When Peter I became emperor. The first years of the reign of Peter I Peter in Russia

Peter the Great was born on May 30 (June 9), 1672 in Moscow. In the biography of Peter 1, it is important to note that he was the youngest son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from his second marriage to Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. From one year he was brought up by nannies. And after the death of his father, at the age of four, Peter's half-brother and new Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich became Peter's guardian.

From the age of 5, little Peter began to learn the alphabet. The clerk N. M. Zotov gave him lessons. However, the future king received a poor education and was not distinguished by literacy.

Rise to power

In 1682, after the death of Fyodor Alekseevich, 10-year-old Peter and his brother Ivan were proclaimed kings. But in fact, their elder sister, Princess Sofya Alekseevna, took over the management.
At this time, Peter and his mother were forced to move away from the court and move to the village of Preobrazhenskoye. Here, Peter 1 becomes interested in military activities, he creates "amusing" regiments, which later became the basis of the Russian army. He is fond of firearms, shipbuilding. He spends a lot of time in the German Quarter, becomes a fan of European life, makes friends.

In 1689, Sophia was removed from the throne, and power passed to Peter I, and the government of the country was entrusted to his mother and uncle L.K. Naryshkin.

King's reign

Peter continued the war with the Crimea, took the fortress of Azov. Further actions of Peter I were aimed at creating a powerful fleet. The foreign policy of Peter I of that time was focused on finding allies in the war with the Ottoman Empire. For this purpose, Peter went to Europe.

At this time, the activities of Peter I consisted only in the creation of political unions. He studies shipbuilding, device, culture of other countries. He returned to Russia after the news of the Streltsy rebellion. As a result of the trip, he wanted to change Russia, for which several innovations were made. For example, the Julian calendar was introduced.

For the development of trade, access to the Baltic Sea was required. So the next stage of the reign of Peter I was the war with Sweden. Having made peace with Turkey, he captured the fortress of Noteburg, Nienschanz. In May 1703, the construction of St. Petersburg began. The following year, Narva and Dorpat were taken. In June 1709, Sweden was defeated in the Battle of Poltava. Shortly after the death of Charles XII, peace was concluded between Russia and Sweden. New lands joined Russia, access to the Baltic Sea was obtained.

Reforming Russia

In October 1721, the title of emperor was adopted in the biography of Peter the Great.

Also during his reign, Kamchatka was annexed, the coast of the Caspian Sea was conquered.

Peter I carried out military reform several times. Basically, it concerned the collection of money for the maintenance of the army and navy. It was carried out, in short, by force.

Further reforms of Peter I accelerated the technical and economic development of Russia. He carried out church reform, financial reform, transformations in industry, culture, and trade. In education, he also carried out a number of reforms aimed at mass education: many schools for children and the first gymnasium in Russia (1705) were opened.

Death and legacy

Before his death, Peter I was very ill, but continued to rule the state. Peter the Great died on January 28 (February 8), 1725 from inflammation of the bladder. The throne passed to his wife, Empress Catherine I.

The strong personality of Peter I, who sought to change not only the state, but also the people, played a crucial role in the history of Russia.

Cities were named after the Great Emperor after his death.

Monuments to Peter I were erected not only in Russia, but also in many European countries. One of the most famous is the Bronze Horseman in St. Petersburg.

Other biography options

• Contemporaries and historians note that Peter I was tall, more than two meters, beautiful, lively features and noble posture. Despite the formidable dimensions, the king still could not be called a hero - 39 shoe size and 48 clothing size. Such disproportion was observed literally in everything: for his gigantic growth, shoulders, small arms and head were too narrow. His frequent swiftness and fast walking did not save the situation. Those around him did not feel strength and power in him. He conquered others.
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The study of the topic "The Personality of Peter 1" is important for understanding the essence of the reforms he is carrying out in Russia. Indeed, in our country, it was often the character, personal qualities and education of the sovereign that determined the main line of socio-political development. The reign of this king covers a rather long period of time: in 1689 (when he finally removed his sister Sophia from public affairs) and until his death in 1725.

General characteristics of the era

Consideration of the question of when Peter 1 was born should begin with an analysis of the general historical situation in Russia at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries. It was a time when the prerequisites for serious and profound political, economic, social and cultural changes were ripe in the country. Already during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, there was a clear trend towards the penetration of Western European achievements into the country. Under this ruler, a number of measures were taken to transform some aspects of public life.

Therefore, the personality of Peter 1 was formed in an environment where the idea of ​​the need for serious reforms was already clearly outlined in society. In this regard, it is necessary to understand that the transformative activity of the first emperor of Russia did not arise from scratch, it became a natural and necessary consequence of all the previous development of the country.

Childhood

Peter 1, a brief biography, whose reign and reforms are the subject of this review, was born on May 30 (June 9), 1672. The exact birthplace of the future emperor is unknown. According to the generally accepted point of view, this place was the Kremlin, but the villages of Kolomenskoye or Izmailovo are also indicated. He was the fourteenth child in the family of Tsar Alexei, but the first from his second wife, Natalia Kirillovna. on the maternal side came from the Naryshkin family. She was the daughter of small estate nobles, which, perhaps, subsequently predetermined their struggle with the large and influential boyar group of the Miloslavskys at court, who were relatives of the tsar by his first wife.

The childhood of Peter 1 passed among nannies who did not give him a serious education. That is why until the end of his life he did not learn how to read and write properly and wrote with errors. However, he was a very inquisitive boy who was interested in everything, he had an inquisitive mind, which determined his interest in practical sciences. The end of the 17th century, when Peter 1 was born, was the time when European education began to spread in the highest circles of society, but the early years of the future emperor passed away from the new trends of the era.

