The Ukase of 1821 (russian: Указ 1821 года) was a

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

proclamation (a ''

ukase In Imperial Russia, a ukase () or ukaz (russian: указ ) was a proclamation of the tsar, government, or a religious leader (patriarch) that had the force of law. "Edict" and "decree" are adequate translations using the terminology and concepts ...

'') of territorial

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

over northwestern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, roughly present-day

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and most of the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

. The ''

'' was declared on September 4, 1821 ( O. S.).

Jurisdiction

The first section of the ukase stated that "the pursuits of commerce, whaling, fishing and other industry, on all islands, ports and gulfs, including the whole north-west coast of North America to the 45°50′ north latitude, are all included in this edict for the purpose of granting the same exclusivity to Russian subjects". The second section "prohibits all foreign vessels not only from landing on the coasts and islands belonging to Russia, but, also, does not permit them to approach these islands and coasts within less than one hundred

Italian mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

s, without the vessels being subject to confiscation, along with the whole cargo" (one Italian mile was 2,025 yards/1,852 meters). The southward limit of Russian territorial claim - to south of the mouth of the Columbia - was revised in light of initial protests by the US and Britain to 51° N latitude, known as "the line of the Emperor Paul", first having been established by the

Ukase of 1799 The Ukase of 1799 (Russian: Указ 1799 года) was a decree of Tsar Paul I issued on 8 July 1799 which claimed a southern border of Russian America along the 55th parallel north.United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland''Text of Ukase of 17 ...

during the reign of Emperor

Paul I of Russia Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III of Russia, Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he w ...

. "The line of the Emperor Paul" boundary had been revised northward to 55° north latitude in 1802 (51° N latitude corresponds, roughly, to the northern tip of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

Cape Scott Cape Scott is a cape at the western side of the terminus of Dennistoun Glacier on the northern coast of Victoria Land in Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the ...

). American and British diplomats and commentators strenuously objected to news of the Ukase of 1821, noting that American, British and French fur-trading vessels had frequented Norfolk Sound (

Sitka Sound Sitka Sound is a body of water near the city of Sitka, Alaska. It is bordered by Baranof Island to the south and the northeast, by Kruzof Island to the northwest and by the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. During the early 19th century it was a ...

) before Russia had ever extended its claim eastward; the British pointed out that the landings and explorations of Captains

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

occurred prior to any Russian assertion of sovereignty, and claimed (controversially) that British vessels had pioneered the region's fur trade before those of any other nation. Extended negotiations and exchanges of diplomatic notes and missions by

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and the

U.S.A. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

led to the signing of both the

Russo-American Treaty of 1824 The Russo-American Treaty of 1824 (also known as the Convention of 1824) was signed in St. Petersburg between representatives of Russia and the United States on April 17, 1824, ratified by both nations on January 11, 1825 and went into effect on Ja ...

and the

Anglo-Russian Convention of 1825 The Treaty of Saint Petersburg of 1825 or the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1825, officially the Convention Concerning the Limits of Their Respective Possessions on the Northwest Coast of America and the Navigation of the Pacific Ocean, defined th ...

. In them Russia agreed to cede all claims south of 54°40′ N latitude. The 54°40′ N latitude line was proposed by the British, as general negotiations had focussed on 55° north latitude, but part of the Russian terms was a desire to retain all of Prince of Wales Island, the southern tip of which is at 54°40′ N latitude. British diplomats were less concerned about any eventual land boundary than they were about freedom of navigation in the North Pacific. In addition to the adjustment to include all of Prince of Wales Island within the Russian sphere, the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1825 also established the principle of the ''lisière'', a vaguely-defined strip of mainland extending inland ten leagues from the sea, and also included wording concerning the marine boundary north from Prince of Wales Island's southern tip. The latter items mentioned figured prominently in the

Alaska boundary dispute The Alaska boundary dispute was a territorial dispute between the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, which then controlled Canada's foreign relations. It was resolved by arbitration in 1903. The dispute had existed ...

of 1821–1903.

Consequences

The only attempt to enforce the ukase occurred in 1822, when the Russian sloop ''Apollon'' seized the American ship ''Pearl'' on its way from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to Novoarkhangelsk. When the American government protested, the vessel was released and compensation was paid for the detention. Washington responded to Russia's 1821 ukase in the

Monroe Doctrine The Monroe Doctrine was a United States foreign policy position that opposed European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. It held that any intervention in the political affairs of the Americas by foreign powers was a potentially hostile ac ...

, promulgated in 1823.

References

{{Reflist 1821 in the Russian Empire History of the Pacific Northwest Russian-American Company

1821 Events January–March * January 21 – Peter I Island in the Antarctic is first sighted, by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. * January 28 – Alexander Island, the largest in Antarctica, is first discovered by Fabian Gottlieb von Be ...

Jurisdiction

Consequences

See also

References