The most exotic colonies of the Russian Empire. "Russian Empire" in Africa

There were once Russian colonies in America, Africa, and on the current territory of Germany. There was New Moscow in Somalia, and the Don River flowed in California. However, the initiatives of the Russian colonists were hampered by big politics...

Hawaii

In 1816-1817, three fortresses were built by local residents, named in honor of Alexander I, his wife Empress Elizabeth and Barclay de Tolly (only the remains of the stone foundation of the Elizabethan fortress have survived to this day).

“The Emperor deigns to believe that the acquisition of these islands and their voluntary entry into his patronage not only cannot bring Russia any significant benefit, but, on the contrary, in many respects is associated with very important inconveniences.”

Thus, the Russian colony, created in record time, was actually left to the mercy of fate.

Unlike Tsar Alexander I, the Americans really appreciated the importance of the islands and began to actively drive out the Russians from there. In the village of Waimea, American sailors attempted to lower the Russian flag, but the banner was defended by Hawaiian soldiers.

On June 17 (29), 1817, after an armed clash in which three Russians and several Hawaiians were killed, Russian colonists were forced to leave Hawaii and return to Alaska.

Fort Ross

On August 30 (September 11), 25 Russian colonists and 90 Aleuts founded a fortified settlement called Ross.
At that time, California was owned by the Spaniards, but the territories were practically not colonized by them. Thus, San Francisco, located 80 km south of the Russian colony, was just a small Catholic mission.

Russian names began to appear in the surrounding area: the Slavyanka River (modern Russian river), Rumyantsev Bay (modern Bodega Bay). During its entire existence, the fortress was never attacked: there were practically no Spaniards, and since 1821 there were practically no Mexicans nearby, and more or less peaceful relations were maintained with the Indians.

Throughout its existence, the colony was unprofitable for the Russian-American Company, and in 1841 it was sold to a Mexican citizen of Swiss origin, John Sutter.

Russian Somalia

In 1883, Ashinov had already visited Abyssinia: posing as a representative of the Russian emperor, he negotiated with the Ethiopian negus (emperor) regarding the political and church rapprochement of the two countries.

On January 6, 1889, Ashinov’s detachment landed on the coast of French Somalia (modern Djibouti). The French believed that the goal of the Russian expedition was indeed Abyssinia, and did not interfere with the Russian detachment. But, to their surprise, Ashinov found the abandoned Egyptian fort of Sagallo in the vicinity and began to settle down there. The fort was renamed New Moscow or the village of Moskovskaya, and the land fifty miles along the coast and one hundred miles inland was declared Russian territory.

A French officer who arrived at the fortress demanded that Sagallo be left as soon as possible. Ashinov refused. France was then in an allied relationship with Russia, and local authorities did not dare to take independent actions to expel from their territory, albeit uninvited, representatives of a friendly power.

Ashinov’s adventure could hinder the successfully developing process of Russian-French rapprochement. The French government was informed that Russia would not mind if France took measures to expel the Russian detachment from its territory.

Several Russians were killed and wounded. Finally, Ashinov’s shirt was raised over Sagallo as a white flag. The settlers were handed over to the Russian warship Zabiyaka, which arrived for them, and took them home.

Jever

Since the 17th century, the city was in the possession of the Anhalt-Zerbst princes. Sofia Augusta Friederica, better known to us as Empress Catherine II of Russia, also belonged to the same family. Therefore, when the last prince of Anhalt-Zerbst died in 1793, Jever was inherited by his only sister, Tsarina Catherine. The city became part of the Russian Empire.

The city remained under the Russian crown until 1807, when Napoleon occupied it. In 1813, French troops were expelled from the city, and it again became Russian. But not for long: in 1818, Alexander I ceded it to his relatives - the dukes of neighboring Oldenburg.

Alaska

Russian colonization of Alaska began in 1732, when Mikhail Gvozdev sailed to the shores of northwestern America on the boat “St. Gabriel,” and in 1772. when the first Russian trading settlement was founded on the island of Unalaska, Aleutian Islands.

Thus began the history of Russian America - Russian colonies on the American continent, which included not only the modern state of Alaska, but also some parts of California.

In 1792, the Russians founded a city on Kodiak Island, where in 1793 an Orthodox mission arrived consisting of 5 monks of the Valaam Monastery, headed by Archimandrite Joasaph. The conversion of local tribes to Orthodox Christianity began

The founding and colonization of Russian America was initially carried out by merchants - the Shelikhovs, Lebedev-Lastochkins and others. The latter founded the Nikolaevsky redoubt in 1791, now the city of Kenai.

In 1799, the Russian-American Company (RAC) was founded, with Alexander Andreevich Baranov becoming its manager. In the same year, the Mikhailovskaya Fortress was founded, which later received the name Novoarkhangelsk, now the city of Sitka. By 1819, more than 200 Russians and 1 thousand natives lived here. An elementary school, a shipyard, a church, workshops, an arsenal, and workshops appeared. The company hunted sea otters and traded their fur, and founded its own settlements and trading posts.

In the spring of 1802, Tlingit Indians captured and burned St. Michael's Fortress. In September-October 1804, the Tlingit siege of Novoarkhangelsk took place, ending in the victory of the Russian colonists. But in 1805, the Yakutat fortress fell, as a result of which 14 Russians and many natives in their service were killed. The youngest son of the commandant of the fortress Larionov spent 15 years in captivity among the Tlingits.

Since 1808, Novoarkhangelsk has become the capital of Russian America.

