RPG 19th century Russian Empire

Traditional holidays and rituals include Maslenitsa, Ivan Kupala, Epiphany, Easter, and others. During these days, peasants would gather, sing songs, dance, and hold folk festivals. Folk games and entertainment: "gorodki", where participants threw wooden pins, trying to knock them down, ball games, jumping rope and swings. Folk theatre: In some regions of Russia, peasants created plays based on folk tales and legends and performed them in front of audiences.

The diet was simple, and store-bought food was rare. Some dishes: Breakfast and afternoon snack: rye bread with boiled potatoes or rye pie with cottage cheese, potatoes or turnips. Lunch and dinner - cabbage soup with black bread, or potato soup with sunflower oil during Lent and with milk on fast days. Meat was rarely included in the diet - only on major church or personal holidays.

Activities varied depending on the season: in winter, there was the chores of storing hay and grain, updating agricultural equipment; in spring, there was sowing, then mowing, harvesting, and preparing it for the winter. The nature of the occupations was oriented towards the natural division of labor by gender and age: work in the field and forest (harvesting firewood, building materials) was considered male, while women's work included housework, caring for livestock, some field activities, and also home crafts (weaving, spinning, sewing, embroidery, lace-making).

A hut is a wooden frame structure with a thatched roof. Peasant houses typically had one or two, or less commonly three, living spaces connected by a vestibule. Peculiarities: The main space was occupied by the oven, which in most parts of Russia was located at the entrance. The table stood in the corner, diagonally from the stove. Along the walls there were fixed benches, and above them there were shelves built into the walls. At the back of the hut, from the stove to the side wall under the ceiling, a wooden platform was arranged - a bunk.

The life of peasants in the 19th century was traditional, tied to agricultural work, and included specific features of housing, work, food, and entertainment.

Visiting the theatre - the main summer entertainment was attending productions, as well as home performances.

Balls were gatherings of gentlemen and ladies for dancing. Invitations were sent out for attendance, and the order of dances was indicated on small cards handed to each lady upon entering.

Parlor games, such as “flower flirtation,” where young people encrypted their innermost thoughts through the names of plants, or “musical chairs.”

A nobleman's day began with morning tea. Sugar, milk, cream, jam, bread, and pastries were always served with tea. Lunch consisted of four courses. After the first course, there was a second course—cold (baked pork with onions, smoked and boiled fish, boiled crayfish). Then came the hot dishes (brains with green peas, poultry with saffron milk caps, and rack of lamb with buckwheat porridge). Late in the evening, dessert was served to complete the meal.

The cuisine of the nobility combined Russian traditions with the influence of French gastronomy. The menu included exquisite dishes with truffles, champagne, jellied treats, and complex multi-ingredient desserts. However, the Russian nobility did not abandon traditional tastes: cabbage soup, kulebyaka, and porridge still remained part of the diet. On cold evenings, instead of tea, people often drank sbiten, an old Russian drink made from honey and spices.

The manor house consisted of two parts—the front and the living quarters. The front was a suite of rooms with a passageway, while the living quarters were divided into two halves—one for men and one for women. Next to the house were outbuildings: a kitchen, a stable, a carriage house, a laundry, an icehouse (a room for storing food, cooled by ice), and a manager's house. The house was decorated with Persian carpets, paintings, mirrors in gilded frames, and expensive mahogany furniture.

The 19th-century nobility's daily life included specific features of housing, daily routine, diet, and entertainment. A significant portion of a noble family's life was spent on the estate; even if the family had a house in Moscow or St. Petersburg, they always spent the summer on the estate.

Nicholas II Alexandrovich (May 18, 1868 – July 17, 1918) was the last Russian emperor (1894–1917).

Some facts from a short biography: He received a home education corresponding to the grammar school curriculum. He served as a junior officer in the Preobrazhensky Regiment and was promoted to colonel in 1892. In 1894, Nicholas married the German princess Alice of Hesse, who received the name Alexandra Feodorovna upon baptism into Orthodoxy. On May 26, 1896, the coronation of Nicholas II took place. For the shooting of a peaceful demonstration in January 1905, Nicholas received the nickname "Bloody". The reign of Nicholas II coincided with a period of rapid economic development in Russia and growing socio-political contradictions. In foreign policy, Russia continued its expansion to the east, participated in blocs of European powers, the war with Japan and the First World War. Under Nicholas II in 1897, the first general census of the Russian population was conducted, agricultural reforms were carried out with the destruction of the peasant community, and an elected legislative body, the State Duma, was convened for the first time. After the February Revolution of 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the throne, and civil war soon began in Russia. Nikolai was arrested and initially held in Siberia. When the Bolsheviks came to power, he was sent to the Urals and executed in the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg along with his entire family on July 17, 1918.