Teenage years

The life of the prince proceeded in the village of Preobrazhenskoye, where he, in fact, was left to his own devices. No one was seriously involved in the upbringing of the boy, so his studies in these years were superficial. Nevertheless, the childhood of Peter 1 was very eventful and fruitful in terms of the formation of his worldview and interest in scientific and practical studies. He became seriously interested in the organization of troops, for which he arranged for himself the so-called amusing regiments, which consisted of local yard boys, as well as the sons of small estate nobles, whose possessions were located nearby. Together with these small detachments, he took improvised bastions, arranged battles and gatherings, and made attacks. In relation to the same time, we can say that the fleet of Peter 1 arose. At first it was just a small boat, but it is nevertheless considered to be the father of the Russian flotilla.

First serious steps

It has already been said above that the time when Peter 1 was born is considered to be a transitional one in the history of Russia. It was during this period that the country was in a position where all the necessary prerequisites for its entry into the international arena arose. The first steps were taken in this direction during the foreign travel of the future emperor through the countries of Western Europe. Then he was able to see with his own eyes the achievements of these states in various areas of life.

Peter 1, whose brief biography includes this important stage in his life, appreciated Western European achievements, primarily in technology and weapons. However, he drew attention to the culture, education of these countries, their political institutions. After his return to Russia, he made an attempt to modernize the administrative apparatus, the army, and legislation, which was supposed to prepare the country for entering the international arena.

The initial stage of government: the beginning of reforms

The era when Peter 1 was born was a preparatory time for major changes in our country. That is why the transformations of the first emperor turned out to be so out of place and outlived their creator for centuries. At the very beginning of his reign, the new sovereign abolished which was the legislative body of power under the former kings. Instead, he created the Senate on the Western European model. It was supposed to hold meetings of senators to draw up laws. It is significant that initially it was a temporary measure, which, however, turned out to be very effective: this institution lasted until the February Revolution of 1917.

Further transformations

It has already been said above that Peter 1 on the maternal side comes from a not very noble noble family. However, his mother was brought up in a European spirit, which, of course, could not but affect the boy's personality, although the queen herself, when raising her son, adhered to traditional views and measures. Nevertheless, the tsar was inclined to transform almost all spheres of life in Russian society, which was literally an urgent need in connection with the conquest of access to the Baltic Sea by Russia and the country's entry into the international arena.

And so the emperor changed the administrative apparatus: he created collegiums instead of orders, a Synod to manage church affairs. In addition, he formed a regular army, and the fleet of Peter 1 became one of the strongest among other maritime powers.

Features of transformative activity

The main goal of the emperor's reign was the desire to reform those areas that he needed to solve the most important tasks in the conduct of hostilities on several fronts at once. He himself apparently assumed that these changes would be temporary. Most modern historians agree that the ruler did not have any premeditated program of activities to reform the country. Many experts believe that he acted on the basis of specific needs.

The Importance of the Emperor's Reforms for His Successors

However, the phenomenon of his reforms lies precisely in the fact that these seemingly temporary measures outlived their creator for a long time and existed almost unchanged for two centuries. Moreover, his successors, for example, Catherine II, were largely guided by his achievements. This suggests that the reforms of the ruler came to the right place and at the right time. The life of Peter 1 was, in fact, devoted to changing and improving the most diverse areas in society. He was interested in everything new, however, borrowing the achievements of the West, he first of all thought about what benefit this would bring to Russia. That is why his reforming activity served as an example for reforms during the reign of other emperors for a long time.

Relationships with others

When describing the character of the tsar, one should never forget to which boyar family Peter 1 belonged. On the maternal side, he came from a not very well-born nobility, which, most likely, determined his interest not in nobility, but in the merits of a person before the fatherland and his ability serve. The emperor valued not the rank and rank, but the specific talents of his subordinates. This speaks of the democratic approach of Pyotr Alekseevich to people, despite his harsh and even tough character.

mature years

In the last years of his life, the emperor sought to consolidate the successes achieved. But here he had serious problems with the heir. subsequently had a very bad effect on political administration and led to serious difficulties in the country. The fact is that the son of Peter, Tsarevich Alexei, went against his father, not wanting to continue his reforms. In addition, the king had serious problems in the family. Nevertheless, he took care to consolidate the successes achieved: he took the title of emperor, and Russia became an empire. This step raised the international prestige of our country. In addition, Peter Alekseevich achieved recognition of Russia's access to the Baltic Sea, which was of fundamental importance for the development of trade and the fleet. Subsequently, his successors continued the policy in this direction. Under Catherine II, for example, Russia gained access to the Black Sea. The emperor died as a result of a complication after a cold and did not have time to draw up a will before his death, which led to the appearance of numerous contenders for the throne and repeated palace coups.

Peter the Great is a rather remarkable personality, both from the side of the person and from the side of the ruler. His numerous changes in the country, decrees and an attempt to organize life in a new way were not perceived positively by everyone. However, it cannot be denied that during his reign a new impetus was given to the development of the Russian Empire of that time.

The great Peter the Great introduced innovations that made it possible to reckon with the Russian Empire at the world level. These were not only external achievements, but also internal reforms.

An extraordinary personality in the history of Russia - Tsar Peter the Great

There were a lot of outstanding sovereigns and rulers in the Russian state. Each of them contributed to its development. One of these was Tsar Peter I. His reign was marked by various innovations in various fields, as well as reforms that brought Russia to a new level.

What can be said about the time when Tsar Peter the Great ruled? Briefly, it can be described as a series of changes in the way of life of the Russian people, as well as a new direction in the development of the state itself. Peter after his trip to Europe caught fire with the idea of ​​a full-fledged navy for his country.

In his royal years, Peter the Great changed a lot in the country. He is the first ruler who gave direction to change the culture of Russia towards Europe. So many of his followers continued his undertakings, and this led to the fact that they were not forgotten.

Peter's childhood

If we now talk about whether the childhood years influenced the future fate of the tsar, his behavior in politics, then we can answer that of course. Little Peter was always developed beyond his years, and his remoteness from the royal court allowed him to look at the world in a completely different way. No one hampered him in development, and also did not forbid him to feed his craving for learning everything new and interesting.

