The Imperatritsa Mariya Class dreadnoughts were authorized in the 1911 Russian naval program for the Black Sea. Two years earlier the four unit, Gangut Class was started in the Baltic. The Black Sea versions, although similar in appearance to the Ganguts, were 40 feet shorter, 760 tons lighter, had heavier armor, and had 15,000 less ihp, resulting in a maximum speed two knots slower than the Baltic battleships.

The Russian Imperatritsa Maria Class battleship consisted of two battleships, The Imperatritsa Maria and the Imperator Alexander III.

The Imperator Alexander III, was renamed the Volya after the revolution (Apr.29/1917). When the ship was under the German navy it kept the name of Volya. The ship name returned to Imperator Alexander III by the White Russians in 1919, the battleship was interned at Bizerta in 1920, under French control, who refused to give the ship to the Soviets, the Ship was eventually broken up in 1936.