In 1824, the Russian-American Convention was signed, which fixed the southern border of the Russian Empire’s possessions in Alaska at latitude 54°40’N. In the same year, the Anglo-Russian Convention on the delimitation of their possessions in North America was signed. Under the terms of the Convention, a boundary line was established separating the British possessions from the Russian possessions on the western coast of North America adjacent to the Alaska Peninsula so that the border ran along the entire length of the coastline belonging to Russia, from 54° north latitude. up to 60° N, at a distance of 10 miles from the ocean's edge, taking into account all the bends of the coast /

Despite Alaska's natural wealth, the territory was sold to the United States in 1867. Perhaps the tsarist authorities hoped that the United States would want to conquer Canada, which would deal a blow to the British Empire. These calculations did not come true. Modern historians are trying to justify this deal by saying that Russia was unable to protect Alaska, and it would still have been taken from her by force.

As you know, all empires arise at some point, expand, but then inevitably fall apart. In 1917 the Russian Empire collapsed. The USSR collapsed in 1991, and the modern Russian Federation is moving in the same direction.

As a result of the Revolution of 1917, Russia lost Finland, Poland, the Kars region (now Turkey), and lost the First World War.

As a result of 1991, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and Estonia seceded from Russia.

Even earlier, as everyone knows, Tsar Alexander II sold Alaska to America.

However, few people know that the Russians made attempts to create colonies in Africa, America, the Pacific Ocean, and even Papua New Guinea. Little is written and known about this here; many, for example, will be surprised by the fact that there were Russian colonies in both the Hawaiian Islands and California...

Lost Colonies in America

1. Tobago Island(now part of the state). Total area 300 sq. km.

A Russian colony off the coast of South America could be the island of Tobago, which was a colony of Courland, which became part of the Russian Empire.

In 1652 the Duke of Courland Yakov took possession of Fr. Tobago off the coast of South America. Over the course of 30 years, 400 Courlanders moved here, and more than 900 black slaves were purchased from Africa. In Africa, the Courlanders acquired the island of St. Andrew (James Island, now part of Gambia).

However, in 1661 these territories in two hemispheres came into the use of England: the Duke of Courland actually contributed them as collateral for loans. When Courland became part of the Russian Empire, Catherine II tried to sue these two islands from the British until 1795, but to no avail.

Value: Trinidad is rich in oil, gas, and asphalt. Agricultural, tourism, metallurgy and chemical industries are developed. Being relatively close to the United States and the Panama Canal, the island is of great strategic importance.

2. “Russian America”: Alaska, West Coast of North America, California

Alaska is a huge (1,481,347 sq. km of land) US state, a former colony of Russia.

The so-called Russian America was not at all limited to Alaska.

Baranov and other leaders of the Russian-American Company clearly understood the need to colonize the west coast of America, up to and including California. An attempt to establish a settlement at the mouth of the Columbia River (now Washington state, USA) turned out to be impossible due to the fact that the Americans were the first to enter there.

However, not far from San Francisco, the Russians still founded the famous Fort Ross in California, but then sold it.

Alaska is rich in marine resources, oil, gas, gold, and is of great strategic importance.

Selling Alaska is the most idiotic act of Russian rulers before 1917.

Lost Colonies in Asia

1. Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits

They could have become Russian if not for the revolution of 1917, since by agreement with the allies, Russia would have received these straits.

It was possible to capture them during the Second World War, but this chance was missed.

2. Siam (Thailand)

Thailand is a large country in southern Asia, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, 514,000 sq. km.

Sandwiched between the British and French colonies, the kings of Thailand sought Russian protection. King Frame V in 1880 he announced his desire to conclude a friendly alliance with Russia. In 1897, the king arrives in the capital of Russia Chulalongkorn with a secret plan for Siam to become part of Russia as a dominion.

However, the British managed to convince the Thai king that the Russians would exile him to Siberia, and Thailand would become not a dominion, but a colony of Russia. Obviously, Russian diplomacy lost due to its passivity and inability to neutralize the influence of the enemy.

Value: The country occupies an important strategic position, the economy is based on tourism, gas production, rice cultivation, etc.

3. Mongolia

Mongolia, having separated from China, actually became the possession of Russia, but the Bolsheviks preferred to impose Soviet power on the Mongols to make it appear that the USSR was not the only “socialist” country.

4. Northern Iran

Northern Iran could have become Russian (southern - British) if Russia had not lost the First World War due to the revolution of 1917 and the policies of the Bolsheviks, which canceled all the “colonial” treaties of the Russian Empire with Iran.

5. Western Armenia

Western Armenia could have moved away from Turkey to Russia if they had not lost the First World War.

6. Manchuria

Manchuria (Northeast China) could have become Russian if not for Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War.

7. Bolsheviks in exchange for recognition Afghanistan of his regime, gave him some surrounding areas.

8. Some principalities in Indonesia, fighting the Dutch, offered to enter under Russian citizenship. The first and last full-time Russian consul in Indonesia Mikhail Bakunin over the course of five years (1895-1899) he repeatedly made proposals to establish direct trade ties between Russia and the island state. He also informed St. Petersburg about the possibility of jointly colonizing Java and Sumatra with the Dutch (the Dutch thus wanted to have an ally in the fight against the British in this region). He proposed making a naval base here that would control the approaches to the Russian Far East. Nicholas II answered Bakunin: “ Friendship with England is more important to me than these wild places ».

Lost Colonies in Europe

Islands in the Mediterranean Sea Malta And Ionian Islands, annexed by Russia during the wars with Napoleon, were, however, ceded to the British.

