Domestic policy of Alexander 1 at the beginning of his reign. Alexander I

Name: Alexander I (Alexander Pavlovich Romanov)

Age: 47 years old

Activity: Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia

Family status: was married

Alexander I: biography

Emperor Alexander I Pavlovich, sometimes mistakenly called Tsar Alexander I, ascended the throne in 1801 and ruled for almost a quarter of a century. Russia under Alexander I fought successful wars against Turkey, Persia and Sweden, and was later drawn into the War of 1812 when Napoleon attacked the country. During the reign of Alexander I, the territory expanded due to the annexation of Eastern Georgia, Finland, Bessarabia and part of Poland. For all the transformations introduced by Alexander I, he was called Alexander the Blessed.

The biography of Alexander I was initially supposed to be outstanding. Not only was he the eldest son of the emperor and his wife Maria Feodorovna, but his grandmother doted on her grandson. It was she who gave the boy a sonorous name in honor and, in the hope that Alexander would create history following the example of his legendary namesakes. It is worth noting that the name itself was unusual for the Romanovs, and only after the reign of Alexander I it firmly entered the family nomenclature.

The personality of Alexander I was formed under the tireless supervision of Catherine the Great. The fact is that the empress initially considered the son of Paul I incapable of taking the throne and wanted to crown her grandson “over the head” of his father. The grandmother tried to ensure that the boy had almost no contact with his parents, however, Pavel had influence on his son and he adopted his love for him. military science. The young heir grew up affectionate, smart, easily absorbed new knowledge, but at the same time he was very lazy and proud, which is why Alexander I was not able to learn to focus on painstaking and long work.

Contemporaries of Alexander I noted that he had a very lively mind, incredible insight and was easily attracted to everything new. But since he was actively influenced from childhood by two opposing natures, his grandmother and his father, the child was forced to learn to please absolutely everyone, which became the main characteristic of Alexander I. Even Napoleon called him an “actor” in a good sense, and Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin wrote about Emperor Alexander “in the face and life of a harlequin.”

Passionate about military affairs, the future Emperor Alexander I served in the Gatchina troops, which his father personally formed. The service resulted in deafness in the left ear, but this did not prevent Paul I from promoting his son to colonel of the guard when he was only 19 years old. A year later, the ruler’s son became the military governor of St. Petersburg and headed the Semenovsky Guards Regiment, then Alexander I briefly presided over the military parliament, after which he began to sit in the Senate.

Reign of Alexander I

Emperor Alexander I ascended the throne immediately after the violent death of his father. A number of facts confirm that he was aware of the plans of the conspirators to overthrow Paul I, although he may not have suspected the regicide. It was the new head of the Russian Empire who announced the “apoplectic stroke” that struck his father, literally a few minutes after his death. In September 1801, Alexander I was crowned.

The very first decrees of Alexander I showed that he intended to eradicate judicial arbitrariness in the state and introduce strict legality. Today it seems incredible, but at that time there were practically no strict fundamental laws in Russia. Together with his closest associates, the emperor formed a secret committee with which he discussed all plans for state transformation. This community was called the Committee of Public Safety, and is also known as Social movement Alexandra I.

Reforms of Alexander I

Immediately after Alexander I came to power, the transformations became visible to the naked eye. His reign is usually divided into two parts: at first, the reforms of Alexander I occupied all his time and thoughts, but after 1815, the emperor became disillusioned with them and began a reactionary movement, that is, on the contrary, he squeezed people in a vice. One of the most important reforms was the creation of the “Indispensable Council”, which was later transformed into the State Council with several departments. The next step is the creation of ministries. If previously decisions on any issues were made by a majority vote, now a separate minister was responsible for each industry, who regularly reported to the head of state.

The reforms of Alexander I also affected the peasant issue, at least on paper. The emperor thought about abolishing serfdom, but wanted to do it gradually, and was unable to determine the steps of such a slow liberation. As a result, the decrees of Alexander I on “free cultivators” and the ban on selling peasants without the land on which they live turned out to be a drop in the bucket. But Alexander’s transformations in the field of education became more significant. By his order, a clear gradation of educational institutions by level was created educational program: parish and district schools, provincial schools and gymnasiums, universities. Thanks to the activities of Alexander I, the Academy of Sciences was restored in St. Petersburg, the famous Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was created and five new universities were founded.

