There was no ruler who changed the country so radically as he did. Just look at the transformation of dense, wild Muscovy, trampled on all sides by the more developed kingdoms of that time, into a strong power with its own army and navy. Russia's access to the sea, and more than one, became the first major defeat for the monarchs of Europe in the entire history of relations with our country.

Great in everything

Undoubtedly, the transformation of a huge, resource-rich northern country, which did not have its own trade routes and was doomed to sell goods on the terms of foreign merchants, into a formidable, militant power was not desired in Europe. Western rulers were more satisfied with the dense Muscovy, which did not know how to defend its rights. They tried with all their might to “drive it back into the forests and swamps,” as they put it abroad then. And Peter the Great, on the contrary, longed to lead his people out of poverty and dirt into the civilized world. But the emperor had to fight not only with the stubborn rulers of Europe, but also with his own subjects, who were satisfied with their established lazy life, and were not at all interested in the unknown civilization of the mossy boyars. But Peter's wisdom and perseverance turned the slow course of events in Russia.

Great ruler, transformer, reformer, helmsman. Throughout his reign and centuries after the death of the first Russian emperor, he was called by many epithets. But initially the invariable “Great” was attributed to them. The reign of Peter the Great seemed to divide the history of our state into segments “before” and “after”. The last decade of his reign, from 1715 to 1725, was especially significant. Educational institutions were established, which simply did not exist in the country before Peter, books were printed, not only manufactories and factories were built - numerous fortresses and entire cities were erected. Thanks to the revolutionary ideas of the tsar, today we have the happiness of visiting the beautiful city on the Neva, named after him. It is impossible to list in a few chapters everything that was created by Peter during his reign. Volumes of historical works are devoted to this period.

Before sole rule

One can only guess where a boy raised by illiterate clerks, Nikita Zotov and Afanasy Nesterov, discovered such a lively and insightful mind, a desire to elevate not himself, but the entire people entrusted to him. But the entire biography of Peter the Great confirms that his birth became salvation for Russia. The most famous son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the future reformer, was born on the night of May 30, 1672, presumably in the village of Kolomenskoye. Although some historians call the Kremlin’s Terem Palace the place of his birth, while others call the village of Izmailovo.

Peter's mother was Alexei's second wife, Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. The newborn prince was his father's 14th child. But all his older brothers and sisters are from the first wife of the ruler, and only he is from the second. The boy was raised in the Kremlin chambers until the age of four, until the death of Alexei Mikhailovich. During the reign of Peter’s half-brother, Fyodor Mikhailovich, who ascended the throne, Natalya Kirillovna was sent with her son to the village of Preobrazhenskoye, where the future Tsar Peter the Great gathered his army years later.

The sickly Fyodor, who sincerely cared for his younger brother, died after reigning for only six years. Ten-year-old Peter became his successor. But the Miloslavskys - relatives of the first wife of Alexei Mikhailovich - insisted on proclaiming the frail and resigned, but at the same time completely harmless Ivan, Fyodor's younger half-brother, as his co-ruler. Their sister was proclaimed their guardian. The struggle for power between her and Peter stretched out for many years, until he became so strong that he was forced to win his right to the throne by force. The seven-year period of Sophia's reign was remembered for several failed campaigns in the Crimea and unsuccessful attempts to win over the archers to their side in order to prevent the accession to the throne of the hateful younger, and also half-brother.

Rehearsal for funny

Most of Peter's childhood and youth were spent in Preobrazhenskoye. Having withdrawn from the real reign due to his age, he, nevertheless, prepared for it, using all available methods. Having a true passion for military science, he insisted that boys of his age be brought to him from all the surrounding villages for a kind of live game of “toy soldiers.”

For the amusement of the young king, wooden sabers, guns and even cannons were made, on which he honed his skills. Dressed in kaftans of foreign troops, since in the time of Peter the Great it was almost impossible to get others, and he revered foreign military science above domestic ones, the amusing regiments, after several years spent in entertaining battles, strengthened and trained, began to pose a very real threat to the regular army . Especially when Peter ordered real cannons to be cast for him and other firearms and stabbing weapons to be delivered to his residence.

By the age of 14, here, on the banks of the Yauza, he had a whole amusing town with his own regiments - Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky. In this fortress, called Preshburg, they no longer remembered wooden weapons, practicing on the present. The first teacher of the intricacies of military science in those years was the master of firearms for Peter Fyodor Sommer. But he received more complete knowledge, including arithmetic, from the Dutchman Timmerman. He told the young king about sea vessels, commercial and military, after one day the two of them found a leaky English boat in an abandoned barn. This shuttle, repaired and launched, became the first floating ship in the Tsar’s life. Descendants, remembering Peter the Great, attribute great significance to the story of the found boat. They say that it was with him that the subsequently victorious Russian fleet began.

To be a maritime power!

Of course, Peter’s famous slogan sounds somewhat different, but this does not change the essence. Having once fallen in love with naval warfare, he never betrayed it. All of his most significant victories became possible only thanks to a strong fleet. The first rowing ships of the Russian flotilla began to be built in the fall of 1695 near Voronezh. And by May 1696, an army of 40,000, supported from the sea by several dozen different ships led by the “Apostle Peter,” besieged Azov, the stronghold of the Ottoman Empire on the Black Sea. The fortress, realizing that it could not withstand the military superiority of the Russians, surrendered without a fight. This is how Peter the Great laid the foundation for his subsequent great victories. It took him less than a year to turn his idea into reality and build a combat-ready fleet. But these were not the ships he dreamed of.

To build real warships, the king had neither money nor sufficient specialists. The first Russian fleet was created under the leadership of foreign engineers. Having captured Azov, Peter only opened a loophole for himself to the Black Sea; the Kerch Strait - a strategically important shipping artery - still remained with the Ottomans. It was too early to fight with Turkey further, strengthening its superiority at sea, and there was nothing to do with it.