Lost Colonies in the Pacific

1. Hawaiian Islands

An employee of the Russian-American company tried to annex the Hawaiian Islands to Russia Georg Schaeffer (1779—1836).

In November 1815, Schaeffer reached Hawaii, after a successful course of treatment with Kamehameha and his wife, he won “the friendship and trust of the great king,” who granted Schaeffer several dozen heads of cattle, fishing grounds, land and buildings for a trading post.

However, then the negotiations broke down and in May 1816, Schaeffer sailed to Kauai on the approaching Russian ships Otkritie and Ilmena. Kaumualii was glad to have the opportunity to gain a strong ally and, with his help, regain independence. On May 21 (June 2) he solemnly asked Alexandra I accept his possessions under the protection, swore allegiance to the Russian scepter, promised to return the Bering and its cargo, gave the company a monopoly on the sandalwood trade and the right to unhindered establishment of trading posts on its territories.

On June 1 (13), Kaumualii, by secret agreement, allocated 500 people to Schaeffer to conquer the islands of Oahu, Lanai, Maui, Malokai and others, and also promised all possible assistance in the construction of Russian fortresses on all the islands. Schaeffer bought the schooner Lydia for Kaumualiya and agreed to purchase the armed ship Avon from the Americans. Baranov had to finalize and pay for the deal. Kaumualii agreed to reimburse the company for the cost of the ships in sandalwood.

The king granted Schaffer and his people several Hawaiian villages and a number of territories, where Schaffer made a series of renamings: the Hanalei Valley was named Sheffertal (Schaeffer Valley), the Hanapepe River - Don. He gave Russian surnames (Platov, Vorontsov) to local leaders.

In the possessions of Kaumualiya, Sheffer, with the help of several hundred workers provided to him by the king, laid out gardens, built buildings for the future trading post and three fortresses, naming them in honor of Alexander I, his wife the empress Elizabeth and Barclay de Tolly.

Schaeffer's message sent to the Main Board of the Russian-American Company by Baranov reached the addressee only on August 14 (26), 1817. Although confident in the need to annex the islands, but not daring to act independently, the directors of the company V. V. Kramer And A. I. Severin sent a report to the Emperor and the Minister of Foreign Affairs K. V. Nesselrode. In February 1818 Nesselrode outlined the final decision:

« The Emperor deigns to believe that the acquisition of these islands and their voluntary entry into his patronage not only cannot bring Russia any significant benefit, but, on the contrary, in many respects is associated with very important inconveniences. And therefore His Majesty desires that King Tomari, having expressed all possible friendliness and the desire to maintain friendly relations with him, not accept the aforementioned act from him, but only limit himself to establishing the above-mentioned favorable relations with him and act to expand the trade turnover of the American Company with the Sandwich Islands, as long as they are consistent with this order of affairs».

Such a decision was in accordance with the general direction of Russian policy at that time. By refusing acquisitions in the Pacific Ocean, Alexander I hoped to keep Great Britain from seizing the territory of the disintegrating Spanish colonial empire. In addition, the government did not want to worsen relations with the United States before the start of negotiations to include them in the Holy Alliance. In general, as always, our rulers do not spare anything for their friends.

Thus, the tsar refused to accept the Hawaiian Islands as citizenship, and soon the Russians were expelled from the islands by our then friends the Americans.

2. Papua New Guinea

The great Russian traveler and scientist tried to annex New Guinea to Russia Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklouho-Maclay (1846-1888).

In 1883 he met with the Emperor Alexander III, to whom I expressed my long-standing thought. He wanted Russia to establish a protectorate over the free part of New Guinea before England or Germany did. In fact, he proposed to annex his coast (the Maclay Coast in the north of New Guinea) to Russia. He hoped in this way to protect the natives from the barbarism of the colonialists. The king remained indifferent to his proposal.

Although the Maclay Coast was owned by Miklouho-Maclay, Russia did not react in any way when the Germans took possession of the colony.

3. Islands

Russian navigators discovered about 400 islands in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, but for some reason they belong to France and England.

Many islands of Polynesia ( Society Islands, Tuamotu, Marquesas, Tubuai) were discovered by Russian navigators. Even an entire archipelago exists - Russian Islands(however, the Russian tsars did not need them, but France did). The names of the islands speak for themselves: Arakcheev, Volkonsky, Kruzenshtern, Spiridov, Barclay de Tolly, Chichagov, Kutuzov, Wittgenstein, Bellingshausen.

Lost Colonies in Africa

Oddly enough, the Russian tsars showed almost no interest in the rich Black Continent.

Peter I thought about colonizing Madagascar, for which he sent an expedition there led by a Swedish admiral Daniel Wilster. Peter the Great was a smart tsar, and understood perfectly well that for communications with Russia’s possessions in the Pacific Ocean, colonies in Africa were needed for the anchorage of ships. However, due to the death of the king, the matter died out.

However, the kings did not take any concrete actions until that wonderful moment when all of Africa was already divided by European powers.

It was only then that it became clear to the slow-moving Russian rulers that a base in Africa was needed - on the way from European Russia to the Pacific Ocean, to Vladivostok.

And it’s not even that the tsars understood this (that such a base was needed would become clear only during the Russo-Japanese War, when our future Entente allies refused to sell coal to our squadron in the ports).

There was only a timid attempt to colonize Ethiopia which was undertaken Nikolai Ivanovich Ashinov (1856 — 1902).

