For more than a century, the Russian Empire owned Alaska and the surrounding islands, until in 1867, Alexander II ceded these lands to the United States for more than seven million dollars. According to an alternative version, Alaska was not sold, but leased for a hundred years, but Comrade Khrushchev actually gave it to the Americans in 1957. Moreover, some are convinced that the peninsula is still ours, since the ship on which the gold was transported as payment for the transaction sank.

One way or another, this whole story with Alaska has become clouded over the years. We propose to understand how it happened that part of another continent became part of Russia and why they decided to sell the lands on which 200 million dollars in gold were mined in 30 years after the sale.

Read also: Reports from the New Russia militia today

Turnips and potatoes for you

In 1741, the outstanding Russian explorer of Danish origin, Vitus Bering, crossed the strait between Eurasia and North America (which was later named after him) and became the first person to explore the shores of Alaska. Half a century later, a merchant and part-time navigator, Grigory Shelikhov, arrived there, who accustomed the local population to turnips and potatoes, spread Orthodoxy among the natives, and even founded the agricultural colony “Glory to Russia.” From that time on, Alaska began to belong to the Russian Empire as a pioneer, and its inhabitants unexpectedly became subjects of the emperor.

Indian sabotage

View of the capital of Russian Alaska - Novo-Arkhangelsk.

The Indians, and they can be understood, were unhappy that foreigners had seized power over their lands, and even forced them to eat turnips. They expressed their displeasure by burning Mikhailovsky Fortress, which was founded by Shelikhov and his company business partners. Together with a church, a primary school, a shipyard, workshops and an arsenal. And three years later they set fire to another Russian stronghold. The natives would never have succeeded in these daring enterprises if they had not been armed by American and British entrepreneurs.

No matter what happens

A lot of money was siphoned out of Alaska: sea otter fur was worth more 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. True, by that time oil and gold had been discovered in Alaska. This, paradoxically, became the most important incentive to quickly get rid of these territories. The fact is that American prospectors began to actively arrive in Alaska, and Russian government there was a reasonable fear that they would come after them American troops or, even worse, the British will come. The empire was not ready for war, and giving up Alaska for thanks would have been completely stupid.

Onerous acquisition

The first page of the agreement “on the cession of the Russian North American Colonies to the United States of America.”

The idea to sell Alaska while it was still possible came from the Emperor’s brother, Konstantin Romanov, who served as head of the Russian Naval Staff. Autocrat Alexander II approved this proposal and on May 3, 1867 signed an agreement on the sale of overseas lands to the United States for 7.2 million dollars (at the current exchange rate - approximately 119 million in gold). On average, it turned out to be about four and a half dollars per square kilometer with all the real estate located on it.

In accordance with the procedure, the treaty was submitted to the US Congress. The Committee on Foreign Affairs (you can look at the faces of the members of this committee in the illustration above) expressed doubts about the advisability of such a burdensome acquisition in a situation where the country had just ended a civil war. Nevertheless, the treaty was ratified, and the Stars and Stripes flew over Alaska.

Where is the money, Zin?

Check for the purchase of Alaska. Issued in the name of Eduard Andreevich Stekl.

Baron Eduard Stekl, charge d'affaires of the Russian embassy in Washington, received a check in the amount of 7 million 200 thousand dollars. He took 21 thousand for his work, and distributed 144 thousand as promised bribes to the senators who voted for ratification of the treaty. The rest was sent to London by bank transfer. The gold bars purchased for this amount were transported by sea to St. Petersburg. When converting the currency first into pounds and then into gold, we lost about one and a half million.

But that's not so bad. The ship Orkney, carrying gold bars, sank on its way to the Russian capital. The company that registered the cargo declared itself bankrupt, and the damage was only partially compensated. Meanwhile, a gold rush began on the peninsula, and, as already mentioned, in 30 years gold worth 200 million dollars was mined there.

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Tanya Marchant and Masha Denezhkina

History of the State of Alaska

part 1

Alaska's first inhabitants

According to scientists, Alaska was discovered by Siberian hunters - the ancestors of most native American Indians who migrated north during the Ice Age in search of mammoths, the main animal hunted by Stone Age people.

Ancient people migrated to the American continent through the Bering Strait, which at that time was a 1,600-kilometer natural ice bridge between the two continents. When the climate changed and warmed, the ice melted and the world's oceans rose, flooding this bridge and dividing Siberia and Alaska by the Bering Sea.

Excavations by researchers and scientists in Alaska have revealed to us Interesting Facts: objects from human use were found that were used in his household 12 thousand years ago - that is, several centuries before the end of the Ice Age. Apparently, the ancestors of the Eskimo nation appeared 6 thousand years BC.

Settlement of the northwestern lands

The coast of the American Northwest was once the domain of Prince William. The Indians who inhabited these lands of northern California also gradually migrated north, bringing their culture to these lands. The north was rich in fish: salmon, flounder, cod, herring, edible species of shellfish and marine mammals were found in abundance in the coastal waters of Alaska. Thousands of species of plants suitable for food grew on the fertile soil of these lands, and many animals lived in the forests. That's why the lands of Alaska were so attractive to people.

Three indigenous peoples became the founders and first inhabitants of these places: Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian. People of these tribes settled southern Alaska.

The most numerous was the Tlingit tribe. They founded many settlements on these lands. Tlingit had their own language, which scientists attribute to the internal American group of languages ​​of the Athabascan Indians. Since the Tlingit were the most numerous tribe, it was they, as the owners of this territory, who were the first to come into contact with Russian travelers and explorers who came to these lands in 1741.

The Haida people lived on the lands British Columbia, on the Queen Charlotte Islands and in southern Alaska - on the Prince of Wales Islands. It is traditionally believed that the Haida peoples began moving north about 1,700 years ago.

The Tsimshian people inhabited the southeast coast and nearby islands in the area of ​​what is now Fort Simpson, which is located in British Columbia. This fort was founded in 1834 as a consequence of the activities of the British company in Hudson's Bay Company. And in 1887 large group The Tsimshian Indians, led by the Anglican Church missionary William Duncan, settled Anette Island off the coast of Alaska.

The peoples of all three tribes were engaged in fishing. They fished using fish traps and nets. To hunt sea creatures, a harpoon with a rope was widely used. For sea hunting, canoes of various shapes and sizes were built. And for their hunt for forest animals, they made bows and arrows and set up various cunning traps: nooses. Arcana and pits. The Indians usually made their hunting tools from wood, and the tips of harpoons and arrows from sharpened stones or sea shells. The Indians decorated their products, skillfully finishing them with amazing patterns.

The Indians of these tribes lived in large houses, in which, as in dormitories, the whole village lived, traditionally considering all its inhabitants as one family.

Social relations in these tribes were built on the principle of matriarchy. They traced their ancestry through their mother's side. However, in the Tlingit and Haida tribes, marriages between direct relatives: siblings were prohibited. The Tlingit also had clans in which social relations were traced back to the first legendary ancestors. The ancestors of the ancestors constituted a special aristocracy of clans: leaders, elders, masters and slaves. However, these class differences were constantly subject to a kind of change and were not static.

Each clan and each tribe usually had political independence from other tribes. All the spoils from the hunt were shared within the circle of one family-clan, which had its own leader or elder in charge. Each clan had its own deity, its own leader, its own personal name, its own songs and ritual dances. The deities of the Indian clans were animals that served as the main prey of hunting, as well as the forces of nature, which, according to the Indians, were responsible for the length human life and the fertility of the land. The Indians were pagans and endowed all living things, the entire surrounding nature, with a magical spirit.

Political leadership was achieved through competitions of prestige. If a clan man aspired to leadership, he had to be the most successful hunter, on whom the well-being of the entire tribe would depend.

Unlike the inhabitants of the coast, who had their own rich natural resources, representatives of the peoples of the Athabasca language group lived in the more severe conditions of the Arctic and subarctic in the north of the continent. This huge space had extremely poor natural conditions, and people had to find and obtain food with great difficulty. For weather conditions This region has always been characterized by long winters and short, cold summers. The Attabasca Indians hunted elk, musk deer, grizzly bears, wild goats, and fished.

The Athabascans led a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle, moving from one area to another in search of prey for hunting and fishing. They caught trout and pike in the rivers; in the forests they hunted mainly musk deer, hares and polar partridges. The tools for hunting and fishing were used by all the Indians of the North American continent. And although the Athabascans hunted a lot of animals and birds, however, periods when their tribes went hungry were not uncommon in the life of the Athabascans.