At the beginning of his independent rule, Peter the Great encountered more resistance than help from his subjects. The boyars, merchants and monasteries did not want to share their own goods with the tsar, and the construction of the flotilla fell directly on their shoulders. The king had to literally approve a new business from under the stick.

But the more intensively he imposed construction on his subjects, the more acute the problem of the shortage of specialist shipbuilders manifested itself. They could only be found in Europe. In March 1697, Peter sent the sons of the most distinguished Russian nobles abroad to study maritime affairs, where he himself went incognito under the name of the constable of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, Peter Mikhailov.

A few years before the tsar left for Europe, the first reform of Peter the Great was carried out in the country - in 1694, the weight of silver kopecks was reduced by several grams. The liberated precious metal provided much-needed savings for the minting of coins for the war with Sweden. But larger sums were needed, and besides, the Turks were pushing in from the south. To fight them, it was necessary to enlist the support of allies abroad. Peter, with his voyage to the West, pursued several goals at once: to learn ship craftsmanship and have his own specialists, as well as to find like-minded people in the confrontation with the Ottoman Empire.

We went out thoroughly, for a long time, planning to visit all the leading capitals of Europe. The embassy consisted of three hundred people, 35 of whom were traveling directly to learn the crafts necessary for shipbuilding.

Peter himself, among other things, longed to personally look at the Western “polites”, about which he heard so much from his chief adviser. Life, culture, social orders - Peter absorbed them in Courland, Austria, England, Holland. He was especially struck by Luxembourg. From Holland, Peter brought potatoes and tulip bulbs to Russia. For a year and a half, as part of the embassy, ​​the Russian Tsar visited the English Parliament, Oxford University, the Mint in London, and the Greenwich Observatory. He especially valued his acquaintance with Isaac Newton. What he saw and heard in Europe largely influenced what followed after his return to Russia. From August 1698, they literally rained down on the heads of his subjects.

Import substitution like a king

Peter was unable to fully implement his plan. Not having time to agree with the monarchs of Europe on the creation of a coalition against Turkey, the tsar was forced to return to Russia - a Streltsy revolt, incited by Sophia, broke out in Moscow. They suppressed it harshly - with torture and execution.

Having eliminated the undesirables, the tsar set about transforming the state. The reforms of Peter the Great in those years were aimed at increasing Russia's competitiveness in all spheres: trade, military, cultural. In addition to the permit for the sale of tobacco, introduced in 1697, and the decree to shave beards, which was perceived by contemporaries as an outrage, recruitment for military service began throughout the country.

The Streltsy regiments were disbanded, and not only Russians, but also foreigners were recruited as soldiers (recruits). Engineering, navigation, and medical schools were established and developed. Peter also attached great importance to the exact sciences: mathematics, physics, geometry. They needed their own specialists, not foreign ones, but with no less knowledge.

Apart from raw products, there was practically nothing to trade with foreign merchants: neither their own metal, nor fabrics, nor paper - everything was purchased abroad for a lot of money. The first reform of Peter the Great, aimed at developing his own industry, was a ban on the export of several types of raw materials, such as flax, from the country. Cloth and other fabrics had to be produced in their own state. The tsar's wardrobe was made exclusively from Russian fabrics. Felt hats, stockings, lace, sailcloth - soon everything of their own appeared.

They built and developed, however, slowly and with virtually no tangible income, manufactories and factories. Only the mines turned out to be profitable. Factories were built in the vicinity of Moscow, where raw materials mined in Siberia were brought, and cannons, shotguns, and pistols were cast here. But it was unwise to develop mining far from the mountains. Iron factories were established in Tobolsk and Verkhotur. Silver mines and coal mines opened. Manufacturing plants opened throughout the country. By 1719, 36 foundries were operating in the Kazan province alone, three less than in Moscow itself. And in Siberia, Demidov forged the glory of Russia.

City of Petra

The protracted Northern War with Sweden required strengthening of its positions on the initially conquered Russian lands. In 1703, the first stone of a fortress was laid on the banks of the Neva, which later became the capital city of the Russian state. It was briefly called Peter, although the full name given to it in honor of the Apostle Peter was different - St. Petersburg. The king took a direct part in the construction of the city. It is there that the most famous monument to Peter the Great, the “Bronze Horseman,” stands to this day.

Although by the time the city was practically built, the land underneath was still considered Swedish. In order to prove in practice who owns the property, to emphasize that the old Muscovy no longer exists and will not exist, that the country is developing by European standards, the tsar ordered all important government institutions to be transferred here after the completion of the city. In 1712, St. Petersburg was proclaimed the capital of the Russian Empire.

St. Petersburg retained its status for a little more than a century. He personified everything new, modern and advanced that the king instilled in his people. The pro-European western city became a counterweight to White Stone, which was considered a relic of the past. The intelligent, cultural capital of Russia - this is how Peter the Great saw it. St. Petersburg to this day is perceived by descendants no differently than in the years of its first heyday. They say about it that even the homeless here behave like noble lords.

Wives and lovers

There were few women in Peter's life, and he valued only one of them so much that he listened to her opinion when making important political decisions - his second wife, Catherine. With the first, he was married at the behest of Natalya Kirillovna, who hoped to settle her son down with an early marriage, since the tsar was only 17 years old.

But nepotism did not in any way affect his desire to act in the interests of the state, create an army, build a navy. He disappeared for months at shipyards and military exercises. Even the birth of a son a year after his marriage did not calm down Peter the Great. In addition, he did not feel any special feelings for his wife, other than duty, since for many years his beloved was the German Anna Mons.

Peter met Catherine, née Marta Skavronskaya, in 1703 during the Northern War. The 19-year-old widow of a Swedish dragoon was captured as war booty and was in the train of Alexander Menshikov, the tsar’s faithful comrade-in-arms for many years.

