History > Migration to Russia 1764-1767
Migration to Russia 1764-1767
In 1763, the Seven Years' War came to a close. This war, known as the French and Indian War in North America, was in fact a global conflict. In the region of Hesse, where many Volga German families originated, homes, farms, and towns had been severely damaged or destroyed during the fighting. This so-called "First World War" resulted in 900,000 to 1,400,000 deaths.
The ruling houses of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation were divided in this struggle, and their subjects were often forced to serve in the military and pay higher taxes to support the war. Many men were coerced into military conscription to serve as mercenaries fighting other nations' wars. In later years, some of the Hessian soldiers were brought to North America to fight for the British in the Revolutionary War.
The ruling houses of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation were divided in this struggle, and their subjects were often forced to serve in the military and pay higher taxes to support the war. Many men were coerced into military conscription to serve as mercenaries fighting other nations' wars. In later years, some of the Hessian soldiers were brought to North America to fight for the British in the Revolutionary War.
Battle scene from the Seven Year's War. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
After the Seven Years' War ended, the population in central Europe slowly recovered. However, farmland and food were soon in short supply. Many families without land lived on the edge and had little prospect of a stable life. This fact, combined with poor harvests in the early 1760s, drove up food prices, and shortages became prevalent.
The Seven Years’ War was fought on religious grounds, and the winners determined what faith their subjects would follow. Of course, this did not always align with the spiritual practices that the people preferred.
Many people living in Central Europe during the 1760s experienced hardship, especially the landless lower classes. As is natural, many wanted to find a better life, even if that meant leaving their homeland. According to Benjamin Franklin, approximately 100,000 Germans were living in Pennsylvania by 1766.
At the same time, Russia was expanding its empire to the south after winning territory from the Ottoman Empire. Catherine II (Catherine the Great) and her government wanted to solidify this region as Russian territory. She needed settlers who could turn the land into productive farms and stabilize this region of the empire.
Catherine was born Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia. She was raised in an environment of German culture and traditions. In July 1762, following a coup d'état and the assassination of her husband, Peter III, she became Empress of Russia at the end of the Seven Years' War.
Catherine's Manifesto, issued in 1763, encouraging settlement in Russia, could not have come at a better time for many landless people who had been devastated through years of war. The Manifesto offered paid travel costs, free land, tax exemption, freedom of religion and language, self-government, and exemption from military service in perpetuity. This was an unprecedented offer to entice immigration.
The Seven Years’ War was fought on religious grounds, and the winners determined what faith their subjects would follow. Of course, this did not always align with the spiritual practices that the people preferred.
Many people living in Central Europe during the 1760s experienced hardship, especially the landless lower classes. As is natural, many wanted to find a better life, even if that meant leaving their homeland. According to Benjamin Franklin, approximately 100,000 Germans were living in Pennsylvania by 1766.
At the same time, Russia was expanding its empire to the south after winning territory from the Ottoman Empire. Catherine II (Catherine the Great) and her government wanted to solidify this region as Russian territory. She needed settlers who could turn the land into productive farms and stabilize this region of the empire.
Catherine was born Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia. She was raised in an environment of German culture and traditions. In July 1762, following a coup d'état and the assassination of her husband, Peter III, she became Empress of Russia at the end of the Seven Years' War.
Catherine's Manifesto, issued in 1763, encouraging settlement in Russia, could not have come at a better time for many landless people who had been devastated through years of war. The Manifesto offered paid travel costs, free land, tax exemption, freedom of religion and language, self-government, and exemption from military service in perpetuity. This was an unprecedented offer to entice immigration.
Catherine II's Manifesto of July 1763 printed in the German language
The island fortress of Kronstadt in 1780. The Volga German colonists first arrived at the point in Russia from 1764 to 1766.
Russian recruiters carried the Manifesto throughout the German-speaking parts of Europe, luring thousands with promises of a better life in a faraway land. Over 30,000 people would choose to become colonists and start a new life on the Russian frontier. They settled in over 100 colonies along the lower Volga River near the frontier town of Saratov. Over time, these colonists would evolve into a distinct ethnic group known in German as the Wolgadeutschen, and referred to in English as the Volga Germans.
Sources
Koch, Fred C. The Volga Germans: In Russia and the Americas, from 1763 to the Present. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 1977. 192-94. Print.
Scheuerman, Richard D., and Clifford E. Trafzer. The Volga Germans: Pioneers of the Northwest. Moscow, ID: U of Idaho, 1980. Print.
Scheuerman, Richard D., and Clifford E. Trafzer. The Volga Germans: Pioneers of the Northwest. Moscow, ID: U of Idaho, 1980. Print.
Last updated October 7, 2025