They designed the construction options for their wigwam houses depending on the upcoming season. All Athabascans built their houses from wood and poles in such a way that, in addition to the family, they could also accommodate domestic animals and birds. Nomadic groups of Indians built lighter dwellings. The Indians of such tribes of the Athabasca people as the Ingalik, who lived on the Yukon River, or the Kuskokwim tribe, usually built a temporary settlement for the winter, and moved to bivouac “camps” for summer fishing. They built winter houses according to the principle of Eskimo dugouts.

The Athabascans had very simple social divisions of society. More time They spent years among small groups of neighboring families. The similarity between them existed in the fact that they professed the principles of matriarchy and relatives maintained close relationships, observing all the obligations of members of the same family. A family member had to find a spouse not among close relatives, but in another tribe.

When natural resources allowed, several tribes united to hunt together. Despite the fact that everyone hunted together, Indian men competed with each other for the right to be a leader in the hunt, on the basis of which a man could become one of the leaders of the tribe. Also, an Indian who proved himself a brave warrior in inter-tribal conflicts could become the leader of a tribe. Leaders were not elected for life. And if one day the leader’s luck turned away, he could no longer claim leadership in the tribe.

The Athabascans had traditions and ceremonies in which, for example, the tribe welcomed and presented its guests with gifts. Also, a family meal was held when one of the tribe members died. When the Athabascans began to participate in trade exchanges with the "palefaces", they began to more often organize communal meals in honor of their new partners, thereby modeling the attitudes and traditions of treating the "palefaces" for tribes throughout the northwest coast of the American continent.

The Indians held feasts to commemorate the first hunt, a military feat, the return of hunters from a long campaign, successful revenge, or a new campaign. A man about to get married had to feast three times for his tribe. Ceremonies were also held when the tribe made a general decision to expel one of its members for an offense - he could not receive any support from any of his loved ones for at least one year.

The Athabascans were also pagans. They lived in a world inhabited by many spirits. They believed that after death, human souls move into animals and used these legends in their rituals.

The Athabascans had special members of the tribes who performed religious ceremonies and were responsible for connecting the Indians with the world of otherworldly forces. These people were called shamans. Shamans were the guardians of religious rituals and possessed much knowledge: how to heal the sick; how to bring luck to a hunter; how to predict the weather and the future.

Eskimo culture developed in the territories of western Alaska, so it is natural that the languages ​​of the Eskimos and Aleuts are so different from each other. The Eskimos mastered the waters of the Arctic Ocean and therefore are very great attention devoted to means of water transportation.

Traditional Eskimo farming tools were in use in Siberia long before their appearance on the lands of Alaska. And this culture and economic technologies penetrated into the territory of North America 4 thousand years BC. spread from Alaska to Greenland.

From the shores of northern Alaska to Greenland, the Eskimos hunted sea animals: ringed seals, fur seals, and whales. Some groups of Eskimos hunted deer and musk deer. These groups of Eskimo people were called the Caribou Eskimo and lived in Canada, in the west of Hudson Bay. Other small groups of Eskimo people lived along the Colville and Noatak rivers, as well as in the delta of the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers.

However, despite the difference in habitat, the Eskimos had a common culture, national clothing and traditions. This happened because thousands of years ago the wild, primitive culture of this people: dog sleds, kayak boats, and many others. etc. - spread through Alaska throughout North America to Greenland.

Social relations among the Eskimos were concentrated around the tribal family. The men were hunting. The Yupik Eskimo had special ceremonial houses in which Eskimo men taught boys the art of hunting, and women stayed at home and raised girls. Most Eskimo marriages took place within the clan community.

The Eskimos hunted and fished. They had their own taboos and prohibitions: for example, they did not dare to mix land and sea creatures for food. The Bering Sea Eskimo had many rituals and ceremonies related to hunting animals. And the Eskimos who lived north of their territories did not have similar hunting and fishing traditions.

The Aleuts adapted very well to life in difficult times. natural conditions Aleutian Islands. They have learned to make excellent use of the rich resources of the sea for life. However, their traditions were forgotten and absorbed by the more civilized culture of the Russian people, with whom the Aleuts first met in 1740.

The Aleuts built separate dugouts in which families lived. Sometimes the Aleuts wandered to northern shores Bering Sea. This happened when populations of marine animals migrated to other areas. Then the Aleuts built seasonal houses and seasonal camps.

Society was divided into social classes: leaders, simple people and slaves. The traditions of the Aleuts have many similarities with the customs of the Tlingit tribe and ethnic groups of Siberia. It is possible that initially the Aleuts also professed the family principle of organizing the tribe. The Aleut community usually consisted of an elder father and his wife or wives, a married eldest son and his family, and sometimes a younger brother and his family. Young children were usually sent to be raised by their mothers, who had their own homes.

When the sea waters were free of ice, the Aleuts went out to sea to hunt. They hunted seals, walruses, sea lions and whales. Many of their hunting tools were similar to those of the southern Eskimos: a two-seater kayak boat; bone and stone weapons. The Aleuts also hunted birds, 140 species of which nested on the Aleutian Islands. To hunt birds, the Aleuts used bolos (ropes with stones tied to the ends - braided into braids and thrown at birds). For fishing, they used nets and harpoons. Also, the Aleuts collected sea shellfish and northern berries and herbs.

Early European exploration of Alaska

Russian expeditions

In 1654, the Russian merchant Fedot Alekseev set off from the east of the Siberian Kolyma Peninsula along the Pogicha River with his expedition, wanting to find lands rich in gold, fur-bearing animals and walruses, the bones of which were very valuable. Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev went on this campaign with him - as a representative of the government, vested with the authority to establish duties on trade with the local population. On this journey, Dezhnev was the first explorer to discover a sea passage from the shores of the Arctic to the ocean.

Now this sea route is called the Bering Strait, since Dezhnev’s report on the opening of the strait never reached the government. Tsar Peter the Great, who ruled Russia at that time, never learned that Siberia was closely adjacent to the North American continent. However, shortly before his death, Peter the Great sent Captain Vitus Bering, a Danish navigator who was on the Russian service.

Peter sent Bering on an expedition to study and describe the northeastern coast of Siberia. In 1728, the Bering expedition rediscovered the strait, which was first seen by Semyon Dezhnev. However, due to fog, Bering was unable to see the outlines of the North American continent on the horizon.

In 1733, the Russian government again appointed Bering as head of a new expedition, the purpose of which was to explore the resources of Siberia and establish trade with Japan.

On this expedition, Bering also explored the American coast. The expedition of Vitus Bering set off for the shores of America from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on June 8, 1741 on two ships: “St. Peter” (under the command of Bering) and “St. Paul” (under the command of Alexei Chirikov). Each ship had its own team of scientists and researchers on board.

On June 20, the ships took different routes; on July 15, land was spotted on Chirikov’s ship. Presumably, the sailors saw the shores of Prince of Wales Island. And the ship under the control of Bering, which was moving north, reached the shores of Kayak Island the next day. Bering, from the sea, saw the top of the mountain, which he named Mount Saint Elias, since July 16 is Saint Elias Day. The ship's doctor, the German scientist Georg Wilhelm Steller, was among the first to land on shore in order to collect some medicinal plants to help the crew who were suffering from scurvy. Steller also collected some samples of shells and herbs on the shore, discovered new species of birds and animals, from which the researchers concluded that their ship had reached the new continent of North America.

Chirikov's ship returned to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on October 8, but Bering's ship was carried by the current and wind to the east of the Kamchatka Peninsula - to the Commander Islands. The ship was wrecked near one of the islands and washed ashore. The travelers were forced to spend the winter on the island, which now bears the name Bering Island. On this island, the commander died without surviving the harsh winter. In the spring, the surviving crew members built a boat from the wreckage of the broken "St. Peter" and returned to Kamchatka only in September. This is how the first one ended Russian expedition, which discovered the northwestern coast of the North American continent.

The Russian Empress Elizabeth had no interest in the lands of North America. She issued a decree obliging the local population to pay duties on trade, but did not take any further steps towards developing relations with Alaska.

For the next 50 years, Russia showed very little interest in this land. Individual merchants traded with the Aleuts, buying furs from them. The thin fur of the sea otter, a sea otter, was especially prized. Russian merchants sold Aleutian furs especially profitably in Chinese markets.