To begin with, it was necessary to convince the Ethiopians that we have the same faith with them (this is far from true). In 1883, Ashinov went to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), setting out a plan to promote the political and church rapprochement of Abyssinia with Russia, and entered into relations with the Negus John.

Returning then to Russia, he, calling himself a “free Cossack,” launched an expedition to Abyssinia in 1889. At the head of a detachment of 150 Terek Cossacks, he founded the colony “New Moscow” at Fort Sagallo on the coast of French Somalia (now Djibouti).

However, our friends of that time the French (and Ethiopia itself - the Italians) laid claim to this territory.

The French were in a difficult situation, but fortunately for them, Petersburg hastened to disown Ashinov.

On February 5, 1889, the Cossacks noticed a French squadron consisting of a cruiser and three gunboats. Ashinov received a letter from the messenger with an ultimatum. But Ashinov, who did not know French, greeted the general, since he did not expect an attack from a country friendly to the Russian Empire. An artillery bombardment of Sagallo began, as a result of which six Russians were wounded and several were killed. French shells destroyed all the landings. A shirt was raised over Sagallo as a white flag. Soon they were taken to Russia on the ships Zabiyaka and Chikhachev.

In 1894, retired captain of the Kuban Cossack Army N.S. Leontyev together with a prominent Russian traveler A.V. Eliseev, retired staff captain of the horse artillery K.S. Zvyagin and archimandrite Ephraim organized an expedition to Ethiopia.

In the old capital of Ethiopia - Entoto - the expedition was met by the emperor Menelik II. Leontyev managed to convince the Russian government to donate 30 thousand rifles, 5 million cartridges and 6 thousand sabers to Menelik, registered as sold through a French intermediary L. Shefne. In Massawa, all materials were confiscated by the Italians and only after the conclusion of peace between Italy and Ethiopia in 1896 were transferred to the latter. During the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1895-96, Leontyev was in Ethiopia as a military adviser to Emperor Menelik. On May 9, 1896, the Negus granted Leontyev an honorary shield, a saber and the title of count, which was first established for this purpose in Ethiopia. Leontyev also participated in the peace negotiations between Ethiopia and Italy. On August 12, 1896, he arrived in Rome, where he reported on the latest peace terms proposed by Menelik.

In 1897, Menelik appointed Leontyev governor-general of the Uba and Bako districts in the south of the country. Leontyev tried to involve the Russian government in the exploitation of these territories, but was refused. However, he managed to achieve the transfer by Russia of another 30 thousand rifles with ammunition to Ethiopia, but this batch was arrested in London on the grounds that the sales certificate did not mention the ownership of the weapons by the Russian government.

In 1897, Russia sent its diplomatic mission to Ethiopia led by P.M. Vlasov. By this time, Leontyev, together with English, French and Belgian industrialists, had founded a society for the exploitation of the Equatorial provinces of Ethiopia, which Vlasov reported to St. Petersburg. The Russian government refused to further support Leontyev. The last milestone in his activities was participation in the military campaign of Ethiopian troops led by Ras Wolde-Georgis to Lake Rudolf (1898-1899). Leontyev was wounded and left Ethiopia forever. One of his assistants was more fortunate, N.N. Masterpiece, who planted the Ethiopian flag on the southwestern shore of Lake Rudolf, thereby establishing the southern border of Ethiopia.

Thus, due to the indecision of the Russian tsars, it was not possible to get a colony in Africa.

The USSR also could well have taken possession of some territory in Africa in exchange for supplied aid and weapons, but the Soviet leadership chose to donate it.

The general secretaries (they are partly justified by the fact that they were senile) preferred to “be friends.”

For example, the USSR built a deep-water port in Berbera (Somalia), in the hope that there would be a Soviet base there. But after we built a port there, we were kicked out of there, and the Americans set up the base.

Then the USSR began to create a military base in Eritrea (then part of Ethiopia), on the Dahlak Islands, but the Eritreans won the war with the Ethiopians, and we were kicked out again.

If the general secretaries did not believe the words, and demanded territory in exchange for weapons and assistance, the bases would still be Russian.

2. Libya: Churchill in “The Second World War” claims that at the Yalta Conference he tried to give Libya to Stalin in exchange for the reduction of Soviet dominions in Eastern Europe.

Arctic and Antarctica

1. Antarctica was discovered by Russian navigators, but for some reason Russia never made claims on the territory of this continent (rich in resources), unlike many other countries. For example, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Norway, Great Britain and France claim parts of Antarctica, but we, who discovered it, do not claim anything.

Value: huge marine biological resources in coastal waters, gas, oil.

2. Northern polar domains Russia/USSR were lost due to the lack of rigidity and consistency of Russian foreign policy. Therefore, now the Polar possessions are disputed by other countries, not only the seas, but also the islands (Franz Josef Land - Norway, Wrangel Island - the USA, which does not prevent us from disarming further).

Value: marine biological resources, gas, oil.

3. Spitsbergen Archipelago(Grumant) could have been Russian/Soviet, but due to the indecisiveness of Molotov (formerly the Tsars), it was ceded to Norway.

Value: coal, marine biological resources, gas, oil, 90% of all fresh water.

Space

Despite the fact that the USSR was the first to launch spacecraft to the Moon, Venus and Mars, for some reason it did not raise the question of extending sovereignty to these space objects (or at least parts of them). By analogy, the US and EU could lay claim to Titan (a moon of Saturn) and Jupiter, to which they were the first to launch space probes.

Value: enormous natural resources (metals, thermonuclear fuel in the form of deuterium, etc.), the promising possibility of terraforming (creating conditions suitable for human life), that is, settlement.