The future Tsar Peter the Great was born on June 9, 1672. His mother was Naryshkina Natalya Kirillovna, who was the second wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Until the age of four, he lived at court, loved and spoiled by his mother, who did not have a soul in him. In 1676, his father, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, died. Fedor Alekseevich, who was Peter's older half-brother, ascended the throne.

From that moment on, a new life began both in the state and in the royal family. By order of the new king (part-time half-brother), Peter began to learn to read and write. Science was given to him quite easily, he was a rather inquisitive child who was interested in a lot of things. The teacher of the future ruler was the clerk Nikita Zotov, who did not scold the restless student too much. Thanks to him, Peter read many wonderful books that Zotov brought him from the armory.

The result of all this was a further genuine interest in history, he even in the future had a dream of a book that would tell about the history of Russia. Peter was also fascinated by the art of war, was interested in geography. At an older age, he compiled a rather easy and simple alphabet to learn. However, if we talk about the systematic acquisition of knowledge, then the king did not have this.

Ascension to the throne

Peter the Great was enthroned when he was ten years old. This happened after the death of his half-brother Fyodor Alekseevich, in 1682. However, it should be noted that there were two contenders for the throne. This is Peter's older half-brother - John, who was rather painful from birth. Perhaps that is why the clergy decided that the younger, but stronger applicant should be the ruler. Due to the fact that Peter was still a minor, the king's mother, Natalya Kirillovna, ruled on his behalf.

However, this was not at all liked by the no less noble relatives of the second contender for the throne - Miloslavsky. All this discontent, and even the suspicion that Tsar John was killed by the Naryshkins, led to an uprising that happened on May 15. This event later became known as the "streltsy revolt". On this day, some boyars, who were Peter's mentors, were killed. What happened made an indelible impression on the young king.

After the Streltsy rebellion, two were married to the kingdom - John and Peter 1, the first had a dominant position. Their older sister Sophia, who was the real ruler, was appointed regent. Peter and his mother again left for Preobrazhenskoye. By the way, many of his relatives and friends were also either exiled or killed.

Life of Peter in Preobrazhensky

Peter's life after the May events of 1682 remained the same solitary. Only occasionally did he come to Moscow when there was a need for his presence at official receptions. The rest of the time he continued to live in the village of Preobrazhensky.

At this time, he became interested in the study of military affairs, which led to the formation of, for the time being, children's, amusing regiments. They recruited guys around his age who wanted to learn the art of war, since all these initial children's games grew into just that. Over time, a small military town is formed in Preobrazhensky, and children's amusing regiments grow into adults and become quite an impressive force to be reckoned with.

It was at this time that the future Tsar Peter the Great had the idea of ​​his own fleet. Once he discovered a broken boat in an old barn, and he got the idea of ​​fixing it. After a while, Peter found the person who fixed it. So, the boat was launched. However, the Yauza River was small for such a vessel, it was dragged to a pond near Izmailovo, which also seemed small for the future ruler.

In the end, Peter's new hobby continued on Lake Pleshchevo, near Pereyaslavl. It was here that the formation of the future fleet of the Russian Empire began. Peter himself not only commanded, but also studied various crafts (blacksmith, joiner, carpenter, studied printing).

Peter at one time did not receive a systematic education, but when the need arose to study arithmetic and geometry, he did it. This knowledge was needed in order to learn how to use the astrolabe.

During these years, when Peter received his knowledge in various fields, he had many associates. These are, for example, Prince Romodanovsky, Fedor Apraksin, Alexei Menshikov. Each of these people played a role in the character of the future reign of Peter the Great.

Peter's family life

Peter's personal life was quite complicated. He was seventeen years old when he got married. This happened at the insistence of the mother. Evdokia Lopukhina became the wife of Peter.

Between the spouses there was never mutual understanding. A year after his marriage, he became interested in Anna Mons, which led to a final quarrel. The first family history of Peter the Great ended with Evdokia Lopukhin being exiled to a monastery. This happened in 1698.

From his first marriage, the tsar had a son - Alexei (born in 1690). It has a rather tragic story. It is not known exactly for what reason, but Peter did not love his own son. Perhaps this happened because he did not at all resemble his father, and also did not at all welcome some of his reformist introductions. Be that as it may, but in 1718 Tsarevich Alexei dies. This episode itself is rather mysterious, as many spoke of torture, as a result of which the son of Peter died. By the way, hostility to Alexei extended to his son (grandson of Peter).

In 1703, Marta Skavronskaya entered the life of the tsar, who later became Catherine I. For a long time she was Peter's mistress, and in 1712 they got married. In 1724, Catherine was crowned empress. Peter the Great, whose biography of family life is truly fascinating, was very attached to his second wife. During their life together, Catherine bore him several children, but only two daughters survived - Elizabeth and Anna.

Peter treated his second wife very well, one might even say he loved her. However, this did not prevent him from sometimes having an affair on the side. Catherine herself did the same. In 1725, she was convicted of having an affair with Willem Mons, who was a chamberlain. It was a scandalous story, as a result of which the lover was executed.

The beginning of the real reign of Peter

For a long time, Peter was only second in line to the throne. Of course, these years were not in vain, he studied a lot, became a full-fledged personality. However, in 1689 a new streltsy uprising took place, which was prepared by his sister Sophia, who was ruling at that time. She did not take into account that Peter is far from being the younger brother he was before. Two personal royal regiments - Preobrazhensky and Streletsky, as well as all the patriarchs of Russia, rose to his defense. The rebellion was suppressed, and Sophia spent the rest of her days in the Novodevichy Convent.

After these events, Peter became more interested in the affairs of the state, but nevertheless shifted most of them onto the shoulders of his relatives. The real reign of Peter the Great began in 1695. In 1696, his brother John dies, and he remains the sole ruler of the country. From that time on, innovations began in the Russian Empire.