In 1743, Russian traders and fur trappers established very close contact with the Aleuts. The European diseases that the new settlers brought to the Aleuts were fatal to the natives of the new continent. Smallpox, measles, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, pneumonia - became the weapons that almost exterminated the Aleuts. Before contact with Europeans, the Aleut population numbered 15-20 thousand people. In 1834, there were only 2,247 of them left, in 1848 - already 1,400. Since 1864, when the Russians settled on the islands, the Aleut population again jumped sharply to 2,005 people - thanks to mixed marriages and the influx of new blood. But by 1890 it had dropped again to 1,702 people.

Hunters migrated to the eastern Aleutian Islands following the animals they hunted. As the fishery moved away from Kamchatka, fur prices rose and small trading companies went bankrupt. Until 1770, among the merchants and fur harvesters in Alaska, Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov, Pavel Sergeevich Lebedev-Lastochkin, as well as the brothers Grigory and Pyotr Panov were considered the richest and most famous.

In 1762, Empress Catherine the Great became the ruler of Russia, and the government again turned its attention to the Aleuts. In 1769, Catherine issued a decree that abolished duties on trade with the Aleuts, and also issued a decree that ordered the government to be concerned with the fate of the Aleut people. Unfortunately, the empress's decree remained only a decree on paper. Without the control and supervision of the ruler over its implementation.

Competition among other powers

Spain was also interested in territories in the North Pacific. Fear of Russian expansion into the lands of North America pushed Spain to occupy the lands of Alta California (now the state of California) and build their forts San Diego, Monterey and other California settlements on them.

In 1774, 1777, 1778 and 1790, Spanish expeditions were sent to Alaska. And the expedition of 1790 already had specific goal: Explore and, if possible, take possession of territories in Alaska. However, when Spanish ships came into confrontation with ships from the British land of Nootka Sound (now the Canadian province of British Columbia), the Spaniards were forced to admit defeat and abandon attempts to seize the northern territories.

Britain, France, and the United States explored Alaska but did not attempt to acquire the territory. In 1778, British Captain James Cook compiled topographic maps coast of Alaska and visited the Aleutian lands. In Alaska, Cook and his crew purchased many valuable sea otter pelts, which they sold at great profit in China; subsequent British interest in Alaska focused on trade.

France also sent an expedition to Alaska under the command of Jean de Galoupe, who returned from his expedition in 1788. But French revolution 1789 interrupted further French exploration in this region of North America.

Colonization

Russian fur merchants were annoyed by foreign competitors. Especially the British, who offered cheaper goods for exchange with the local population than Russian merchants. The Russians felt it was necessary government agency colonies. In 1784, the merchant Shelikhov built and equipped his own ships and sent them to Kodiak Island. Gradually (by 1788) the number of Russians in the Aleutian Islands and North America reached 500, and by 1794, as a result of the ongoing activities of G.I. Shelikhov, it exceeded 800 people.

It was thanks to Shelikhov’s energy and foresight that the foundation of Russian possessions was laid in these new lands. The first permanent settlement appeared on Kodiak Island, in the Bay of Three Saints. Shelikhov also headed the first agricultural colony "Glory to Russia". The settlement plans he drew up included smooth streets, schools, libraries, and parks. At the same time, Shelikhov was not a statesman. He remained a merchant. industrialist, entrepreneur, acting with the permission of the government.

Until 1786, Shelikhov was the most successful fur trader in the Aleutian lands, but his fur empire needed other capable leaders. He saw one such assistant in Alexander Andreevich Baranov, a Siberian merchant who came to Kodiak in 1791. Soon, a merchant from Kargopol, 43-year-old Alexander Baranov, was appointed chief manager on Kodiak Island. Baranov was on the verge of bankruptcy when Shelikhov took him as his assistant, recognizing exceptional qualities in him: enterprise, perseverance, firmness.

Soon Baranov moved the company's representative office from the Bay of Three Saints to the north of the island, to the city of Pavlovsk, which had a better harbor and was located in a wooded area, which was very important for future construction. Now Pavlovsk is the main city of Kodiak Island.

The new ruler Alexander Baranov faced many problems. Most food and almost all goods for exchange had to be imported from Russia, and there were not enough ships. The motto of the Russian colony was the saying: “work tirelessly.” The colony was constantly short of people to build ships, protect the colony, organize everyday life. Local Aleuts came to the rescue. They made up the main labor force of the colony, hunting fur game, while the Russians were busy arranging housing and procuring skins and triggers of animals. The Aleuts guarded the fort and stood guard.

During Baranov's tenure as Ruler of Russian America, Russia's possessions expanded to the south and east. Baranov founded and built Russian representative offices and in the Aleutian lands. The largest is Novo-Arkhangelsk, founded in 1799. In 1802, the Tlingit tribe attacked the fort and destroyed it. And in 1804, Baranov returned to these lands with a Russian warship and defeated the Tlingits. After the victory, Novo-Arkhangelsk was rebuilt. 4 km south of this city, the famous Alaskan city of Sitka later grew.

Baranov faithfully served Shelikhov and then the Russian-American Company from 1790 to 1818, until he retired at the age of 71. During his lifetime, legends circulated about him: he inspired respect and fear in the people around him. Even the strictest government auditors were amazed at his dedication, energy and dedication.

Russian-American company

With the merger of the companies of the merchants G.I. Shelikhova, I.I. and M.S. Golikov and N.P. Mylnikov in 1798 was created and in 1799 the unified Russian-American company was finally formed. It received from Paul I monopoly rights to fur fishing, trade and the discovery of new lands in the northeastern part of the Pacific Ocean, designed to represent and protect with its own means the interests of Russia in the Pacific Ocean.

Since 1800, the main board of the company, consisting of several directors, was located in St. Petersburg on the Moika River near the Blue Bridge. The company was declared to be under "the highest patronage." Since 1801, the company's shareholders were Alexander I and the grand dukes and major statesmen.

Shelikhov died in 1795. His son-in-law and legal heir of the Russian-American Company, Nikolai Petrovich Ryazanov, in 1799 received from the ruler of Russia, Emperor Paul the First, the right to a monopoly of the American fur trade. This authority obliged the company to take ownership of the northern territories previously discovered by the Russians. And establish Russian missions not only on them, but also on new lands, however, trying not to come into conflict with other powers.

In 1812, Baranov established the southern representative office of the company (on the shores of the Gulf of California Bodega. This representative office was named Russian village(Selenie Ross), now known as Fort Ross. Later, in 1841, Fort Ross was sold to John Sutter, a German industrialist who went down in California history thanks to his sawmill in Coloma, on the territory of which a gold mine was found in 1848, which began the famous California Gold Rush.

Baranov left the post of director of the Russian-American Company in 1818 (retired). He wanted to return home - to Russia, but died on the way.

Naval officers took over the management of the company and contributed to the development of the company. And in 1821, the company’s policy stipulated the following point: from now on, only naval officers were to be the leaders of the Russian-American Company. The company's naval leadership improved its administration and expanded its colonies. However, unlike Baranov, the naval leadership had very little interest in the trading business itself, and were extremely nervous about the settlement of Alaska by the British and Americans. The company's management, in the name of the Russian Emperor, banned the incursion of all foreign ships into the 160 km water area near the Russian colonies in Alaska. Of course, such an order was immediately protested by Great Britain and the United States government.

The dispute with the United States was settled by a convention in 1824, which determined the exact northern and southern boundaries of Russian territory in Alaska. In 1825, Russia came to an agreement with Britain, also defining the exact eastern and western borders. The Russian Empire gave both sides (Britain and the United States) the right to trade in Alaska for 10 years, after which Alaska completely became the property of Russia.

Alaska Purchase

In 1843, US Secretary of the Government William Marcy and Senator William M. Gwin, both proponents of expansionism, asked the Russian ambassador to the US, Baron Edward Stoeckl, with a provocative question: “Is it true , that Russia is putting up its colony of Alaska for sale?” Stoeckle replied, “Of course not!” - however, this question intrigued him.

In 1844, the Russian-American Company's patent for monopoly trade was extended for another 20 years. The company tried to make profit from new sources: coal mining; whaling and even exporting ice to San Francisco. However, all these adventures were unprofitable.

The sale of Alaska took place in 1867, not long after the popular term “Russian America” was coined. Russian possessions in America were, in fact, not state property, but the property of companies - first several private Russians, and then, from 1799, Russian-American... Russia did not have any act on the annexation of these possessions - they were possessions of Russian subjects.