Despite this, Russia (and the USSR) do not even try to extend their sovereignty to parts of the solar system.

Although, frankly speaking, having a voice in the UN Security Council, and a certain number of nuclear missiles that have not yet rusted, it was possible to share space with the Americans. In any case, in 30-50 years the problem will become relevant, but by then, will we have any arguments left?

The conclusion is that the idiocy and indifference of the authorities determines that despite the fact that we were the first in Space, the masters there in the future will be the Americans, the Chinese, the Europeans, the Japanese, but not us.

What if?

Let’s say if we hadn’t missed out on the colonies, by 1904 we would have had Ethiopia, the Hawaiian Islands, Alaska, the northeastern part of New Guinea, and Thailand.

What would change?

Well, firstly, Japan would not have been able to defeat us if our fleet had not been locked in Vladivostok and Port Arthur, but had been located in the center of the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii. From there he could strike at the Japanese Islands.

The fleet under the leadership of Rozhdestvensky, firstly, would be better supplied if we had colonies in Africa, and secondly, having entered the Pacific Ocean, it would not have pointlessly broken through the Tsushima Strait, but would have settled in bases - in Hawaii or Thailand, from there, carrying out raids against Japan.

And the lack of experience in sailing in the southern seas in this war led to the fact that Rozhdestvensky’s shells actually deteriorated due to humidity.

In a word, we would not have lost the Japanese War, which means the Revolution of 1905 would have been weaker, the power of Nicholas II would have been more popular, and, therefore, we would not have lost World War I.

Consequently, there would have been no Revolution of 1917.

Explain how Russia would be different without more than 70 years of “Soviet power”, without the Civil War, Cossack Genocide, Holodomor, Dispossession, etc. and so on. I don't think normal people should. Stolypin's reforms would end.

The Russian Empire had not collapsed, we approached World War II, firstly, with a large population, and secondly, we would have had Finland, which means there would not have been a Finnish front, and there would have been no Siege of Leningrad...

How does Russian business live, with a monarchical bias?

It's finished. It seems that Anton Bakov's many years of efforts have been crowned with success. Tomorrow in Yekaterinburg a memorandum will be presented between the government of the Gambia and... the State of the Imperial Throne, writes Russian newsmaker Alexander Ustinov, for Rupolit.net.

Comment from« Walk the Fields»: This article, like nothing else, demonstrates the understanding of the modern Russian elite, which still lives by the ideas of the 19th century. The idea put forward by the Imperial Throne, in terms of its absurdity, is not much different from saving the capital of the Russian elite under sanctions. However, we invite readers to familiarize themselves and draw their own conclusions:

The leader of the monarchist party, political strategist, politician, businessman and Archchancellor of the Imperial Throne Anton Bakov will present tomorrow the agreement that he managed to sign with the Government of the Gambia on behalf of the Government of the Imperial Throne.

According to preliminary information, the empire will be located on artificial islands in the territorial waters of the Gambia.

In June 2013, the Monarchist Party announced the acquisition of an heir to the imperial all-Russian throne - he became a descendant of Alexander II, Prince of the Imperial Blood Nikolai Kirillovich (Prince Karl-Emich-Nikolaus of Leiningen), who adopted a Russian name after converting from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy. This gave him the right to inherit the throne in accordance with the Basic State Laws of the Russian Empire.

Nikolai Kirillovich was appointed regent of the “Russian Empire” and a member of the supervisory board of the Imperial Palace Fund, and his birthday, June 12, coincided with Russia Day in the Russian Federation. Subsequently, this day was declared Imperial Day.

At the beginning of 2015, Bakov came up with an initiative to create an offshore zone based on the Montenegrin site, designed to serve the interests of Russian business in the context of anti-Russian sanctions. Other international projects of the Erzchancellor are also aimed at this possibility of using this territory. For example, Anton Bakov reported on negotiations on cooperation with the authorities of neighboring Macedonia - in particular, he met with the Prime Minister of this country, Nikola Gruevski. During a constructive dialogue held at a high level between the two leaders of state, a framework agreement was signed on expanding investments of the Imperial Throne in the economy of the Republic of Macedonia. In addition, meetings are held with Macedonian and Montenegrin clergy.

Bakov also reported on negotiations with the authorities on the issue of recognition and plans to join the UN, and pointed out that Montenegro's independence in 1878 was associated with the actions of Alexander II, Karl-Emich's great-great-great-grandfather. Scheduled meetings of the Government of the Imperial Throne are taking place. Thus, on April 3 and 7, 2015, the draft Law on the Nobility was considered, changes were made to the composition of the government, as well as to the Imperial Protocol and the contents of the Imperial Court.

However, the Montenegrin authorities took a break in the negotiations, but Bakov did not stop and drew attention to other states that were ready to accept investments.

At the end of 2015, Anton Bakov turned his attention to Central America, where he also held a number of negotiations with the leadership of countries such as Antigua and Barbuda. It was at this time that Anton Bakov negotiated with UN representatives, who were quite loyal to Anton Bakov’s project.

Earlier, Anton Bakov told our publication that the negotiations in Gambia were the result of many years of effort and painstaking diplomatic work by the apparatus of the Imperial Throne.

In 2016, Anton Bakov developed active activities on the territory of the island state of Kiribati. There, Bakov had a number of relatively successful negotiations, and a significant part of the political establishment agreed to support recognition of the Imperial Throne. However, eventually the negotiations also had to be paused due to political changes in the local government.