Despite the fact that Alexashka himself really liked Marta, he resignedly gave her to Peter. She alone had a beneficial influence on the king, she could calm him down and calm him down. After some events in the early years of his reign, during the confrontation with Sophia, Peter began to have seizures similar to apoplexy, but in a milder form, in moments of great excitement. In addition, he became ferocious very quickly, almost with lightning speed. Only Martha, the Tsar’s legal wife since 1712, could bring Peter out of a state of extreme psychosis. An interesting fact: when accepting Orthodoxy, the patronymic of the newly-made Christian was given to Peter’s son, Alexei, who became the godfather of the Tsar’s beloved.

Such different descendants

In total, Peter the Great had three children from Evdokia Lopukhina and eight from Catherine. But only one daughter - the illegitimate Elizabeth - reigned, although she was not considered a contender as such, since after Peter’s death he still had male heirs. The first-born Alexei fled from Russia in 1716, hid for some time in Austria with Emperor Charles, but two years later he was handed over to his father. An investigation was carried out over the heir. There are documents confirming that he was subjected to torture. Alexei was found guilty of plotting against his father, but while awaiting execution he unexpectedly died in a dungeon. The tsar's two remaining children from Evdokia, sons Alexander and Paul, died shortly after birth.

Death in infancy was a fairly common occurrence at that time. Thus, of the eight children born from Catherine, only Elizabeth, the Russian Empress, lived to a ripe old age (as was then believed). Daughter Anna died at the age of 20, having been married and given birth to two children. It was her son Peter who was considered the heir to the throne under Elizabeth and was married to the German princess Fike, later Catherine the Great. The remaining six - four girls and two boys - did not please their parents for long. But unlike Alexei, Anna and Elizabeth loved and revered their father. The latter, having ascended the throne, wanted to be like him in everything.

Unprecedented transformations

The first great reformer of Russia is Peter the Great. The history of his reign is replete with many decrees and laws issued, affecting all aspects of human life and the political system. After an inglorious conclusion, Peter accepted a new provision on succession to the throne, according to which the first contender could be anyone whom the ruler appointed at his discretion. This has never happened in Rus' before. However, 75 years later, Emperor Paul the First canceled this decree.

Peter's purposeful line of asserting absolute, sole royal power led to the elimination of the Boyar Duma in 1704 and the creation in 1711 of the Governing Senate, dealing with both administrative and judicial matters. In the early 20s of the 18th century, he weakened the power of the church by establishing the Holy Synod - a spiritual college - and subordinating it to the state.

Reforms of local and central self-government, monetary, military, tax, cultural - Peter changed almost everything. One of the latest innovations is the table of ranks, adopted three years before his death. The death of the king was so incredible that until recently few people believed in it. And his associates and comrades-in-arms were extremely confused: what to do next? Peter the Great's will never existed; he did not have time to leave it, as he died suddenly, presumably from pneumonia, at dawn on January 28 (February 8), 1725. He also did not appoint a successor. Therefore, the legal wife of the Tsar, crowned in 1722, Catherine the First, the former widow of the Swedish dragoon Martha Skavronskaya, was elevated to the throne.