Wars of the king

There were several wars in which Peter the Great took part. The biography of the king shows how purposeful he was. This is proved by his first campaign against Azov in 1695. It ended in failure, but this did not stop the young king. After analyzing all the mistakes, Peter carried out a second assault in July 1696, which ended successfully.

After the Azov campaigns, the tsar decided that the country needed its own specialists, both in military affairs and in shipbuilding. He sent several nobles to study, and then he decided to travel around Europe himself. This lasted for a year and a half.

In 1700, Peter begins the Great Northern War, which lasted twenty-one years. The result of this war was the signed Treaty of Nystadt, which opened him access to the Baltic Sea. By the way, it was this event that led to the fact that Tsar Peter I received the title of emperor. The resulting lands formed the Russian Empire.

estate reform

Despite the conduct of the war, the emperor did not forget to pursue the domestic policy of the country. Numerous decrees of Peter the Great affected various spheres of life in Russia and not only.

One of the important reforms was a clear division and consolidation of rights and obligations between nobles, peasants and city dwellers.

Nobles. In this estate, innovations concerned primarily the compulsory literacy education for males. Those who failed to pass the exam were not allowed to receive an officer's rank, and they were also not allowed to marry. A table of ranks was introduced, which allowed even those who by birth did not have the right to receive the nobility.

In 1714, a decree was issued that allowed only one offspring from a noble family to inherit all property.

Peasants. For this class, poll taxes were introduced, instead of household taxes. Also, those serfs who went to serve as soldiers were freed from serfdom.

City. For urban residents, the transformation consisted in the fact that they were divided into “regular” (subdivided into guilds) and “irregular” (other people). Also in 1722, workshops for crafts appeared.

Military and judicial reforms

Peter the Great carried out reforms for the army as well. It was he who began recruiting into the army every year from young people who had reached the age of fifteen. They were sent to military training. This led to the fact that the army became stronger and more experienced. A powerful fleet was created, a judicial reform was carried out. Appellate and provincial courts appeared, which were subordinate to the governors.

Administrative reform

At the time when Peter the Great ruled, the reforms also affected the administration of the state. For example, the ruling king could appoint his successor during his lifetime, which was previously impossible. It could have been absolutely anyone.

Also in 1711, by order of the king, a new state body appeared - the Governing Senate. Anyone could also enter it, it was the king's privilege to appoint its members.

In 1718, instead of Moscow orders, 12 colleges appeared, each of which covered its own field of activity (for example, military, income and expenses, etc.).

At the same time, by decree of Tsar Peter, eight provinces were created (later there were eleven). The provinces were divided into provinces, the latter into counties.

Other reforms

The time of Peter the Great is also rich in other equally important reforms. For example, they affected the Church, which lost its independence and became dependent on the state. Later, the Holy Synod was established, the members of which were appointed by the sovereign.

Great reforms took place in the culture of the Russian people. The king, after returning from a trip to Europe, ordered to cut off the beards and shave the faces of men (this did not apply only to priests). Peter also introduced the wearing of European clothes for the boyars. In addition, balls, other music, as well as tobacco for men, which the king brought from his trip, appeared for the upper class.

An important point was the change in the calendar calculation, as well as the transfer of the beginning of the new year from the first of September to the first of January. This happened in December 1699.

Culture in the country was in a special position. The sovereign founded many schools that gave knowledge about foreign languages, mathematics and other technical sciences. A lot of foreign literature was translated into Russian.

The results of the reign of Peter

Peter the Great, whose reign was full of many changes, led Russia to a new direction in its development. A fairly strong fleet appeared in the country, as well as a regular army. The economy has stabilized.

The reign of Peter the Great also had a positive impact on the social sphere. Medicine began to develop, the number of pharmacies and hospitals increased. Science and culture have reached a new level.

In addition, the state of the economy and finances in the country has improved. Russia has reached a new international level, and has also signed several important agreements.

End of reign and Peter's successor

The king's death is shrouded in mystery and speculation. It is known that he died on January 28, 1725. However, what led him to this?

Many talk about an illness from which he did not fully recover, but went on business to the Ladoga Canal. The king was returning home by sea when he saw a ship in distress. It was late cold and rainy autumn. Peter helped drowning people, but he got very wet and as a result caught a bad cold. He never recovered from all this.

All this time, while Tsar Peter was ill, prayers were held in many churches for the health of the Tsar. Everyone understood that this was indeed a great ruler who had done a lot for the country and could have done so much more.

There was another rumor that the tsar was poisoned, and it could be A. Menshikov close to Peter. Whatever it was, but after his death, Peter the Great did not leave a will. The throne is inherited by Peter's wife Catherine I. There is also a legend about this. They say that before his death, the king wanted to write his will, but he managed to write only a couple of words and died.

The personality of the king in modern cinema

The biography and history of Peter the Great is so entertaining that a dozen films have been made about him, as well as several television series. In addition, there are paintings about individual members of his family (for example, about the deceased son Alexei).

Each of the films reveals the personality of the king in its own way. For example, the television series “Testament” plays on the dying years of the king. Of course, there is truth mixed with fiction. An important point will be that Peter the Great never wrote a will, which will be told about in colors in the film.

Of course, this is one of many pictures. Some were filmed based on works of art (for example, the novel by A. N. Tolstoy “Peter I”). Thus, as we see, the odious personality of Emperor Peter I excites the minds of people today. This great politician and reformer pushed Russia to develop, to learn new things, and also to enter the international arena.