This kind of ownership was common in the 18th - 19th centuries (East India Company, Hudson's Bay Company, etc.). It is no wonder that first Fort Ross, and then other Russian possessions in America, were ceded. In essence, a deal was made between the patrons of the RAC - the government and the emperor himself - with America.

Thus, Russia, as it were, got rid of, first of all, a company that was unprofitable and constantly troubled by problems. And one more thing - RAC was burdened by the knowledge that there were no dividends and they were not expected. Just debts. Moreover, at this time, large investments were required to develop new lands in Primorye.

But most of all, the fate of Russian America was influenced by the Crimean War (1853-56), which led to the impoverishment of the treasury and at the same time showed the vulnerability of the territories in the Pacific Ocean to the British fleet. By 1866, the RAC owed the Ministry of Finance 725 thousand rubles. In government circles, talk began that the sale of Russian America would help replenish the treasury and at the same time get rid of a vulnerable and unprofitable colony, which would one way or another go to the United States. In addition, by selling Alaska, Russia would have acquired an ally in the fight against England, which was hostile at that time.

Ultimately, the Russian government decided to sell Alaska to the United States and instructed Baron Stoeckl to negotiate. On March 11, 1867, Stockl began negotiations for the sale of Alaska with U.S. Secretary of the Government William H. Seward.

The agreement on the cession by Russia of its North American colonies to the United States for 7 million 200 thousand dollars in gold was drawn up in Washington on March 18, 1867. Seward had some difficulty obtaining government consent for such a monumental purchase at the time. But he gained the support of many Congressmen and, finally, the Senate approved the purchase, passing this decision by a vote of 37 in favor to 2 against. Some newspapers called the purchase crazy and Seward crazy, but, under pressure from the official press, the US public supported the Alaska purchase.

The signature and seal of Alexander II on the contract appeared only on May 3, but in fact Alaska had already been sold. On March 23, the editors of St. Petersburg newspapers received a message about this via the Atlantic telegraph - and refused to believe it. This news was presented by newspapermen as an empty rumor. The famous publisher of “Voice” A. A. Kraevsky expressed the bewilderment of Russian society on this issue: “Today, yesterday and the day before today we are transmitting and transmitting telegrams received from New York and London about the sale of Russia’s possessions in North America... We are still , as then, we cannot treat such an incredible rumor as anything other than the most evil joke on the gullibility of society.”

On July 18, the White House officially announced its desire to pay Russia the amount assigned in the bidding for Alaska.

Only on October 8, the “Highly ratified treaty on the cession of the Russian North American colonies” was published in the newspaper of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Northern Post”. The formal transfer of Alaska to the United States took place on November 11, 1867 in Sitka.

The Russian history of exploration of Alaska lasted 126 years. However, Russian activity in these lands took place, by and large, within the territory of the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak and the Alexander Archipelago. Some exploration was certainly carried out within the continent, but it was limited to very few settlements. The peak of the Russian population in Alaska did not exceed 700 people. The most significant contribution to the development of the lands of Alaska by Russian people should be considered the activities of the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church. They built their churches on these lands and were engaged in missionary work among local residents- Aleuts and Tlingits. Russian Orthodox Church never stopped its activities. She still serves in Alaska today.

The United States was no better prepared to rule Alaska than the Russians. Many Americans had no information at all about these lands. The Civil War had just ended, and the country's leaders were more concerned about resolving the former conflict. Be that as it may, many Americans still came to the new lands of Alaska to trade, hunt or whale. In addition, in 1864, the Western Union Company began building a telegraph line to connect North America with East Asia and Europe through Alaska. However, this enterprise burst when in 1866 the project of laying a transatlantic cable connecting New World with the Old One.

However, the efforts expended by the Western Union company on the implementation of its project were not in vain and stimulated American interest in the lands of Alaska. Scientific expeditions to these regions were organized. The successful scientific study of Alaska was also facilitated by the rich scientific and educational information accumulated by Russian researchers and generously provided to America after its purchase of Alaska.

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Exactly 150 years ago, a deal was concluded to sell Russian Alaska to the United States. What role did the Decembrist uprising play in this? Why did St. Petersburg perceive the discovery of gold on the peninsula as big problem? What did the proceeds end up being used for? And what was the American Congress guided by when it flatly refused to acquire new lands?

Around 4 a.m. on March 30, 1867, in the office State Department an agreement was signed in Washington on the cession of all Russian rights to Alaska to the United States of America. The text of the agreement arrived from St. Petersburg only the day before - late Friday evening. And one can only guess what efforts it took for the Tsar’s envoy Baron Eduard Stekl and Secretary of State William Seward to get out of bed all the officials and politicians necessary to sign the documents. Be that as it may, the deal took place.

The sale of Alaska is one of the most mythologized events in Russian history of the 19th century.

People still have very different opinions about who sold the Russian colonies. Someone, thanks famous song, I am sure that it was Catherine II, someone like the governor of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov, that Nicholas II was the culprit. There are myths that these territories were not sold, but only leased for a period of 99 years, and that Russia never received the payment due for them.

Received. True, part of the allotted amount had to be spent on bribes for American parliamentarians. Thus, a line was drawn under the long history of Russian colonization of America, which began under Peter I.

"Juno" and"A eight»

It is believed that the first European to discover the coast of Alaska was Vitus Bering, an officer of the Russian fleet and a Dane by origin. In fact, individual pioneers reached these places before, but it was Bering back in 1741 who did two most important things for the further development of the New World by the Russians. Unlike most of his predecessors, he realized that he had discovered North America, and not just another island. In addition, it was Bering who managed to justify the economic attractiveness of the development of new territories.

During the return journey, about 200 kilometers short of reaching the shores of Asia, the ship was washed ashore on an unnamed island by a raging storm. It was November, and it was decided to settle here for the winter. 30 sailors out of 75 who found themselves on the shore could not survive hard winter. The great Russian explorer Vitus Bering himself, or, as he was called in Russia, Ivan Ivanovich, also died. The island on which his crew had to spend the winter has since been named after him.

On new lands, sailors met a large population of various animals that were not at all afraid of humans. And in the spring, they built a new ship from the remains of a lost ship and a beached ship in the Kamchatka forest. Within two weeks they were not only able to reach Petropavlovsk, but also brought a rich cargo of furs. Soon, various merchants organized several expeditions to extract valuable skins, and the ships returned loaded with furs worth tens and hundreds of thousands of rubles.

The fame of the rich natural resources of these places quickly spread throughout the world. Spain was consolidating its holdings in California in order to enter the race for possession of these lands. Subjects of King George were moving along the opposite coast from Boston. At the same time, both English and French navigators tried to find a sea route to Alaska.

However, official St. Petersburg did not seek to explore the New World, fearing possible international consequences. It’s one thing to discover new lands, quite another to inhabit them and hold them. Colonial Wars between European powers arose regularly, often spreading to the territory of the metropolises. And Petersburg did not want to get into this tangled tangle.

Therefore, Alaska was developed mainly by private owners. Of all the fishermen who sailed to these shores, the most successful was the company of Grigory Shelikhov, which gradually absorbed all competitors. In capturing the promising area, he was actively helped by his son-in-law, a young St. Petersburg official Nikolai Rezanov, who lobbied for the interests of the family business in the capital. After Shelikhov’s death, Rezanov became the largest co-owner of the company, and in 1799, Paul I signed a decree on the creation of a Russian American company on the basis of Shelikhov’s enterprise.

The very idea of ​​the RAC was copied from British giants - such as the East India Company. The RAC not only had exclusive and monopoly rights to the development of Alaska, but also full power in these territories, carrying out administrative and judicial functions on behalf of the emperor. At the same time, the city of Novo-Arkhangelsk (modern Sitka) was founded, which became the capital of Russian possessions in America. The first chief ruler of all Russian settlements in the New World was Alexander Baranov.

However, arriving in Novo-Arkhangelsk several years later, Rezanov found the settlement in a deplorable state. The colonists did not have enough food - they were delivered across all of Siberia, and a significant part of the provisions simply spoiled. At the same moment, the American merchant John Wolf dropped into Novo-Arkhangelsk with a load of food. Rezanov bought not only goods, but also the ship itself, named “Juno”. The second ship - under the name "Avos" - was built on site.

