Consider the life of the last tsar and first emperor of Russia, the reformer Peter I. He completely overthrew the old customs and brought Russia to a new level of development in various sectors. Thanks to his successful innovative ideas, competent approach in the leadership of the country, he was called the Great.

Personality of a great man

Outwardly, Peter I (06/09/1672 - 02/08/1725) was handsome, distinguished by his tall stature, regular physique, large penetrating black eyes, and beautiful eyebrows.

From an early age, he was fond of mastering various crafts such as carpentry, turning, blacksmithing and others. Had the ability to absorb foreign languages. He was distinguished by a wayward character, in a rage he could beat his subordinates. Even he himself was the executioner during the execution of those responsible for the Streltsy uprising.

Fight for the throne

In 1682, after the death of the childless Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, there was a struggle for the throne. In addition to Peter, his elder half-brother Ivan wanted to take the throne of the tsar, but both of them were minor heirs. Therefore, until they came of age, the country was ruled by their elder sister, Princess Sophia.

Peter's mother was unhappy with this situation and, in order to change the situation, in her favor, makes Peter marry at the age of 17. According to the laws of that time, if he is married, then he is considered an adult. Married Peter was able to claim the throne. He overcame the uprising organized by Tsarevna Sophia and imprisoned her in a monastery. And the very sickly brother Ivan did not interfere with Peter's ascension to the throne.

title of emperor

The title of Emperor Peter I accepted in 1721 after the victory in the Northern War, which lasted more than 20 years. To reward the king for ending such a hard and exhausting war. The Senate decided to give Peter the title of "Emperor, Father of the Fatherland and the Great." The Holy Synod approved this decision and the senators in full force went to ask the king to accept this title.

Peter I agreed and on October 22, 1721, after the end of the service in the Trinity Cathedral, where the entire elite was present, he took the title. Of course, this alerted all of Europe, and the recognition of Peter as Emperor dragged on for 20 years. The title of emperor was recognized without delay by Holland, Prussia, Switzerland, and only later Turkey, England, France, Austria, Spain and Poland.

Great Reforms

Peter's reforms affected all spheres of obsolete Russia. He completely changed the principles government controlled, created a navy, transformed the army, subjugated the church to himself. He was engaged in education, opening schools and gymnasiums. Introduced compulsory education of nobles and clergy. Distributed positions depending on education, not origin. Created the first printing houses. Approved the Charter of the Academy of Sciences. Prohibited the forced marriage of girls. Canceled the petition.

He was very fond of St. Petersburg, founded by him, and led the stone and marble arrangement of the city. During these years, the first canals were dug to supply the new capital with water. Peter learned the basics of economic development: every nation, in order not to be poor, must produce everything that it needs. And in order for the people to get rich, you need to import a lot and buy less products from other countries.

By the end of the reign of Peter I, 233 factories, more than 90 manufactories were already operating in Russia, up to 4,000 people were employed at the shipyard. Metallurgy developed, 27 metallurgical plants were built. Peter, the first emperor of Russia, completely broke the old order of life. He brought Russia to a new level of development, making it an invincible, highly developed power in the world in all spheres of activity.

(1672 - 1725) a period began in the country palace coups. This time was characterized by a rapid change, both of the rulers themselves and of the entire elite surrounding them. However, Catherine II was on the throne for 34 years, lived a long life and died at the age of 67. After her, emperors came to power in Russia, each of whom tried in his own way to raise her prestige throughout the world, and some succeeded. The history of the country forever included the names of those who ruled in Russia after Catherine II.

Briefly about the reign of Catherine II

The full name of the most famous Empress of All Russia is Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Tserbskaya. She was born on May 2, 1729 in Prussia. In 1744, she was invited by Elizabeth II with her mother to Russia, where she immediately began to study the Russian language and the history of her new homeland. In the same year, she converted from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy. On September 1, 1745, she was married to Peter Fedorovich, the future Emperor Peter III, who was 17 years old at the time of the marriage.