Peter the Great got a bulky and clumsy country. The club and tongs were the symbols of his reforms. With the help of the first, he urged negligent officials and punished bribe-takers, and with the last, he tore hardened dogmas out of the heads of his subordinates, sometimes along with his teeth. His ideal is a state machine that works like a clock, has no material needs and physical defects. He admired the scientific and technological achievements of Europe, but did not accept liberal values ​​at all. With superhuman efforts, he laid the foundations for the might of the new Russia.

rebellious age

Until now, disputes about the origin of Peter the Great have not ceased. His actions were too unusual against the backdrop of the then Muscovy. In his time there were rumors of a substitution in Holland. Now there are opinions that Peter was not the son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. But even if he is not the offspring of his father, what does it matter for the country he built?

The future Emperor Peter I was born on June 9, 1672 in the royal chambers in Moscow. His mother was from the seedy noble family of the Naryshkins. Male children from the first wife from the Miloslavsky family either died in infancy or, like Tsar Fedor and Ivan Alekseevich, were in poor health.

Petrusha's childhood was marred by violence. The struggle for power between the Naryshkins and the Miloslavskys ended in a Streltsy rebellion that brought Princess Sophia to power. Tsars Peter and Ivan rule nominally. Sophia is not afraid of the weak-minded Ivan, but Peter grew up as a strong and strong boy, arranged amusing battles with amusing troops. Subsequently, the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments will become the key to brilliant victories.

Young Peter poses a serious threat to Princess Sophia, but for the time being he is not interested in state affairs. He spends his free time in the German Quarter and sees with his own eyes the advantages of the Western way of life. On the Yauza River, he builds amusing ships, and trains his fellows in a European manner and supplies artillery. In the year of Peter's coming of age, Sofya again tries to provoke another streltsy revolt in order to kill the young tsar in a commotion. Peter flees to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he concentrates his forces. The Streltsy masses recognize its legitimacy and leave Sophia. The latter is imprisoned in the Novodevichy monastery.

Moscow period of government

After the overthrow of Sophia, little has changed in Peter's life. On his behalf, the Naryshkin clique rules, and Peter continues to take amusing fortresses and master crafts. He teaches arithmetic, geometry and military sciences. He is surrounded by foreigners, many of whom will become his associates in the transformation of the state. His mother is trying to bring him back into the bosom of tradition and marries Evdokia Lopukhina, from an old boyar family. But Peter also likes European women, therefore, having hastily fulfilled his marital duty, he disappears in the German Quarter. Anna Mons, the charming daughter of a German vintner, is waiting for him there.

When, after the death of his mother, Peter began to rule independently, he was already an adherent of the European way of life. More precisely, he admired the Dutch and Germans, while remaining almost indifferent to the Catholic countries. However, the new king is in no hurry to introduce new orders. He needs the halo of a successful commander, and in 1695 he is going on a campaign against Turkey. The fortress of Azov can only be taken the next year, when the newly created flotilla blocks it from the sea.

Grand Embassy

The tsar understands: Russia is suffocating without access to the sea. Building a fleet requires a lot of money. Heavy taxes are imposed on all estates. Leaving the country in the care of the boyar Fyodor Romodanovsky, to whom he invented the title of prince-caesar, Peter goes on a pilgrimage to Europe. The formal reason for the visit was the search for allies to fight Turkey. He entrusted this mission to Admiral General F. Lefort and General F. Golovin. Peter himself hid under the name of the constable of the Preobrazhensky regiment, Peter Mikhailov.

In Holland, he takes part in the construction of the ship "Peter and Paul", trying himself in all crafts. He is only interested in the technical achievements of the West. In matters of state administration, he was an oriental despot, he himself participated in executions and torture, and ruthlessly suppressed all manifestations of popular unrest. Tsar Peter also visited the cradle of European democracy, England, where he visited Parliament, a foundry, an arsenal, Oxford University, the Greenwich Observatory and the Mint, whose caretaker at that time was Sir Isaac Newton. Peter buys equipment and specialists in shipbuilding.

Meanwhile, a streltsy rebellion breaks out in the country, which is brutally suppressed until the return of the king. The conducted inquiry points to the inspirer of the rebellion - Princess Sophia. Peter's rage and his contempt for the old order only intensifies. He does not want to wait any longer and issues a decree banning beards for the nobility and introducing German dress. In 1700, the Julian calendar was introduced, instead of the Byzantine one, according to which Russia had the 7208th year from the creation of the world. It is interesting to read his instructions and decrees now. They have a lot of humor and peasant ingenuity. So in one of them we read that “a subordinate in front of the rulers should look dashing and foolish, so as not to embarrass the authorities with his understanding.”

North War

Peter the Great continued the work of Ivan the Terrible, who waged the Livonian War for access to the Baltic Sea. His military reforms begin with the introduction of recruitment, according to which soldiers were supposed to serve 25 years. Serfdom Russia sends the most violent and passionate peasants to the army. This is the secret of the brilliant victories of Russia in the eighteenth century. But noble children are also obligated to serve, who are given a Table of Ranks.

Preparing for war with Sweden, Peter put together the Northern Alliance, which included Denmark, Saxony and the Commonwealth. The start of the campaign is unsuccessful. Denmark is forced to withdraw from the war, and the Russians are defeated near Narva. However, military reforms continue, and already in the autumn of 1702, the Russians began to kick out the Swedes from the Baltic cities: Noteburg, Nieschanz, Derpt and Narva. The Swedish King Charles XII invades Ukraine to link up with Hetman Ivan Mazepa. Here, Russian weapons crowned themselves with victories in the Battle of Lesnaya (October 9, 1708) and in the Battle of Poltava (July 8, 1709).

The defeated Charles XII flees to Istanbul and incites the Sultan to war with Russia. In the summer of 1711, Peter sets out on the Prut campaign against Turkey, which ends with the encirclement of Russian troops. The Tsar manages to pay off with jewels, which were taken off by Peter's new wife Marta Skavronskaya, a pupil of the Lutheran pastor Ernst Gluck. Under the new peace treaty, Russia gave Turkey the fortress of Azov and lost access to the Sea of ​​Azov.