Almost Russian Hawaii

On these two ships, Rezanov went to what was then Spanish California. His goal was to find out the situation on the spot and organize a direct supply of food products. The enterprise was complicated political situation in Europe. The Russian traveler arrived in California in March 1806. The Battle of Austerlitz had just died down, and although Russia made peace with France in December, it was clear to everyone that Alexander I was gravitating towards the anti-Napoleonic coalition. Spain, on the contrary, was an ally of Paris. The news of the start of a new war could have caught Rezanov right in California, so in addition to his main mission, he also served as a spy.

In his diary, Rezanov noted that it would not be difficult to drive the Spaniards out of California and seize these lands in the event of war. In the meantime, there is no war, he previously agreed on the construction of a Russian settlement near San Francisco. The fortress of Fort Ross, which arose somewhat later, was supposed to supply Alaskan settlements with food.

Of course, the success of the mission was also facilitated by the romance between Rezanov, who was widowed by that time (the daughter of the merchant Shelikhov died four years earlier from childbed fever) and sixteen-year-old Maria Arguello, the daughter of the commandant of San Francisco. The further fate of Rezanov is well known thanks to the popular rock opera: the marriage between the Russian traveler and the Spanish beauty will not take place, and Nikolai Rezanov himself will die on the way back to St. Petersburg.

The main ruler of Baranov also did not waste time, and in 1812, by his order, that very Ross fortress was founded. And in 1815, on the orders of the same Baranov, a German in the Russian service, Doctor Georg Schaeffer, went to Hawaii. King Kamehameha I during this period actively fought to unite the islands under his rule, and he needed allies. In exchange for military assistance he was ready to recognize Hawaii as a Russian protectorate. This idea was actively supported by the RAC, but Tsar Alexander rejected the project and even scolded the RAC for its arbitrariness. As a legacy from those times, on the island of Kauai in the modern American state of Hawaii is the Elizabethan Fortress, built by Russian colonists.

Decembrist revolt

In 1824, the ruler of the office of the Russian American Company became future Decembrist Kondraty Ryleev, who fanatically defended the idea of ​​developing the Pacific coast of America from Alaska to California by Russian hands, followed by annexation. But for St. Petersburg, the implementation of such projects meant an almost guaranteed war with half of the European powers and completely damaged relations with the young North American states. In addition, there were frankly not enough resources for such an expansion: all Russian population North America at the best of times did not exceed several thousand people.

At the same time, through the efforts of Ryleev, the St. Petersburg office of the RAC turned into a nest of conspirators. It was there that a coup d'état, the overthrow of the monarchy, the seizure of power and other illegal actions were planned. And it is not surprising that Nicholas I, having suppressed the attempt to overthrow him, cooled greatly towards the RAC.

With the accession of Nicholas I, another important process, which subsequently made the sale of the colonies inevitable. If in the times of Paul and Alexander the RAC was governed by a complex symbiosis of officials and merchants, then under Nicholas the military began to take the leading roles, who did not have the proper trading savvy and the necessary managerial talents for the development of the Russian colonies.

At the same time, the number of fur-bearing animals began to decline, both due to the active work of Russian hunters and the fault of foreign poachers. Several attempts were made to arrange supplies of ice and timber to California, but the enterprise was not successful, although Boston traders at the same time were floating ice as far as Australia.

The company was rapidly accumulating debt. In 1841, Fort Ross in California was sold, which never became profitable - it was cheaper to buy provisions from the Californians than to maintain its own production. But the saddest thing is that Russia never received money for the sale of its colony. First, the buyer tried to deceive the treasury, and when the States that had seized California called the new owner of the land to justice, RAC representative William Seward, having received the missing amount, simply disappeared with the money in an unknown direction.

Threatened by a gold rush

In the early 1850s, the idea of ​​​​the need to sell all Russian possessions in North America was expressed by the governor of Eastern Siberia, Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky. At that time he was not supported. But the Crimean War, which began in 1853, made the situation more and more difficult - it would not have been difficult for the British to knock out the meager Russian forces from the continent.

In order to secure Russian possessions, tsarist diplomats in Washington began a frantic activity, since the strengthening of Britain in the north of the continent did not fit into Washington’s plans for the future of America. There were enough hotheads in the leadership of the young country who believed that the war that had broken out in Europe was an opportune opportunity to drive the British even out of Canada and bring the joy of the democracy of the United States to the colonists oppressed by the crown.

#(interviewpolit) As a result, an agreement was reached between Russia and the United States on a fictitious lease of Alaska for a period of three years. Thus, any British cannonball launched in the direction of Novo-Arkhangelsk could be regarded as aggression against the United States with all the attendant consequences for the British. However, the lease deal never took place: upon learning of the ongoing negotiations, the Hudson's Bay Company ( English equivalent RAC, operating in Canada) proposed to the Russian American company to conclude a separate peace, and the need for a fictitious lease simply disappeared. All reasonable people in St. Petersburg understood that Russia was frankly lucky to play on the contradictions between Washington and London, but in the future this land could become a reason for contention not only with the British, but also with the Americans.

By that time, St. Petersburg already knew about large reserves of gold and other valuable minerals in the Russian New World. But no one understood how they could be mastered. Meanwhile, sooner or later everyone would know about the deposits in the north, and numerous seekers of fortune would flock to Alaska. The California gold rush attracted about 300 thousand prospectors. Alaska, guarded by a few Russian bayonets, could attract little less.

Even the Americans, for whom it was much easier to develop Alaska, kept the secret about the wealth of the peninsula for 30 years, understanding the possible consequences.

Bargaining is quite appropriate

At the same time, the active work of Muravyov-Amursky and Count Ignatiev significantly expanded Russian possessions in the Far East. These lands also needed to be developed and protected from encroachment by other powers. And if Nicholas I, regarding Alaska as “a suitcase without a handle,” continued to endure the unprofitable RAC, since “where once the Russian flag is raised, it should not come down,” then Alexander II, who replaced him, and his brother Konstantin Nikolaevich held completely different views .

After Crimean War the country was financially exhausted, and the unprofitable RAC hung around the state’s neck as an additional burden. There was frankly no money to develop the lands of the New World, and the question was solely how to lose Alaska - voluntarily and for a full dollar, or forcibly, as a result of military action.

The main supporter of the idea of ​​ceding Alaska was Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich. He was supported by Finance Minister Mikhail Reitern. After some hesitation, Foreign Minister Alexander Gorchakov joined them. On December 16, 1866, a meeting was held, which was attended by the emperor, the named persons, as well as the Ambassador to the USA Eduard Stekl and the Minister of the Navy Nikolai Krabbe.

It is significant that representatives of the RAC were not even invited to this meeting - its initiative openly irritated St. Petersburg. The results of the meeting were predetermined, and at the same time they also agreed on a figure - the minimum amount for which the Empire was ready to cede its overseas possessions was $5 million. Having provided Stekl with these simple instructions, he was sent back to Washington.

The Russian envoy arrived in the capital of the United States in early March, having managed to become seriously ill on the way. He spent most of the month in bed, but, without even leaving home, he successfully negotiated with his American colleagues and, first of all, with Secretary of State Seward.

William Seward was a principled supporter of the idea of ​​​​extending the territory of the United States to the Americas, and, thanks to Glass, he was well aware of the natural resources of Alaska. In general, St. Petersburg’s offer was more than interesting, and in a few rounds the Tsar’s envoy was able to raise the price to 7 million. Stekl also wanted to blame the US for the debts of the RAC, but he did not succeed - they agreed on an additional 200 thousand. Thus, the Russian envoy managed to increase the minimum amount by almost one and a half times.

It remained to convince the American Congress of the need for the purchase, but no one wanted to tell the American parliament about the benefits of the purchase - the amount of 7 million 200 thousand for the war-ravaged United States was more than sensitive.

Meanwhile, the final text of the agreement arrived from St. Petersburg (by the way, the State Department kindly paid the sum of 10 thousand dollars for the use of a telegraph by the Russian consulate during the approval of the document). Around midnight, Stekl ran home with the document to Seward, who whiled away the Friday evening playing whist with his family. The Secretary of State, who sought to ratify the agreement in Congress before the start of spring break, suggested that instead of waiting until morning, they would gather in his office in a couple of hours.

“Corruption will destroy this country.”

That same night, in the presence of Steckle, Seward, several consular and State Department officials, and the head of the Senate Committee on international relations Charles Sumner's treaty was signed. At the same time, both Sumner and President Andrew Johnson rather trusted Seward’s opinion - they did not understand the real benefits of buying Alaska. Moreover, unlike the appointed official Seward, elected politicians were forced to look at public opinion: the Civil War had ended less than two years ago, and America did not have much more money than Russia, devastated by the Crimean War and the costly reforms of Alexander II.