PETER I ALEXEEVICH (THE GREAT)(05/30/1672-01/28/1725) - Tsar from 1682, first Russian Emperor from 1721.
Peter I was the youngest son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from his second marriage to N.K. Naryshkina.
At the end of April 1682, after the death of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, ten-year-old Peter was declared tsar. After the Streltsy uprising in May 1682, during which several relatives of the young tsar died, two tsars ascended the throne at the same time - Peter and his older brother Ivan, the son of Alexei Mikhailovich from his first marriage to M. Miloslavskaya. But by the state in 1682-1689. in fact, it was their elder sister, Princess Sofya Alekseevna, who ruled. The Miloslavskys ruled the Kremlin and took young Peter and his mother from there to the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow. The young king devoted all his time to “military fun.” In Preobrazhenskoye and in the neighboring village of Semenovskoye, he created two “amusing” regiments. Later, the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments became the first guards units in Russia.
Peter became friends with many foreigners who lived in the German settlement, not far from Preobrazhenskoye. Communicating with the Germans, British, French, Swedes, and Danes, Peter became more and more convinced that Russia was significantly behind Western Europe. He saw that in his homeland science and education were not so developed, there was no strong army, there was no navy. The Russian state, huge in its territory, had almost no influence on the life of Europe.
In January 1689, Peter’s wedding took place with Evdokia Lopukhina; in 1690, a son, Alexei Petrovich, was born into this marriage. In the summer of 1689, the archers began to prepare a new uprising against Peter I. The young tsar fled in fear to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, but it turned out that most of the troops went over to his side. The instigators of the uprising were executed, and Princess Sophia was removed from power. Peter and Ivan became independent rulers. The sickly Ivan took almost no part in state activities, and in 1696, after his death, Peter I became the sovereign tsar.
Peter received his first baptism of fire in the war with Turkey in 1695-1696. during the Azov campaigns. Then Azov, Turkey’s stronghold on the Black Sea, was taken. In a more convenient and deeper bay, Peter founded the new harbor of Taganrog.
In 1697-1698. With the Great Embassy, ​​under the name of Peter Mikhailov, the Tsar visited Europe for the first time. He studied shipbuilding in Holland, met with the sovereigns of various European powers, and hired many specialists to serve in Russia.
In the summer of 1698, when Peter was in England, a new Streltsy uprising broke out. Peter urgently returned from abroad and brutally dealt with the archers. He and his associates personally cut off the heads of the archers.
Over time, Peter turned from a hot-tempered youth into a grown man. His height exceeded two meters. Constant physical labor further developed his natural strength, and he became a real strongman. Peter was an educated man. He had deep knowledge of history, geography, shipbuilding, fortification, and artillery. He loved to make things with his own hands. No wonder they called him “the carpenter king.” Already in his youth he knew up to fourteen crafts, and over the years he acquired a lot of technical knowledge.
Peter loved fun, jokes, feasts and feasts, which sometimes lasted for several days. In moments of thought, he preferred a quiet office and a pipe to tobacco. Even in adulthood, Peter remained very active, impetuous and restless. His companions could barely keep up with him, skipping. But the turbulent events of his life, the shocks of his childhood and youth, affected Peter’s health. At the age of twenty, his head began to shake, and during excitement, convulsions passed through his face. He often had nervous attacks and bouts of unjustified anger. In a good mood, Peter gave his favorites the richest gifts. But his mood could change dramatically in a few seconds. And then he became uncontrollable, he could not only scream, but also use his fists or a baton. Since the 1690s Peter began to carry out reforms in all areas of Russian life. He used the experience of Western European countries in the development of industry, trade, and culture. Peter emphasized that his main concern was “the benefit of the Fatherland.” His words spoken to the soldiers on the eve of the Poltava battle became famous: " The hour has come that will decide the fate of the Fatherland. And so you should not think that you are fighting for Peter, but for the state entrusted to Peter, for your family, for the Fatherland, for the Orthodox faith and the church... But know about Peter that life is not dear to him, if only Russia lived in bliss and glory, for your welfare".
Peter sought to create a new, powerful Russian Empire, which would become one of the strongest, richest and most enlightened states in Europe. In the 1st quarter XVIII century Peter changed the system of government: instead of the Boyar Duma, the Senate was created, in 1708-1715. provincial reform was carried out in 1718-1721. orders were replaced by collegiums. A regular army and navy were created, conscription and compulsory military service were introduced for nobles. By the end of Peter's reign, about a hundred plants and factories were operating, and Russia began to export industrial goods: iron, copper and linen. Peter cared about the development of culture and education: many educational institutions were opened, the civil alphabet was adopted, the Academy of Sciences was founded (1725), theaters appeared, new printing houses were equipped, in which more and more new books were printed. In 1703, the first Russian newspaper Vedomosti was published. Foreign specialists were invited from Europe: engineers, craftsmen, doctors, officers. Peter sent Russian youths abroad to study sciences and crafts. In 1722, the Table of Ranks was adopted - a legislative act that brought all government ranks into the system. Service became the only way to obtain a government rank.
Since 1700, a new calendar was introduced in Russia from the Nativity of Christ and the celebration of the New Year on January 1, adopted in Western Europe. On May 16, 1703, on one of the islands at the mouth of the Neva River, Peter I founded the fortress of St. Petersburg. In 1712, St. Petersburg officially became the new capital of Russia.
Stone houses were built there, and the streets began to be paved with stones for the first time in Russia.
Peter began to pursue a policy of limiting church power, church properties were transferred to the state. Since 1701, property issues were removed from the jurisdiction of the church. In 1721, the power of the patriarch was replaced by the power of the Synod, a collegial body that headed the church administration. The Synod reported directly to the sovereign.
After the conclusion of peace with Turkey in 1700, in the field of foreign policy, Peter I considered the main task to be the fight with Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea. In the summer of 1700, Russia entered into the war, which became known as the Northern War. During the Northern War (1700-1721), Peter showed himself to be a talented commander and a wonderful strategist. He beat the Swedish army several times - the best in Europe at that time.
The king repeatedly demonstrated personal courage. On May 7, 1703, near the Nyenschanz fortress, Russian soldiers under his command in thirty boats captured two Swedish ships. For this feat, Peter was awarded the highest order in the Russian state - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. On June 27, 1709, during the Battle of Poltava, the tsar personally led one of the battalions of the Novgorod regiment and did not allow the Swedish troops to break through. The Northern War ended with the signing of the Peace of Nystadt between Sweden and Russia. Russia retained all the Baltic lands it had conquered (Estonia, Livonia, Courland, Ingermanland) and the opportunity to have a fleet in the Baltic Sea. Victory in the Northern War turned Russia into a powerful power with borders from the Baltic to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Now all European states had to reckon with it.
In 1710-1713 Russia took part in the war with Turkey. In 1711, Peter I led the Prut campaign, which ended in failure. Russia ceded the city of Azov to Turkey, and also promised to demolish the fortresses of Taganrog, Bogoroditsk and Kamenny Zaton. As a result of the Persian campaign of 1722-1723. Russia acquired land on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea.
On October 22, 1721, the Senate presented Peter I with the title of Emperor of All Russia, the title “Great” and “Father of the Fatherland.” Since then, all Russian sovereigns began to be called emperors, and Russia turned into the Russian Empire.
Petrine reforms had not only positive consequences. In the 1st quarter XVIII century A powerful bureaucratic system of state governance developed, subordinate only to the will of the king. For many years, the Russian state apparatus was dominated by foreigners, whom the tsar often trusted more than Russian subjects.
Peter's reforms and many years of war depleted the country's economy and placed a heavy burden on the working population of Russia. Peasants were forced to work more and more in corvee labor, and factory workers were permanently assigned to factories. Thousands of ordinary peasants and working people died from hunger, disease, under the whip of overseers at shipyards, during the construction of new fortresses and cities.
In 1718-1724. A tax reform was carried out, which increased the tax burden by 1.5-2 times. In addition, this reform led to even greater enslavement of the peasants. During the reign of Peter there were several major popular uprisings: in Astrakhan (1705-1706), on the Don, Slobodskaya Ukraine, the Volga region (1707-1708), in Bashkiria (1705-1711). The church policy of Peter I was also ambiguous. The complete subordination of the church to the state and the weakening of the role of the Orthodox clergy led to the destruction of traditional spiritual values. Peter's actions caused a negative reaction in the upper strata of Russian society. Peter sharply broke the usual way of life of the Russian people, especially the nobles. They had difficulty getting used to assemblies and refused to shave their beards or go to theaters. The tsar's son and heir, Alexei Petrovich, did not accept Peter's reforms. Accused of plotting against the tsar, in 1718 he was deprived of the throne and sentenced to death.
The tsar's first wife, Evdokia Lopukhina, was sent to a monastery. In 1703, the tsar’s wife became a simple peasant woman, Marta Skavronskaya, who took the name of Catherine in Orthodox baptism. But the official wedding took place only in 1712. Several children were born in this marriage, but the sons died in infancy, leaving two daughters alive - Anna (mother of the future Emperor Peter III) and Elizabeth, the future Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. In 1724, in the Assumption Cathedral, Peter I placed the imperial crown on the head of his wife.
In 1722, Peter I, who by that time had no male heirs, adopted a decree on succession to the throne: the heir was appointed at the will of the “ruling sovereign,” and the sovereign, having appointed an heir, could change his decision if he discovered that the heir did not justify hope. This decree laid the foundations for the palace coups of the 18th century. and became the reason for drawing up forged wills of sovereigns. In 1797, Paul I canceled the decree.
In the last months of his life, Peter was very ill and spent most of his time in bed. Before his death, the emperor did not have time to draw up a will and transfer power to his successor. On January 28, 1725, Peter I died as a result of illness. He was buried in Peter's Cathedral.

