Map of the Russian Empire on the Eve of WWI, 1914
This map illustrates the Russian Empire on the eve of World War I in 1914. Spanning from Eastern Europe to the Pacific Ocean, it was the largest contiguous empire in history. Built through centuries of conquest and colonization, Russia's 19th-20th-century expansion transformed it into a sprawling Eurasian power with complex borderlands.
Following major gains under Catherine the Great (reign 1762-1796), who annexed Crimea and pushed into Poland and the Caucasus, Russian expansion continued through the 19th century. Under Alexander I (reign 1801-1825) and Nicholas I (reign 1825-1855), the empire extended its reach into Central Asia and the Far East. Conquests during the reign of Alexander II (reign 1855-1881) brought territories like Turkestan under Russian control. In the late 19th century, Alexander III (reign 1881-1894) and Nicholas II (reign 1894-1917) continued eastern expansion, culminating in the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the acquisition of parts of Manchuria and Sakhalin. However, military defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) checked Russia's ambitions in East Asia. By 1914, the empire encompassed diverse peoples and vast geography, but internal unrest and growing nationalist movements foreshadowed the coming collapse.
