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A group of Polish nationalists attacked Belweder Palace, the seat of the Governor-General.
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A new government took office in Poland.
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The Russian army captured Warsaw, ending the November Uprising.
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The Gendarmerie of the Internal Guard was spun off as the Special Corps of Gendarmes.
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The Ottoman sultan confirmed the supremacy of France and the Catholic Church over Christians in the Holy Land.
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The Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia.
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Britain and France declared war on Russia. In order to prevent the Austrian Empire entering the war, Russia evacuated Wallachia and Moldavia, which Russia had invaded one year ago
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Nicholas died. His son, Alexander II, became tsar.
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The Treaty of Paris was signed, officially ending the war. The Black Sea was demilitarized. Russia lost territory it had been granted at the mouth of the Danube, abandoned claims to protect Turkish Christians, and lost its influence over the Danubian Principalities.
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The Treaty of Aigun was signed, pushing the Russo-Chinese border east to the Amur river; Tariff Act reduces import tax.
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Alexander issued a manifesto emancipating the serfs; Student Protests against the Tsar.
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An anti-Russian uprising began in Poland; girls allowed into secondary schools and standard curriculum set.
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Zemstva were established for the local self-government of Russian citizens. The Russian army began an incursion into the Khanate of Kokand. Eventually Alexander declared war over and Traugutt, the dictator of the rebellion was hanged.
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A royal decree introduced new laws unifying and liberalizing the Russian judiciary.
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The conquered territories of Central Asia became a separate Guberniya, the Russian Turkestan.
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Russia agreed to the sale of Alaska to the United States of America.
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The Emirate of Bukhara became a Russian protectorate. Khiva was captured by Russian troops.
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A peace treaty was signed that established the Khanate of Khiva as a quasi-independent Russian protectorate.
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Bulgarian nationalists attacked the Ottoman police headquarters in Oborishte.
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A secret treaty prepared for the division of the Balkans between Russia and Austria-Hungary, depending on the outcome of local revolutionary movements.
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A political demonstration in front of the Kazan Cathedral in Saint Petersburg marked the appearance of the revolutionary group Land and Liberty.
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The Trial of the 193 occurred, punishing the participants of the Narodnik rebellion.
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Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire.
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The Treaty of San Stephano was signed, concluding the war and transferring Northern Dobruja and some Caucasian territories into Russian hands. Several Slavic states, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria, received independence or autonomy.
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The Treaty of Berlin, imposed on Russia by the West, divided Bulgaria into Eastern Rumelia and the Principality of Bulgaria.
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The Special Corps of Gendarmes and the Third Section were disbanded; their functions and most capable officers were transferred to the new Department of State Police under the MVD.