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Brief history of the reign of Peter I

Childhood of Peter I

The future great Emperor Peter the Great was born on May thirtieth, 1672 in the family of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and was the youngest child in the family. Peter's mother was Natalya Naryshkina, who played a huge role in shaping her son's political views.

In 1676, after the death of Tsar Alexei, power passed to Fedor, Peter’s half-brother. At the same time, Fedr himself insisted on Peter’s enhanced education, reproaching Naryshkina for being illiterate. A year later, Peter began to study hard. The future ruler of Russia had an educated clerk, Nikita Zotov, as a teacher, who was distinguished by his patience and kindness. He managed to get into the good graces of the restless prince, who did nothing but get into fights with noble and streltsy children, and also spent all his free time climbing through attics.

From childhood, Peter was interested in geography, military affairs and history. The tsar carried his love for books throughout his life, reading when he was already a ruler and wanting to create his own book on the history of the Russian state. Also, he himself was involved in compiling an alphabet that would be easier for ordinary people to remember.

Ascension to the throne of Peter I

In 1682, Tsar Fedor dies without having made a will, and after his death two candidates lay claim to the Russian throne - the sickly Ivan and the daredevil Peter the Great. Having secured the support of the clergy, the entourage of ten-year-old Peter elevates him to the throne. However, the relatives of Ivan Miloslavsky, pursuing the goal of placing Sophia or Ivan on the throne, are preparing a Streltsy revolt.

On May fifteenth, an uprising begins in Moscow. Ivan's relatives spread a rumor about the murder of the prince. Outraged by this, the archers move to the Kremlin, where they are met by Natalya Naryshkina along with Peter and Ivan. Even after being convinced of the lies of the Miloslavskys, the archers killed and robbed in the city for several more days, demanding the weak-minded Ivan as king. Afterwards, a truce was reached as a result of which both brothers were appointed rulers, but until they came of age, their sister Sophia was to rule the country.

Formation of the personality of Peter I

Having witnessed the cruelty and recklessness of the archers during the riot, Peter began to hate them, wanting to take revenge for his mother’s tears and the death of innocent people. During the reign of the regent, Peter and Natalya Naryshkina lived most of the time in Semenovskoye, Kolomenskoye and Preobrazhenskoye villages. He left them only to participate in ceremonial receptions in Moscow.

Peter's liveliness of mind, as well as natural curiosity and strength of character led him to become interested in military affairs. He even gathers “amusing regiments” in the villages, recruiting teenagers from both noble and peasant families. Over time, such fun turned into real military exercises, and the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments became quite an impressive military force, which, according to the records of contemporaries, was superior to the Streltsy. During the same period, Peter planned to create a Russian fleet.

He became acquainted with the basics of shipbuilding on the Yauza and Lake Pleshcheyeva. At the same time, foreigners who lived in the German settlement played a huge role in the strategic thinking of the prince. Many of them became Peter's faithful companions in the future.

At the age of seventeen, Peter the Great marries Evdokia Lopukhina, but a year later he becomes indifferent to his wife. At the same time, he is often seen with the daughter of a German merchant, Anna Mons.

Marriage and coming of age give Peter the Great the right to take the previously promised throne. However, Sophia does not like this at all and in the summer of 1689 she tries to provoke an uprising of the archers. The Tsarevich takes refuge with his mother in the Trinity - Sergeyev Lavra, where the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments arrive to help him. In addition, on the side of Peter’s entourage is Patriarch Joachim. Soon the rebellion was completely suppressed, and its participants were subjected to repression and execution. The regent Sophia herself is enlisted by Peter in the Novodevichy Convent, where she remains until the end of her days.

Brief description of the policies and reforms of Peter I

Soon Tsarevich Ivan dies and Peter becomes the sole ruler of Russia. However, he was in no hurry to study state affairs, entrusting them to his mother’s circle. After her death, the entire burden of power falls on Peter.

By that time, the king was completely obsessed with access to an ice-free sea. After the unsuccessful first Azov campaign, the ruler begins building a fleet, thanks to which he takes the Azov fortress. After this, Peter participates in the Northern War, victory in which gave the emperor access to the Baltic.

The domestic policy of Peter the Great is full of innovative ideas and transformations. During his reign, he carried out the following reforms:

• Social;
• Church;
• Medical;
• Educational;
• Administrative;
• Industrial;
• Financial, etc.

Peter the Great died in 1725 from pneumonia. After him, his wife Catherine the First began to rule Russia.