Seward had to use all his influence in the Republican Party to as soon as possible push the agreement through parliament. Saturday, March 30, was the last day of Congress before the start of the holidays, and the treaty was specifically submitted for ratification before the holidays - in order to deprive the opposition of the opportunity to drown the document in endless discussions. The parliamentarians really really wanted to leave Washington, and President Johnson, knowing this, specifically extended the work of Congress because of the deal with the Russians.

But Seward still did not have enough votes: American society was opposed to the purchase. And while the Secretary of State, the President and Senator Sumner were calling for party discipline, Baron Steckl was handing out bribes to congressmen - about $400,000 was spent on them, but, apparently, the baron simply put half of this amount in his pocket.

The American press managed to nickname Alaska “Seward’s refrigerator” and noted the vigorous activity of the Russian envoy in corrupting senior US officials - there were cries that the parliament was simply bought by the Russians. On the other side of the ocean, in St. Petersburg, the opposite process was gaining momentum: Stekl was accused of receiving bribes from the Americans, which is why he allegedly advised the Tsar-Father and Minister Gorchakov to sell off Russian lands. The Russian nobility, accustomed to fairly easy expansion, still lived by Nicholas’s maxim: “Where the Russian flag is raised, it should not be lowered.”

It was precisely because Russia’s abandonment of Alaska was truly painful that many subsequent myths arose, including the one that the promised money never arrived in St. Petersburg (in fact, these 7 million were used to purchase railway equipment in England).

With Eduard Stekl, the sale of colonies completely played a cruel joke. Such a successful transaction, which the baron implemented in the shortest possible time, increasing starting price one and a half times, put an end to his diplomatic career. High society did not forgive him for his “betrayal,” and a year later he was forced to resign.

Tsar Alexander thanked his envoy with a one-time bonus of 25 thousand rubles and an annual pension of 6 thousand rubles. There was also money allegedly spent on bribes to congressmen. The Russian ambassador lived the rest of his life in Paris.

Novo-Arkhangelsk learned that the colonies had been sold in May. The last Russian ruler of these territories, Prince Maksutov, refused to participate in the land transfer ceremony, which was scheduled for October 18, 1867. The Russian side was ultimately represented by captain of the second rank Alexey Peschurov.

In a solemn atmosphere, the flag of the Russian Empire was lowered. Novo-Arkhangelsk was renamed Sitka (named after the island on which the city is located). The history of the Russian Empire in the New World is over.

Text: Alexander Antoshin

On March 30, 1867, the territory of the Russian Empire decreased by just over one and a half million square kilometers. By the decision of the Emperor and Autocrat of Russia Alexander II, the territory of Alaska and the group of Aleutian Islands near it were sold to the United States of America.

There are many rumors surrounding this deal to this day - “Alaska was not sold, but only leased. The documents are lost, so it is impossible to return it,” “Alaska was sold by Catherine II the Great, because this is sung in the song of the group “Lube,” “the deal for the sale of Alaska should be declared invalid, because the ship on which gold was carried for payment sank,” and etc. All the versions given in quotation marks are complete nonsense (especially about Catherine II)! So now let’s figure out how the sale of Alaska actually happened and what caused this deal, which was apparently not beneficial for Russia.

The actual discovery of Alaska by Russian navigators I. Fedorov and M.S. Gvozdev happened in 1732, but it is officially considered to have been discovered in 1741 by captain A. Chirikov, who visited it and decided to register the discovery. Over the next sixty years, the Russian Empire, as a state, was not interested in the fact of the discovery of Alaska - its territory was developed by Russian merchants, who actively bought furs from local Eskimos, Aleuts and Indians, and created Russian settlements in convenient bays of the Bering Strait coast, in which merchant ships waited non-navigable winter months.

The situation changed somewhat in 1799, but only externally - the territory of Alaska began to officially belong to the Russian Empire with the rights of a discoverer, but the state was in no way interested in new territories. Initiative to recognize ownership of northern lands the North American continent came, again, from Siberian merchants, who jointly drew up documents in St. Petersburg and created a Russian-American company with monopoly rights to mineral resources and commercial production in Alaska. The main sources of income for merchants in the North American territories of Russia were coal mining and fishing fur seal and... ice, the most common one, supplied to the USA - the demand for Alaskan ice was stable and constant, because refrigeration units invented only in the 20th century.

Until the middle of the 19th century, the state of affairs in Alaska was not of any interest to the Russian leadership - it is located somewhere “in the middle of nowhere”, no money is required for its maintenance, there is no need to protect and maintain a military contingent for this either, all issues are dealt with by the merchants of the Russian-American companies that regularly paid taxes. And then from this very Alaska there is information that deposits of native gold have been found there... Yes, yes, what did you think - Emperor Alexander II did not know that he was selling a gold mine? But no, he knew and was perfectly aware of his decision! And why I sold it - now we’ll figure it out...

The initiative to sell Alaska to the United States of America belonged to the Emperor's brother, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich Romanov, who served as head of the Russian Naval Staff. He suggested that his elder brother, the emperor, sell the “extra territory”, because the discovery of gold deposits there would certainly attract the attention of England, the long-time sworn enemy of the Russian Empire, and Russia is not able to defend it, and the military fleet is in northern seas not really. If England captures Alaska, then Russia will receive absolutely nothing for it, but this way it will be possible to gain at least some money, save face and strengthen friendly relations with the United States. It should be noted that in the 19th century, the Russian Empire and the United States developed extremely friendly relations - Russia refused to help the West in regaining control over the North American territories, which infuriated the monarchs of Great Britain and inspired the American colonists to continue the liberation struggle.

Negotiations on the sale of the territory of Alaska were entrusted to Baron Eduard Andreevich Stekl, the envoy of the Russian Empire to the United States. He was given a price acceptable to Russia - $5 million in gold, but Stekl decided to assign the American government a higher amount, equal to $7.2 million. The idea of ​​buying northern territory, albeit with gold, but also with complete absence roads, deserted and characterized by a cold climate, was perceived by the American government of President Andrew Johnson without enthusiasm. Baron Stekl actively intrigued, bribing congressmen and editors of major American newspapers, in order to create a political climate favorable for the land deal.

And his negotiations were crowned with success - on March 30, 1867, an agreement on the sale of the territory of Alaska to the United States of America took place and was signed by official representatives of both parties. Thus, the acquisition of one hectare of Alaska cost the US Treasury $0.0474 and for the entire territory equal to 1,519,000 square kilometers– 7,200,000 dollars in gold (in terms of modern banknotes, about $110 million). On October 18, 1867, the North American territories of Alaska were officially transferred to the possession of the United States; two months earlier, Baron Steckl received a check for 7 million 200 thousand in US Treasury bonds, which he transferred to the London bank of the Baring brothers into the account of the Russian Emperor, retaining his commission of $21,000 and $165,000 he spent out of his own pocket on bribes (overhead).

According to some modern Russian historians and politicians, the Russian Empire made a mistake by selling Alaska. But the situation in the century before last was very, very difficult - the States were actively expanding their territory, annexing neighboring lands and following the James Monroe Doctrine of 1823. And the first major transaction was the Louisiana Purchase - the acquisition French colony in North America (2,100 thousand square km of inhabited and developed territory) from the Emperor of France Napoleon I Bonaparte for a ridiculous 15 million dollars in gold. By the way, this territory today contains the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and significant territories of several other states of the modern USA... As for the former territories of Mexico - the territory of all southern states of the USA - they were annexed free of charge.

Selling Alaska

The question of the fate of Russian America arose in the early 1850s. In the spring of 1853, the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky, presented a note to Nicholas I, in which he detailed his views on the need to strengthen Russia's position in the Far East and the importance of close relations with the United States.

The Governor-General recalled that a quarter of a century ago, “the Russian-American Company appealed to the government with a request to occupy California, then free and owned by almost no one, while communicating its fears that this area would soon become the prey of the United States of America... It is impossible.” At the same time, it was not foreseeable that these states, having once established themselves on the Eastern Ocean, would soon take precedence there over all maritime powers and would have a need for the entire northwestern coast of America. The dominion of the North American States over all of North America is so natural that we should not really regret that twenty-five years ago we did not establish ourselves in California - we would have to give it up sooner or later, but by giving in peacefully, we could get in return other benefits from the Americans. However, now, with the invention and development railways, more than before, we must be convinced of the idea 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. It was impossible, however, with this consideration not to have another thing in mind: which is very natural for Russia if you do not own the whole East Asia, then dominate the entire Asian coast of the Eastern Ocean. Due to circumstances, we allowed the British to invade this part of Asia... but this matter can still be improved by our close connection with the North American States.”