During the years of his reign from 1762 to 1796. Catherine II raised the general culture of the country, her political life to European level. Under her, new legislation was adopted, which contained 526 articles. During her reign, Crimea, Azov, Kuban, Kerch, Kiburn, the western part of Volyn, as well as some regions of Belarus, Poland and Lithuania were annexed to Russia. Catherine II was founded Russian Academy sciences, a system of secondary education was introduced, institutes for girls were opened. In 1769, paper money, the so-called banknotes, was put into circulation. Money circulation at that time was based on copper money, which was extremely inconvenient for large commercial transactions. For example, 100 rubles in copper coins weighed more than 6 pounds, that is, more than a centner, which made financial transactions very difficult. Under Catherine II, the number of factories and factories increased four times, the army and navy gained strength. But there were many negative assessments of her activities. Including abuse of power by officials, bribery, embezzlement. Favorites of the empress received orders, gifts of fabulous value, privileges. Her generosity extended to almost everyone who was close to the court. During the reign of Catherine II, the situation of serfs worsened significantly.

Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich (1754 - 1801) was the son of Catherine II and Peter III. From birth he was under the care of Elizabeth II. Hieromonk Plato had a great influence on the worldview of the heir to the throne. He was married twice and had 10 children. He ascended the throne after the death of Catherine II. He issued a decree on succession to the throne, which legalized the transfer of the throne from father to son, the Manifesto on a three-day corvee. On the very first day of his reign, A.N. Radishchev from Siberian exile, released N.I. Novikov and A.T. Kosciuszko. He made serious reforms and transformations in the army and navy.

The country began to pay more attention to spiritual and secular education, military educational institutions. New seminaries and theological academies were opened. Paul I in 1798 supported the Order of Malta, which was practically defeated by the troops of France and for this he was proclaimed the protector of the order, that is, its protector, and later the Chief Master. The unpopular recent political decisions made by Paul, his harsh and despotic character caused discontent throughout society. As a result of the conspiracy, he was killed in his bedroom on the night of March 23, 1801.

After the death of Paul I, in 1801, Alexander I (1777 - 1825), his eldest son, ascended the Russian throne. Carried out a number of liberal reforms. He led successful military operations against Turkey, Sweden and Persia. After the victory in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte, he was among the leaders of the Congress of Vienna and the organizers of the Holy Alliance, which included Russia, Prussia and Austria. He died unexpectedly during an epidemic of typhoid fever in Taganrog. However, due to the fact that he repeatedly mentioned the desire to voluntarily leave the throne and “remove from the world”, a legend arose in society that a double died in Taganrog, and Alexander I became the elder Fyodor Kuzmich, who lived in the Urals and died in 1864.

The next Russian emperor was the brother of Alexander I, Nikolai Pavlovich, since Grand Duke Constantine, who succeeded to the throne by seniority, abdicated. During the oath to the new sovereign on December 14, 1825, the Decembrist uprising took place, the purpose of which was to liberalize the existing political system, including the abolition of serfdom, and democratic freedoms up to a change in the form of government. The speech was suppressed on the same day, many were sent into exile, and the leaders were executed. Nicholas I was married to Alexandra Feodorovna, the Prussian princess Frederick-Louise-Charlotte-Wilhemine, with whom they had seven children. This marriage had great importance for Prussia and Russia. Nicholas I had an engineering education and personally supervised the construction railways and fort "Emperor Paul I", projects of fortifications for the naval defense of St. Petersburg. Died March 2, 1855 from pneumonia.

In 1855, the son of Nicholas I and Alexandra Feodorovna, Alexander II, ascended the throne. He was an excellent diplomat. He carried out the abolition of serfdom in 1861. He carried out a number of reforms that were of great importance for the further development of the country:

• in 1857 he issued a decree that liquidated all military settlements;
• in 1863 he introduced the university charter, which determined the order in Russian higher institutions;
• carried out reforms of city self-government, judicial and secondary education;
• in 1874 he approved the military reform on universal military service.

Several assassination attempts were made on the emperor. He died on March 13, 1881 after Ignaty Grinevitsky, member of the People's Will, threw a bomb at his feet.

Since 1881, Russia was ruled by Alexander III (1845 - 1894). He was married to a princess from Denmark, known in the country as Maria Feodorovna. They had six children. The emperor had a good military education, and after the death of his older brother Nikolai, he mastered an additional course of sciences that you needed to know in order to competently manage the state. His reign was characterized by a series of harsh measures to strengthen administrative control. Judges began to be appointed by the government, censorship of printed publications was again introduced, and Old Believers were given legal status. In 1886 the so-called poll tax was abolished. Alexander III led an open foreign policy, which helped to strengthen his position in the international arena. The prestige of the country during his reign was extremely high, Russia did not participate in any war. He died on November 1, 1894 in the Livadia Palace, in the Crimea.

