The Rurik family ruled over Russia from its inception in the ninth century until 1613 when they were replaced by the Romanov family. The Romanovs ruled from 1613 until they were ousted from power during the Russian Revolution of 1917. Notable Romanovs include Catherine the Great, Peter the Great, Alexander I and II, and Nicholas I.

Peter the Great is one of the most significant rulers in Russian history. He was was motivated by the idea of modernizing and reforming Russian society and the Russian army. To this end, he turned to his advisors from Western Europe and eradicated many of the longstanding traditions in Russian society. Peter was also desperate to expand Russian territory, particularly into the Baltic Sea, and he fought the Great Northern War against the Swedish Empire to achieve this. He founded the city of St. Petersburg to serve as a port city on the Baltic, making it the capital of Russia.

Under Napoleon III, France and the Ottoman Empire made a special agreement, part of which allowed Catholics, particularly French Catholics, free access to the parts of the Holy Land around Jerusalem controlled by the Ottomans. Russia objected to the exclusion of Orthodox Christians by the Ottomans, and in due course the Ottomans reversed course. The open conflict erupted in 1854 and saw the Russian Empire take on an Allied force of British, French, and Ottoman troops. The result was a decisive Allied victory.

St. Petersburg was founded by the Russian Tsar Peter the Great in the early years of the eighteenth century. It followed Russian victory in the Great Northern War, which was fought to ensure that Russia had access to the Baltic Sea. It was later made the capital of the Russian Empire. During the Soviet period, it was renamed Leningrad, but following the fall of the Soviet Union, it reverted back to St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg was founded in 1703 as a major port city and capital for the Russian Empire. Its name was later changed to Leningrad with the rise of the Soviet Union in the twentieth century.

The Crimean War was fought in the 1850s between the French and British on one side and the Russians on the other. The British and French had long feared Russian expansion into the Mediterranean, and when Russia attacked the Ottoman Empire, British and French foreign policy necessitated a declaration of war. The war ended in victory for the British and French forces. The Crimean War is also notable for the work of Florence Nightingale and the subsequent changes in medical practice brought about by her efforts.

During the nineteenth century, following the Napoleonic Wars, British foreign policy became much less focused on competition with France and the other Western European nations, and much more concerned with limiting the expansion of the Russian empire. The British and French feared the growth of Russian influence in the Middle East and the Mediterranean and so sought to sure up the failing Ottoman Empire. The most notable incident derived from the British policy of containment was the Crimean War, fought between France and Britain on one side and Russia on the other.

The boyars were the highest ranking aristocrats in feudal Russian society. Their power came from the tracts of land and the number of men they controlled. Because they controlled vast private armies they were very important to the ruler of Russia who had to keep the boyars on his side.

The Russian Code of Laws (1649) was designed to strengthen the institution of serfdom in Russia. Until then, the serfs (peasants who worked the lands) still enjoyed some rights, including the ability to abandon their land and move about. With the introduction of the Code of Laws, most Russian peasants were firmly tied to the feudal system and had almost no rights of their own.

The Great Northern War was fought from 1700 until 1721 between Russia and the Swedish Empire. The war was waged under the direction of the Russian Tsar, Peter the Great, who wanted to expand Russian influence into the Baltic and contest Swedish hegemony in the region. It resulted in an overwhelming victory for the Russians, which propelled the nation forward dramatically in terms of regional dominance.