- "Russia is a vast empire of many different nationalities. Unfortunately, some are considered, well, undesirable."
- ―Henry Jones, Sr.[src]
Russia or the Russian Empire was a large country covering the easternmost part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Focused primarily in the west, it was ruled by emperors called czars from its founding as the expansion of the tsardom of Moscow until Russian Revolution of 1917, when the government was deposed and eventually was replaced by the communist leaders of the Soviet Union (which dissolved near the end of the twentieth century, with the main Russian component forming the Russian Federation. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the capital of Imperial Russia was Saint Petersburg (renamed Petrograd during the Russian Revolution, then Leningrad under the Soviet Union). Covered vast plains in the west, Russia was strongly agricultural, with many inhabitants engaged as peasant farmers. Industrialization in the late nineteenth century started to create political upheaval in the early twentieth century.
Prior to World War I, the Russian Empire became allies of Serbia, France and the United Kingdom. When Austria declared war on Serbia, Russia immediately sided with its smaller ally, and then also pulled the French and British into the war against the Germans and Austrians. However, the war caused major economic hardship and the royal leaders of Russia were forced to abdicate and were later executed in 1918, and in the midst of the World War, a civil war was fought for control of Russia between Bolshevik (Communist) forces and anti-Bolshevik forces.
Adventures in Russia[]
Indiana Jones made several visits to Russia during his adventures.
In 1909, Jones traveled to Russia with his family as part of his father's world lecture tour. After causing a disturbance at a wedding at the Akhmatov estate, young Jones ran away from his parents, and met a fellow runaway, Leo Tolstoy. Together they ventured through rural Russia, meeting peasants, Gypsies, and running from Cossacks. After a few dangerous days of life on the road, they decided to return home, and Jones was reunited with his worried parents and Miss Seymour. The four traveled by train to Odessa, where they caught a boat to Greece, via Constantinople. On the journey, Miss Seymour's health declined and she was forced to recover in Athens.[1]
In 1913, Jones traveled to Saint Petersburg and Baku with a new friend, a Russian with royal blood, while they evaded revolutionary plots.[2]
In 1917, Jones, now a member of French intelligence, was sent on a mission to Petrograd. He made friends with some of the locals, and was caught in a moral decision to either complete his mission or side with his friends in the midst of the Russian revolution.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
In 1995, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade writer Jeffrey Boam claimed that Indiana Jones director Steven Spielberg wished to shoot some of the fourth Indiana Jones film in Russia.[4]
Notable Russians[]
Locations in Imperial Russia[]
- Saint Petersburg / Petrograd
- Moscow area
- Kuntsevo
- Akhmatov estate
- Russian village
- Gypsy camp
- Tolstoy estate
- Russian church
- Kuntsevo
- Odessa
- Tula
- Orel
- Karkov
- Poltava
- Pomoshnaya
- Baku
- Siberia
Appearances[]
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Tangiers, July 1909" (Cancelled) → My First Adventure (Mentioned only)
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Young Indiana Jones: Travels with Father" → Travels with Father
- Indiana Jones Jr et la Météorite Sacrée (Mentioned only)
- Young Indiana Jones and the Princess of Peril (First appearance)
- Young Indiana Jones and the Princess of Peril comic
- Indiana Jones Jr et le Violon du Metropolitan (Mentioned only)
- Young Indiana Jones and the Journey to the Underworld (Historical note)
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Verdun, September 1916" → Demons of Deception (Mentioned only)
- Vienna, March 1917 (Mentioned only)
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Petrograd, July 1917" → Adventures in the Secret Service
- Revolution!
- The Rule of Russia
- Revolution in Russia
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Istanbul, September 1918" → Masks of Evil (Indirect mention)
- The Roaring Twenties (Mentioned only)
- Indiana Jones: The Search For Buried Treasure (Mentioned only)
- Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge
- The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones – "Trail of the Golden Guns" (Mentioned only)
- Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings novel (Cancelled) (Mentioned only)
Sources[]
- The Man with the Big Stick (Non-fiction source)
- The War to End All Wars (Non-fiction source)
- Interactive Timeline
- Unquiet Voices - Russian Writers and the State (Non-fiction source)
- The Russian Revolution - All Power to the Soviets! (Non-fiction source)
- Lines in the Sand - The Middle East and the Great War (Non-fiction source)
- Reading the Enemy's Mind - Espionage in World War I (Non-fiction source)
- Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
- The Real Indiana Jones: Fear & Humility on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)