But the sovereign’s naive plans for the rapid transformation of the country encountered opposition from the nobles. He could not quickly implement his reforms because of fear palace coup, plus they occupied the attention of Alexander 1 during the war. Therefore, despite good intentions and the desire to carry out reforms, the emperor was unable to realize all his desires. In fact, in addition to educational and government reform, only the Constitution of Poland is of interest, which the ruler’s associates considered as a prototype for the future Constitution of the entire Russian Empire. But the turn of Alexander I’s domestic policy towards reaction buried all the hopes of the liberal nobility.

Politics of Alexander I

The starting point for a change of opinion about the need for reform was the war with Napoleon. The Emperor realized that in the conditions that he wanted to create, rapid mobilization of the army was impossible. Therefore, Emperor Alexander 1 shifted his policy from liberal ideas to the interests of state security. Under development new reform, which turned out to be the most popular: military transformations.

With the help of the Minister of War, a project for a completely new type of life is being created - a military settlement, which represented a new class. Without particularly burdening the country's budget, it was intended to maintain and staff a standing army at wartime levels. The growth in the number of such military districts continued throughout the years of the reign of Alexander I. Moreover, they were preserved under his successor Nicholas I and were abolished only by the emperor.

Wars of Alexander I

Actually foreign policy Alexander I was reduced to a series of constant wars, thanks to which the territory of the country increased significantly. After the end of the war with Persia, Alexander I's Russia gained military control of the Caspian Sea, and also expanded its possessions by annexing Georgia. After Russian-Turkish war The Empire's possessions were replenished by Bessarabia and all the states of Transcaucasia, and after the conflict with Sweden - by Finland. In addition, Alexander I fought with England, Austria and started the Caucasian War, which did not end during his lifetime.

Russia's main military adversary under Emperor Alexander I was France. Their first armed conflict occurred back in 1805, which, despite periodic peace agreements, constantly flared up again. Finally, inspired by his fantastic victories, Napoleon Bonaparte sent troops into Russian territory. The Patriotic War of 1812 began. After the victory, Alexander I entered into an alliance with England, Prussia and Austria and made a series of foreign campaigns, during which he defeated Napoleon’s army and forced him to abdicate the throne. After this, the Kingdom of Poland also went to Russia.

When the French army entered the territory Russian Empire, Alexander I declared himself commander-in-chief and forbade peace negotiations until at least one enemy soldier remained on Russian soil. But the numerical advantage of Napoleon's army was so great that Russian troops constantly retreated into the interior of the country. Soon the emperor agrees that his presence is disturbing the military leaders, and leaves for St. Petersburg. Mikhail Kutuzov, who was highly respected by soldiers and officers, became the commander-in-chief, but most importantly, this man had already proven himself to be an excellent strategist.

And in Patriotic War In 1812, Kutuzov again showed his keen mind as a military tactician. He planned a decisive battle near the village of Borodino and positioned the army so successfully that it was covered from two flanks natural relief, and the commander-in-chief placed artillery in the center. The battle was desperate and bloody, with huge losses on both sides. The Battle of Borodino is considered a historical paradox: both armies declared victory in the battle.

To keep his troops in combat readiness, Mikhail Kutuzov decides to leave Moscow. The result was the burning of the former capital and its occupation by the French, but Napoleon's victory in this case turned out to be Pirova. In order to feed his army, he was forced to move to Kaluga, where Kutuzov had already concentrated his forces and did not allow the enemy to go further. Moreover, partisan detachments delivered effective blows to the invaders. Deprived of food and unprepared for the Russian winter, the French began to retreat. The final battle near the Berezina River put an end to the defeat, and Alexander I issued a Manifesto on the victorious end of the Patriotic War.

Personal life

In his youth, Alexander was very friendly with sister Ekaterina Pavlovna. Some sources even hinted at a relationship closer than just brotherly and sisterly. But these speculations are very unlikely, since Catherine was 11 years younger, and at the age of 16 Alexander I personal life Already contacted my wife. He married a German woman, Louise Maria Augusta, who, after converting to Orthodoxy, became Elizaveta Alekseevna. They had two daughters, Maria and Elizabeth, but both died at the age of one, so it was not the children of Alexander I who became the heir to the throne, but his younger brother Nicholas I.