Results of Peter's activities 1. Brief description.

Video lecture: a brief history of the reign of Peter I

Peter I, who received the nickname Peter the Great for his services to Russia, is not just a significant figure in Russian history, but a key one. Peter 1 created the Russian Empire, therefore he turned out to be the last Tsar of All Rus' and, accordingly, the first All-Russian Emperor. The son of the Tsar, the godson of the Tsar, the brother of the Tsar - Peter himself was proclaimed the head of the country, and at that time the boy was barely 10 years old. Initially, he had a formal co-ruler Ivan V, but from the age of 17 he already ruled independently, and in 1721 Peter I became emperor.

Tsar Peter the Great | Haiku Deck

For Russia, the years of the reign of Peter I were a time of large-scale reforms. He significantly expanded the territory of the state, built the beautiful city of St. Petersburg, incredibly boosted the economy by founding a whole network of metallurgical and glass factories, and also reducing imports of foreign goods to a minimum. In addition, Peter the Great was the first of the Russian rulers to adopt their best ideas from Western countries. But since all the reforms of Peter the Great were achieved through violence against the population and the eradication of all dissent, the personality of Peter the Great still evokes diametrically opposed assessments among historians.

Childhood and youth of Peter I

The biography of Peter I initially implied his future reign, since he was born into the family of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov and his wife Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. It is noteworthy that Peter the Great turned out to be the 14th child of his father, but the first-born for his mother. It is also worth noting that the name Peter was completely unconventional for both dynasties of his ancestors, so historians still cannot figure out where he got this name from.

Childhood of Peter the Great | Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

The boy was only four years old when the Tsar Father died. His elder brother and godfather Fyodor III Alekseevich ascended the throne, took guardianship of his brother and ordered him to be given the best possible education. However, Peter the Great had big problems with this. He was always very inquisitive, but just at that moment the Orthodox Church started a war against foreign influence, and all Latin teachers were removed from the court. Therefore, the prince was taught by Russian clerks, who themselves did not have deep knowledge, and Russian-language books of the proper level did not yet exist. As a result, Peter the Great had a meager vocabulary and wrote with errors until the end of his life.

Childhood of Peter the Great | View Map

Tsar Feodor III reigned for only six years and died due to poor health at a young age. According to tradition, the throne was supposed to be taken by another son of Tsar Alexei, Ivan, but he was very sickly, so the Naryshkin family actually organized a palace coup and declared Peter I the heir. It was beneficial for them, since the boy was a descendant of their family, but the Naryshkins did not take into account that the Miloslavsky family will rebel due to infringement of the interests of Tsarevich Ivan. The famous Streletsky revolt of 1682 took place, the result of which was the recognition of two tsars at the same time - Ivan and Peter. The Kremlin Armory still preserves a double throne for the brother tsars.

Childhood and youth of Peter the Great | Russian Museum

Young Peter I's favorite game was practicing with his troops. Moreover, the prince’s soldiers were not toys at all. His peers dressed in uniform and marched through the streets of the city, and Peter the Great himself “served” as a drummer in his regiment. Later, he even got his own artillery, also real. The amusing army of Peter I was called the Preobrazhensky regiment, to which the Semenovsky regiment was later added, and, in addition to them, the tsar organized an amusing fleet.

Tsar Peter I

When the young tsar was still a minor, behind him stood his older sister, Princess Sophia, and later his mother Natalya Kirillovna and her relatives the Naryshkins. In 1689, brother-co-ruler Ivan V finally gave Peter all power, although he nominally remained co-tsar until he died suddenly at the age of 30. After the death of his mother, Tsar Peter the Great freed himself from the burdensome guardianship of the Naryshkin princes, and it was from then on that we can talk about Peter the Great as an independent ruler.

Tsar Peter the Great | Cultural studies

He continued military operations in Crimea against the Ottoman Empire, carried out a series of Azov campaigns, which resulted in the capture of the Azov fortress. To strengthen the southern borders, the tsar built the port of Taganrog, but Russia still did not have a full-fledged fleet, so it did not achieve final victory. Large-scale construction of ships and training of young nobles abroad in shipbuilding begins. And the tsar himself studied the art of building a fleet, even working as a carpenter on the construction of the ship “Peter and Paul”.

Emperor Peter the Great | Bookaholic

While Peter the Great was preparing to reform the country and personally studied the technical and economic progress of leading European states, a conspiracy was hatched against him, led by the tsar’s first wife. Having suppressed the Streltsy revolt, Peter the Great decided to redirect military operations. He concludes a peace agreement with the Ottoman Empire and begins a war with Sweden. His troops captured the fortresses of Noteburg and Nyenschanz at the mouth of the Neva, where the Tsar decided to found the city of St. Petersburg, and placed the base of the Russian fleet on the nearby island of Kronstadt.

Wars of Peter the Great

The above conquests made it possible to open access to the Baltic Sea, which later received the symbolic name “Window to Europe.” Later, the territories of the Eastern Baltic were annexed to Russia, and in 1709, during the legendary Battle of Poltava, the Swedes were completely defeated. Moreover, it is important to note: Peter the Great, unlike many kings, did not sit in fortresses, but personally led his troops on the battlefield. In the Battle of Poltava, Peter I was even shot through his hat, meaning he really risked his own life.

Peter the Great at the Battle of Poltava | X-digest

After the defeat of the Swedes near Poltava, King Charles XII took refuge under the protection of the Turks in the city of Bendery, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire, and today is located in Moldova. With the help of the Crimean Tatars and Zaporozhye Cossacks, he began to escalate the situation on the southern border of Russia. By seeking the expulsion of Charles, Peter the Great, on the contrary, forced the Ottoman Sultan to restart the Russian-Turkish war. Rus' found itself in a situation where it was necessary to wage a war on three fronts. On the border with Moldova, the tsar was surrounded and agreed to sign peace with the Turks, giving them back the Azov fortress and access to the Sea of ​​Azov.

