People of the Russian Empire. The far-flung subjects of the Tsar. by Alex Q. Arbuckle (opens in a new tab) Opens in a new tab. An Afro-Abkhazian mountaineer. Image: Library of Congress.

The Russian empire, otherwise known as Imperial Russia, was the final period of the Russian monarchy lasting from 1721 until its dissolution in 1917.

The Thousandth Year of the Russian Empire. Share full article. Jan. 16, 1862. Credit... The New York Times Archives. See the article in its original context from January 16, 1862, Page 6 Buy Reprints.

The Russian Empire, which existed between 1721 and 1917, covered a vast territory. Finland was part of Russia's empire until it declared its independence after the Russian Revolution.

Mikhail Zygar, a Russian author and the founding editor of an independent television station called TV Rain, has written a book, The Empire Must Die, that, among other things, tells the story of ...