Due to the fact that his wife was unable to give him a son, the relationship between the emperor and his wife cooled greatly. He practically did not hide his love relationship on the side. At first, Alexander I cohabited for almost 15 years with Maria Naryshkina, the wife of Chief Jägermeister Dmitry Naryshkin, whom all the courtiers called “an exemplary cuckold” to his face. Maria gave birth to six children, and the paternity of five of them is usually attributed to Alexander. However, most of these children died in infancy. Alexander I also had an affair with the daughter of the court banker Sophie Velho and with Sofia Vsevolozhskaya, who gave birth to an illegitimate son from him, Nikolai Lukash, a general and war hero.

In 1812, Alexander I became interested in reading the Bible, although before that he was basically indifferent to religion. But him, like best friend Alexander Golitsyn was not satisfied with the framework of Orthodoxy alone. The emperor was in correspondence with Protestant preachers, studied mysticism and various movements of the Christian faith and sought to unite all faiths in the name of “universal truth.” Russia under Alexander I became more tolerant than ever before. The official church was outraged by this turn and began a secret behind-the-scenes struggle against like-minded people of the emperor, including Golitsyn. Victory remained with the church, which did not want to lose power over the people.

Emperor Alexander I died in early December 1825 in Taganrog, during another trip that he loved very much. The official cause of death of Alexander I was fever and inflammation of the brain. The sudden death of the ruler caused a wave of rumors, spurred by the fact that shortly before, Emperor Alexander drew up a manifesto in which he transferred the right of succession to the throne to his younger brother Nikolai Pavlovich.

People began to say that the emperor falsified his death and became the hermit Fyodor Kuzmich. This legend was very popular during the lifetime of this truly existing old man, and in the 19th century it received additional argumentation. The fact is that it was possible to compare the handwriting of Alexander I and Fyodor Kuzmich, which turned out to be almost identical. Moreover, today genetic scientists have real project comparing the DNA of these two people, but for now this examination was not carried out.

1. Reforms at the beginning of the century. Alexander I came to power as a result of a palace coup in March 1801 G., when his father the emperor was overthrown and killed Pavel 1. Soon, to prepare reforms, a Secret Committee was created from friends and closest associates of Alexander I - V.P. Kochubeya, N.N. Novosiltsev, A. Czartoryski.

In 1803, the “Decree on Free Plowmen” was issued. Landowners received the right to set their peasants free, providing them with land for a ransom. However, the decree on free cultivators did not have any great practical consequences: during the entire reign of Alexander I, only a little more than 47 thousand souls of serfs were freed, i.e. less than 0.5% of their total.

Reforms of the public administration system were carried out. In order to strengthen the state apparatus, in 1802, instead of collegiums, 8 ministries were established: military, naval, foreign affairs, internal affairs, commerce, finance, public education and justice. The Senate was also reformed.

In 1809, Alexander I ordered MM. Speransky develop a reform project. The basis was the principle of separation of powers - legislative, executive and judicial. It was planned to create a representative body - the State Duma, which was supposed to give opinions on the submitted bills and hear reports from ministers. Representatives of all branches of government were united in the State Council, whose members were appointed by the tsar. The decision of the State Council, approved by the tsar, became law.

The entire population of Russia was supposed to be divided into three classes: the nobility, the middle class (merchants, petty bourgeois, state peasants) and the working people (serfs and wage earners: workers, servants, etc.). Only the first two estates were to receive voting rights, and on the basis of property qualifications. However civil rights, according to the project, were provided to all subjects of the empire, including serfs. However, in the aristocratic environment, Speransky was considered an outsider and an upstart.

His projects seemed dangerous, too radical. In March 1812 he was exiled to Nizhny Novgorod.

2. Domestic policy in 1814-1825. In 1814-1825 in domestic policy Alexander 1, reactionary tendencies intensified. However, at the same time, attempts were made to return to the course of liberal reforms: the peasant reform in the Baltic states (started in 1804-1805), as a result of which peasants received personal freedom, but without land; in 1815, Poland was granted a constitution that was liberal in nature and provided for internal self-government of Poland as part of Russia. In 1818, work began on preparing a draft Constitution, headed by N. N. Novosiltsev. It was supposed to be introduced in Russia constitutional monarchy and the establishment of parliament. However, this work was not completed. In domestic politics, conservatism is beginning to increasingly prevail: cane discipline was restored in the army, one of the results of which was the unrest of 1820 in the Semenovsky regiment; in 1821, Kazan and St. Petersburg universities were purged. The censorship that persecuted free thought intensified. To supply the army with self-sufficiency in peacetime, military settlements were created, where soldiers, under conditions of the most severe discipline, were obliged to engage in and agriculture. The turn to reaction after the War of 1812 is associated with the name the royal favorite A.A. Arakcheeva and received the name “Arakcheevshchina”.