Fragment of Ivan Aivazovsky's painting "Peter I at Krasnaya Gorka" | Russian Museum

In addition to the Russian-Turkish and northern wars, Peter the Great escalated the situation in the east. Thanks to his expeditions, the cities of Omsk, Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk were founded, and later Kamchatka joined Russia. The Tsar wanted to carry out campaigns in North America and India, but failed to bring these ideas to life. But he carried out the so-called Caspian campaign against Persia, during which he conquered Baku, Rasht, Astrabad, Derbent, as well as other Iranian and Caucasian fortresses. But after the death of Peter the Great, most of these territories were lost, since the new government considered the region not promising, and maintaining a garrison in those conditions was too expensive.

Reforms of Peter I

Due to the fact that the territory of Russia expanded significantly, Peter managed to reorganize the country from a kingdom into an empire, and starting in 1721, Peter I became emperor. Of the numerous reforms of Peter I, transformations in the army clearly stood out, which allowed him to achieve great military victories. But no less important were such innovations as the transfer of the church under the authority of the emperor, as well as the development of industry and trade. Emperor Peter the Great was well aware of the need for education and the fight against an outdated way of life. On the one hand, his tax on wearing a beard was perceived as tyranny, but at the same time, there appeared a direct dependence of the promotion of nobles on the level of their education.

Peter the Great cuts off the beards of the boyars | VistaNews

Under Peter, the first Russian newspaper was founded and many translations of foreign books appeared. Artillery, engineering, medical, naval and mining schools were opened, as well as the country's first gymnasium. Moreover, now not only the children of nobles, but also the offspring of soldiers could attend secondary schools. He really wanted to create a compulsory primary school for everyone, but did not have time to implement this plan. It is important to note that the reforms of Peter the Great affected not only economics and politics. He financed the education of talented artists, introduced the new Julian calendar, and tried to change the position of women by prohibiting forced marriage. He also raised the dignity of his subjects, obliging them not to kneel even before the tsar and to use full names, and not call themselves “Senka” or “Ivashka” as before.

Monument "Tsar Carpenter" in St. Petersburg | Russian Museum

In general, the reforms of Peter the Great changed the value system of the nobles, which can be considered a huge plus, but at the same time the gap between the nobility and the people increased many times and was no longer limited only to finances and titles. The main disadvantage of the royal reforms is the violent method of their implementation. In fact, this was a struggle between despotism and uneducated people, and Peter hoped to use the whip to instill consciousness in the people. Indicative in this regard is the construction of St. Petersburg, which was carried out in difficult conditions. Many artisans ran away from hard labor, and the tsar ordered their entire family to be imprisoned until the fugitives returned to confess.

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Since not everyone liked the methods of governing the state under Peter the Great, the tsar founded the political investigation and judicial body Preobrazhensky Prikaz, which later grew into the notorious Secret Chancellery. The most unpopular decrees in this context were the ban on keeping records in a room closed from outsiders, as well as the ban on non-reporting. Violation of both of these decrees was punishable by death. In this way, Peter the Great fought against conspiracies and palace coups.

Personal life of Peter I

In his youth, Tsar Peter I loved to visit the German Settlement, where he not only became interested in foreign life, for example, learned to dance, smoke and communicate in a Western manner, but also fell in love with a German girl, Anna Mons. His mother was very alarmed by such a relationship, so when Peter reached his 17th birthday, she insisted on his wedding to Evdokia Lopukhina. However, they did not have a normal family life: soon after the wedding, Peter the Great left his wife and visited her only to prevent rumors of a certain kind.

Evdokia Lopukhina, first wife of Peter the Great | Sunday afternoon

Tsar Peter I and his wife had three sons: Alexei, Alexander and Pavel, but the latter two died in infancy. The eldest son of Peter the Great was supposed to become his heir, but since Evdokia in 1698 unsuccessfully tried to overthrow her husband from the throne in order to transfer the crown to her son and was imprisoned in a monastery, Alexei was forced to flee abroad. He never approved of his father's reforms, considered him a tyrant and planned to overthrow his parent. However, in 1717 the young man was arrested and detained in the Peter and Paul Fortress, and the following summer he was sentenced to death. The matter did not come to execution, since Alexei soon died in prison under unclear circumstances.

A few years after the divorce from his first wife, Peter the Great took 19-year-old Marta Skavronskaya as his mistress, whom Russian troops captured as booty of war. She gave birth to eleven children from the king, half of them even before the legal wedding. The wedding took place in February 1712 after the woman converted to Orthodoxy, thanks to which she became Ekaterina Alekseevna, later known as Empress Catherine I. Among the children of Peter and Catherine are the future Empress Elizabeth I and Anna, the mother, the rest died in childhood. It is interesting that the second wife of Peter the Great was the only person in his life who knew how to calm his violent character even in moments of rage and fits of anger.

Maria Cantemir, favorite of Peter the Great | Wikipedia

Despite the fact that his wife accompanied the emperor on all campaigns, he was able to become infatuated with young Maria Cantemir, the daughter of the former Moldavian ruler, Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich. Maria remained Peter the Great's favorite until the end of his life. Separately, it is worth mentioning the height of Peter I. Even for our contemporaries, a more than two-meter man seems very tall. But during the time of Peter I, his 203 centimeters seemed completely incredible. Judging by the chronicles of eyewitnesses, when the Tsar and Emperor Peter the Great walked through the crowd, his head rose above the sea of ​​people.

Compared to his older brothers, born by a different mother from their common father, Peter the Great seemed quite healthy. But in fact, he was tormented by severe headaches almost all his life, and in the last years of his reign, Peter the Great suffered from kidney stones. The attacks intensified even more after the emperor, together with ordinary soldiers, pulled out the stranded boat, but he tried not to pay attention to the illness.