In a situation where The Gambia has recognized the Imperial Throne, negotiations with other countries on recognition can make significant progress. Since the Imperial Throne, being a partially recognized state, has no conflicts with other states, there are no serious barriers to recognition of this country, which means we can expect a series of further recognitions of the Imperial Throne from other countries.

Hawaii

Thus, the Russian colony, created in record time, was actually left to the mercy of fate.
Unlike Tsar Alexander I, the Americans really appreciated the importance of the islands and began to actively drive out the Russians from there. In the village of Waimea, American sailors attempted to lower the Russian flag, but the banner was defended by Hawaiian soldiers. On June 17 (29), 1817, after an armed clash in which three Russians and several Hawaiians were killed, Russian colonists were forced to leave Hawaii and return to Alaska.

Fort Ross

The real owners of the territory where the Russians settled were the Indians. It was from them that the lands were purchased for three pairs of pants, two axes, three hoes and several strings of beads.
Fortress Ross was the southernmost Russian settlement in North America. Russian names began to appear in the surrounding area: the Slavyanka River (modern Russian river), Rumyantsev Bay (modern Bodega Bay). During its entire existence, the fortress was never attacked: there were practically no Spaniards, and since 1821 there were practically no Mexicans nearby, and more or less peaceful relations were maintained with the Indians.
Throughout its existence, the colony was unprofitable for the Russian-American Company, and in 1841 it was sold to a Mexican citizen of Swiss origin, John Sutter.

Russian Somalia

Correspondence began between Paris and St. Petersburg.
Emperor Alexander reacted to Ashinov’s adventure quite sharply: “We definitely need to get this brute Ashinov out of there as soon as possible... he will only compromise us, and we will be ashamed of his activities.” Ashinov’s adventure could hinder the successfully developing process of Russian-French rapprochement. The French government was informed that Russia would not mind if France took measures to expel the Russian detachment from its territory.

Having received carte blanche from the Russian government, the French sent a squadron consisting of a cruiser and three gunboats to Sagallo. After Ashinov, obviously not understanding the seriousness of the situation, again refused to submit to the demands of the French, they began shelling the fortress. Several Russians were killed and wounded. Finally, Ashinov’s shirt was raised over Sagallo as a white flag. The settlers were handed over to the Russian warship Zabiyaka, which arrived for them, and took them home.

Jever

On the shores of the North Sea is the small German town of Jever, where the tart beer Jever Pilsener is brewed. This beer could well have had the inscription “Made in Russia” on it - the fact is that this city once belonged to the Russian Empire.
Since the 17th century, the city was in the possession of the Anhalt-Zerbst princes. Sofia Augusta Friederica, better known to us as Empress Catherine II of Russia, also belonged to the same family. Therefore, when the last prince of Anhalt-Zerbst died in 1793, Jever was inherited by his only sister, Tsarina Catherine. The city became part of the Russian Empire.
The city remained under the Russian crown until 1807, when Napoleon occupied it. In 1813, French troops were expelled from the city, and it again became Russian. But not for long: in 1818, Alexander I ceded it to his relatives - the dukes of neighboring Oldenburg.

Exotic colonies of the Russian Empire December 18th, 2016

1. Hawaii

In 1815, the Russian-American Company (RAC), which was in charge of Alaska and Kamchatka, reached an agreement with the leader of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. According to the agreement, he, together with the population subject to him, came under the protection of Russia. A German in the Russian service, Georg Anton Schaeffer, was in charge of the arrangement of the new colony. In 1816-1817, three fortresses were built by local residents, named in honor of Alexander I, his wife Empress Elizabeth and Barclay de Tolly (only the remains of the stone foundation of the Elizabethan fortress have survived to this day).

The Hanapepe River was renamed Don. Local leaders received Russian surnames (Platov, Vorontsov). Unfortunately, the central government did not appreciate the importance of the new acquisition. The following verdict came from St. Petersburg: “The Emperor deigns to believe that the acquisition of these islands and their voluntary entry into his patronage not only cannot bring Russia any significant benefit, but, on the contrary, in many respects is associated with very important inconveniences.” Thus, the Russian colony, created in record time, was actually left to the mercy of fate. Unlike Tsar Alexander I, the Americans really appreciated the importance of the islands and began to actively drive out the Russians from there. In the village of Waimea, American sailors attempted to lower the Russian flag, but the banner was defended by Hawaiian soldiers. On June 17 (29), 1817, after an armed clash in which three Russians and several Hawaiians were killed, Russian colonists were forced to leave Hawaii and return to Alaska.

2. Fort Ross

Russian colonies in Alaska - territories with a harsh climate - suffered from food shortages. To improve the situation, expeditions to California were organized in 1808-1812 to search for fertile lands. Finally, in the spring of 1812, a suitable location was found. On August 30 (September 11), 25 Russian colonists and 90 Aleuts founded a fortified settlement called Ross. At that time, California was owned by the Spaniards, but the territories were practically not colonized by them. Thus, San Francisco, located 80 km south of the Russian colony, was just a small Catholic mission. The real owners of the territory where the Russians settled were the Indians. It was from them that the lands were purchased for three pairs of pants, two axes, three hoes and several strings of beads. Fortress Ross was the southernmost Russian settlement in North America. Russian names began to appear in the surrounding area: the Slavyanka River (modern Russian river), Rumyantsev Bay (modern Bodega Bay). During its entire existence, the fortress was never attacked: there were practically no Spaniards, and since 1821 there were practically no Mexicans nearby, and more or less peaceful relations were maintained with the Indians. Throughout its existence, the colony was unprofitable for the Russian-American Company, and in 1841 it was sold to a Mexican citizen of Swiss origin, John Sutter.