The years of the reign of Nicholas II (1868 - 1918) were characterized by a rapid economic development Russia and a simultaneous increase in social tension. The increased growth of revolutionary sentiment resulted in the First Russian Revolution of 1905-1907. It was followed by a war with Japan for control of Manchuria and Korea, the country's participation in the First World War. After February Revolution abdicated in 1917.

According to the decision of the Provisional Government, he was sent with his family into exile in Tobolsk. In the spring of 1918 he was transferred to Yekaterinburg, where he was shot along with his wife, children and several close associates. This is the last of those who ruled in Russia after Catherine 2. The family of Nicholas II is glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church as a saint.

There have been many rulers in the history of Russia, but not all of them can be called successful. Those who could, expanded the territory of the state, won wars, developed culture and production in the country, and strengthened international ties.

Yaroslav the Wise

Yaroslav the Wise, son of Saint Vladimir, was one of the first truly effective rulers in Russian history. He founded the city-fortress Yuryev in the Baltic, Yaroslavl in the Volga region, Yuryev Russian, Yaroslavl in the Carpathian region and Novgorod-Seversky.

During the years of his reign, Yaroslav stopped the Pecheneg raids on Russia, defeating them in 1038 near the walls of Kyiv, in honor of which the Hagia Sophia was founded. Artists from Constantinople were called in to paint the temple.

In an effort to strengthen international relations, Yaroslav used dynastic marriages, gave his daughter Princess Anna Yaroslavna in marriage to the French King Henry I.

Yaroslav the Wise actively built the first Russian monasteries, founded the first large school, allocated large funds for translations and correspondence of books, published the Church Charter and the Russian Truth. In 1051, having gathered the bishops, he himself appointed Hilarion as metropolitan, for the first time without the participation of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Hilarion became the first Russian metropolitan.

Ivan III

Ivan III can be confidently called one of the most successful rulers in the history of Russia. It was he who managed to gather around Moscow the scattered principalities of northeastern Russia. During his lifetime, the Yaroslavl and Rostov principalities, Vyatka, Great Perm, Tver, Novgorod and other lands became part of a single state.

Ivan III was the first of the Russian princes to take the title "Sovereign of All Russia", and introduced the term "Russia" into use. He also became the liberator of Russia from the yoke. Standing on the Ugra River, which happened in 1480, marked the final victory of Russia in the struggle for its independence.

Adopted in 1497, the Sudebnik of Ivan III laid the legal foundations for overcoming feudal fragmentation. The Sudebnik had a progressive character for its time: at the end of the 15th century, not every European country could boast of uniform legislation.

The unification of the country required a new state ideology and its foundations appeared: Ivan III approved the double-headed eagle as the symbol of the country, which was used in the state symbols of Byzantium and the Holy Roman Empire.

During the life of Ivan III, the main part of the architectural ensemble of the Kremlin, which we can observe today, was created. The Russian Tsar invited Italian architects for this. Under Ivan III, about 25 churches were built in Moscow alone.

Ivan the Terrible

Ivan the Terrible is an autocrat whose reign still has very different, often opposite, assessments, but at the same time his effectiveness as a ruler is difficult to dispute.

He successfully fought against the successors of the Golden Horde, annexed the Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms to Russia, significantly expanded the territory of the state to the east, subjugating the Great Nogai Horde and the Siberian Khan Edigei. However, the Livonian War ended with the loss of part of the land, without solving its main task - access to the Baltic Sea.
Under Grozny, diplomacy developed, Anglo-Russian contacts were established. Ivan IV was one of the most educated people of his time, possessed a phenomenal memory and erudition, wrote numerous messages himself, was the author of music and the text of the service of the feast of Our Lady of Vladimir, the canon to the Archangel Michael, developed book printing in Moscow, supported the chroniclers.

Peter I

Peter's coming to power radically changed the vector of Russia's development. The tsar “cut a window to Europe”, fought a lot and successfully, fought with the clergy, reformed the army, education and the tax system, created the first fleet in Russia, changed the tradition of reckoning, and carried out a regional reform.