But failures in the east can no longer interfere with the successes of the Russian army in the Baltics. After the mysterious death of Charles XII, the Swedes no longer resist. According to the Nishtad Peace Treaty (September 10, 1721), Russia receives access to the Baltic Sea, as well as the territory of Ingria, part of Karelia, Estonia and Livonia. At the request of the Senate, Tsar Peter takes the title of the Great, Father of the Fatherland and Emperor of All Russia.

Pincers and club

The reforms of Peter the Great were aimed not only at the modernization of society and the state. The colossal expenses for the army and for the construction of the new capital St. Petersburg forced the tsar to introduce new taxes, ruining the already impoverished peasantry. An Asian gentleman entered the family of civilized peoples, hastily dressed in European clothes, armed with European technologies, but did not want to hear, in order to give his lackeys at least some human rights. Therefore, it is not surprising that even a hundred years after Peter's death, one could read in the capital's newspapers: "Puppies of a thoroughbred bitch and a 17-year-old girl, trained in women's crafts, are for sale."

The administrative-command system created by Peter the Great elevated him to the rank of an absolute monarch. Bringing people from the lower classes closer to him, he did not at all intend to break the social hierarchy. The enlightened leaders no longer saw their brothers in the peasants, as was the case in Muscovite Russia. The European way of life, to which the nobility was accustomed, required financial support, so the oppression and enslavement of serfs only intensifies. The once homogeneous society is divided into white and black bones, which in 200 years will lead to a bloody denouement of the revolution and civil war in Russia.

Death and aftermath

By abolishing the law of succession, Peter himself fell into its net. State concerns and immoderate libations crippled his health. To his credit, it must be said that he spared neither himself nor others. While inspecting the Ladoga Canal, the tsar throws himself into the water to save the stranded soldiers. The nephrolithiasis complicated by uremia is aggravated. There is neither time nor strength, but the emperor is slow with the will. It seems that he simply does not know to whom to transfer the throne. On February 8, 1725, Peter the Great died in terrible agony, without saying who he would like to see on the Russian throne.

The death of Peter opened the era of guard coups, when sovereigns and sovereigns were placed on the throne by a handful of nobles who enlisted the support of elite regiments. The last guard coup was attempted by the Decembrists on Senate Square in 1825.

The meaning of Peter's reforms is contradictory, but this is normal for all reformers in Russia. The country with the coldest climate and the most risky agriculture will always strive to minimize development costs, devoting all its strength to elementary survival. And when the lag becomes critical, society pushes forward the next "transformer", who will have to take the rap for the mistakes and excesses of accelerated development. It is a paradox, but reforms in Russia have always been in the name of preserving their own identity, in order to strengthen the state machine, through updating it with the latest technical achievements. For the sake of the survival of Russian civilization, which encompasses Europe and Asia, remaining unlike either one or the other.

This is the third and final part of the materials about Peter the Great. It will consist of three posts. In order to somehow systematize the pictures, let's go over the biography of the emperor, taken from the "omniscient" WIKIPEDIA.

The Early Years of Peter. 1672-1689 years

Peter was born on the night of May 30 (June 9), 1672 in the Terem Palace of the Kremlin (in 7180 according to the then accepted chronology "from the creation of the world").
Father - Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich - had numerous offspring: Peter was the 12th child, but the first from his second wife, Tsarina Natalya Naryshkina. On June 29, on the day of Saints Peter and Paul, the prince was baptized in the Miracle Monastery (according to other sources in the church of Gregory of Neocaesarea, in Derbitsy, by Archpriest Andrei Savinov) and named Peter.
After spending a year with the queen, he was given to the education of nannies. In the 4th year of Peter's life, in 1676, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich died. The guardian of the prince was his half-brother, godfather and new tsar Fyodor Alekseevich. Clerk N. M. Zotov taught Peter to read and write from 1677 to 1680.
The death of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and the accession of his eldest son Fyodor (from Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna, nee Miloslavskaya) pushed Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna and her relatives, the Naryshkins, into the background. Tsarina Natalya was forced to go to the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow.

Birth of Peter the Great.
Engraving for the illustrated History of the Russian State by N. M. Karamzin. Edition Picturesque Karamzin or Russian history in pictures, St. Petersburg, 1836

Streltsy rebellion of 1682 and the coming to power of Sofia Alekseevna

April 27 (May 7), 1682, after 6 years of mild rule, the liberal and sickly Tsar Fedor Alekseevich died. The question arose of who should inherit the throne: the elder sickly and weak-minded Ivan according to custom, or the young Peter. Enlisting the support of Patriarch Joachim, the Naryshkins and their supporters on April 27 (May 7), 1682, elevated Peter to the throne.
The Miloslavskys, relatives of Tsarevich Ivan and Princess Sophia by their mother, saw in the proclamation of Peter the Tsar an infringement of their interests. Streltsy, of whom there were more than 20 thousand in Moscow, had long shown discontent and willfulness; and, apparently, incited by the Miloslavskys, on May 15 (25), 1682, they spoke openly: shouting that the Naryshkins had strangled Tsarevich Ivan, they moved to the Kremlin. Natalya Kirillovna, hoping to calm the rebels, together with the patriarch and the boyars, led Peter and his brother to the Red Porch. However, the uprising was not over. In the first hours, the boyars Artamon Matveev and Mikhail Dolgoruky were killed, then other supporters of Queen Natalia, including her two brothers Naryshkins.
On May 26, elected representatives from the archery regiments came to the palace and demanded that the elder Ivan be recognized as the first tsar, and the younger Peter as the second. Fearing a repetition of the pogrom, the boyars agreed, and Patriarch Joachim immediately performed a solemn prayer service in the Assumption Cathedral for the health of the two named kings; and on June 25 he crowned them to the kingdom.
On May 29, the archers insisted that Princess Sofya Alekseevna take over the government due to the infancy of her brothers. Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, together with her son, the second tsar, had to retire from the court to a palace near Moscow in the village of Preobrazhensky. In the Armory of the Kremlin, a double throne for young tsars with a small window in the back was preserved, through which Princess Sophia and those close to her told them how to behave and what to say during palace ceremonies.

