Russian Imperial Anthem (1816 - 1833) - Molitva Russkikh

Molitva russkikh (The Prayer of the Russians) is a song that was used as the national anthem of Imperial Russia from 1816 to 1833. After defeating the First French Empire, Tsar Alexander I of Russia recommended a national anthem for Russia. The lyrics were written by Vasily Zhukovsky, and the music of the British anthem “God Save the King“ was used. In 1833, “The Prayer of Russians“ was replaced with “God Save the Tsar“. Pictured: Tsar Alexander I