On January 3, 1959, Alaska became the 49th state of the United States, although these lands were sold by Russia to America back in 1867. However, there is a version that Alaska was never sold. Russia leased it for 90 years, and after the expiration of the lease, in 1957, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev actually donated these lands to the United States. Many historians argue that the agreement on the transfer of Alaska to the United States was not signed by either the Russian Empire or the USSR, and the peninsula was borrowed from Russia free of charge. Be that as it may, Alaska is still shrouded in a halo of secrets.

Russians taught the natives of Alaska to turnips and potatoes

Under the rule of the “quietest” Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov in Russia, Semyon Dezhnev swam across the 86-kilometer strait that separated Russia and America. Later, this strait was named Bering Strait in honor of Vitus Bering, who in 1741 explored the shores of Alaska. Although before him, in 1732, Mikhail Gvozdev was the first European to determine the coordinates and map the 300-kilometer coastline of this peninsula. In 1784, Grigory Shelikhov was engaged in the development of Alaska, who taught the local population to turnips and potatoes, spread Orthodoxy among the horse natives, and even founded the Slava Rossii agricultural colony. Since that time, the inhabitants of Alaska have become Russian subjects.

The British and Americans armed the natives against the Russians

In 1798, as a result of the merger of the companies of Grigory Shelikhov, Nikolai Mylnikov and Ivan Golikov, the Russian-American Company was formed, the shareholders of which were statesmen and grand dukes. The first director of this company is Nikolai Rezanov, whose name is known to many today as the name of the hero of the musical "Juno and Avos". The company, which some historians today call "the destroyer of Russian America and an obstacle to the development of the Far East", had monopoly rights to furs, trade, the discovery of new lands, grantedEmperor Paul I . The company also had the right to protect and represent the interests of Russia

The company founded the Mikhailovsky Fortress (today Sitka), where the Russians built a church, a primary school, a shipyard, workshops and an arsenal. Each ship that came to the harbor where the fortress stood was greeted with fireworks. In 1802, the fortress was burned by the natives, and three years later, another Russian fortress suffered the same fate. American and British entrepreneurs sought to eliminate the Russian settlements and armed the natives for this.

Alaska could become a cause of war for Russia

For Russia, Alaska was a real gold mine. For example, sea otter fur was more expensive than gold, but the greed and short-sightedness of the miners led to the fact that already in the 1840s there were practically no valuable animals left on the peninsula. In addition, oil and gold were discovered in Alaska. It is this fact, however absurd it may sound, that has become one of the incentives to get rid of Alaska as soon as possible. The fact is that American prospectors began to actively arrive in Alaska, and the Russian government reasonably feared that American troops would come after them. Russia was not ready for the war, and it was completely imprudent to give Alaska penniless.

At the ceremony for the transfer of Alaska, the flag fell on Russian bayonets

October 18, 1867 at 3:30 p.m. the solemn ceremony of changing the flag on the flagpole in front of the house of the ruler of Alaska began. Two non-commissioned officers began to lower the flag of the Russian-American Company, but it got tangled in the ropes at the very top, and the painter completely broke off. Several sailors, on orders, rushed to climb up to unravel the tattered flag hanging on the mast. The sailor who reached the flag first did not have time to shout to get down with the flag, and not throw it, and he threw the flag down. The flag hit right on the Russian bayonets. Mystics and conspiracy theorists should have rejoiced.

Immediately after the transfer of Alaska to the United States, American troops entered Sitka and looted the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, private houses and shops, and General Jefferson Davis ordered all Russians to leave their homes to the Americans.

Alaska has become an extremely profitable deal for the US

The Russian Empire sold uninhabited and hard-to-reach territory to the United States for $0.05 per hectare. It turned out to be 1.5 times cheaper than Napoleonic France had sold the developed territory of historical Louisiana 50 years earlier. America offered only $10 million for the port of New Orleans, and besides, the lands of Louisiana had to be redeemed again from the Indians living there.

Another fact: at the time when Russia sold Alaska to America, the state treasury paid more for a single three-story building in downtown New York than the US government paid for the entire peninsula.

The main secret of selling Alaska - where is the money?

Eduard Stekl, who had been chargé d'affaires at the Russian embassy in Washington since 1850 and was appointed envoy in 1854, received a check for $7,35,000. He kept 21,000 for himself and distributed 144,000 to the senators who voted for the ratification of the treaty as bribes. 7 million was transferred to London by bank transfer, and already from the British capital to St. Petersburg the gold bars purchased for this amount were transported by sea.

When converting the currency, first into pounds, and then into gold, they lost another 1.5 million. But this loss was not the last. On July 16, 1868, the Orkney bark, carrying precious cargo, sank on the way to St. Petersburg. Whether there was Russian gold on it at that moment, or whether it did not leave the limits of Foggy Albion, remains unknown today. The company that registered the cargo declared itself bankrupt, so the damage was only partially reimbursed.

In 2013, a Russian filed a lawsuit to invalidate the agreement on the sale of Alaska

In March 2013, the Moscow Arbitration Court received a lawsuit from representatives of the Interregional Public Movement in Support of Orthodox Educational and Social Initiatives "Bees" in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Nikita. According to Nikolai Bondarenko, chairman of the movement, such a step was caused by the failure to fulfill a number of clauses of the agreement signed in 1867. In particular, Article 6 provided for the payment of 7 million 200 thousand dollars in gold coins, and the US Treasury issued a check for this amount, the further fate of which is vague. Another reason, according to Bondarenko, was the fact that the US government violated Article 3 of the treaty, which stipulates that the American authorities must ensure that the inhabitants of Alaska, formerly citizens of the Russian Empire, live according to their customs and traditions and the faith that they professed at that time. The Obama administration, with its plans to legalize same-sex marriage, infringes on the rights and interests of citizens who live in Alaska. The Moscow Arbitration Court refused to consider the claim against the US federal government.

