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Empire is a tricky word. Catherine II makes it a little more obvious. The Russian Empire was growing and was not slowing down. With the recent addition to Poland, Lithuania, Crimea, and some other states by the Caucuses, the Empire was growing at a rapid rate. With this comes clashes with culture. One of the main clashes Catherine faced was with religion. A touchy subject today, and an even touchier one back then. The first image shows a map by John Cary in 1799, depicting Poland in its state of Russian rule. Poland would soon develop nationalistic tendencies, but under the rule of Catherine I, there was a system in place that allowed somewhat limited self-governance with the aristocracy choosing certain leaders, but the autonomy being controlled by the Russian Empire. Catherine the Great used this method of appeasement to a greater extent when allowing Islam to be an official religion in Russia. Why, when Orthodoxy was so strong? Control. Catherine used this idea to allow different cultures into Russia to keep the population happy while still maintaining direct control over her subjects. This is a genius way of expanding the territory of your nation while maintaining order in a new land that might not agree with the takeover itself. This cultural appeasement is an important factor when looking at what it means to have an empire and what it means to manage an empire. Poland is a great example of Catherine tolerating Catholicism to an extent as to keep the population firmly under Russian control.

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schilder: Erichsen, Vigilius. 1749 - 1782. Portrait of Catherine II, Empress of Russia (Catherine the Great) [Catherine II (1729-96). Keizerin van Rusland]. sch

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Catherine the Great. Women rulers at the time were not unheard of but they were most certainly rare. Her coup of her husband was a bit of a gamble, but anybody in the empire business knows how to bet. Catherine herself was important to the expansion and management of the Russian Empire. She herself oversaw the takeover of Poland and Islam coming into the fold of the Russian Empire. This image is just a portrait but can show us a few key things about the ruler. Few religious symbols. There is a cross on her crown, but for the time, there are not many religious symbols for this portrait. Though she would call herself Orthodox, not everyone in her Empire, mainly Catholic Poles and Muslims would not be thrilled to have their religion shoved to the side or at least not rubbed in their face that they are not the same religion as their ruler.

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14 April 1855. Crimean War: a blazing battle in and around the harbour at Sevastopol, details of the French and English ships are given. Wood engraving, 1855.. 

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The beginning of the Battle for Sevastopol. This Battle marked the European Coalition of France and Britain, using their combined strength, to lay siege to the city of Sevastopol. The British and French navies were far superior, using steam engines, in terms of maneuverability. The Russians had decided to scuttle part of their navy and block the entrance by sea to delay the invasion. The Russians had decided that the best use of their navy was to sink it. This Battle was the beginning of Russia losing Crimea. This area being fought over that Russia decided to value highly, was not under full control of the Russian Empire. This idea of Empire was important to the Russian identity and their power status in Europe. This war meant more to Russia than just keeping territory. It was to show the dominance of the Russian Empire and the important role that they can and will play in the future of Europe. This idea of Empire is a particularly tricky one to negotiate. The Russians needed a balance of acceptance of different cultures while still maintaining a sense of national identity.

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This image is from Sevastopol, in modern day Ukraine. This shows the absolute devastation that occurred in this city. The complete annihilation of what used to be. The Russians stood little to no chance. In conjunction with the previous photo, showing the beginning of the battle, this is the end. A disaster. Russia held more than 400,000 casualties during this war, with disease playing a large part in that. The entire identity of the Russian Empire was military strength and the defenders of Orthodox. This battle single handedly woke up the entire nation of a crumbling grip on their territories. Russia was not only military and technologically behind Britain and France, but logistically as well. One major failure of the Russian war effort was the supply chain issues throughout Crimea. Lack of food, disease, and overall lack of supplies ran rampant throughout the Russian Army at the time, contributing to the massive casualties suffered at Sevastopol. This Empire that Russia had been building was hurting. Empire was their identity but they failed to enforce that identity during this war. They can’t control their vast Empire that they took so long to build. This Empire needed change. Militarily. Technologically. Logistically. The Bear began to wake.

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Artist: Achille-Isidore Gilbert (French, Paris 1828-1899 Paris), Artist: Designed by Henri-Pierre-Léon-Pharamond Blanchard (French, Lyon 1805-1873 Paris), Artis

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This visually striking image shows us the celebration of the coronation of Alexander II. The fireworks, the explosions, the cheer, all of these happy tones subjects ais inspiring to see and watch as well as study. I believe that it shows the power of the Russian Autocrat using their powers at full force. Alexander II freed the serfs, making him an instant harbinger of change. This picture shows us the excitement and joy the Russian people felt about Alexander II. The coronation of the Russian Emperor can be seen in a light of hope and happiness if you are seen good in the eyes of history. Alexander II was swayed by public opinion and advisors to be more favorable toward the peasant class. The emancipation of the peasant class from serfdom had large implications throughout the empire. The freedom of serfs created a new power dynamic where the peasant class held more personal responsibility for themselves. The soldier class was being developed with the universal conscription law coming into place as well. These progressive reforms were the eventual demise of Alexander II, being assassinated in 1881, leading his son, Alexander III, to be much more conservative. The Empire began to change, rapidly. Tsars were not seen in the same light as they once were and the idea of “Empire” was beginning to be questioned at all levels. These decisions made by Alexander II started with this coronation. Some coronations wouldn’t go as smooth and would be more like the end of his reign…

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Coronation of Czar Nicholas II in the Church of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin. https://library-artstor-org.colorado.idm.oclc.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_418220

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The Beginning of a New Era. That’s what the people would think on this day. The coronation of the Emperor was a huge event by any means. A coronation shows us the lavish wealth and the power that comes with that wealth. The Russian aristocracy was taking part in the ceremony as well as the celebrations. Outside this Church, however, there are around 1,000 people being trampled to death. The aristocracy remained protected from this tragedy of course. This picture shows the stark difference in reality in which two distant social classes share the same space. This was the beginning of the end. Though a light example, these differences in class would soon be challenged.
Empire used to be a strong idea that swelled some sense of nationalistic pride in Russia. The peasants and the aristocrats had a common idea of Country, however, this pride was soon shattered by an exhausted population due to mismanaged pride of the Emperor, or that’s who they blamed anyways. It is to be said that the October Revolution was not one-sided, many Russian people and especially aristocrats favored the Tsar, the status quo, however, the changes that were demanded by the peasant class and the working class and the soldier class were powerful enough to spark a revolution. This new idea of socialism had swayed the minds of enough people to counter the monarchist power established through the land for hundreds of years.
The Empire itself would be challenged. Exhausted by war, famine, and political differences, the Russian people abandoned the worship of the once god-like Tsar, to find their hope for a better life with a revolution. The Coronation of Nicholas II was the beginning of the end of the idea of “Empire.”