2006 marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the Crimean War. The Paris Peace that ended the war was a shame for Russia. The rulers of the Russian Empire since the struggle against Napoleon considered themselves guarantors of stability in Europe. However, less than half a century after the Napoleonic Wars, European monarchs forgot that Russian troops had saved their thrones from the raging emperor of France, and decided that it was time to lock the Russian bear in his den.