On January 3, 1959, Alaska became the 49th state of the United States, although these lands were sold by Russia to America back in 1867. However, there is a version that Alaska was never sold. Russia leased it for 90 years, and after the expiration of the lease, in 1957, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev actually donated these lands to the United States. Many historians argue that the agreement on the transfer of Alaska to the United States was not signed by either the Russian Empire or the USSR, and the peninsula was borrowed from Russia free of charge. Be that as it may, Alaska is still shrouded in a halo of secrets.

Russians taught the natives of Alaska to turnips and potatoes

Under the rule of the “quietest” Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov in Russia, Semyon Dezhnev swam across the 86-kilometer strait that separated Russia and America. Later, this strait was named Bering Strait in honor of Vitus Bering, who in 1741 explored the shores of Alaska. Although before him, in 1732, Mikhail Gvozdev was the first European to determine the coordinates and map the 300-kilometer coastline of this peninsula. In 1784, Grigory Shelikhov was engaged in the development of Alaska, who taught the local population to turnips and potatoes, spread Orthodoxy among the horse natives, and even founded the Slava Rossii agricultural colony. Since that time, the inhabitants of Alaska have become Russian subjects.

The British and Americans armed the natives against the Russians

In 1798, as a result of the merger of the companies of Grigory Shelikhov, Nikolai Mylnikov and Ivan Golikov, the Russian-American Company was formed, the shareholders of which were statesmen and grand dukes. The first director of this company is Nikolai Rezanov, whose name is known to many today as the name of the hero of the musical "Juno and Avos". The company, which some historians today call "the destroyer of Russian America and an obstacle in the development of the Far East", had monopoly rights to furs, trade, the discovery of new lands, granted. The company also had the right to protect and represent the interests of Russia

The company founded the Mikhailovsky Fortress (today Sitka), where the Russians built a church, a primary school, a shipyard, workshops and an arsenal. Each ship that came to the harbor where the fortress stood was greeted with fireworks. In 1802, the fortress was burned by the natives, and three years later, another Russian fortress suffered the same fate. American and British entrepreneurs sought to eliminate the Russian settlements and armed the natives for this.

Alaska could become a cause of war for Russia

For Russia, Alaska was a real gold mine. For example, sea otter fur was more expensive than gold, but the greed and short-sightedness of the miners led to the fact that already in the 1840s there were practically no valuable animals left on the peninsula. In addition, oil and gold were discovered in Alaska. It is this fact, however absurd it may sound, that has become one of the incentives to get rid of Alaska as soon as possible. The fact is that American prospectors began to actively arrive in Alaska, and the Russian government reasonably feared that American troops would come after them. Russia was not ready for the war, and it was completely imprudent to give Alaska penniless.

At the ceremony for the transfer of Alaska, the flag fell on Russian bayonets

October 18, 1867 at 3:30 p.m. the solemn ceremony of changing the flag on the flagpole in front of the house of the ruler of Alaska began. Two non-commissioned officers began to lower the flag of the Russian-American company, but it got tangled in the ropes at the very top, and the painter completely broke off. Several sailors, on orders, rushed to climb up to unravel the tattered flag hanging on the mast. The sailor who reached the flag first did not have time to shout to get down with the flag, and not throw it, and he threw the flag down. The flag hit right on the Russian bayonets. Mystics and conspiracy theorists should have rejoiced.

Immediately after the transfer of Alaska to the United States, American troops entered Sitka and looted the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, private houses and shops, and General Jefferson Davis ordered all Russians to leave their homes to the Americans.

Alaska has become an extremely profitable deal for the US

The Russian Empire sold uninhabited and hard-to-reach territory to the United States for $0.05 per hectare. It turned out to be 1.5 times cheaper than Napoleonic France had sold the developed territory of historical Louisiana 50 years earlier. America offered only $10 million for the port of New Orleans, and besides, the lands of Louisiana had to be redeemed again from the Indians living there.

Another fact: at the time when Russia sold Alaska to America, the state treasury paid more for a single three-story building in downtown New York than the US government paid for the entire peninsula.

The main secret of selling Alaska is where is the money?

Eduard Stekl, who had been chargé d'affaires at the Russian embassy in Washington since 1850 and was appointed envoy in 1854, received a check for $7,35,000. He kept 21,000 for himself and distributed 144,000 to the senators who voted for the ratification of the treaty as bribes. 7 million was transferred to London by bank transfer, and already from the British capital to St. Petersburg the gold bars purchased for this amount were transported by sea.

When converting the currency, first into pounds, and then into gold, they lost another 1.5 million. But this loss was not the last. On July 16, 1868, the Orkney bark, carrying precious cargo, sank on the way to St. Petersburg. Whether there was Russian gold on it at that moment, or whether it did not leave the limits of Foggy Albion, remains unknown today. The company that registered the cargo declared itself bankrupt, so the damage was only partially reimbursed.

In 2013, a Russian filed a lawsuit to invalidate the agreement on the sale of Alaska

In March 2013, the Moscow Arbitration Court received a lawsuit from representatives of the Interregional Public Movement in Support of Orthodox Educational and Social Initiatives "Bees" in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Nikita. According to Nikolai Bondarenko, chairman of the movement, such a step was caused by the failure to fulfill a number of clauses of the agreement signed in 1867. In particular, Article 6 provided for the payment of 7 million 200 thousand dollars in gold coins, and the US Treasury issued a check for this amount, the further fate of which is vague. Another reason, according to Bondarenko, was the fact that the US government violated Article 3 of the treaty, which stipulates that the American authorities must ensure that the inhabitants of Alaska, formerly citizens of the Russian Empire, live according to their customs and traditions and the faith that they professed at that time. The Obama administration, with its plans to legalize same-sex marriage, infringes on the rights and interests of citizens who live in Alaska. The Moscow Arbitration Court refused to consider the claim against the US federal government.

