Note: Reference books give slightly different figures for the empire's peak land area. Most fall in a range of about 22 to 23 million square kilometres. The exact number depends on which year, and which lands, are counted.

Sources: Britannica, "Russian Empire"; Encyclopedia.com, "Russian Empire".

Why "Romanov Empire" is not the term historians use

Reference works name the state after the country it ruled, not after its ruling family. Most European monarchies of the time follow the same pattern. Historians write "the British Empire," not "the Windsor Empire." The Romanov name goes with the dynasty, as in "Romanov dynasty" or "Romanov family." The word "empire" goes with the state itself.

Foreign policy across the empire's history

The empire's ties with other powers shifted often across two centuries. A few themes kept coming back. One was rivalry with the Ottoman Empire over the Black Sea. Another was a contest with Britain over Central Asia. Historians call it the Great Game.

Russia fought off Napoleon's invasion in 1812. Then it joined a conservative alliance of European powers. In its last decades, alliance with France and Britain drew the empire into the First World War. It fought Germany and Austria-Hungary. That strain fed straight into the revolutions of 1917.

Flag and symbols

The empire's main state symbol was a black double-headed eagle on gold. It drew on the old Byzantine imperial symbols, which the Romanovs claimed as heirs. Two flags served as national symbols at different times. One was black, yellow and white. The other was the white, blue and red flag Russia still uses today.

Population and scale

By the early 1900s, the empire held well over 100 million people. At its largest, its land crossed eleven time zones. Most people still lived on the land, even in its last decades. Most of them were peasants.

Romanov Empire rulers, 1721-1917

The full list of rulers, with the short reigns of the 1700s, is on the Romanov dynasty hub.

The Romanov Empire and its peoples

The empire ruled far more than Russians. By the 1897 census, Russians were a minority. The empire also held Ukrainians, Poles, Belarusians, Finns and Baltic peoples.

It held Jews, Armenians, Georgians and Tatars, and many Muslim peoples of the Caucasus and Central Asia. Its policies toward them varied. Finland kept its own home rule as a grand duchy. Other regions faced pressure to become Russian in the late 1800s.

The Romanov Empire at war

To read more, see our guide to the best books about the Romanovs. Montefiore's history follows the empire from start to end.

Verdict: the Romanov Empire in brief

The Romanov Empire is the Russian Empire under its only dynasty. It lasted from 1721 to 1917. It grew into one of the largest land empires in history.

It ruled many peoples besides Russians. Sources give its peak area differently, so this page marks that figure as disputed. For the state itself in more detail, see the Russian Empire page.

Sources checked for this page

• Britannica, "Russian Empire"
• Encyclopedia.com, "Russian Empire"
• Britannica, "Russian Empire: Nicholas II"
• EBSCO Research Starters, "Romanov Dynasty"
• History.com, "Romanov family"

Questions people also ask

Is "Romanov Empire" the correct historical name?

No. Historians call it the Russian Empire, named after the state rather than the ruling family, the same pattern used for the British and Austrian Empires. "Romanov Empire" is a modern search phrase, not a term found in period treaties or diplomatic records.

When did the Romanov Empire exist?

From 1721, when Peter I took the title Emperor of All Russia, to 1917, when Nicholas II abdicated during the February Revolution.

Is the Romanov Empire the same as the Soviet Union?

No. The Romanov Empire was a monarchy that ended in 1917. The Soviet Union, a one-party communist state, formed in 1922 after a civil war, on different institutions and borders.

How big was the Romanov Empire?

Its peak land area is usually given as about 22 to 23 million square kilometres, making it one of the largest empires in history; sources differ on the exact figure.

Who was the last ruler of the Romanov Empire?

Nicholas II, who reigned from 1894 until he abdicated on 15 March 1917. Bolsheviks killed him and his family in July 1918.