Peter personally met with Leibniz and Newton, was an honorary member of the Paris Academy of Sciences. By order of Peter I, books, instruments, weapons were purchased abroad, foreign craftsmen and scientists were invited to Russia.

During the reign of the emperor, Russia gained a foothold on the shores of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, received access to the Baltic Sea. After Persian campaign Russia received the western coast of the Caspian Sea with the cities of Derbent and Baku.

Under Peter I, outdated forms of diplomatic relations and etiquette were abolished, and permanent diplomatic missions and consulates abroad were established.

Numerous expeditions, including to Central Asia, to Far East and to Siberia made it possible to begin a systematic study of the geography of the country and develop cartography.

Catherine II

The main German on the Russian throne, Catherine II was one of the most effective Russian rulers. Under Catherine II, Russia finally gained a foothold on the Black Sea, the lands were annexed, which received the name Novorossia: the Northern Black Sea region, Crimea, and the Kuban region. Catherine took Eastern Georgia under Russian citizenship and returned the Western Russian lands torn away by the Poles.

Under Catherine II, the population of Russia increased significantly, hundreds of new cities were built, the treasury quadrupled, industry and Agriculture– Russia for the first time began to export bread.

During the reign of the empress, paper money was introduced for the first time in Russia, a clear territorial division of the empire was carried out, a system of secondary education was created, an observatory, a physics office, an anatomical theater, a botanical garden, instrumental workshops, a printing house, a library, and an archive were founded. In 1783, the Russian Academy was founded, which became one of the leading scientific bases in Europe.

Alexander I

Alexander I - Emperor, under which Russia defeated the Napoleonic coalition. During the reign of Alexander I, the territory of the Russian Empire expanded significantly: Eastern and Western Georgia, Mingrelia, Imeretia, Guria, Finland, Bessarabia, most of Poland (which formed the Kingdom of Poland) passed into Russian citizenship.

With domestic policy, Alexander the First was not going smoothly (“Arakcheevshchina”, police measures against the opposition), but Alexander I carried out a number of reforms: merchants, petty bourgeois and state settlers were given the right to buy uninhabited lands, ministries and a cabinet of ministers were established, a decree was issued about free cultivators, who created the category of personally free peasants.

Alexander II

Alexander II went down in history as the "Liberator". Under him, serfdom was abolished. Alexander II reorganized the army, reduced the term military service he abolished corporal punishment. Alexander II established the State Bank, carried out financial, monetary, police and university reforms.

During the reign of the emperor, the Polish uprising was suppressed, the Caucasian War ended. According to the Aigun and Beijing treaties with the Chinese Empire, Russia annexed the Amur and Ussuri regions in 1858-1860. In 1867-1873, the territory of Russia increased due to the conquest of the Turkestan Territory and the Ferghana Valley and the voluntary entry into the vassal rights of the Emirate of Bukhara and the Khiva Khanate.
What Alexander II still cannot be forgiven for is the sale of Alaska.

Alexander III

Russia spent almost its entire history in wars. There were no wars only during the reign Alexander III.

He was called "the most Russian tsar", "Peacemaker". Sergei Witte spoke of him this way: "Emperor Alexander III, having received Russia at the confluence of the most unfavorable political conditions, deeply raised the international prestige of Russia without shedding a drop of Russian blood."
The merits of Alexander III in foreign policy were noted by France, which named the main bridge over the Seine in Paris in honor of Alexander III. Even the Emperor of Germany Wilhelm II said after the death of Alexander III: "This, indeed, was the autocratic Emperor."

In domestic politics the emperor's activities were also successful. A real technical revolution took place in Russia, the economy stabilized, industry developed by leaps and bounds. In 1891, Russia began building the Great Siberian Railway.

Joseph Stalin

The era of Stalin's rule was ambiguous, but to deny that he "took over the country with a plow, and left it with nuclear bomb"difficult. Do not forget that it was under Stalin that the USSR won the Great Patriotic War. Let's remember the numbers.
During the reign of Joseph Stalin, the population of the USSR increased from 136.8 million people in 1920 to 208.8 million in 1959. Under Stalin, the country's population became literate. According to the 1879 census, the population of the Russian Empire was 79% illiterate, by 1932 the literacy of the population had risen to 89.1%.

The total volume of industrial production per capita for 1913-1950 in the USSR increased 4 times. The growth in agricultural production by 1938 was + 45% compared to 1913 and + 100% compared to 1920.
By the end of Stalin's rule in 1953, the gold reserves had grown 6.5 times and reached 2,050 tons.

