© Getty Images

It had a population of approximately 125 million -

Half of the population were ethnic Russians, while the remainder were around 20 different nationalities, including Germans and Poles. Each had their own language and customs, and many didn't even speak Russian.

© Getty Images

The majority were peasants -

The majority of the population worked in agriculture that had changed little since the Middle Ages. There was little industry, and most of it was located in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Most of the population were illiterate.

© Getty Images

The origin of tsars -

The word tsar is a Russian word meaning "emperor." It has its origins in the Latin language, i.e. Caesar. The female equivalent is tsarina.

© Getty Images

The role of the Church -

The tsar was the head of the Orthodox Church, and it stated that he was appointed by God. Therefore, to challenge the tsar was said to be an insult to God.

© Getty Images

The Catherinian Era -

Regarded as one of the greatest rulers in Russian history, Catherine the Great was the longest-ruling female leader in the country's history. Reigning from 1762 to 1796, her impact was so great that the period of her rule is known as the Catherinian Era.

© Getty Images

The building of a new capital -

Peter the Great founded the city of Saint Petersburg in 1703, naming it after his patron saint, the apostle Saint Peter. The city is historically and culturally associated with the birth of the Russian Empire.

© Getty Images

There was intense violence within the court -

Even if the tsar had absolute power, the Russian Empire often had intense violence within the court, with various people competing for power. One story recounts that a young Peter the Great witnessed armed men break into his house and massacre his mother’s relatives.

© Getty Images

The Crimean War -

With Russian pressure on Turkey and religious tensions, the Ottoman Empire, along with British and French forces, fought Russia in the Crimean War, between 1853 and 1856. Russia was severely defeated.

© Getty Images

A dynasty of long rule -

Though the Russian Empire did not officially start until 1721, Romanov rule began in 1613 after Mikhail Romanov was elected by a national assembly to get the country out of its Time of Troubles.

© Getty Images

Tsarist methods of control -

The tsarist state system had developed over a long period. Its authority was supported by three factions: the army, the civil service, and the Orthodox Church. The Empire didn't have an elected parliament until 1905, and there were no legal or constitutional methods to challenge tsarist power.

© Getty Images

Important reforms -

In 1861, Tsar Alexander II issued his Emancipation Reform, abolishing serfdom and allowing peasants to purchase land. His reforms also included universal military service and the strengthening of Russia’s borders.

© Getty Images

A secret collection -

Catherine the Great secretly collected sexually-charged furniture, and even had an erotic cabinet adjacent to her rooms. She was also known for having employed full-time foot ticklers, who would sing sexual ballads while tickling their master’s feet.

© Getty Images

The empress who demanded everyone shave their heads -

After messing up her hair with a bad dye job, Empress Elizabeth had to shave all her hair off. In order not to stick out in public, she ordered that all the women in the court also shave their heads.

© Getty Images

Bridge project -

The first bridges of Saint Petersburg came under construction at the order of Catherine I. However, she didn't see the end result, as her health was deteriorating.

© Getty Images

A shocking anatomy lesson -

Peter the Great had an affinity for education, and he took the opportunity of his mistress Mary Hamilton’s beheading in 1719 to give the crowd a lesson on anatomy before kissing her goodbye.

© Getty Images

The baby tsar -

When Ivan VI took the throne at the age of two months, he was overthrown by his cousin Elizabeth only a year later and then placed in solitary confinement. He remained locked up for 20 years, until Catherine the Great had him murdered.

© Public Domain

A love for guns -

Empress Anna was known for her fondness of firearms. So much so that wild creatures were often brought back from expeditions just for her to shoot them!

© Getty Images

The Russification of minorities -

Russification was the policy of enforcing Russian culture on ethnic minorities that lived in the Russian Empire. It was introduced after the assassination of Alexander II in 1881, and was the source of much resentment.

© Getty Images

They entered WWI in defense of Serbia -

Russia entered WWI against Austria-Hungary in defense of Serbia, their ally. The Russian Empire sent an ultimatum to Vienna, warning Austria-Hungary not to attack Serbia. Following the invasion of Serbia, Russia began to mobilize its army.

© Getty Images

Peculiar hobbies -

The emperors were known for having strange interests. For example, Peter the Great had a strange fascination for people with dwarfism. He was even known to have them jump out naked from a giant pie.

© Getty Images

The immature tsar -

Peter III was tsar of Russia for only six months before he was killed and his wife Catherine the Great claimed the throne for herself. A German, he couldn't speak Russian and was regarded as an immature adult who often played with toy soldiers.

© Getty Images

Alaska gets sold -

In 1867, Tsar Alexander II sold Alaska and the Aleutian Islands to the United States. The proceeds went to gilding the St. Isaac Cathedral domes in Saint Petersburg.

© Getty Images

A mother's job -

It was reported that when Nicholas II was crowned emperor as a young adult in 1894, he would often respond to important government issues saying “Ask my mother.”

© Getty Images

Cross-dressing -

Empress Elizabeth of Russia was known for enjoying cross-dressing. She would dress up those around her as the opposite gender for her entertainment.

© Getty Images

The precious heir -

The youngest of five siblings, and the only boy, Alexei Romanov was the last heir of the Russian Empire. This made him particularly precious to his parents, Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra. However, he suffered from hemophilia, a genetic disorder that stops the body from creating blood clots in response to injuries.

© Getty Images

The mystic Rasputin -

Desperate to heal her son’s hemophilia, Alexandra became close with the mystic Rasputin. Unpopular with the Russian people, Rasputin's ability to offer comfort to the young Alexei earned him the trust of the tsar and tsarina.

© Public Domain 

The tsarist secret police -

Like most tsars, Nicholas I had a wide-reaching secret police force. However, it wasn't enough for him, so he would occasionally travel the country himself to spy on its citizens.

© Getty Images

Modernizing the empire -

Peter the Great was also the tsar who expanded the Russian Empire into a European power. He borrowed many Western European ideas and modernized Russian politics and culture.

© Getty Images

The end of the Romanov dynasty -

Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed by the revolutionary Bolsheviks in 1918. On the morning of their execution, they were ushered down to the cellar of their home and shot to death by a murder squad.

© Getty Images

The beginning of the Soviet Union -

The Russian Revolution marked the end of the Russian Imperial rule, as the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, took power. Civil war broke out, with Lenin’s Red Army claiming victory and establishing the Soviet Union.

Sources: (History) (BBC) (Mental Floss)

See also: Ra Ra Rasputin: Who was Grigori Rasputin?

© Getty Images