Alaska map

Alaska is a peninsula in northwestern North America. US state. Conventionally, Alaska can be represented as a quadrangle oriented from east to west (or vice versa, anyway). The eastern side is the land border with the continent, runs approximately along the 140th meridian. The western edge of the peninsula looks at Chukotka, washed by the Chukchi Sea, the Bering Strait and the Bering Sea. The northern side of the “quadrangle” Alaska is the coast of the Beaufort Sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean, the southern side is directed to the Pacific Ocean, it is “rinsed” by the waters of the Gulf of Alaska. From the southwestern corner of Alaska, the arc of the Aleutian Islands extends into the ocean. There are several other small archipelagos and islands in the waters of Alaska: the Pribylov Islands, St. Lawrence Island, Nunivak Island ... The largest river in Alaska, the Yukon, flows from northeast to southwest, flows into the Bering Sea. In total, there are about 3 thousand rivers in Alaska, of which 12 are decent in length and fullness, as well as a huge number of lakes. The highest point of the peninsula is Mount McKinley - 6193 meters. The total area of ​​the peninsula is 1717854 sq. km. The main cities are Anchorage, Fairbanks, Allakaket. The state capital is Juneau.
The climate of Alaska is harsh, but much milder than that of the Russian northeast. The average annual temperature of Alaska varies from +4°С in the south to -12°С in the Arctic zone

Far Eastern discoveries of the 17th century

• 1639, August - the expedition of the Tomsk Cossack Ivan Moskvitin to the shores of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bOkhotsk organized the first Russian settlement in the Far East - Ust-Ulya winter hut
• 1639, October 11 - the first voyage of Russian explorers along the Sea of ​​​​Okhotsk, which lasted 3 days
• 1643-1646 - the expedition of Vasily Poyarkov passed from the mouth of the Amur to the confluence of the Ulya River into the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bOkhotsk
• 1647 - Mikhail Stadukhin passed on land from Kolyma to Anadyr
• 1647, May 23 - at the mouth of the Okhota River, the Cossacks, led by ataman Semyon Shelkovnikov, founded the winter hut of the Okhotsk prison
• 1648, June 30 - Semyon Dezhnev and the Cossack Fedot Alekseev left Yakutsk on seven kochs under leather sails "to sail around the Chukchi Nose"

  Russian sailors sailed along the northeastern tip of Asia and went through the Bering Strait to the Arctic Ocean. The extreme point of northeast Asia, closest to Alaska, was discovered, today called Cape Dezhnev

• 1662, August - the voyage of Russian fishermen led by Ivan Rubtsov through the Bering Strait
• 1667 - the name "Kamchatka" appears for the first time on the Russian map of Siberia by Pyotr Godunov
• 1692 - from the stories of the clerk of the Anadyr prison Vladimir Atlasov, it became known about the existence of the Great Land (Alaska) opposite the Chukotka Peninsula
• 1694 - the monk of the Chudov Monastery Korion Istomin wrote and presented to Tsarevich Alexei "The Book of the City of the Kingdom of Heaven", containing the first verses about America
• 1697-1699 - Vladimir Atlasov's exploration of Kamchatka. Northern Kuril Islands discovered

Russian travelers of the 18th century

• 1700 - Alaska first appeared on the map of the Yakut governor Dorofei Traurnicht
• 1706 - navigator Mikhail Nasedkin went to Cape Lopatki and saw that "land is visible beyond the strait"
• 1711 - Anadyr Cossack Pyotr Popov drew up a new drawing of the Chukotka Peninsula depicting the "Great Land" - the northwestern tip of America
• 1725, January 17 - Peter I compiled a secret instruction for organizing an expedition to the shores of America

  “On this nautical chart, the paved path, called Anian, is not paved in vain. During my last journey, in conversations, I heard from learned people that such an acquisition is possible. Protecting the Fatherland with security from the enemy, one should try to find glory through the arts and sciences. Shall we not be happier in exploring such a path than the Dutch and the English, who have repeatedly attempted to search the American shores? Therefore, it is necessary to look for where this land converged with America, it is necessary in Kamchatka or in some other place to create one or two boats with decks, on these boats (sail) near the land that goes to the north and by expectation (they don’t know the end of it) it seems that that land is part of America, and in order to get to which city of European possessions, or if you see which ship is European, find out from it what kind of kust it is called and take it on a letter, and visit the shore yourself, and take a genuine statement, and, putting it on map, come here"

• 1725, February 16 - a secret instruction was handed to the head of the First Kamchatka expedition Vitus Bering
• 1726 - Yakut Cossack head Afanasy Shestakov delivered a map to St. Petersburg, on which one of the unknown Russian explorers clearly marked the "Coast of the Big Earth".
• 1728, July - the expedition of Vitus Bering proved that the Chukotka Peninsula is washed by the sea from the east
• 1728-1730 - A. Melnikov's voyage to the Bering Strait and the Chukchi Nose, where he unsuccessfully persuaded the Chukchi to transport him to the other side of the strait on dogs across the ice
• 1732, August 21 - Boat "St. Gabriel" under the command of M. Gvozdev approached Cape Prince of Wales in Alaska

  In 1730, two ships were sent from Okhotsk to impose yasak on the inhabitants of the "Great Land" (Alaska, or the North-Western part of America), which was supposed to be located east of the mouth of the Anadyr. One ship crashed off the coast of Kamchatka. After two winterings on the peninsula (in Bolsheretsk and Nizhnekamchatsk), the expedition on the surviving boat “St. Gabriel" July 23, 1732 went to the survey of the "Great Earth". The surveyor M. Gvozdev led the campaign. There were 39 people on board the boat.
  On August 15, the boat entered the Bering Strait. Gvozdev landed on the Asian coast of the strait and on the Diomede Islands, completing their discovery. August 21 "St. Gabriel" with a fair wind approached the "Great Land" - Cape Prince of Wales, the northwestern tip of America. On the coast, sailors saw residential yurts. The further route is mentioned in the report of M. Gvozdev dated September 1, 1743: On August 22, 1732, heading strictly south from Cape Prince of Wales, on the way back at 65 ° N. latitude. and 168°W "St. Gabriel" discovered a small piece of land - Fr. King (the name was later given by D. Cook), but due to strong seas, it was not possible to land on the shore. The boat arrived in Kamchatka on September 28, 1732. Thus, the opening of the strait between Asia and America, begun by Popov and Dezhnev, was completed not by V. Bering, whose name this strait is named, but by Gvozdev