Nikita Khrushchev

Despite all the ambiguity of internal (the return of the Crimea) and external ( cold war) Khrushchev's policy, it was during his reign that the USSR became the world's first space power.
After the report of Nikita Khrushchev at the XX Congress of the CPSU, the country breathed more freely, a period of relative democracy began, in which citizens were not afraid to go to jail for telling a political anecdote.

During this period, there was a rise in Soviet culture from which the ideological shackles were removed. The country discovered the genre of "street poetry", the poets Robert Rozhdestvensky, Andrei Voznesensky, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Bella Akhmadulina were known by the whole country.

During the years of Khrushchev's rule, International Youth Festivals were held, Soviet people gained access to the world of imports and foreign fashion. In general, breathing in the country has become easier.

The history of Russia is rich in various eras, each of which has left its mark on the life of the country. One of the most intense and controversial was the reign of Peter I the Great, which ended on January 25, 1725 due to the sudden death of the emperor.

Russia without a king? Who ruled after Peter 1

Three years before his death, the autocrat managed to issue a decree that changed the previously existing order of succession to the throne: now it was not the eldest son who became the heir, but one of the sons whom the father considered worthy to take such an honorable place. This decision was due to the fact that the son of the king, the potential heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei, was accused of preparing a conspiracy against his own father and, as a result, was sentenced to death. In 1718, the prince died within the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

However, before his death, Peter I did not have time to appoint a new king, leaving the country, for the development of which he had put so much effort, without a ruler.

As a result, the next few years were marked by numerous goals for which the seizure of power was. Since no official heir was appointed, those wishing to sit on the throne tried to prove that it was they who deserved this right.

The very first coup carried out by the guardsmen of the wife of Peter I - by birth Marta Skavronskaya, popularly known as Ekaterina Alekseevna Mikhailova (Catherine I) - brought to power the first woman in the history of Russia.

The enthronement of the future All-Russian Empress was led by an associate of the late tsar, Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, who became the de facto ruler of the state.

Russia after Peter 1 is a special milestone in world history. The strict orderliness and discipline that partly characterized the reign of the emperor now lost their former strength.

who is she?

Martha Skavronskaya (real name of the Empress) was from a family of Baltic peasants. She was born on April 5, 1684. Having lost both parents early, the girl was brought up in the family of a Protestant pastor.

During the Northern War (between Sweden and Russia), in 1702, Martha, along with other residents, was captured by the Russian troops, and then in the service of Prince Menshikov. There are two versions of how this happened.

One version says that Marta became the mistress of Count Sheremetyev, the commander of the Russian army. She was seen by Prince Alexander Danilovich - the favorite of Peter the Great - and, using his authority, took the girl to his house.

According to another version, Martha became the manager's servant at Colonel Baur, where Menshikov laid eyes on her and took her to his house. And already here Peter I himself noticed her.

Rapprochement with Peter I

For 9 years, Martha was the mistress of the king. In 1704, she gave birth to his first child, the son of Peter, and then the second son, Pavel. However, both boys died.

The future empress was educated by the sister of Peter I, Natalya Alekseevna, who taught Marta to read and write. And in 1705, the girl was baptized into Orthodoxy under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna Mikhailova. In 1708 and 1709, Catherine's daughters were born from Peter Alekseevich - Anna and Elizabeth (later who took the throne under the name

Finally, in 1712, a wedding with Peter I took place in the church of John of Dalmitsky - Catherine became a full member of the royal family. The year 1724 was marked by the solemn coronation of Martha Skavronskaya in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. She received the crown from the hands of the emperor himself.

Who and when ruled in Russia

After the death of Peter 1, Russia fully learned what a country is worth without an imperious ruler. Since Prince Menshikov won the favor of the tsar, and later helped Catherine I become the head of state, the correct answer to the question of who ruled after Peter 1 would be - Prince Alexander Danilovich, who actively participated in the life of the country and accepted the most important decisions. However, the reign of the empress, despite such strong support, did not last long - until May 1727.

During the reign of Catherine I, an important role in the politics of Russia of that time was played by the one created even before the ascension to the throne of the empress. It included such noble and prominent people in the Russian Empire of that time as Prince Alexander Menshikov (who headed this body), Dmitry Golitsyn, Fyodor Apraksin, Pyotr Tolstoy.