Nicholas II was canonized as a saint in 1938 by the Serbian Orthodox Church, in 1981 by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and in 2000 by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Alexander III Alexandrovich (February 26 [March 10] 1845 – October 20 [November 1] 1894) – Emperor of All the Russias, Tsar of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from March 1 (13), 1881.

Some facts from the biography: Alexander III was the second son of Alexander II and the grandson of Nicholas I. His elder brother Nicholas was originally supposed to inherit the throne, but he died in 1865, after which Alexander was proclaimed heir to the throne.

Alexander III held conservative views and pursued a policy of counter-reforms aimed at strengthening the autocracy and stabilizing the social system. Alexander III rolled back his father's reforms on national policy, sought to Russify the outskirts, and tighten measures against non-believers.

To ease the situation of the masses, under Alexander III the poll tax was abolished, and a ban was introduced on children under 12 working in factories, and on night work for women and minors.

Under Alexander III, Russia became one of the most powerful world powers with a developed industrial sector. Coal and oil production, as well as steel and cast iron production, grew at record rates.

An important event for Russia was the construction of the world's longest Trans-Siberian Railway, with a length of 9,288 kilometers.

During the reign of Alexander III, the armed forces underwent modernization. Requirements for military education were increased, the navy received over a hundred new warships, and the army received the famous Mosin rifle.

Alexander III received the nickname "Peacemaker" because during his reign the Russian Empire did not participate in any serious war.

Alexander III died at the age of 49, after 13 years of reign.

Alexander II Nikolaevich (1818–1881) – Emperor of All the Russias, Tsar of Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland (1855–1881) of the Romanov dynasty. He was the eldest son of Emperor Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

The main facts about the biography of Alexander II: He ascended the throne on February 19, 1855, following the death of his father. He began with liberal reforms, declaring an amnesty for the Decembrists and other participants in social movements.

In 1861, he signed the Manifesto, which abolished serfdom and freed the peasants. This was the first reform that influenced the future of the country.

He also carried out other reforms. He ensured the judicial branch's complete autonomy from other branches of government. He contributed to the reform of the religious and educational systems.

He pursued an active foreign policy. He ended the Caucasian War: Chechnya, Circassia, and the Kars region were ceded to Russia. He continued Russia's eastward expansion: treaties with the Qing Empire secured the Amur and Primorsky regions for Russia.

He was killed on March 1 (13), 1881 by a member of the terrorist organization "People's Will".

Nicholas I (1796–1855) – Emperor of All the Russias, Tsar of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland, the fifteenth monarch of the Romanov dynasty.

Some facts from a short biography: Born on June 25 (July 6), 1796 in Tsarskoye Selo.

He received a well-rounded education at home, but the humanities were difficult for him, while he studied the exact sciences with great pleasure.

From childhood, he was fascinated by military affairs, which determined the main character traits of the future emperor: pedantry, dryness, pickiness over details, uncompromisingness, blind obedience to the law.

In 1817, he married the German princess Friederike Louise Charlotte Wilhelmina, who converted to Orthodoxy and became Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna.

He ascended the throne after the death of Alexander I and the abdication of his elder brother Constantine in 1825.

He was an ardent supporter of the monarchy; his rule was based on three principles: autocracy, Orthodoxy, and nationality.

He did not strive for reforms or the creation of anything new: he saw his task as preserving the existing order.

Excessive conservatism during the reign of Nicholas I led to the strengthening of bureaucracy and the emergence of strict censorship in all spheres of public life.

The foreign policy of Nicholas I was characterized by greater activity: the monarch decisively suppressed possible rebellions on the European continent and took part in many wars.

His wife gave birth to seven children, and Nicholas I lived with his wife until his death.

Nicholas I passed away on February 18 (March 2), 1855.

Alexander I (1777–1825) — Russian Emperor, Protector of the Order of Malta, Grand Duke of Finland, Tsar of Poland.

Some facts from a short biography: He ascended the throne as a result of a palace coup when Paul I was assassinated in 1801.

At the beginning of his reign, he carried out moderately liberal reforms developed by the Secret Committee and Mikhail Speransky.

In 1802, he created the Cabinet of Ministers and eight ministries, which contributed to the centralization of state governance.

In 1803, a new regulation on the organization of educational institutions was adopted. By decree of the tsar, a number of universities were established—Kharkiv, Kazan, and others.

In 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia but was defeated during the Patriotic War.

Alexander was one of the leaders of the Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 and the founders of the Holy Alliance.

During the reign of Alexander I, Eastern Georgia, Finland, Bessarabia, Azerbaijan, and the former Grand Duchy of Warsaw were annexed to Russia.

The Emperor died on November 19 (December 1), 1825, during his next journey.