• 1740 - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky was founded

  at the end of April 1730, V. Bering made two memorandums to the Admiralty. In the first, he expressed confidence in the relative proximity of America to the Kamchatka Peninsula and the expediency of establishing trade contacts with local residents; noted the need and opportunity to develop iron ore in Siberia, sow bread and cook salt. In the second note, he put forward a plan to “explore the northern lands ... to find out”, that is, to establish how far Asia extends to the north, and map the northern coast of the continent, and also proposed to find out the possibility of reaching the mouth of the Amur and the Japanese Islands by sea and, finally send ships to the shores of America

• 1741, July 15 - the beginning of the Second Kamchatka expedition of Vitus Bering and Alexei Chirikov. Having lost each other during a storm, the packet boats reached the American Continent at different points.
• 1741, July 17 - "St. Peter Bering reached the American coast and the team saw in the distance the majestic snow ridge of St. Elijah with the peak of the same name (Mount St. Elijah, 5488 m, one of the highest points in North America).
• 1741, July 26 - Chirikov on the St. Paul packet boat discovered the Aleutian Islands
• 1741, July 27 - Bering on the packet boat "St. Peter" approached Kayak Island off the coast of Alaska
• 1745-1764 - voyages of Russian fishermen for furs to the Aleutian Islands.
• 1743-1744 - expedition of the Tobolsk peasant Emelyan Basov
• 1745 - 1747 - sailors M. Nevodchikov, A. Tolstykh, Y. Chuprov discovered a group of the Near and Andreyanovsky Islands
• 1750-1752 - Sannikov sailed off the Commander Islands on the shield "St. John"
• 1750 - Nakvasin on "St. Peter" - off the Aleutian Islands
• 1752 - Trapeznikov on the ship "Boris and Gleb" discovered the island of Atka
• 1753-1755 - A. Serebrennikov and P. Bashmakov - near Bering Island
• 1757-1758 - P. Bashmakov and A. Vsevidov - near the Rat Islands
• 1756-1759 - A. Tolstykh - near the Near Islands
• 1759-1760 - S. Cherepanov - near the Near Islands
• 1759 - S. Glotov left on the boat "Iulian" to "search for new islands and peoples" (1758). A year later, the ship approached the island of Umnak, then Glotov discovered almost all the islands from the Fox group. Moving northeast, sailors reach Kodiak (September 5, 1763)
• 1757-1761 - the expedition of I. Studentsov, who discovered the island of Kyska
• 1760-1761 - G. Pushkarev's expedition,
• 1762 - the Aleuts defeated the first Russian fortress built on Unalaska by the sailor Pyotr Druzhinin.

  A little later, the navigator I. Korovin and the leader I. Solovyov on the ships Trinity and the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, fleet lieutenant I. Sindt (who discovered the island of St. Matthew) on the galliot St. Paul refine maps of the newly discovered lands. Ustyug merchant Vasily Shilov presents to the Admiralty Board an inventory of the Aleutian ridge from Bering Island to Amlya Island

• 1768, July 22-1770 - the expedition of Levashov and Krenitsyn, fulfilling the will of Catherine II on the formal and actual assignment of the Pacific Islands to Russia and bringing the Aleuts into Russian citizenship.
• 1768, September 5 - approached Unimak Island
• 1768, September 15 - Levashov alone continued to search for lands to the west and south-west of Unimak:
• 1768, September 16 - Levashev came to Unalaska, from October 1 to 5 sailed near Unimak, returned to Unalaska again and chose a bay (port of Levashova) in the depths of Captain's Bay, now Dutch Harbor, for wintering. The choice was exceptionally successful: this bay is the best harbor in the Aleutian Islands ...

The geographical results of the expedition were very great. Krenitsyn and Levashov basically completed the discovery of the entire giant Aleutian arc, which stretches for 1740 km in the north Pacific Ocean, and especially of Unimak and other Fox Islands. They laid the foundation for the exploration of the Alaska Peninsula

Russian America of the 18th century

• 1772 - Naval officer I. Solovyov founded the permanent Russian settlement "Dutch Harbor" on the Unalashka Island of the Aleutian Archipelago
• 1781, August 28 - signing in St. Petersburg of an agreement between industrialists and merchants G. Shelikhov and I. Golikov on the creation of a company to carry out fishing on the newly discovered islands, establish trade contacts with the natives, and establish permanent settlements and fortresses in the northwest of America
• 1784 - G. Shelikhov's voyage along the northwestern coast of Alaska and the organization of temporary fishing camps. Unalaska Island was chosen as the gathering center for fishermen

  Having heard about the untold riches of the New World, following the discoverers, industrialists rushed there - trappers and hunters of fur and sea animals. They were followed by merchants and merchants who bought furs from the industrial, Aleuts and Indians, exchanged flour and salt, gunpowder and lead, sugar and tea, textiles and tobacco for it ... Wealthy merchants united in commercial and industrial companies. Only from the time of the discoveries of Bering-Chirikov and until the founding of the Russian-American Company, up to five dozen such companies worked in Russian America.