3. Results of the internal policy of the era of Alexander I. In the first decade of his reign, Alexander I promised profound changes and, to a certain extent, improved the system of public administration and contributed to the spread of education in the country. For the first time in Russian history, although very timid, the process of limiting and even partially abolishing serfdom began. The last decade of Alexander's reign was a time of growing conservative tendencies in domestic politics. The main issues were not resolved: the abolition of serfdom and the adoption of a constitution. The rejection of the promised liberal reforms led to the radicalization of part of the noble intelligentsia and gave rise to noble revolutionism (The Decembrist uprising on December 14, 1825 Senate Square In Petersburg).

Upon ascending the throne, this king declared: “With me everything will be as with my grandmother” (that is). As a monarch, he did not reach the level of his grandmother, but the similarity of the reigns is still visible. Like Catherine, Alexander 1 spoke a lot of liberal words and did a lot of despotic, serf-like deeds.

Domestic politics (grandmother's heir)

At the beginning of his reign, Alexander 1 spoke a lot about the need for reforms in Russia. But for every innovation there was a countermeasure.

1. Alexander expanded the rights of merchants and endowed them with various privileges - the right to appear at court, wear a class rank, etc. But at the same time, immediately after ascending the throne, he renewed the validity of the charter granted to the nobility of 1785, which turned the nobility into a privileged class with virtually no responsibilities.

1. The Tsar repeatedly stated his desire to expand the rights of peasants and in 1803 signed a Decree on free cultivators, which allowed peasants, by agreement with the landowners, to buy out the land. But over the course of 20 years, as many as 47 thousand people (0.5% of the peasant population) took advantage of this right, and after the War of 1812, military settlements grew in the country, representing an unprecedented level of peasant unfreedom.
2. The Tsar brought liberals (such as Rumyantsev or) closer to him, but Arakcheev, who became a symbol of the martinet’s suppression of any dissent, was a person close to him.

We must pay tribute to the Tsar - Alexander 1 centralized and streamlined the government of the country, creating in 1810 the State Council (something like a cabinet of ministers), which accumulated all information on the state and made proposals for solving existing problems. He was also a patron of education - during his reign such educational institutions as the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, Kharkov and Kazan universities were opened, and other educational institutions upgraded their class and increased the number of departments and faculties. From the treasury educational institutions assistance was provided, and even trips of students and teachers abroad were financed.

Foreign policy (victor of Napoleon)

Of the achievements of Alexander's foreign policy, this fact is best known. True, only the second campaign against the French emperor was successful for Russia, and the war of 1805-1807 ended with the rather humiliating Peace of Tilsit. But it’s a fact: Alexander 1’s foreign policy was more consistent than its domestic one. He proved himself to be a consistent monarchist, wanting to increase his possessions, strengthen the authority of the monarchy as such and his own among his colleagues in particular. Under him, Russia grew territorially, and its international authority grew.

1. Alexander 1 led successful wars with Sweden (1808-1809). This is not to mention the subsequent defeat of France.
2. Under him, Finland, Bessarabia, Georgia, Abkhazia, Dagestan, and Transcaucasia were annexed to Russia. Only part of these lands were annexed by military means; Georgia, for example, became part of the empire under an international treaty.
3. Alexander I initiated the creation of the Holy Alliance - the unification of monarchies for the sake of preserving monarchies and combating revolutionary teachings. Russia then played the role of a kind of “flagship of the counter-revolution” for a long time.
4. The Emperor gave great importance foreign trade. In particular, under him England became an important trading partner of Russia.
5. Alexander did not want the strengthening of German influence in Europe, and he to some extent managed to prevent it by pushing against

Historical portrait of Alexander 1: Alexander Pavlovich reigned as Emperor of Russia from March 23, 1801 to December 1, 1825. He was the son of Emperor Paul 1 and Sophie Dorothea of ​​Württemberg. Alexander was the first Russian king of Poland, reigning from 1815 to 1825, and also the Russian Grand Duke of Finland. He was sometimes called Alexander the Blessed.