Alexey Korzukhin Streltsy rebellion in 1682 1882

Nikolai Dmitriev - Orenburg Streltsy rebellion. 1862

Preobrazhenskoye and amusing shelves

Peter spent all his free time away from the palace - in the villages of Vorobyov and Preobrazhensky. Every year his interest in military affairs increased. Peter dressed and armed his "amusing" army, which consisted of peers in boyish games. In 1685, his "amusing", dressed in foreign caftans, marched in regimental formation through Moscow from Preobrazhensky to the village of Vorobyovo to the beat of drums. Peter himself served as a drummer.
In 1686, 14-year-old Peter started artillery with his "amusing" ones. The gunsmith Fyodor Sommer showed the tsar grenade and firearms.
16 guns were delivered from the Pushkar Order. To control heavy guns, the tsar took adult servants eager for military affairs from the Stable Order, who were dressed in uniforms of foreign cut and identified as amusing gunners. Sergei Bukhvostov was the first to put on a foreign uniform. Subsequently, Peter ordered a bronze bust of this first Russian soldier, as he called Bukhvostov. The amusing regiment began to be called Preobrazhensky, in the place of its quartering - the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow.
In Preobrazhensky, opposite the palace, on the banks of the Yauza, a "fun town" was built. During the construction of the fortress, Peter himself worked actively, helping to cut logs and install cannons. The “Most Joking, Most Drunk and Most Foolish Cathedral” created by Peter, a parody of the Orthodox Church, was also quartered here. The fortress itself was named Preshburg, probably after the then famous Austrian fortress Presburg (now Bratislava - the capital of Slovakia), which he heard about from Captain Sommer. Then, in 1686, the first amusing ships appeared near Preshburg on the Yauza - a large shnyak and a plow with boats. During these years, Peter became interested in all the sciences that were associated with military affairs. Under the guidance of the Dutchman Timmerman, he studied arithmetic, geometry, and military sciences.
Walking one day with Timmerman in the village of Izmailovo, Peter went to the Linen Yard, in the barn of which he found an English boat. In 1688, he ordered the Dutchman Karsten Brandt to repair, arm and equip this boat, and then lower it to the Yauza. However, Yauza and Millet Pond turned out to be cramped for the ship, so Peter went to Pereslavl-Zalessky, to Lake Pleshcheyevo, where he laid the first shipyard for the construction of ships. There were already two "amusing" regiments: Semyonovsky, located in the village of Semyonovskoye, was added to Preobrazhensky. Preshburg already looked like a real fortress. Knowledgeable and experienced people were needed to command regiments and study military science. But among the Russian courtiers there were none. So Peter appeared in the German settlement.

Ilya Repin Arrival of Tsars John and Peter Alekseevich to the Semyonov amusing yard, accompanied by a retinue, 1900

German settlement and Peter's first marriage

The German settlement was the nearest "neighbor" of the village of Preobrazhenskoye, and Peter had long been eyeing her curious life. An increasing number of foreigners at the court of Tsar Peter, such as Franz Timmermann and Karsten Brandt, came from the German Quarter. All this imperceptibly led to the fact that the tsar became a frequent visitor to the settlement, where he soon turned out to be a great admirer of the laid-back foreign life. Peter lit a German pipe, began to attend German parties with dancing and drinking, met Patrick Gordon, Franz Yakovlevich Lefort - Peter's future associates, started an affair with Anna Mons. Peter's mother strongly opposed this. In order to reason with her 17-year-old son, Natalya Kirillovna decided to marry him to Evdokia Lopukhina, the daughter of the okolnichi.
Peter did not contradict his mother, and on January 27, 1689, the wedding of the "younger" king was played. However, less than a month later, Peter left his wife and left for a few days at Lake Pleshcheyevo. From this marriage, Peter had two sons: the eldest, Alexei, was heir to the throne until 1718, the youngest, Alexander, died in infancy.

Preobrazhenskoe and amusing regiments (engraving)

Nikolai Nevrev Peter I in a foreign outfit in front of his mother Tsarina Natalya, Patriarch Andrian and teacher Zotov. 1903

Dmitry Kostylev Choosing the path. Peter the Great in the German Quarter, 2006

Accession of Peter I

Peter's activity greatly disturbed Princess Sophia, who understood that with the coming of age of her half-brother, she would have to give up power.
Campaigns against the Crimean Tatars, carried out in 1687 and 1689 by the favorite of the princess V. V. Golitsyn, were not very successful, but were presented as major and generously rewarded victories, which caused discontent among many.
On July 8, 1689, on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the first public conflict took place between the matured Peter and the Ruler. On that day, according to custom, a religious procession was made from the Kremlin to the Kazan Cathedral. At the end of mass, Peter approached his sister and announced that she should not dare to go along with the men in the procession. Sophia accepted the challenge: she took the image of the Most Holy Theotokos in her hands and went for crosses and banners. Unprepared for such an outcome, Peter left the course.
On August 7, 1689, unexpectedly for everyone, a decisive event took place. On this day, Princess Sophia ordered the head of the archers, Fyodor Shaklovity, to equip more of his people to the Kremlin, as if to be escorted to the Donskoy Monastery on a pilgrimage. At the same time, a rumor spread about a letter with the news that Tsar Peter decided at night to occupy the Kremlin with his “amusing” ones, kill the princess, Tsar Ivan’s brother, and seize power. Shaklovity gathered archery regiments in order to march in a "great assembly" to Preobrazhenskoye and beat all the supporters of Peter for their intention to kill Princess Sophia. Then they sent three riders to observe what was happening in Preobrazhensky with the task to immediately inform if Tsar Peter went somewhere alone or with regiments.
Supporters of Peter among the archers sent two like-minded people to Preobrazhenskoye. After the report, Peter, with a small retinue, galloped in alarm to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. The consequence of the horrors of the streltsy performances experienced was Peter's illness: with strong excitement, he began to have convulsive movements of his face. On August 8, both queens, Natalya and Evdokia, arrived at the monastery, followed by “amusing” regiments with artillery. On August 16, a letter came from Peter, so that from all the regiments commanders and 10 privates were sent to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. Princess Sophia strictly forbade this command to be carried out on pain of death, and a letter was sent to Tsar Peter with a notice that it was impossible to fulfill his request.
On August 27, a new letter of tsar Peter came - to go to all the regiments to the Trinity. Most of the troops obeyed the legitimate king, and Princess Sophia had to admit defeat. She herself went to the Trinity Monastery, but in the village of Vozdvizhenskoye she was met by Peter's envoys with orders to return to Moscow. Soon Sophia was imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent under strict supervision.
On October 7, Fyodor Shaklovity was captured and then executed. The elder brother, Tsar Ivan (or John), met Peter in the Assumption Cathedral and in fact gave him all power. Since 1689, he did not take part in the reign, although until his death on January 29 (February 8), 1696, he continued to be co-tsar. Little participated in the board at first, and Peter himself, giving authority to the Naryshkin family.