Russian Somalia

On December 10, 1888, a steamship with 150 Terek Cossack volunteers on board sailed from Odessa. The detachment was led by adventurer Nikolai Ashinov. The purpose of the expedition was stated to be accompanying a spiritual mission to Christian Abyssinia (Ethiopia). In 1883, Ashinov had already visited Abyssinia: posing as a representative of the Russian emperor, he negotiated with the Ethiopian negus (emperor) regarding the political and church rapprochement of the two countries. On January 6, 1889, Ashinov’s detachment landed on the coast of French Somalia (modern Djibouti). The French believed that the goal of the Russian expedition was indeed Abyssinia, and did not interfere with the Russian detachment. But, to their surprise, Ashinov found the abandoned Egyptian fort of Sagallo in the vicinity and began to settle down there. The fort was renamed New Moscow or the village of Moskovskaya, and the land fifty miles along the coast and one hundred miles inland was declared Russian territory. A French officer who arrived at the fortress demanded that Sagallo be left as soon as possible. Ashinov refused. France was then in an allied relationship with Russia, and local authorities did not dare to take independent actions to expel from their territory, albeit uninvited, representatives of a friendly power. Correspondence began between Paris and St. Petersburg. Emperor Alexander reacted to Ashinov’s adventure quite sharply: “We definitely need to get this brute Ashinov out of there as soon as possible... he will only compromise us, and we will be ashamed of his activities.” Ashinov’s adventure could hinder the successfully developing process of Russian-French rapprochement. The French government was informed that Russia would not mind if France took measures to expel the Russian detachment from its territory. Having received carte blanche from the Russian government, the French sent a squadron consisting of a cruiser and three gunboats to Sagallo. After Ashinov, obviously not understanding the seriousness of the situation, again refused to submit to the demands of the French, they began shelling the fortress. Several Russians were killed and wounded. Finally, Ashinov’s shirt was raised over Sagallo as a white flag. The settlers were handed over to the Russian warship Zabiyaka, which arrived for them, and took them home.

Jever

On the shores of the North Sea is the small German town of Jever, where the tart beer Jever Pilsener is brewed. This beer could well have had the inscription “Made in Russia” on it - the fact is that this city once belonged to the Russian Empire. Since the 17th century, the city was in the possession of the Anhalt-Zerbst princes. Sofia Augusta Friederica, better known to us as Empress Catherine II of Russia, also belonged to the same family. Therefore, when the last prince of Anhalt-Zerbst died in 1793, Jever was inherited by his only sister, Tsarina Catherine. The city became part of the Russian Empire. The city remained under the Russian crown until 1807, when Napoleon occupied it. In 1813, French troops were expelled from the city, and it again became Russian. But not for long: in 1818, Alexander I ceded it to his relatives - the dukes of neighboring Oldenburg.

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August 26, 2013, 11:09

As you know, all empires arise at some point, expand, but then inevitably fall apart for various reasons. The Russian Empire collapsed in 1917, and the USSR in 1991.

As a result of the Revolution of 1917, Russia lost Finland, Poland, the Kars region (now Turkey), and lost the First World War.

As a result of 1991, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and Estonia seceded from Russia.

Even earlier, as everyone knows, Tsar Alexander II sold Alaska to America.

However, few people know that the Russians made attempts to create colonies in Africa, America, and the Pacific Ocean. Little is written and known about this here; many, for example, will be surprised by the fact that there were Russian colonies in both the Hawaiian Islands and California...

Tobago Island(now part of the state of Trinidad and Tobago). Total area 300 sq. km.

A Russian colony off the coast of South America could be the island of Tobago, which was a colony of Courland, which became part of the Russian Empire.

In 1652, Duke Jacob of Courland took possession of Fr. Tobago off the coast of South America. Over the course of 30 years, 400 Courlanders moved here, and more than 900 black slaves were purchased from Africa. In Africa, the Courlanders acquired the island of St. Andrew (James Island, now part of Gambia).

Trinidad is rich in oil and gas. Being relatively close to the United States and the Panama Canal, the island is of great strategic importance.

“Russian America”: Alaska, West Coast of North America, California

Alaska is a huge (1,481,347 sq. km of land) US state, a former colony of Russia. The so-called Russian America was not at all limited to Alaska. Alexander Baranov, Nikolai Rezanov and other leaders of the Russian-American Company clearly understood the need to colonize the west coast of America, up to and including California.

As is well known, the Russian “discovery of America” occurred during the development of the Far East in the first half of the 18th century. So, in 1741, during the Kamchatka expedition, an officer of the Russian fleet, Commander Ivan (Vitos) Bering discovered the strait that was later named after him and discovered the coast of Alaska, in fact, and what was called Russian America. In the second half of the 18th century. Russians began to populate the Aleutian Islands and the North American coast. In 1784, the expedition of the “Russian Columbus”, navigator and industrialist Grigory Shelikhov (Shelekhov), landed on the Aleutian Islands, who in the same year founded the first Russian settlement in America on Kodiak Island. And in the first half of the 19th century, Shelikhov’s associate, merchant Alexander Baranov, founded Novo-Arkhangelsk on the island of Sitka, which became the capital of Russian America, and more than twenty Russian settlements intended for fishing and trading activities.