At the beginning of the reign of Catherine I, taxes were reduced and many condemned to exile and imprisonment were pardoned. Such changes were caused by the fear of riots due to price increases, which invariably had to lead to discontent among the townsfolk.

In addition, the reforms carried out by Peter were canceled or modified:

the Senate began to play a less prominent role in the political life of the country;

governors replaced local authorities;

for the improvement of the troops, a special Commission was organized, consisting of flagships and generals.

Innovations of Catherine I. Domestic and foreign policy

For the one who ruled after Peter 1 ( we are talking about his wife), it was extremely difficult to surpass the reformer tsar in the versatility of politics. Of the innovations, it is worth noting the creation of the Academy of Sciences and the organization of an expedition led by the famous navigator Vitus Bering to Kamchatka.

In foreign policy in general, Catherine I adhered to the views of her husband: she supported the claims of the Holstein Duke Karl Friedrich (who was her son-in-law) to Schleswig. This led to an aggravation of relations with England and Denmark. The result of the confrontation was the accession of Russia to the Vienna Union (which included Spain, Prussia and Austria) in 1726.

Russia after Peter 1 gained significant influence in Courland. It was so great that Prince Menshikov planned to become the head of this duchy, but local residents revealed discontent about this.

Thanks to the foreign policy of Catherine I and Alexander Danilovich (that's who ruled Russia after the death of Peter 1 in fact), the empire was able to take possession of the Shirvan region (having obtained concessions on this issue from Persia and Turkey). Also, thanks to Prince Raguzinsky, friendly relations with China were established.

The end of the reign of the empress

The power of Catherine I came to an end in May 1727, when the Empress died at the age of 44 from a lung disease. She was buried in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Before her death, Catherine wanted to make her daughter Elizabeth empress, but once again she obeyed Menshikov and appointed her grandson, Peter II Alekseevich, who was 11 years old at the time of ascension to the throne, as the heir and tsar of Russia.

The regent was none other than Prince Alexander Danilovich (this fact once again proves who ruled after Peter 1 in Russia). Menshikov soon married the newly-made tsar to his daughter Maria, thus further strengthening his influence on court and state life.

However, the power of Prince Alexander Danilovich did not last long: after the death of the emperor, he was accused of a state conspiracy and died in exile.

Russia after Peter the Great is already a completely different state, where not reforms and transformations came to the fore, but the struggle for the throne and attempts to prove the superiority of some classes over others.

First Russian Emperor Peter the Great

“People of all generations in assessing the personality and activities of Peter agreed on one thing: he was considered a force. Peter was the most prominent and influential figure of his time, the leader of all the people. No one considered him an insignificant person who unconsciously used power or blindly walked along a random road. (S. F. Platonov "Personality and Activity").

Peter I was the first Russian emperor. He took this title in 1721 after the victory in the Great Northern War (1700-1721), which resulted in the expansion of Russia's territory in the Baltic region. According to the Treaty of Nishtad (August 30, 1721), Russia received access to the Baltic Sea, annexed the territory of Ingria, part of Karelia, Estonia and Livonia. Thus, the country became a great European power, and by the decision of the Senate, Peter was proclaimed Emperor of the Russian Empire, while he was given the titles "Great" ("Peter the Great") and "Father of the Fatherland").

It is known that from the time of his activity to the present, there are diametrically opposed assessments of both the personality of Peter I and his role in the history of Russia. Let's try to understand them and form our own opinion about him, although the fact is obvious that Peter I is one of the most prominent statesmen who determined the direction of Russia's development for many years to come.

short biography

Young Peter

He was proclaimed tsar at the age of 10 (in 1682), began to rule independently from 1689. From a young age he showed interest in the sciences and a foreign way of life, among his youth friends there were many foreigners, especially Germans who lived in Moscow in German Quarter. Peter was the first of the Russian tsars to make a long journey to the countries Western Europe(1697-1698), where he not only got acquainted with the way of life and culture of these countries, but also learned a lot, delving into many crafts and sciences, as well as being engaged in self-education. After returning to Russia, he launched large-scale reforms Russian state and social order. He possessed tireless energy and curiosity, knew 14 crafts, but main reason ambiguous attitude towards him was that he demanded the same from others - full dedication to the cause uncompromisingly. He firmly believed in the correctness and necessity of his actions, therefore, in order to achieve his goals, he did not reckon with anything.

