Latest / The Romanov Dynasty: Rise, Power, and Bloody End — Fexingo History / Why the Romanovs Sold Alaska to America
Transcript
- Lucas: You know, when people think of the Romanovs, they often think of Russia's heartland — Moscow, St. Petersburg, the frozen steppes. But for a time, the Romanovs also ruled a chunk of North America: Alaska. Luna: Wait, Russia owned Alaska? I always thought that was just a US purchase from the 1800s. Lucas: Yes, since the 1740s, Russian explorers and fur traders had been claiming the territory. By the 1860s, it was called Russian America, with its capital at Novo-Arkhangelsk — present-day Sitka. But it was a huge financial drain. Luna: So how did it end up being sold? Was there a war? Lucas: Not directly, but the Crimean War of 1853–1856 was the catalyst. Russia lost badly to Britain and France, and the tsar's treasury was gutted. Alaska was far away, hard to defend, and the Russian-American Company was barely scraping by on fur sales. Lucas: Enter Grand Duke Constantine, Alexander II's younger brother. He was a reformer, kind of a liberal in the family, and he saw Alaska as a strategic liability. He argued that if war with Britain broke out again, Russia couldn't defend it, and they'd lose it for nothing. Luna: So Constantine pushed to sell it? That must have been a tough sell in the imperial court. Lucas: It was. Many in the court saw Alaska as a symbol of imperial pride. But Constantine was persistent. He convinced Alexander that selling to the United States would not only bring cash but also create a friendly buffer against British Canada. The tsar finally agreed in 1866. Lucas: Now, the man sent to negotiate was the Russian ambassador to Washington, Eduard Stoeckl. He was a savvy diplomat, fluent in English, and he had been in the US since the 1840s. He knew exactly whom to talk to. Luna: Stoeckl — that's a name I haven't heard before. So he met with Seward? Lucas: Exactly. Secretary of State William Seward was an expansionist. He had already purchased Alaska in his mind, but he needed congressional approval. Stoeckl and Seward started secret talks in early 1867. By March, they agreed on a price: $7.2 million. Luna: That's about two cents an acre, right? A steal. Lucas: Absolutely. But in the US, it was mocked as 'Seward's Folly' or 'Andrew Johnson's polar bear garden.' Critics thought it was a frozen wasteland. But Seward and a few others saw the long-term strategic value. Lucas: And interestingly, the sale almost fell through because of the US political climate. Andrew Johnson was president, but he was weak after the Civil War and battling impeachment. Congress was skeptical. Luna: So how did it pass? Lucas: Stoeckl used a classic tactic: he spread money around. He paid lobbyists and even some congressmen to grease the vote. It was practically bribery, but it worked. The treaty passed the Senate in April 1867, and the transfer happened in October. Lucas: On October 18, 1867, in Novo-Arkhangelsk, Russian troops lowered the imperial flag and American soldiers raised the Stars and Stripes. The Russian governor, Prince Dmitri Maksutov, reportedly wept. Luna: That's a powerful image. Did the Romanovs ever regret it? Lucas: Not immediately, because they needed the money. But later, especially after gold was discovered in the Klondike in 1896, there must have been some second thoughts. The sale was a practical move, but it also showed the empire's limits. Lucas: And you know, it's interesting how a decision like this can ripple through history. This show is possible because of listeners like you—a couple of dollars a month at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo keeps these conversations going. Luna: Yeah, it really adds up and lets us dive into these stories. So after the sale, what happened to the Russian colonists? Lucas: Most left, but some stayed. The Russian Orthodox Church maintained a presence. Today, you can still see Russian influence in parts of Alaska, like the onion domes on churches in Sitka. Luna: I never made that connection. So the sale was really a quiet admission that Russia couldn't hold onto far-flung territories. Lucas: Exactly. And it set a precedent. The Romanovs would face similar decisions in the future, like the sale of the Trans-Siberian Railway concessions, but nothing this dramatic. The sale of Alaska was a unique moment where a major power voluntarily gave up a chunk of its empire. Luna: It's almost like they were pruning the empire to focus on Europe. Lucas: That's a great way to put it. And it worked, for a while. But the seeds of decline were already there. The Crimean War had exposed Russia's backwardness, and reforms like the emancipation of serfs in 1861 were just beginning. The sale of Alaska was a small footnote, but it tells us a lot about how the Romanovs saw their world. Luna: It's a reminder that even the most powerful dynasties have to pick their battles. Lucas: Absolutely. And with that, we've travelled from Novo-Arkhangelsk to Washington. Next time, we'll look at another turning point in the dynasty's decline. Until then, thanks for listening.