Introduction: Imperial Rule Alexei Miller and Alfred J. Rieber 1. Nationalism and Imperial Rule The Empire and the Nation in the Imagination of Russian Nationalism Alexei Miller The Russians and the Turks: Imperialism and Nationalism in the Era of Empires Norman Stone, Sergei Podbolotov and Murat Yasar Imperial instead of National History: Positioning Modern German History on the Map of European Empires Philipp Ther 2. Legitimacy and Imperial Rule Justifying Political Power in 19th Century Europe: The Habsburg Monarchy and Beyond Maciej Janowski Schism Once Removed: Sects, State Authority and Meanings of Religious Toleration in Imperial Russia Paul W. Werth Redefining Identities in the Late Ottoman Empire: Policies of Conversion and Apostasy Selim Deringil 3. Core and Periphery Empire on Europe’s Periphery: Russian and Western Comparisons Dominic Lieven The Spanish Empire and its End: a Comparative View in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Europe Sebastian Balfour The Russian-American Company as a Colonial Contractor for the Russian Empire Ilya Vinkovetsky Comparative Ecology of Complex Frontiers Alfred J. Rieber List of Contributors Index