• 1781, August 28 - signing in St. Petersburg of an agreement between industrialists and merchants G. Shelikhov and I. Golikov on the creation of the American Northeast, North and Kuril companies to fish on the newly discovered islands, establish trade contacts with the natives, and establish permanent settlements and fortresses in the north-west of America. 1785, August 8 - decree of Catherine II on organizing a North-Eastern expedition to the shores of America to determine the coordinates and map the coast of Chukotka, the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, and bring the natives into Russian citizenship. The expedition lasted 7 years.
• 1787, summer - At the request of the Siberian Governor-General I.V. Yakobi, the Company "under secret instruction" received the first ten "Copper Signs" and fifteen "Russian Coats of Arms", which were to be exhibited "without loss of time" on the solid "searched lands of the Eastern America, called Alyaksa": "So that the subjects of other nations could not enter into favor, belonging to our Fatherland."
• 1790 - Alexander Baranov became the chief manager of the North-Eastern Company
• 1792 - construction on the east coast of Kodiak of the new capital of Russian America - Pavlovsk harbor
• 1792-1793 - expeditions of Russian industrialists deep into Alaska to Lake Iliamna, Yukon, and the southern coast of Norton Bay
• 1795 - the foundation of Russian settlements on the mainland of Alaska
• 1798 - The Shelikhov-Golikov company merged with the Irkutsk company of the merchant Nikolai Mylnikov to form the United American Company.
• July 8, 1799 - the famous Russian-American Company was formed. According to the Privileges of the Russian-American Company granted by the Supreme Manifesto, “it was allowed to use all crafts and establishments along the coast of America, as well as on the Kuril, Aleutian and other islands lying in the North-Eastern Ocean.” Over time, the Company received the right-privilege to hire officers of the Russian Navy, the period of passage of which was counted as military.

  The Russian-American Company was established on July 8 (O.S.), 1799. All other fishing companies had to join the RAC or cease their activities.

• 1799, July 19 - the arrival of Alexander Baranov on the island of Sitka, where, after a peaceful settlement of disputes with the Tlingit Indians, the "New Arkhangelsk Fortress" was laid

Russian America in the 19th century

The life of Russian America in the 19th century largely depended on the leaders of the Russian-American Company, who were replaced relatively often.

• A. Baranov - until 1817
• L. A. Gagemeister (1817-1819)
• S. I. Yanovsky (1819 - 1820)
• M. I. Muravyov (1820 - 1825)
• P. E. Chistyakov (1825 - 1830)
• F. P. Wrangel (1830 - 1835)
• I. A. Kupreyanov (1835 - 1840)
• A. K. Etolin (1840 - 1845)
• M. D. Tebenkov (1845 - 1850)
• N. Ya. Rosenberg (1850 - 1853)
• A. I. Rudakov (1853 - 1854)
• S. V. Voevodsky (1854 - 1859)
• I. V. Furugelm (1859 - 1863)
• D. P. Maksutov (1863 - 1867)

Russian America and Fort Ross in California

All of them, to the best of their ability, tried to make the life of the territories under their jurisdiction more comfortable, calm, and peaceful. They built new buildings, piers, ships, schools, organized fishing expeditions deep into Alaska and to survey and clarify its coastline, fought hunger in the colonies and scurvy, agreed on peaceful coexistence with local Indians, tried to influence government policy regarding Russian America, which was not always successful and thought out, they maintained diplomatic and trade relations with their neighbors - the British and Americans. However, the underdevelopment of agricultural production in the colony, its dependence on the supply of grain by American merchants, its isolation from the metropolis, the trade competition of neighbors, the reduction of fur trade areas, and the economic problems of the central government eventually led Russian America to financial collapse..

1866, December 14 - after a conversation between the Russian Chargé d'Affaires in Washington, Baron E. A. Stekl, and the Minister of Finance, M. Kh. Russian element120 and did not in the least contribute to the development of our merchant shipping. The company does not even bring significant benefits to shareholders ... and can only be supported by significant donations from the government ... The transfer of the colonies ... will save us from possession, which in the event of a war with one of the maritime powers we are not able to protect ”

Sale of Alaska. Briefly

• 1857, April 3 - Grand Duke Konstantin in a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs A. Gorchakov proposed to sell the Russian possessions in Alaska to the Americans in connection with the inevitability of the future capture of Russian America by the United States, financial difficulties after the end of the Crimean War. Gorchakov presented a note to Alexander II, where he supported the opinion on the expediency of ceding Russian America to the United States.
• 1858-1861 - Stekl began to inspire the Washington cabinet with the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe possibility of persuading Russia to cede the colonies on favorable terms
• 1861-1865 - Due to the American Civil War, the issue of the sale of Alaska hung
• 1866, December 28 - as a result of a meeting on the sale of Alaska, in which Alexander II, Grand Duke Konstantin, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gorchakov, Minister of Finance Reitern, vice-admiral Crabbe and the Russian envoy to Washington Steckl took part, Alexander II gave sanction for Glass to negotiate with the United States
• 1867, January 17 - Minister of Finance Reitern indicated to Gorchakov that the monetary reward for the cession of the colonies should be at least 5 million 122 thousand dollars
• 1867, March 30 - Secretary of State W. Seward and E. Steckl signed an agreed draft agreement on the purchase of Russian possessions in Alaska for 7 million 123 thousand.
• 1867, April 9 - The US Senate by a majority approved the purchase of Alaska for $ 7 million 200 thousand.
• 1867 July 23 - The House of Representatives (113 for, 43 against, and 44 members did not vote) approved the text of the Alaska Purchase Bill
• July 27, 1867 - bill became law
• 1867, October 21 - US government commissioner General Lavelle H. Russo and 2 Russian commissioners A. Peshchurov and F. Koskul began work on determining the nature of the company's property, issuing certificates to private owners, compiling inventories, along with the transfer of Alaska to US jurisdiction , the transfer of the colonial archive, fortifications and public buildings, shipyards, warehouses, barracks, batteries, a hospital and a school in Novo-Arkhangelsk was recorded

The contract for the sale of Alaska to America was signed on March 30, 1867. At that time, more than twelve thousand Russian citizens lived in 45 settlements of Russian America, not counting fifty thousand Indians.

Reasons for selling Russian America to the USA

— underestimation by the Russian government of the place of the Far East and Russian America in the life of the country
— Russia did not need Russian America after Russia regained the Amur region, Sakhalin and acquired Primorye in the late 50s of the 19th century.
— the Russian treasury after the Crimean War could not provide funds for the development and defense of Russian America

1897, July 17 - Sixty-eight miners from Alaska disembarked from the steamer Portland, moored in the port of San Francisco. They brought with them one and a half tons of gold, mined by them on the legendary Klondike.