The authorities in St. Petersburg reacted very favorably to Muravyov’s note. The proposals of the Governor General of Eastern Siberia to strengthen the position of the empire in the Amur region and on the island of Sakhalin were studied in detail with the participation of the Admiral General, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich and members of the board of the Russian-American Company. One of the specific results of this work was the emperor’s order dated April 11 (23), 1853, which allowed the Russian-American company “to occupy Sakhalin Island on the same basis as it owned other lands mentioned in its privileges, in order to prevent no foreign settlements.”

For its part, the Russian-American Company, fearing an attack by the Anglo-French fleet on Novo-Arkhangelsk, hastened in the spring of 1854 to conclude a fictitious agreement with the American-Russian Trading Company in San Francisco for the sale of all its property for 7 million 600 thousand dollars for three years , including land holdings in North America. But soon news came to Russian America about an official agreement between the RAC and the Hudson's Bay Company on the mutual neutralization of their territorial possessions in America. “Due to these fortunately changed circumstances,” reported the Russian consul in San Francisco, Pyotr Kostromitinov, in the summer of 1854, “I did not give further movement to the act transmitted from the colonies.” Although the fictitious act was immediately annulled, and the colonial authorities were reprimanded for excessive independence, the idea of ​​​​the possible sale of Russian America to the United States not only did not die, but after the end of the Crimean War received further development.

The main supporter of the sale of Russian America was the younger brother of Alexander II Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, who sent a special letter on this matter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Gorchakov in the spring of 1857. Most of the most influential statesmen, although they did not object in principle to the sale of Russian possessions in America, considered it necessary to first thoroughly discuss this issue. It was proposed to first clarify the situation in Russian America, test the waters in Washington and, in any case, not rush into the practical implementation of the sale, postponing it until the expiration of the RAC privileges in 1862 and the liquidation of the contract for the supply of ice by the American-Russian Trading Company in San Francisco. This line was followed by Gorchakov and employees of the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and most importantly, Emperor Alexander II himself, who ordered to postpone the decision on the sale of Russian America until the contract with the company in San Francisco was liquidated. Although the US government considered the acquisition of Russian possessions in America very profitable, it offered only $5 million as a reward, which, according to Gorchakov, did not reflect “the true value of our colonies.”

In 1865, after lengthy discussions State Council Russia approved the “main principles” of the new charter of the RAC, and the company’s board even managed to obtain additional benefits from the tsarist government. On August 20 (September 1), 1866, the emperor “deigned” to pay the RAC an annual “allowance” of 200 thousand rubles and remove its debt to the treasury in the amount of 725 thousand.

The company was not satisfied with this and continued to seek new privileges, which also had its negative side: the tsarist government only confirmed its opinion about the advisability of getting rid of burdensome possessions in distant America. In addition, the general state of Russia's finances, despite the reforms carried out in the country, continued to deteriorate, and the treasury needed foreign money.

The end of the American Civil War and the subsequent friendly visit of the American squadron led by Gustavus Fox to Russia in the summer of 1866 to some extent contributed to the revival of the idea of ​​selling Russian colonies in America. However, the direct reason for resuming consideration of the issue of the fate of Russian America was the arrival of the Russian envoy in Washington, Eduard Stekl, to St. Petersburg. Having left the United States in October 1866, he continued next year was in the royal capital. During this time, he had the opportunity to meet not only with his immediate superiors at the Foreign Office, but also to talk with Grand Duke Constantine and Finance Minister Mikhail Reitern.

It was after conversations with Stekl that both statesman communicated their thoughts “on the subject of the cession of our North American colonies.” The sale of Russian possessions in America seemed expedient to Reutern for the following reasons:

"1. After seventy years of existence of the company, it has not achieved any Russification male population, nor the lasting establishment of the Russian element and did not in the least contribute to the development of our merchant shipping. The company does not provide significant value to shareholders... and can only be supported by significant government donations." As the minister noted, the importance of the colonies in America decreased even more, since “now we are firmly established in the Amur Territory, which is located in incomparably more favorable climatic conditions.”

"2. The transfer of the colonies ... will relieve us of possession, which in the event of war with one of the sea powers we are not able to defend.” Reitern further wrote about the company's possible clashes with enterprising traders and sailors from the United States: “Such clashes, unpleasant in themselves, could easily put us in the need to maintain military and military personnel at great expense. naval forces in the northern waters of the Pacific Ocean to maintain the privileges of the company, which does not bring significant benefits to either Russia or even the shareholders and is detrimental to our friendly relations with the United States.”

The most influential figure in discussing the fate of Russian possessions in America remained Grand Duke Constantine, who spoke in favor of the sale for three main reasons:

1. The unsatisfactory state of affairs of the RAC, the existence of which must be supported by “artificial measures and monetary donations from the treasury.”

2. The need to focus the main attention on the successful development of the Amur region, where it is in the Far East that “Russia’s future lies ahead.”

3. The desirability of maintaining a “close alliance” with the United States and eliminating everything “that could create disagreement between the two great powers.”

After familiarizing himself with the views of two influential dignitaries and knowing well the opinion of Stekl, who also spoke in favor of the sale of Russian America, Gorchakov came to the conclusion that the time had come to make a final decision. He proposed holding a “special meeting” with the personal participation of Alexander II. This meeting took place on December 16 (28), 1866 in the front office of the Russian Foreign Ministry on Palace Square. It was attended by: Alexander II, Grand Duke Konstantin, Gorchakov, Reitern, manager maritime ministry Nikolai Krabbe and Stekl. All participants spoke in favor of selling Russian colonies in North America to the United States, and interested departments were instructed to prepare their considerations for the envoy in Washington. Two weeks later, “in pursuance of the highest will declared by His Imperial Majesty at a special meeting,” Reitern forwarded his thoughts to Gorchakov, who considered it necessary to provide that “Russian subjects and residents of the colonies in general” were given “the right to remain in them or to freely travel to Russia. In both cases, they retain the right to all their property, whatever it may be.” At the same time, the minister specifically stipulated ensuring freedom of “their liturgical rites.” Finally, the Secretary of the Treasury indicated that the “monetary reward” for the cession of the colonies should be at least $5 million.

Returning to Washington in March 1867, Steckle reminded Secretary of State William Seward "of proposals which have been made in the past for the sale of our colonies" and added that "the Imperial Government is now disposed to enter into negotiations." Having secured the consent of President Johnson, Seward, already during the second meeting with Steckle, held on March 2 (14), was able to discuss the main provisions of the future treaty.

On March 18, 1867, President Johnson signed official powers to Seward, and almost immediately negotiations between the Secretary of State and Steckl took place, during which general outline A draft agreement was agreed upon for the purchase of Russian possessions in America for $7 million.

painting by Edward Leintze

From left to right: State Department employee Robert Chew, William Seward, State Department official William Hunter, employee of the Russian mission Vladimir Bodisko, Eduard Stekl, Charles Sumner, Frederick Seward

At four o'clock in the morning on March 18 (30), 1867, the agreement was signed. Among the territories ceded by Russia to the United States under the treaty on the North American continent and in the Pacific Ocean were: the entire Alaska Peninsula (along a line running along the meridian 141° W), coastal strip 10 miles wide south of Alaska along the west coast of British Columbia; Alexandra archipelago; Aleutian Islands with Attu Island; the islands of Blizhnye, Rat, Lisya, Andreyanovskiye, Shumagina, Trinity, Umnak, Unimak, Kodiak, Chirikova, Afognak and other smaller islands; Islands in the Bering Sea: St. Lawrence, St. Matthew, Nunivak and the Pribilof Islands - St. Paul and St. George. Overall size The land territory ceded to Russia was 1519 thousand square meters. km. Along with the territory, all real estate, all colonial archives, official and historical documents related to the transferred territories were transferred to the United States.

In accordance with normal procedure, the treaty was submitted to Congress. Since the congressional session ended on that day, the President called an emergency executive session of the Senate.

