All Questions
Tagged with 18th-century russia
20 questions
28
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Why did Peter the Great name Saint Petersburg, Russia with a foreign styled name?
When Peter the Great of Russia established Saint Petersburg he originally called it Sankt-Pieter-Burch (Сан(к)т-Питер-Бурхъ) in Dutch manner. Later, under apparent German influence it was changed to ...
- 2,872
24
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Did Catherine the Great really call for the abolition of serfdom?
... like Catherine the Great S01E01 (2019) shows?
This would be almost a century before serfdom was actually abolished, and makes one wonder why the Czars didn't just do it, if they were in favor of ...
user26470
21
votes
1
answer
885
views
Six pregnant maidens from Kamchatka
Yuri Semyonov's history "The Conquest of Siberia: An Epic of Human Passions" says:
Journeys to Siberia were always measured in years. In an old book the author, in order to make clear how ...
user18968
8
votes
1
answer
308
views
When did Europeans make their first well-attested visit to mainland Alaska?
To my surprise, I could not find a straightforward answer to this question. When did Europeans first set foot in mainland Alaska? I could easily find that:
Vitus Bering, a Dane of Russian allegiance, ...
- 324
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why did the Russians lose to the Turks in 1711 after defeating them in 1700 and the Swedes in 1709?
The Russians captured Azov and Taganrog in a war with Turkey that ended in 1700. Then they decimated the Swedish army at Poltava in 1709, thereby crippling their main enemy, and freeing the bulk of ...
- 104k
8
votes
2
answers
313
views
Why did Peter the Great tie particular expenditures to particular revenue sources?
Peter the Great founded the Russian Academy in 1724. In his decree, he says the Academy will be supported by an annual grant of 25,000 rubles drawn from the custom tolls of Baltic Sea ports. (source)
...
- 18.3k
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What was the average age of first marriage in 18th century Russia?
I found the following claim on Wikipedia (Women in Russia) and I wonder if it is true:
Early in the eighteenth-century, the average age for peasant girls to marry was around twelve years old.
In ...
- 73
6
votes
1
answer
429
views
How long was a coach journey from Coburg to St Peterburg in 1790s?
If someone had to get from Coburg to St Petersburg in the 1790s? Would they travel overland by stagecoach or go up to the north German coast and get a boat round to the Gulf of Finland and enter ...
6
votes
2
answers
360
views
How were settlers' houses in Kamchatka built?
As Imperial Russia settled Kamchatka, how did the new arrivals build their houses? Was construction identical to that of Siberia or were local adaptations made?
user18968
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why did Peter the Great crown Catherine I as empress?
Watching a Russian tv-series about the life of Peter the Great, I didn't quite follow why Peter crowned Catherine I as empress. I looked the Wikipedia article but they don't mention any reason.
- 69
6
votes
1
answer
260
views
Were commandants in Kamchatka from the Army or the Navy?
The Imperial Russian Navy operated out of Kronstadt, next to St. Petersburg. Well before sending the Nadezhda and Neva into the Pacific in 1803, the empire had Pacific ports like Okhotsk, accessible ...
user18968
6
votes
0
answers
104
views
Which misdeeds of F. Reineke was J.B.B. de Lesseps "obliged to suppress"?
F. Reineke was commandant of Kamchatka from about 1780 to 1784. According to Витер's История символов как история административного деления государства he was responsible for moving the territorial ...
user18968
5
votes
1
answer
255
views
Did the Austrians win a "great victory" at Belgrade in 1738?
While researching the history of the Taaffe family (see also this question) I realized that a lot of the information about it in the wikipedia comes from a 1833 English noble almanach. Among other ...
- 25.8k
5
votes
0
answers
156
views
What were Russian empresses' position and policy regarding women's role in society and their rights?
There are 4 empress regnants (Catherine I, Anna, Elizabeth, Catherine II) in Russian history, all of whom ruled during roughly the same historic period (18th century). 3 of them (Anna, Elizabeth, ...
- 221
4
votes
0
answers
123
views
Was there any significant cultural shift in Russian Empire caused by the partition of Poland?
Wikipedia article on Tsardom of Russia claims that acquisition of Wild Fields and Kiev Academy caused an influx of intellectuals in Russia, which in turn kick-started later reforms by Peter The Great ...
- 155
3
votes
2
answers
883
views
Was an adobe fort or a palisade fort more defensible?
All else equal, when these types of forts were in use, was an adobe fort or a palisade fort more defensible?
A bit of what-if led to this question. Russians ostrogs such as Nizhnekamchatsk and Fort ...
user18968
3
votes
0
answers
252
views
How many criminal exiles were sent to Kamchatka?
Exile in Siberia was a well-known punishment for criminals in Imperial (and Soviet) Russia. Exiles, who could be common criminals or political prisoners, were forced to walk in irons to their new job ...
user18968
2
votes
1
answer
167
views
For how many years in the eighteenth century were Russian soldiers present within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth borders?
For modern Poland, the answer is rather simple. Russian, and later Soviet soldiers, were stationed inside the Polish borders for almost the whole 19th and 20th centuries (with a notable exception for ...
2
votes
0
answers
134
views
What is the difference between a Russian serf and an American slave? [duplicate]
What were the legal and practical differences between say a Russian or Hungarian serf in the 18th century and an American Slave at the same time?
- 399
0
votes
1
answer
435
views
Was the 18th century Russian peasant braver; or simply more afraid of Cossacks?
Frederick the Great famously noted after the Battle of Zorndorf that "It's easier to kill the Russians than to win over them."
For that same battle the Russian commander (William Fermor) is noted as ...
- 72.5k