Engraving "Death of Peter the Great" | ArtPolitInfo

At the end of January 1725, the ruler could no longer endure the pain and fell ill in his Winter Palace. After the emperor had no strength left to scream, he only moaned, and everyone around him realized that Peter the Great was dying. Peter the Great accepted his death in terrible agony. Doctors named pneumonia as the official cause of his death, but later doctors had strong doubts about this verdict. An autopsy was performed, which showed a terrible inflammation of the bladder, which had already developed into gangrene. Peter the Great was buried in the cathedral at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, and his wife, Empress Catherine I, became the heir to the throne.

The first years of the reign of Peter I.

Azov campaigns and the “Great Embassy”.

Industry.

Trade.

Agriculture.

Financial policy.

Reorganization of the public administration system.

The Church and the liquidation of the patriarchate.

Creation of a regular army and navy.

Streltsy uprising of 1698

“The Case of Tsarevich Alexei.”

Astrakhan uprising.

Uprising under the leadership of K. Bulavin.

The main directions of foreign policy in the era of Peter I and the Northern War.

Reforms in the field of education and culture.

The first years of the reign of Peter I.

After the August coup of 1689, power in the country passed to supporters of the seventeen-year-old Tsar Peter Alekseevich (who formally ruled until 1696 together with his brother Ivan) - P.K. Naryshkin, T.N. Streshnev, B.A. Golitsyn and others. A number of important government posts were also occupied by relatives of Peter’s first wife E.F. Lopukhina (the wedding took place in January 1689). Having given them the leadership of the country, the young tsar devoted all his energy to “Neptune and Mars fun”, for which he actively attracted “foreign servicemen” who lived in the German settlement (Kukue).

Peter surrounded himself with capable, energetic assistants and specialists, especially military ones. Among the foreigners, the following stood out: the tsar's closest friend F. Lefort, the experienced general P. Gordon, the talented engineer J. Bruce, and others. And among the Russians, a close-knit group of associates gradually formed, who subsequently made a brilliant political career: A.M. Golovin, G.I. Golovkin, brothers P.M. and F.M. Apraksin, A.D. Menshikov. With their help, Peter organized maneuvers of “amusing” troops (the future two guards regiments - Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky), which were held in the village of Preobrazhensky. Peter paid special attention to the development of the Russian navigator. Already in May 1692, his first “amusing” ship, built with the participation of the Tsar himself, was launched on Lake Pereslavl. In 1693-1694. The first Russian naval ship was built in Arkhangelsk and another one was ordered in Amsterdam. It was on board a Dutch-built ship in July 1694, during a real sea voyage organized by the Tsar, that the Russian red-blue-white flag was first raised.

Behind Peter’s “military amusements” there was a far-reaching goal: the struggle for Russia’s access to the sea. Due to the short winter navigation, the Arkhangelsk port could not provide year-round trade. Therefore, the bet was made on access to the Black Sea. Thus, Peter returned to the idea of ​​the Crimean campaigns, in which Prince V.V. failed. Golitsyn. After a three-month siege of Azov (spring - summer 1695), Peter was forced to retreat. Without a fleet, it was impossible to besiege the fortress from both land and sea. The first Azov campaign ended in failure. In the winter of 1695/96. Preparations for the second campaign began. Construction of the first Russian fleet began in Voronezh. By spring, 2 ships, 23 galleys, 4 fire ships and 1,300 plows were ready, on which the 40,000-strong Russian army again besieged Azov in May 1696. After a blockade from the sea on July 19, the Turkish fortress surrendered. The fleet found a convenient harbor in Taganrog and began building a port. But still, the forces to fight Turkey and Crimea were clearly not enough. Peter ordered the construction of new ships (52 ships in 2 years) at the expense of landowners and merchants.

At the same time, it was necessary to start looking for allies in Europe. Thus was born the idea of ​​the “Great Embassy” (March 1697-August 1698). Formally, it had the goal of visiting the capitals of a number of European states to conclude an alliance against Turkey. Admiral General F.Ya. was appointed as great ambassadors. Lefort, General F.A. Golovin, head of the Ambassadorial Prikaz, and Duma clerk P.B. Voznitsyn. The embassy included 280 people, including 35 volunteers who were traveling to learn crafts and military sciences, among whom, under the name of Peter Mikhailov, was Tsar Peter himself. The main task of the embassy was to familiarize itself with the political life of Europe, study foreign crafts, life, culture, military and other orders. During his one and a half year stay abroad, Peter and his embassy visited Courland, Brandenburg, Holland, England and Austria, met with sovereign princes and monarchs, studied shipbuilding and other crafts. Came in the summer of 1698. A message from Moscow about a new uprising of the archers forced the tsar to return to Russia.

International relations in Europe at this time were not in favor of continuing the war with Turkey, and soon (January 14, 1699), Russia, like other countries members of the “Holy League,” had to agree to a truce concluded in Karlovtsy. However, the “Great Embassy” became a true academy for Peter, and he used the experience gained in carrying out reforms in both domestic and foreign policy. For a long period, it determined the task of Russia’s struggle with Sweden for possession of the Baltic coast and access to the sea. Reorientation of Russian foreign policy by the beginning of the 18th century. from the southern direction to the northern coincided in time with enormous transformations that swept the country in all spheres of life, from priority diplomatic and military efforts to the Europeanization of life. Preparations for the war with Sweden served as an impetus for deep political and socio-economic reforms, which ultimately determined the appearance of the Peter the Great era. Some reforms took years, others were rushed. But on the whole, they formed a system of an extremely centralized absolutist state, headed by “an autocratic monarch who, as Peter himself wrote, should not give an answer to anyone in his affairs in his affairs.” The transformations were formalized by legislative decrees of the tsar, and their number in the first quarter of the 18th century. amounted to more than 2.5 thousand.