Azov campaigns. 1695-1696

The priority of Peter I in the first years of autocracy was the continuation of the war with the Crimea. The first Azov campaign, which began in the spring of 1695, ended unsuccessfully in September of the same year due to the lack of a fleet and the unwillingness of the Russian army to operate far from supply bases. However, already in the winter of 1695-96, preparations began for a new campaign. In Voronezh, the construction of a rowing Russian flotilla began. In a short time, a flotilla was built from different ships, led by the 36-gun ship "Apostle Peter". In May 1696, the 40,000-strong Russian army under the command of Generalissimo Shein again laid siege to Azov, only this time the Russian flotilla blocked the fortress from the sea. Peter I took part in the siege with the rank of captain in a galley. Without waiting for the assault, July 19, 1696 the fortress surrendered. So the first exit of Russia to the southern seas was opened.
During the construction of the fleet and the reorganization of the army, Peter was forced to rely on foreign specialists. Having completed the Azov campaigns, he decides to send young nobles for training abroad, and soon he himself sets off on his first trip to Europe.

K. Porter Azov. Taking the fortress

Andrey Lysenko Peter I in the smithy

Yuri Kushevsky A new business in Russia! The descent of the Principium galley at the Voronezh shipyard on April 3, 1696, 2007

Great Embassy. 1697-1698 years

In March 1697, the Great Embassy was sent to Western Europe through Livonia, the main purpose of which was to find allies against the Ottoman Empire. General-Admiral F. Ya. Lefort, General F. A. Golovin, head of the Ambassadorial Order P. B. Voznitsyn were appointed Grand Plenipotentiary Ambassadors. In total, up to 250 people entered the embassy, ​​among which Tsar Peter I himself was under the name of the constable of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Peter Mikhailov. Peter did not officially ride as a tsar. For the first time, the Russian tsar undertook a journey outside the borders of his state.
Peter visited Riga, Koenigsberg, Brandenburg, Holland, England, Austria, a visit to Venice and to the Pope was planned. The embassy recruited several hundred shipbuilding specialists to Russia and purchased military and other equipment.
In addition to negotiations, Peter devoted a lot of time to the study of shipbuilding, military affairs and other sciences. Peter worked as a carpenter at the shipyards of the East India Company, with the participation of the king, the ship "Peter and Paul" was built. In England, he visited a foundry, an arsenal, parliament, Oxford University, the Greenwich Observatory and the Mint, whose caretaker at that time was Isaac Newton.
The Great Embassy did not achieve its main goal: it was not possible to create a coalition against the Ottoman Empire due to the preparation of a number of European powers for the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14). However, thanks to this war, favorable conditions were created for Russia's struggle for the Baltic. Thus, there was a reorientation of Russia's foreign policy from the south to the north.

The great embassy of Peter I to Europe in 1697-98. On the right is a portrait of Peter in the clothes of a sailor during his stay in the Dutch Saardam. Marcus engravings. 1699

Daniel Maclise Mid 19th century Peter I in Deptford in 1698. From the collection of the London Gallery

Dobuzhinsky Mstislav Valerianovich. Peter the Great in Holland. Amsterdam, shipyards of the East India Company. (draft) 1910

Return. Critical years for Russia 1698-1700

In July 1698, the Great Embassy was interrupted by the news of a new streltsy rebellion in Moscow, which was suppressed even before the arrival of Peter. Upon the arrival of the tsar in Moscow (August 25), a search and inquiry began, which resulted in a one-time execution of about 800 archers (except for those executed during the suppression of the rebellion), and subsequently several thousand more until the spring of 1699.
Princess Sophia was tonsured a nun under the name of Susanna and sent to the Novodevichy Convent, where she spent the rest of her life. The same fate befell Peter's unloved wife, Evdokia Lopukhina, who was forcibly sent to the Suzdal Monastery even against the will of the clergy.
During the 15 months of his stay in Europe, Peter saw a lot and learned a lot. After the return of the tsar, his reforming activity began, initially aimed at changing the external signs that distinguish the Old Slavonic way of life from the Western European. Immediately, at the first meeting, the close boyars lost their beards. The following year, 1699, Peter cut off the traditional Russian long-brimmed clothes of dignitaries right at the feast with scissors. The new 7208th year according to the Russian-Byzantine calendar (“from the creation of the world”) became the 1700th year according to the Julian calendar. Peter also introduced the celebration of January 1 of the New Year.

Vasily Surikov Morning of the Streltsy Execution. 1881

TO BE CONTINUED...