You can read about the reforming activities of Peter I on our website:,.

In this article, we will pay more attention to the personality of Peter I and the assessment of his activities.

Personality of PeterI

Appearance and character

Peter was very tall (204 cm), but not a heroic build: he had a small foot (38 sizes), a slender build, small hands, and a swift gait.

Distinguished by the beauty and liveliness of his face, violated only by periodic strong convulsive twitches, especially in moments of excitement or emotional stress. It is believed that this was due to childhood shock during the Streltsy riots - the time of the seizure of power by his sister Sofya Alekseevna.

K.K. Steiben "Peter the Great in childhood, saved by his mother from the fury of archers"

People around were often frightened by these twitches of the face, which distorted his appearance. Here is how the Duke of Saint-Simon, who met with Peter during his stay in Paris, recalls this: “ He was very tall, well built, rather thin, with a roundish face, high forehead, fine eyebrows; his nose is rather short, but not too short, and is somewhat thick towards the end; the lips are rather large, the complexion reddish and swarthy, fine black eyes, large, lively, penetrating, beautifully shaped; a look majestic and friendly when he watches himself and restrains, otherwise severe and wild, with convulsions in the face, which are not often repeated, but distort both the eyes and the whole face, frightening all present. The convulsion usually lasted for an instant, and then his eyes became strange, as if bewildered, then everything immediately took on a normal look. His whole appearance showed intelligence, reflection and grandeur, and was not without charm.". But this was not the only thing that frightened the sometimes refined foreign aristocrats: Peter had a simple disposition and rude manners.

He was a lively, cheerful person, savvy and natural in all his manifestations: both joy and anger. But his anger was terrible and often combined with cruelty. In anger, he could hit and even beat his entourage. His evil jokes are known, especially often they were directed at noble and old boyars, who did not approve of his innovations and hampered the implementation of reforms, were supporters of native Russian moral and religious principles. In general, he treated opponents of reforms with particular cruelty and contempt. What is the value of the All-Joking, All-Drunken and Extravagant Cathedral he created, which was engaged in mockery of everything that was revered in society as primordially Russian. It was one of the inventions he founded for the purpose of entertainment, drinking amusements, a kind of jester's "order organization" that united the tsar's like-minded people.

Y. Pantsyrev "Peter and Menshikov"

The main feature of the "Sobor" was a parody of the rites of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Some historians even believe that the “Sobor” was created with the aim of discrediting the church and, along with shaving beards, is included in the general series of destroying the stereotypes of the old Russian Everyday life; at the "Sobor" they drank a lot and cursed a lot. It existed for about 30 years - until the mid-1720s. Perhaps that is why some people still perceive Peter I as the Antichrist (the opposite and antipode of Christ).

In this anti-behaviour, Peter was similar to Ivan the Terrible. Peter also sometimes personally performed the duties of an executioner.

A family

For the first time, Peter entered into marriage at the age of 17 at the insistence of his mother in 1689. Evdokia Lopukhina became his wife. Their son, Tsarevich Alexei, was brought up mainly by his mother, he was alien to the reforming activities of Peter. The rest of the children of Peter and Evdokia died in infancy. Subsequently, Evdokia Lopukhina was involved in the Streltsy rebellion and was exiled to a monastery.

Alexei Petrovich, the official heir to the Russian throne, condemned his father's transformations and fled to Vienna under the patronage of a relative of his wife (Charlotte of Brunswick) Emperor Charles VI. There he hoped to find support for his idea of ​​overthrowing Peter I. In 1717 he was persuaded to return home, where he was immediately taken into custody. In 1718, the Supreme Court sentenced him to death, finding him guilty of high treason.

But Tsarevich Alexei did not wait for the execution of the sentence and died in the Peter and Paul Fortress. True reason his death has not yet been established.

The prince had two children: Peter Alekseevich, who became Emperor Peter II in 1727 (read about him on our website:), and daughter Natalia.