The fate of the treaty was in the hands of members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The committee at that time included: Charles Sumner of Massachusetts - chairman, Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania, William Fessenden of Maine, James Harlan of Iowa, Oliver Morton of Indiana, James Paterson of New Hampshire, Raverdy Johnson of Maryland. That is, it was up to the representatives of the Northeast to decide the issue of annexing the territory in which the Pacific states were primarily interested. In addition, the majority clearly did not like their former colleague- Secretary of State Seward.

Senator Fessenden, in particular, was a strong opponent of the treaty. During the discussion, the caustic senator noted that he was ready to support the treaty, “but with one additional condition: to force the Secretary of State to live there, and the Russian government to keep him there.” Fessenden's joke met with general approval, and Senator Johnson expressed confidence that such a proposal "would pass unanimously."

However, it was not the obvious hostility towards the Johnson-Seward administration or Fessenden’s caustic jokes that determined the attitude of the committee members to the new treaty. Most senators, and primarily Sumner, were guided by objective data and real benefits from the acquisition of Russian America.

Moreover, given Sumner's influence in the Foreign Relations Committee and in the Senate, it was his position regarding the treaty that became decisive. Initially, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee even proposed to remove the treaty from discussion, since it supposedly had no chance of success. Subsequently, however, Sumner's views underwent serious changes, and on April 8, 1867, he already came out as a strong supporter of the ratification of the treaty with Russia. The change in Sumner's position was not accidental, but was the result of a thorough study of the issue using a wealth of factual material. Important role The assistance provided to the senator by those most knowledgeable about the state of affairs in the Pacific North, including experts from the Smithsonian Institution, also played a role.

All this significantly strengthened the position of supporters of the treaty and finally convinced Sumner of the importance of the annexation of Russian America. As a result, on April 8, the Foreign Relations Committee decided to submit the treaty to the Senate for approval.

That same day, Sumner presented the treaty to the Senate and made a famous three-hour speech in support of ratification, which made a great and even decisive impression on his listeners. There were 37 votes for ratification and only two against. They were Fessenden and Justin Morrill from Vermont.

Without any complications, ratification took place on May 3 (15) in St. Petersburg, and the official exchange of ratification instruments took place in the American capital on June 8 (20), 1867. Subsequently, in accordance with the established procedure, the agreement was printed and then included in the official collection of laws of the Russian Empire.

The decision to allocate the $7.2 million provided for by the treaty was made by the US House of Representatives a year later, on July 14, 1868 (113 in favor, 43 against, and 44 congressmen did not take part in the vote). On July 15, a warrant was issued to receive the money; on August 1, Stekl left a receipt at the treasury stating that he had received the entire amount in full.

The fate of the money received from the sale of Alaska is a favorite topic for newspaper speculation. The most popular version is that a ship with gold from America sank in the Gulf of Finland. But in reality everything was less romantic and tragic.

On August 1, Steckl instructed Riggs' bank to transfer $7,035 thousand to London, to the Baring brothers' bank. The “missing” 165 thousand were spent by him in the USA. The telegram to St. Petersburg with the news of the conclusion of the agreement cost 10 thousand, 26 thousand was received by the lawyer of the Russian mission, Robert Walker, 21 thousand was the royal reward for concluding the agreement to Stek and another mission employee, Vladimir Bodisko. The rest of the money, according to researchers, Steckl spent on bribing journalists and congressmen. At least, this conclusion can be drawn from the instructions of Alexander II to count as actual expenditure the funds spent by the envoy for “uses known to His Imperial Majesty.” This wording usually accompanied expenses of a secret and sensitive nature, which included bribes.

The same money that reached London was spent on the purchase of steam locomotives and other railway property for the Kursk-Kyiv, Ryazan-Kozlov and Moscow-Ryazan railways.

Having bought Russian America, the United States, as subsequent events showed, made one of the most profitable deals in its history. This territory turned out to be rich in natural resources, including oil and gold. It occupied an advantageous strategic position and ensured the predominant influence of the United States in the north of the continent and on the way to the Asian market. Together with the Hawaiian and Aleutian Islands, Alaska became a stronghold of US influence in the vast Pacific Ocean.

Text used by N.N. Bolkhovitinov from: History of Russian America: in 3 volumes. M., 1999. T.3. pp. 425-488.
(with additions from other sources)

When the question arises of who discovered Alaska, the name of Vitus Bering immediately comes to mind. He was a white man, European. He was lucky enough to find a new land where people lived. This is what struck Bering most of all.

Having set foot in Alaska for the first time, white people unexpectedly discovered that three nationalities lived on this unfamiliar land. We are talking about Eskimos, Aleuts, and Indians. Alaska is the most large territory world that I've ever discovered a white man. He managed not only to find this land, but also to develop it.

Beginning in the 18th century, the Russians moved towards the Pacific Ocean, crossing Siberia. In 1728, Bering Vitus, who was Danish by birth but served the Russian government, managed to sail east from Kamchatka. Sailing along the island of St. Lawrence, he did not see mainland Alaska, deciding that there was nothing further, he returned.

But, not wanting to put up with the idea that there were no more new lands, in 1747 he led a second expedition. Only now they are already sailing across the Arctic Ocean. Taking command of one of the ships, which was called "St. Peter", and transferring command of the second ship, called "St. Paul", to Alexei Chirikov, they moved forward. On the way they were met by a strong storm. But even alone, they both managed to reach the shores of an unknown land.

For two centuries, hunters hunted furs along the coast of Alaska. They founded many settlements. Hunters moved to this area with their families because they could feed themselves here. In Alaska you can find quaint churches that were built by Aleuts and Indians under the leadership of missionaries from Russia.

Over time, other countries became interested in the shores of Alaska. Among them are Spain, France, Great Britain. Their sailors began to explore the shores of the new land. But only the Russians managed to use Alaska as a place that produces fur. They supplied them in huge quantities to Europe. But when the number of fur-bearing animals decreased, the Russians left the shores of Alaska, which is very similar to us, since the Russian will always attack, devastate and leave without thinking about future consequences. Therefore, by 1820, the shores of Alaska were deserted.

Likewise, Alexander II did not like Alaska. What should he do there if there is no income from it? Therefore, when Lincoln William H. Seward talked to him, convincing him that Russian land was already large, and in return you would receive dollars, the tsar agreed to sell this amazing land for only seven million two hundred thousand dollars, which was less than two cents for every acre of land. In modern political map Alaska is the forty-ninth state of America, as well as a valuable acquisition that cannot be measured in dollars.

But it is still believed that the official date of the discovery of Alaska is 1741. And a Russian man opened it. Although this is something to be proud of. And so they squander the lands as they want, and so it was with Crimea. It's good that Russia got it back. But what to do with Alaska? How can I get it back? That's another question. Maybe we should also wait until hostilities begin to take away the original Russian land by force?

True, scientists claim that already in the sixties of the 16th century, maps were drawn up that showed the shores of the future Alaska. You can also find on these three maps the islands around its coast, the Bering Strait, which was then called Anian. This is what raises questions about the fact that it turns out that even before Bering, people sailed to Alaska and saw it.

For example, on the Gistaldi map dating from 1562 one can find north coast Asia, the Strait of Anian is also visible there, which leads to unknown shores. In 1566, the Italian cartographer B. Zaltieri noted the same Strait of Anian.

In 1595, the son of the famous Howard Mercator managed to publish a map showing western Alaska, Yukon River and St. Lawrence Island. True, there is a version that Mercator received such knowledge about Alaska from refugees from Novgorod. They left because of the pogrom that occurred in 1570, which was carried out by Ivan the Terrible in their city. And, as you know, Novgorodians for the most part are seafarers. Therefore, they, who sailed to the Pacific Ocean along the Arctic Ocean, knew that there in the Northeast there was an unknown land with great riches. Therefore, this version has a completely justified basis.

But the fact remains that the two previous maps were created by sailors before the Novgorod pogrom. The question arises: who told the Europeans about the strait between Asia and America? There is only one answer. Only Russian navigators who sailed along the Pacific Ocean could have discovered that land that was simply not mapped. It was they who told the Europeans about the strait.

In 1648, Semyon Dezhnev and Fyodor Popov, using the data of the pioneers, went for fur in the northeast of the country. Having swam beyond Kamchatka, they sailed from the mouth of the Kolyma and sailed through the Bering Strait. But only Peter the Great gave a fundamental impetus, officially registering the new land, which was called Alaska.