Although at first a supporter of limited liberalism, as evidenced by his approval of the Polish constitution in 1815, from the end of 1818 Alexander changed his views dramatically. It is said that a revolutionary plot to kidnap him on the way to the congress at Aix-la-Chapelle shook the foundations of his liberalism. In Aix, he first came into close contact with Metternich and from that time Metternich's influence on the mind of the Russian Emperor and on the Council of Europe ascended.

Alexander firmly believed that he had been chosen by Providence to ensure peace in general and European countries in particular. He was not very successful in fulfilling this supposed mission because his concept of national happiness - and the means of obtaining it - differed significantly from the desires of other people.

He ruled Russia during the chaotic period of the Napoleonic Wars. As prince and emperor, Alexander often used liberal rhetoric, but continued Russia's absolutist policies in practice.

Domestic and foreign policy

The domestic policy of Alexander 1 is briefly: in the first years of his reign, he initiated some minor social reforms and major liberal educational reforms, such as construction more universities. The Collegium was abolished and replaced by the State Council, which was created to improve legislation. Plans were also made to create a parliament and sign a constitution.

Alexander 1's foreign policy in brief: In foreign policy, he changed Russia's position towards France four times between 1804 and 1812 between neutrality, opposition and alliance. In 1805 he joined Britain in the War of the Third Coalition against , but after the massive defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz he concluded the Treaty of Tilsit (1807) with Napoleon, joined Napoleon's Continental System and fought in naval war against Great Britain between 1807 and 1812. Alexander and Napoleon could never agree, especially on Poland, and their alliance collapsed by 1810.

The Tsar's greatest triumph came in 1812, when Napoleon's invasion of Russia proved a complete disaster for the French. He created the Holy Alliance to suppress revolutionary movements in Europe, which he viewed as immoral threats to legitimate Christian monarchs. Alexander helped the Austrian Foreign Minister Clemens von Metternich suppress all national and liberal movements.

In the second half of his reign, he became more and more arbitrary, reactionary, afraid of conspiracies against him, and slowed down many previous reforms. He cleared schools of foreign teachers as education became more religiously oriented as well as politically conservative.

Main directions of domestic policy

At first Orthodox Church had little influence on Alexander's life. The young king was determined reform highly ineffective centralized systems controls that Russia relied on.

The government reform of Alexander I abolished the old Collegiums, and in their place new ministries were created, headed by ministers responsible to the Crown. The Council of Ministers, chaired by the emperor, dealt with all interdepartmental issues. The State Council was created with the aim of improving the technology of legislation. It was to become the second chamber of a representative legislative body. The Governing Senate was reorganized as the Supreme Court of the Empire. The codification of laws, begun in 1801, was never carried out during his reign.

Alexander wanted to resolve another important issue in Russia - the status of serfs, although this was not achieved until 1861 (during the reign of his nephew Alexander II).

The peasant question under Alexander 1 was resolved as follows. In 1801 he created a new social category of "free farmer" for peasants voluntarily freed by their masters.

When did Alexander's reign begin?, there were three universities in Russia:

• in Moscow;
• Vilna (Vilnius).
• Tartu.

They were expanded, and in addition three more universities were opened:

• in St. Petersburg;
• in Kharkov;
• Kazan.

Literary and scientific bodies were created or encouraged, Alexander later expelled foreign scientists.

After 1815, military settlements (farms with working soldiers and their families) were introduced with the idea of ​​making the army or part of it economically self-sufficient and providing it with recruits.

Foreign policy

By the end of the 18th century, Russia was entering a new phase of its history in relation to foreign affairs. So far it has limited its efforts to expand its territory to Eastern Europe and in Asia, and sought foreign alliances only as temporary means to help achieve this goal. She now began to consider herself a powerful member of the European family, and sought to exert predominant influence in all European matters.

The emperor's main attention was paid not to domestic politics, but to foreign affairs, in particular Napoleon. Fearing Napoleon's expansionist ambitions and the rise of French power, Alexander joined Britain and Austria against Napoleon. Napoleon defeated the Russians and Austrians at Austerlitz in 1805.