In 1703, Peter I met 19-year-old Katerina, nee Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya, captured by Russian troops as spoils of war during the capture of the Swedish fortress of Marienburg. Peter took the former maid from the Baltic peasants from Alexander Menshikov and made her his mistress. They had 6 daughters (including Elizabeth, the future empress, and three sons who died in infancy). The official wedding of Peter I with Ekaterina Alekseevna took place in 1712, shortly after returning from the Prut campaign. In 1724, Peter crowned Catherine as empress and co-ruler. After the death of Peter in January 1725, Ekaterina Alekseevna, with the support of the serving nobility and guards regiments, became the first ruling Russian Empress Catherine I (read about her on our website:), but the reign was short-lived and died in 1727, leaving the throne to Tsarevich Peter Alekseevich.

According to some sources, Peter I had 14 officially registered children. Many of them died in infancy.

Death of PeterI

Peter I died on February 8, 2725 in the Winter Palace. The cause of his death was nephrolithiasis complicated by uremia, but a sharp exacerbation of the disease began after Peter, inspecting the Ladoga Canal in October, entered waist-deep water to save a boat with soldiers that had run aground. It turns out that he could not only execute and get angry, but also sacrifice his health and, as it turned out, his life for the sake of others. After that, his health deteriorated sharply and death occurred.

I. Nikitin "Peter on his deathbed"

Contemporaries and historians about the activities of Peter the Great

Here are just a few of the many characteristics of this person, which cannot be characterized unambiguously. They say a man should be judged by his deeds. Peter's deeds are enormous, but always with the realization of this, another problem arises: at what cost?

Let's listen to different opinions about Peter I.

Mikhail Lomonosov always spoke of Peter enthusiastically: “With whom shall I compare the Great Sovereign? I see in antiquity and in modern times Possessors, called great. Indeed, before others are great. However, they are small before Peter. ... To whom shall I liken our Hero? I have often wondered what the One who with an all-powerful wave governs the heavens, the earth and the sea: His spirit breathes, and the waters flow, and touches the mountains, and they rise. .

L. Bernstam. Monument to Peter I "Tsar Carpenter"

Swedish writer and playwright Johan August Strindberg characterized him like this: “The barbarian who civilized his Russia; he who built cities, but did not want to live in them; he who punished his wife with a whip and gave the woman wide freedom - his life was great, rich and useful in public terms, in private terms, such as it turned out.

Historian S.M. Solovyov highly appreciated the activities of Peter, and considered the polarity of assessments of such a broad personality as Peter to be inevitable: “The difference of views stemmed from the enormity of the work done by Peter, the duration of the influence of this work. The more significant a phenomenon is, the more divergent views and opinions it generates, and the more they talk about it, the more they feel its influence on themselves.

P. N. Milyukov believes that the reforms were carried out by Peter spontaneously, from time to time, under the pressure of specific circumstances, without any logic and plan, they were "reforms without a reformer." He also mentions that only "at the cost of ruining the country, Russia was elevated to the rank of a European power." According to Milyukov, during the reign of Peter the Great, the population of Russia within the boundaries of 1695 decreased due to incessant wars.

N. M. Karamzin agreed with the characterization of Peter as "Great", but criticized him for his excessive passion for the foreign, the desire to make Russia the Netherlands. According to the historian, a sharp change in the "old" way of life and national traditions undertaken by the emperor is far from always justified. As a result, Russian educated people "became citizens of the world, but ceased to be, in some cases, citizens of Russia." But "A great man proves his greatness by the very mistakes."

Some historians believe that Peter did not change the most important thing in the country: serfdom. Temporary improvements in the present doomed Russia to a crisis in the future.

Thinker and publicist Ivan Solonevich gives an extremely negative characterization of the activities of Peter I. In his opinion, the result of Peter's activities was the gap between the ruling elite and the people, the denationalization of the first. He accused Peter of cruelty, incompetence, tyranny and cowardice.

IN. Klyuchevsky understands Peter's reforms not as transformations carried out according to a premeditated plan, but as a response and reaction to the dictates of the times: “The reform itself came out of the urgent needs of the state and the people, instinctively
felt by a powerful person with a sensitive mind and a strong character. "The reform was his personal affair, an unprecedentedly violent affair, and yet, involuntary and necessary." The historian goes on to say that “the reform gradually turned into a stubborn internal struggle, stirred up all the stagnant mold of Russian
life, agitated all classes of society ... ".

Conclusion

Peter I, the first Russian emperor, influenced Russian history so significantly that interest in his activities is unlikely to ever fade, no matter how his reforms are evaluated.