At one time, Count Nikolai Rezanov was also appointed ruler of the Russian-American Company. He received an order to conduct an inspection of Russian settlements in Alaska and upon arrival in Novo-Arkhangelsk discovered the terrible state of the Russian colony: constant famine reigned in Russian America, associated with the difficulty of delivering necessary food through the Far East.

Nikolay Rezanov

Count Rezanov decided to establish trade relations and purchase food in Spanish California. And for this purpose, he arrived in San Francisco on two ships, “Juno” and “Avos” - a story based on which not a single work was created, from the text of the American prose writer Francis Breath Harte “Concepcion de Argelo” - to the poem by Andrei Voznesensky and rock Alexey Rybnikov's opera “Juno and Avos”...

The treasure trove of material and spiritual culture of the Slavs, who so accidentally settled on the formerly wild lands of the North-West of America, is now the subject of study by Americans. Russian America thus became part of American history.

Russian Old Believers in Alaska

It is not surprising that there are still more Russians in Alaska than Americans, and the Russian names of cities, islands and other toponyms - there are almost one and a half hundred of them - never cease to amaze. Not only all fourteen rulers of Russian America are “registered” on the current map of Alaska, but also many sailors, explorers, pioneers and priests...

If the history of the exploration of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands by Russian navigators is quite well known, the existence of a Russian colony and fortress Fort Ross in California many still find out with great surprise.

It was this Californian fortress that became the southernmost point in America, where Russian colonists settled, and was directly related to “Russian America”, and to the “Russian-American Company”, and to Count N.P. Rezanov.

This unique point in Russian California existed from 1812 to 1841, becoming the most important intermediate base that provided the entire territory of Russian America with necessary food. By 1814, all the main structures of the fort were built, many of which turned out to be truly innovative for the territory of California! According to surviving information, the Russian settlers who settled their Californian colony were distinguished by incredible hard work and were very skilled in a variety of crafts; which gives every reason to once again be surprised at the distorted, but unfortunately established image of the Russian in modern consciousness...

Fort Ross in 1828

The first windmills in California were built in Fort Ross, as well as the necessary facilities for a full-fledged settlement: a brick factory, a tannery, forges, stables, carpentry, locksmith and shoe shops, a dairy farm and others. In addition, in the surrounding area of Fort Ross, Russian settlers established large grain fields, vegetable gardens, and orchards and vineyards, with most of these fruit trees and vineyards being planted on this territory, again for the first time in its history.

In addition to all of the above, according to surviving information, the Russian colonists did not have any clashes with local Indian tribes, in contrast to Spanish practice. Thus, Grigory Shelikhov, who in 1784 founded the first Russian settlement in America, in contrast to the massacre of the local population carried out by Columbus in his time, not only established peaceful relations with them, but also organized several schools for Indians. This unique practice stemmed directly from the official policy of the Russian-American Company, whose charter simply strictly prohibited the exploitation of local populations and required frequent inspections of compliance with this requirement. Moreover, the Russian colonists not only lived peacefully with the Indian tribes, but provided them with a basic education, including teaching them literacy, as well as various professional skills. As a result, receiving education in Russian schools, many Indians became carpenters, blacksmiths, shipbuilders, and paramedics.

As you know, in the middle of the 19th century, despite the work, plans and projects carried out, Russian America ceased to exist. In 1841, Fort Ross was sold to a large Mexican landowner, John Sutter, for almost 43 thousand silver rubles, of which, by the way, he underpaid about 37 thousand. In 1850, Fort Ross, along with all of California, was annexed to the United States.

The sale of the Ross colony did not pass without leaving a trace for Russia. The difficulties that arose in supplying Russian America with food added to the list of reasons that ultimately led to its sale. In 1867, one and a half million square kilometers of Russian land, Alaska and 150 islands of the Aleutian chain were sold to the United States for 7,200,000 US dollars (about 11 million rubles) - two cents per acre. That same year, the Russian-American Company was abolished.

At that time, more than twelve thousand Russian citizens already lived in 45 settlements of Russian America, although there were only about 800 Russians among them, most of whom returned to their homeland. Those who remained in America united around the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church, which, under the terms of the agreement on the sale of Alaska, retained its buildings, lands, property and the right to continue its activities.

The Russian government easily sold Alaska, ignoring both its strategically important position, which allows it to dominate the Pacific Ocean, and information about gold deposits that was repeatedly received in St. Petersburg.

The reasons for abandoning such a seemingly very important and promising project need to be discussed separately. In any case, it can be stated that by the middle of the 19th century, the Russian-American Company was unable to attract the required number of Russian settlers to the Russian colony. And first of all, in connection with territorial difficulties: we must not forget that the journey from St. Petersburg or the European part of Russia to Russian America took about a year at that time. And besides, it was associated with a real risk to life, the most compelling evidence of which is the biographies of its first leaders - Grigory Shelikhov, Alexander Baranov, and Nikolai Rezanov, who died precisely on this difficult path...

Inside the fortress chapel

In our time, Fort Ross exists as one of the national parks of the state of California, while preserving the memory of its history, primarily through the efforts and desires of the Russian American community. A number of organizations have been operating with these goals for several years - such as the Congress of Russian Americans, which unites Russian emigrants, as well as the historical and educational association Fort Ross, which studies the cultural heritage of the first Russian settlers.

Children from the Russian community

Her efforts created a small museum on the territory of the fortress, dedicated to the history of the founding of the Russian colony, its main figures and the Russian customs and traditions they brought. But besides the museum exhibits, the main historical monument is the fortress itself, a number of buildings of which have been preserved from those very times.