Alaska is equal in area to three France. This is not only Klondike gold, but also tungsten, platinum, mercury, molybdenum, coal. And, most importantly, there is the development of giant oil fields, reaching up to eighty-three million tons per year. This is twenty percent of the total US oil production. For comparison: Kuwait produces about sixty-five, and the United Arab Emirates - seventy million tons per year.

Many contemporaries mistakenly believe that Catherine II sold Alaska. But it's not. A similar statement to some extent among young people became popular after the song of the Lyube group "Don't play the fool, America." It says that the empress was not right to do this with this area. Based on this, young people who do not understand history made a conclusion about who gave Alaska to America.

Geographical position

Today Alaska is the largest in area, forty-ninth This is the coldest territory of the country. Most of it is dominated by arctic and subarctic climatic zones. Here the norm is severe frosty winters, accompanied by strong winds and snow blizzards. The only exception is part of the Pacific coast, where climatic conditions are moderate and quite habitable.

Before sale

The history of Alaska (before its transfer to the United States) was connected with the Russian Empire. Back in the eighteenth century, this region belonged undividedly to the Russians. It is not known from what time the history of Alaska began - the settlement of this cold and inhospitable land. However, the fact that in the most ancient times there was a certain connection between Asia and Asia is beyond doubt. And it was carried out along which was covered with an ice crust. People in those days easily crossed from one continent to another. The minimum width of the Bering Strait is only eighty-six kilometers. Such a distance was quite within the power of any more or less experienced hunter to overcome on dog sleds.

When the ice age ended, the warming era began. The ice melted, and the coasts of the continents disappeared below the horizon. The people who inhabited Asia no longer dared to swim across the icy surface into the unknown. Therefore, starting from the third millennium BC, Indians began to master Alaska. Their tribes from the territory of present-day California moved north, adhering to the Pacific coast. Gradually, the Indians reached the Aleutian Islands, where they settled down.

Russian exploration of Alaska

Meanwhile, the Russian Empire began to rapidly expand its eastern borders. In the meantime, fleets from European countries constantly plowed the oceans and seas, looking for places for new colonies, the Russians mastered the Urals and Siberia, the Far East and the lands of the Far North. A whole galaxy of strong and courageous people went on ships not to tropical waters, but towards the ice of the harsh north. The most famous expedition leaders were Semyon Dezhnev and Fedot Popov, and Alexei Chirikov. It was they who in 1732 opened this land to the rest of the civilized world - long before Russia gave Alaska to America. This date is considered official.

But it is one thing to open, and another to equip a new land. The very first Russian settlements in Alaska appeared only in the eighties of the eighteenth century. People were engaged in hunting and commerce: hunters caught and merchants bought them. Gradually, this unpromised land began to turn into a source of profit, since valuable fur was equated with gold in all ages.

unprofitable edge

At first, in these northern lands, very rich in furs, the interests of the Russians were jealously guarded. However, the years passed, and the total destruction of the same foxes and sea otters, beavers and minks could not continue indefinitely. Fur production dropped sharply. Gradually, the Russian Klondike began to lose its commercial significance. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the vast lands were still practically not developed. This was the impetus, the first reason why Russia gave Alaska to America.

Beginning in the late thirties of the eighteenth century, an opinion began to form at the imperial court that Alaska was a loss-making region. Moreover, the king began to come to the conclusion that, apart from a headache, this land could not bring anything. It was from this moment that the story of the sale of Alaska to America began. Industrialists were sure that investing in these lands was complete madness, since they could not pay off. Russian people will not settle this icy desert, especially since there are Siberia and Altai, and the Far East, where the climate is much milder and the lands are fertile.

The already difficult situation was exacerbated by the Crimean War, which began in 1853, which pumped huge amounts of money out of the state treasury. In addition, in 1855, Nicholas I died, who was replaced on the throne by Alexander II. They looked at the new emperor with hope. People expected new reforms. But what reforms are carried out without money?

Forever and ever

When it comes to who gave Alaska to America, for some reason everyone remembers Empress Catherine II. Many are sure that it was she who put her signature under the decree on the transfer of "Russian America" ​​to Britain. Allegedly, the conversation at first was not about selling, but only about renting for a century. They even tell a story that fully confirms that Catherine sold Alaska. As if the empress, who did not know the Russian language well, instructed a trusted person to draw up an agreement. The same one messed up with spelling: instead of writing down “Alaska is transferred for a century”, this person, out of absent-mindedness, made a note: “given forever”, which meant forever. So the answer to the question: "Who gave Alaska to America?" - "Ekaterina!" will be wrong. You still need to study the past of your country more carefully.

Alaska: history

Catherine II, according to official history, did nothing of the sort. With her, these lands were not leased, and even more so they were not sold. There were no prerequisites for this. The history of the sale of Alaska began only half a century later, already in the time of Alexander II. It was this emperor who ruled in an era when numerous problems began to emerge, the solution of which required immediate action.

Of course, this sovereign, who ascended the throne, did not immediately decide to sell the northern lands. It took a whole ten years before the question was ripe. Selling land for the state at all times was a very shameful thing. After all, this was evidence of the country's weakness, its inability to keep its subordinate territories in order. However, the Russian treasury really needed funds. And when they are not - all ways are good.

Purchase and sale

However, no one began to shout about it to the whole world. The question of why Russia gave Alaska to America was sensitive and political, and it required unorthodox solutions. In 1866, a delegate from the Russian imperial court arrived in Washington, D.C., and began secret negotiations on the sale of northern lands. The Americans showed complaisance, although the time for the deal was unsuccessful for them too. Indeed, in the United States, the Civil War unleashed between the South and the North had barely ended. Therefore, the state treasury was completely depleted.

