How might a Russian colony in Africa have looked like ?

Let´s assume, the Russian Empire manages to get a significant colony in Africa during the 19th Century ( It depends on the location). How would it have been administrated ? Would the Orthodox Church try to covert the locals (there are Orthodox Aleuteans until today) ? What would the hierachy look like, would there be Cossacks on horseback in tropic climate ? What if they send their fleet to the Pacific for instance and conquer the partly Coptic-Orthodox province Eritrea from the Ottomans instead of Italy ? ( In such a scenario, how might relations with Ethiopia develope ? The British Empire would most likely don´t like it).
 
Sagallo aka Russian Djibouti
The only converts would be mixed race children of local mistresses, refugees and Russian-Ethiopian people that came into being with Russian support of Menelik's Ethiopia during the first wars with Italy.

People forget how Cossacks were military advisers/leaders and court elite in Ethiopia.
 
Sagallo aka Russian Djibouti
The only converts would be mixed race children of local mistresses, refugees and Russian-Ethiopian people that came into being with Russian support of Menelik's Ethiopia during the first wars with Italy.

People forget how Cossacks were military advisers/leaders and court elite in Ethiopia.

This is OTL ?

Edit: Wow, interesting read ! History has strange unsung corners !

https://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiyiJSQytvSAhXKtRQKHQhTCJEQFggcMAA&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagallo&usg=AFQjCNGsl6kKwW48YeluCqzHsCORyVI40A
 
My guess is they will try to get to Ethiopia, that means mostly Muslims or the Brits in Kenya. I think you might see something along the lines of Central Asia today, a very small, single digits in percentages of Russians left in enclaves deeply connected to Russia today, surrounded by people who do not like them at all. In the end I think it might be like Rhodesia, the Portuguese and Spanish colonies or Apartheid South Africa. In the end they either leave or they lose vast amounts of power. Eastern Orthodoxy will only survive in Ethiopia.
 
The British would be quite hostile to the idea IMO. The French wouldn't, or wouldn't care, so long as the Russians don't get into French territory. Eritrea or Italian Somaliland are the best bets, giving the Russians bases for their fleets and some trade capabilities. Disputes with the Italians would probably be handled diplomatically, if the Russians act with care, and claim their share of Africa during "The Scramble". With a base in what became Italian Somaliland, the Russian Fleet will have a somewhat easier time in reaching Port Arthur (depending entirely of course on who much cash the Czar dumps into the port/naval base in his new territory) and Ethiopia will most probably NOT fall to the Italians. If the 1917 Revolution still occurs, (probable) then the size of the Russian population may increase quite substantially, and even be a remnant state of Imperial Russia, as the Reds are not going to have the capability to take it for a very long time, and by then the Western powers are aware of the Red Menace, and will extend some protections to the state. Post Revolutionary Russian Somaliland is the most interesting idea in all this to me. Some quite intriguing ripples and butterflies here.
 
If Russia had a small African colony, say a naval station and a few coaling stations, would it be eager to keep them after the Russo-Japanese War? Or would it sell it off to France or Germany, etc.
 

MERRICA

Banned
I think the best fit for Russia if it gets first choice would be Ethiopia. Unlike Sudan or Egypt which have small Coptic minorities, Ethiopia has a pretty good Coptic Orthodox majority which would lessen problems with Ethiopians.
 
I always thought it would be interesting if a European power colonized Ethiopia and Ethiopian dishes like wat and injera became as integral to said power's cuisine as curry is to modern British cuisine.
 
My guess is they will try to get to Ethiopia, that means mostly Muslims or the Brits in Kenya. I think you might see something along the lines of Central Asia today, a very small, single digits in percentages of Russians left in enclaves deeply connected to Russia today, surrounded by people who do not like them at all. In the end I think it might be like Rhodesia, the Portuguese and Spanish colonies or Apartheid South Africa. In the end they either leave or they lose vast amounts of power. Eastern Orthodoxy will only survive in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is Oriental Orthodoxy, not Eastern Orthodoxy.
 
If Russia gets Somalia, I cans see Ethiopia at least becoming a Russian protectorate, due to religious similarities.

What religious similarities? The Ethiopian church is no more similar to the Russian Orthodox church than it is to the Roman Catholic one.
 
"I imagine it be more like the nasty evangelical Belgium sort rather than the more commercialism of the British."

Maybe, maybe not. The Ethiopians are an entirely different kettle of fish than the poor folk of the Belgian Congo. They have a long history, an extant government and a history of violence against those who offend them. Russia is a long, long way from Addis Ababa. I think here we will see more of a co-operative effort, with the Ethiopians gaining access to Russian arms and goods, them sending their goods out, and the Russians gaining a colony and warm water port either in Eritrea or Italian Somaliland.
 
The idea of a Romanov 'bolt hole' post revolution is intriguing I could see the Russians be rather heavy handed with the locals, the French and British empires survived for so long in the modern world in part due to long and sometimes steep learning curves on how to deal with natives, would the Russians learn from them?
 

James G

Gone Fishin'
As an idea I'd say somewhere on the west coast near the equator. It could have been near a German colony. I'd think then maybe I was expanded during WW1 into the German area and then never given up. It would be interesting post 1917 to see if the Soviets would keep it, especially in the era after WW2 where decolonialization was espoused by the Soviet Union.
 
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