Napoleonic Wars

Alexander was forced to conclude the Treaty of Tilsit, signed in 1807, after which he became an ally of Napoleon. Russia lost a small amount of territory to the treaty, but Alexander used his alliance with Napoleon to further expand. He wrested the Grand Duchy of Finland from Sweden in 1809 and Bessarabia from Turkey in 1812.

After the Battle of Austerlitz (December 1805), the two emperors not only reconciled, but also agreed to divide the world between them. The grandiose project was immediately outlined vaguely in three formal documents, to the intense satisfaction of both parties, and there was much joy on both sides at the conclusion of such a favorable alliance; but the diplomatic honeymoon did not last long.

Napoleon harbored the secret hope that Alexander could be used as an obedient subordinate in the implementation of his own plans. Alexander soon began to suspect that he was being deceived.

His suspicions were increased by the hostile criticism of the Tilsit Treaty among his own subjects and the arbitrary behavior of his ally, who continued his aggression in a reckless manner, as if he were the sole master of Europe.

The rulers who were overthrown were:

• Sardinia.
• Naples.
• Portugal.
• Spain.

The Pope was expelled from Rome. The Confederation of the Rhine was expanded until France had a foothold on the Baltic Sea. The Grand Duchy of Warsaw was reorganized and strengthened, and the promised evacuation of Prussia was postponed indefinitely. The truce between Russia and Turkey was concluded by French diplomacy so that Russian troops had to leave the Danube principalities, which Alexander intended to annex to his empire.

At the same time, Napoleon openly threatened to crush Austria, and in 1809 he carried out his threat by defeating the Austrian armies.

The Russian-French alliance gradually became tense. Napoleon was worried about Russia's intentions in the strategically important Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. At the same time, Alexander viewed the French-controlled Polish state with suspicion. The demand to join France's continental blockade against Great Britain was a serious disruption to Russian trade, and in 1810 Alexander refused the obligation.

Invasion

Russia remained the only unconquered power on the continent, and it was obvious that war with it was inevitable and it began in 1812 with the offensive of the Napoleonic army against Russia and ended in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo.

In June 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia with an army of 600,000 men, twice the size of the Russian regular army. Napoleon hoped to inflict a serious defeat on the Russians and force Alexander to agree to surrender. However, during the war the Russian army inflicted a catastrophic defeat on Napoleon.

During these three years Alexander was Napoleon's main antagonist, and it was largely thanks to his skill and persistence that the Allies freed Europe forever from Napoleonic rule. When the French retreated, the Russians pursued them in Central and Western Europe, reaching Paris. When peace was finally concluded, Alexander 1 gained the dominant position in European politics, which had been the object of his ambitions since the beginning of his reign.

After the Allies defeated Napoleon, Alexander became known as the savior of Europe, and he played a prominent role in redrawing the map of Europe at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. That same year, under the influence of religious mysticism, Alexander initiated the creation of the Holy Alliance, a loose agreement obliging the rulers of the countries involved - including most of Europe - to act in accordance with Christian principles.

More pragmatically, in 1814 Russia, Britain, Austria and Prussia formed the Quadruple Alliance. The Allies created international system to maintain the territorial status quo and prevent the revival of expansionist France. Quadruple alliance confirmed nearby international conferences, ensured Russia's influence in Europe.

During the war with Napoleon People different countries fought to free themselves not only from the yoke of Napoleon, but also from the tyranny of their own governments, while Alexander expected them to remain submissive under the patriarchal institutions that imposed them on the nation. Thus, despite his academic sympathy with liberal ideas, he became, along with Metternich, a leader of political stagnation, and willingly collaborated with the reactionary authorities against the revolutionary movements in Germany, Italy and Spain.

At the same time, Russia continued its expansion. The Congress of Vienna created the Kingdom of Poland (Russian Poland), to which Alexander 1 provided a constitution. Thus, Alexander I became the constitutional monarch of Poland, remaining the autocratic Tsar of Russia. He was also limited monarch of Finland, which was annexed in 1809 and given autonomous status. In 1813, Russia gained territory in the Baku region of the Caucasus at the expense of Persia. By the early nineteenth century, the empire was also firmly established in Alaska.