Ten years after the time when Russia gave Alaska to America, buyers could be asked five times more, but the Russian court, according to historians, was pressed for money. Therefore, the parties agreed on only 7.2 million dollars in gold equivalent. And although at that time it was very decent money, in terms of current components about two hundred and fifty million dollars, however, anyone who is interested in the question of who gave Alaska to America will agree that these northern territories cost several orders of magnitude more.

One year later

After the conclusion of the agreement, the representative of the imperial court returned to Russia. And a year later, an urgent telegram signed by the President of the United States was sent to the name of the one who gave Alaska to America - the reigning Alexander II. It contained a business proposal: Russia was loudly, to the whole world, offered to sell Alaska. On the other hand, no one knew about the visit of the Russian representative to Washington prior to this telegram. It turned out that it was America that initiated the deal, but not Russia. Thus diplomatic and political conventions were cunningly preserved by both sides. In the eyes of the whole world, Russia managed not to lose its dignity. And already in March 1867, legal registration of documents was carried out. And since that time, "Russian Alaska" has ceased to exist. She was given the status of an American colony. Later it was renamed the district, and already in 1959 this northern land became the forty-ninth state of the United States.

In justification

Today, having learned who gave Alaska to America, one can, of course, condemn and scold the Russian Emperor Alexander II. However, if you take a closer look at the political and financial situation in Russia in those distant years, a very definite picture emerges, which to some extent justifies his decision.

In 1861, serfdom was finally abolished. Thousands of landlords were left without their peasants, which meant that a considerable estate lost its stable source of income. Therefore, the state began to pay compensation to the nobles, which was supposed to somehow cover their material losses. But for the treasury, such expenses amounted to tens of millions of royal rubles. And then the Crimean War broke out, and again money flowed like a river from the treasury.

Difficult situation for Russia

In order to somehow recoup the costs, the royal court borrowed huge sums abroad. Foreign governments with great pleasure gave in because she had untold natural wealth. A situation developed in the empire when every extra ruble became a joy, and especially one for which it was not necessary to pay interest on promissory notes.

That is why Catherine, the great Russian Empress, has matured - there is nothing to do with this issue. And it makes no sense to blame her, except perhaps that the state has reached a complete decline and with her light hand.

Difficulties in selling

Alaska is a distant northern land, constantly bound by eternal ice. She did not bring Russia a single penny. And the whole world knew about it very well. And so the imperial court was quite concerned about finding a buyer for this useless region of icy cold. Closest to Alaska was the United States. They were offered by Russia at their own peril and risk to conclude a deal. The American Congress, more precisely, many senators, did not immediately agree to such a dubious purchase. The issue was put to a vote. As a result, more than half of the senators voted categorically against the acquisition: the proposal received from the Russian government did not cause any enthusiasm among the Americans. And the rest of the world showed absolute indifference to this deal.

Effects

And in Russia itself, the sale of Alaska went completely unnoticed. Newspapers wrote about it on their last pages. Some Russians did not even know that it existed. Although later, when the richest gold reserves were found on this cold northern land, the whole world began to vied with each other to talk about both Alaska and the sale, ridiculing the stupid and short-sighted Russian emperor.

In serious political and financial matters, the subjunctive mood is unacceptable. None of those who later began to condemn Alexander II never suggested that such huge deposits of gold could be located in Alaska. But if we consider the deal not from today's positions, but from the situation that developed in 1867, then many believe that the Russian emperor did absolutely the right thing. And even more so, the sale of Alaska by Catherine is just an idle fiction that has no basis.

Conclusion

In total, one thousand tons of gold was mined on the lands of the former "Russian America". Some got fabulously rich on this, and some disappeared forever in this snowy desert. Today, Americans are very inert and somehow hesitantly settling in their inhospitable land. There are practically no roads in Alaska. Few settlements are reached either by air or by water. The railway here passes through only five cities. In total, six hundred thousand people live in this state.

TASS-DOSIER. October 18, 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of the official ceremony of transferring Russian possessions in North America to US jurisdiction, which took place in the city of Novoarkhangelsk (now the city of Sitka, Alaska).

Russian America

Alaska was discovered in 1732 by Russian explorers Mikhail Gvozdev and Ivan Fedorov during an expedition on the boat "Saint Gabriel". The peninsula was studied in more detail in 1741 by the Second Kamchatka Expedition of Vitus Bering and Alexei Chirikov. In 1784, an expedition of the Irkutsk merchant Grigory Shelikhov arrived on Kodiak Island off the southern coast of Alaska, and founded the first settlement in Russian America - the Harbor of the Three Saints. From 1799 to 1867, Alaska and the islands adjacent to it were under the control of the Russian-American Company (RAC).

It was created on the initiative of Shelikhov and his heirs and received a monopoly on fishing, trading and mining in the northwest of America, as well as on the Kuril and Aleutian Islands. In addition, the Russian-American Company held the exclusive right to open and annex new territories to Russia in the North Pacific.

In the years 1825-1860, RAC officers surveyed and mapped the territory of the peninsula. Local tribes that became dependent on the company were obliged to organize the trade of fur-bearing animals under the guidance of RAC employees. In 1809-1819, the cost of furs mined in Alaska amounted to over 15 million rubles, that is, approximately 1.5 million rubles. per year (for comparison, all revenues of the Russian budget in 1819 amounted to 138 million rubles).

In 1794, the first Orthodox missionaries arrived in Alaska. In 1840, the Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleutian diocese was organized, in 1852, Russian possessions in America were allocated to the New Arkhangelsk vicariate of the Kamchatka diocese. By 1867, about 12 thousand representatives of indigenous peoples who converted to Orthodoxy lived on the peninsula (the total population of Alaska at that time was about 50 thousand people, including Russians - about 1 thousand).

The administrative center of Russian possessions in North America was Novoarkhangelsk, their total territory was about 1.5 million square meters. km. The borders of Russian America were secured by treaties with the USA (1824) and the British Empire (1825).

