Following the fall of the Ruriks, the Romanov dynasty took the Russian Tsardom in 1613, with Mikhail Romanov who named himself Michael I, becoming the first Romanov Tsar. Tsar Michael I’s enthronement ended the Time of Troubles, the fifteen-year upheaval which began in 1598. With the help of the Stroganov family and the Cossacks, the country expanded its territory to most parts of Siberia stretching from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.  

Michael of Russia 1st Tsar | Source: Wikipedia

The Birth of the Russian Empire 

During the reign of Michael I’s grandson Peter the Great, the Russian Tsardom conquered the Baltic and the Black Sea regions. He also turned Russia into European power and declared himself emperor of the newly established empire. The upturn of the empire happened at the same time the Swedish Empire, Persia, Poland, Qing China, and the Ottoman Empire were failing.  

Peter The Great | Source: Wikipedia

This Russian 50 Ruble Banknote issued between 1997 and 2004 reflects a statue of a woman on Birzhevaya Square and the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg. It’s the city that Peter the Great established. The banknote also shows the south rostral column and the Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange. 

Russia 50 Rubles | 1997 (2004) | Source: Banknote World

The Golden Age 

Russia grew stronger and bigger during the rule of Catherine the Great. With her connoisseurship in arts, the empire became a domain for Western European culture and philosophies. This is why many see her reign as the Golden Age of the Russian Empire.  

Russia 5 Kopek Coin Issued During Reign of Catherine the Great | Source: Banknote World

In this Catherine the Great coin box is a 5 Kopek coin from the era of Catherine the Great. Depicted on the obverse of the coin is an E.T. monogram which stands for Ekaterina Tsarina (Tsarina Catherine). On the reverse displays the Romanov coat of arms.  

The Last Romanov Emperor of Russia 

Tsar Nicholas II was the last Romanov to rule the Russian Empire. However him and his whole family were sentenced to death by the Bolshevik revolutionaries. With an experience in government close to none, Tsar Nicholas II was considered a politically weak leader. His poor leadership in Russia’s battle against Japan and the country’s involvement in the First World War drew the Russian Empire to a close.  

Nicholas II the last Romanov Tsar | Source: History.com

This 10 Ruble banknote dates to 1919. Around the Ural region where the Ural Mountains are situated. It is the place where Czar Nicholas II and his entire family were taken and murdered In a house in Yekaterinburg, in the Ural Federal District. 

Russia – Siberia & Urals 10 Rubles | 1918 | Source: Banknote World

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