Volkov's expedition of 1873

 

Volkov's expedition of 1873 (Estrian: Arrivée des Navires Noirs, Ebirian: 黒船来航, kurofune raikō, "Arrival of the Black Ships") was a diplomatic and military expedition (1873-1874) to the Kingdom of Estry by warships of the Khraelyi Navy led by Admiral Fyodor Volkov. The objectives of this expedition included exploration, surveying, and the establishment of diplomatic relations and negotiation of trade agreements with nations of Etheisia, with the eventual aim of colonizing the continent. Opening contact with the government of Estry was considered a top priority of the expedition and was one of the key reasons for its inception.

Under orders from King Mykhail IV of Khraelyia, Volkov's primary goal was to force an end to Estry's 550-year-old policy of isolation and to open Estrian ports to Khraelyi trade, through the use of gunboat diplomacy if necessary. Volkov's expedition led directly to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Estry and the Southern Great Powers, eventually leading to the end of the Kingdom of Estry in the First Estrian Civil War and the foundation of the Estrian Republic in 1891. Following the expedition, Estry's burgeoning trade routes with the world led to the cultural trend of Estrianism, in which aspects of Estrian and Ebirian cultures influenced art in Verdantis.