Plans to sell Alaska

For the first time in government circles, the idea of ​​selling Alaska to the United States was expressed in the spring of 1853 by the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky. He presented a note to Emperor Nicholas I, in which he argued that Russia needed to give up possessions in North America. According to the Governor General, the Russian Empire did not have the necessary military and economic means to protect these territories from US claims.

Muravyov wrote: "We must be convinced that the North American States will inevitably spread throughout North America, and we cannot help but bear in mind that sooner or later we will have to cede our North American possessions to them." Instead of developing Russian America, Muravyov-Amursky proposed to focus on the development of the Far East, while having the United States as an ally against Britain.

Later, the main supporter of the sale of Alaska to the United States was the younger brother of Emperor Alexander II, the chairman of the State Council and the head of the Naval Ministry, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich. On April 3 (March 22, old style), 1857, in a letter addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Gorchakov, for the first time at the official level, he proposed to sell the peninsula to the United States. As arguments in favor of concluding a deal, the Grand Duke referred to the "cramped position of state finances" and the allegedly low profitability of American territories.

In addition, he wrote that "one should not deceive oneself and one must foresee that the United States, constantly striving to round off its possessions and wanting to dominate indivisibly in North America, will take the aforementioned colonies from us, and we will not be able to return them."

The Emperor supported his brother's proposal. The note was also approved by the head of the foreign affairs department, but Gorchakov suggested not rushing to resolve the issue and postponing it until 1862. The Russian envoy to the United States, Baron Eduard Stekl, was instructed to "find out the opinion of the Washington Cabinet on this subject."

As head of the Maritime Department, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich was responsible for the security of overseas possessions, as well as for the development of the Pacific Fleet and the Far East. In this area, his interests collided with the Russian-American Company. In the 1860s, the emperor's brother launched a campaign to discredit the RAC and oppose its work. In 1860, at the initiative of the Grand Duke and Minister of Finance of Russia Mikhail Reitern, the company was audited.

The official conclusion showed that the annual income of the treasury from the activities of the RAC amounted to 430 thousand rubles. (for comparison, the total revenues of the state budget in the same year amounted to 267 million rubles). As a result, Konstantin Nikolayevich and the Minister of Finance who supported him succeeded in obtaining a refusal to transfer the rights to the development of Sakhalin to the company, as well as the abolition of many trade benefits, which led to a significant deterioration in the financial performance of the RAC.

Make a deal

On December 28 (16), 1866, a special meeting was held in St. Petersburg in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the issue of the sale of Russian possessions in North America. It was attended by Emperor Alexander II, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, Finance Minister Mikhail Reitern, Naval Minister Nikolai Krabbe, Russian envoy to the United States Baron Eduard Steckl.

At the meeting, an agreement was unanimously reached on the sale of Alaska. However, this decision was not made public. The secrecy was so high that, for example, Minister of War Dmitry Milyutin found out about the sale of the region only after the signing of the agreement from British newspapers. And the board of the Russian-American Company received notification of the deal three weeks after it was formalized.

The conclusion of the treaty took place in Washington on March 30 (18), 1867. The document was signed by Russian envoy Baron Eduard Steckl and US Secretary of State William Seward. The deal amounted to $7 million 200 thousand, or more than 11 million rubles. (in terms of gold - 258.4 thousand troy ounces or $ 322.4 million in modern prices), which the United States pledged to pay within ten months. At the same time, in April 1857, in a memorandum of the chief ruler of the Russian colonies in America, Ferdinand Wrangel, the territories in Alaska belonging to the Russian-American Company were estimated at 27.4 million rubles.

The agreement was drawn up in English and French. The entire Alaska Peninsula, the Alexander and Kodiak archipelagos, the islands of the Aleutian ridge, and several islands in the Bering Sea passed to the United States. The total area of ​​the sold land territory was 1 million 519 thousand square meters. km. According to the document, Russia donated to the United States all the property of the RAC, including buildings and structures (with the exception of churches), and undertook to withdraw its troops from Alaska. The indigenous population was transferred under the jurisdiction of the United States, Russian residents and colonists received the right to move to Russia within three years.

The Russian-American company was subject to liquidation, its shareholders eventually received insignificant compensation, the payment of which was delayed until 1888.

On May 15 (3), 1867, an agreement on the sale of Alaska was signed by Emperor Alexander II. On October 18 (6), 1867, the Governing Senate adopted a decree on the execution of the document, the Russian text of which, under the heading "The Highest Ratified Convention on the Cession of the Russian North American Colonies to the United States of North America," was published in the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire. On May 3, 1867, the treaty was ratified by the US Senate. On June 20, the instruments of ratification were exchanged in Washington.

Execution of the contract

On October 18 (6), 1867, the official ceremony of transferring Alaska to the ownership of the United States took place in Novoarkhangelsk: the Russian flag was lowered under the gun salutes and the American one was raised. On the part of Russia, the protocol on the transfer of territories was signed by a special government commissioner, Captain 2nd Rank Alexei Peshchurov, on the part of the United States, by General Lowell Russo.

In January 1868, 69 soldiers and officers of the Novoarkhangelsk garrison were taken to the Far East, to the city of Nikolaevsk (now Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk Territory). The last group of Russians - 30 people - left Alaska on November 30, 1868 on the ship "Winged Arrow" bought for these purposes, which followed to Kronstadt. Only 15 people accepted American citizenship.

On July 27, 1868, the US Congress approved the decision to pay Russia the funds stipulated in the agreement. At the same time, as follows from the correspondence of the Russian Minister of Finance Reitern with the US Ambassador to the United States, Baron Stekl, $ 165 thousand of the total amount was spent on bribes to senators who contributed to the decision of Congress. RUB 11 million 362 thousand 482 in the same year were placed at the disposal of the Russian government. Of these, 10 million 972 thousand 238 rubles. was spent abroad on the purchase of equipment for the Kursk-Kyiv, Ryazan-Kozlov and Moscow-Ryazan railways under construction.