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Russia and the Ottoman empire fight the Crimean war
War fought mainly on the Crimean Peninsula between the Russians and the British, French, and Ottoman Turkish. The war arose from the conflict of great powers in the Middle East and was more directly caused by Russian demands to exercise protection over the Orthodox subjects of the Ottomans. Another major factor was the dispute between Russia and France over the privileges of the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches -
Russia annexes Khazakstan
Russian traders and soldiers began to appear on the northwestern edge of Kazakh territory in the 17th century, when Cossacks established their forts. Russians were able to seize Kazakh territory because the khazaks were preoccupied with other tribal disputes. -
Nicholas I dies and is succeeded by Alexander II
Alexander, the eldest son of Tsar Nicholas I, was born in Moscow on 17th April, 1818. He began to consider the possibility of bringing an end to serfdom in Russia. The nobility objected to this move but as Alexander told a group of Moscow nobles: "It is better to abolish serfdom from above than to wait for the time when it will begin to abolish itself from below." -
Russia's Black Sea fleet is destroyed
The Black Sea Fleet is considered to have been founded on May 13, 1783, together with its principal base, the city of Sevastopol. Formerly commanded by legendary admirals, it is a fleet of enormous historical and political importance for Russia. -
Russia and China sign a border treaty
Russia and China sign a border treaty that grants Russia the coast around the newly founded city of Vladivostok -
Alexander II abolishes serfdom
Alexander II abolishes serfdom, granting freedom to 20 million serfs and land to peasant communes -
Alexander II enacts a reform
Alexander II enacts a reform of the legal system that makes the judiciary an independent branch of government -
Russia declares war on the Ottoman Empire to defend Bulgaria and Serbia
A rebellion in nearby Herzegovina, backed unofficially by Serbia and Montenegro, sparked a series of rebellions and uprisings against the Ottoman forces in Europe. Montenegro and Serbia agreed to declare a war on Turkey on 18 June 1876. -
Anti Semitism arrises
A wave of anti-Jewish pogroms causes mass migrations of eastern European Jews (2.5 million Jews settle in the United States, thousands settle in Palestine) -
Alexander II is assassinated
Alexander II is assassinated by nihilists of "Will of the People" and is succeeded by Alexander III, who enacts anti-terrorism laws that curb civil rights and freedom of the press -
Alexander III dies and is succeeded by his eldest son Nicholas II
Nicholas, the eldest son of Alexander III, the Tsar of Russia, and Marie Feodorovna, was born at Krasnoye Selo in May 1868. When he was twenty-three he narrowly escaped assassination in Japan. Nicholas succeeded to the throne following his father's death from liver disease on 20th October, 1894. Later that month he married the German princess, Alexandra of Hesse-Darmstadt. -
Radical Marxists organize the Social Revolutionary Party
A Russian political party that represented the principal alternative to the Social-Democratic Workers’ Party during the last years of Romanov rule. -
The Social Democratic Labour Party splits
The Social Democratic Labour Party splits into Bolsheviks (led by Vladimir Ulianov "Lenin") and Mensheviks (led by Julius Martov) -
Japan attacks Russia in Manchuria and Korea
On September 18th, in violation of all its treaty obligations, Japan occupied Manchuria in northeast China. It was to be the first step on the path to war with Russia. -
World War I breaks out
World War I breaks out, pitting Britain, France, Italy, Russia, Serbia, USA and Japan against Austria, Germany and Turkey
