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

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

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

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

What can you say about the time when Tsar Peter the Great reigned? Briefly, it can be characterized as a series of changes in the way of life of Russian people, as well as a new direction in the development of the state itself. After his trip to Europe, Peter became obsessed with the idea of ​​a full-fledged navy for his country.

During his royal years, Peter the Great changed a lot in the country. He is the first ruler who gave direction for changing the culture of Russia towards Europe. Many of his followers continued his endeavors, and this led to the fact that they were not forgotten.

Peter's childhood

If we now talk about whether his childhood years influenced the future fate of the tsar, his behavior in politics, then we can answer that absolutely. Little Peter was always precocious, and his distance from the royal court allowed him to look at the world in a completely different way. No one hampered him in his development, and no one forbade him to feed his craving for learning everything new and interesting.

The future Tsar Peter the Great was born in 1672, on June 9. His mother was Naryshkina Natalya Kirillovna, who was the second wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Until he was four years old, he lived at court, loved and pampered by his mother, who doted on him. In 1676, his father, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, died. Fyodor Alekseevich, who was Peter's older half-brother, ascended the throne.

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

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

Ascension to the throne

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

However, this did not please the equally noble relatives of the second contender for the throne - the Miloslavskys. All this discontent, and even the suspicion that Tsar John was killed by the Naryshkins, led to an uprising that happened on May 15. This event later became known as the “streltsy riot.” On this day, some boyars who were Peter's mentors were killed. What happened made an indelible impression on the young king.

After the Streltsy rebellion, two were crowned kings - John and Peter 1, the former having a dominant position. Their elder sister Sophia, who was the real ruler, was appointed regent. Peter and his mother again left for Preobrazhenskoye. By the way, numerous of his relatives and associates were also either exiled or killed.

Life of Peter in Preobrazhenskoye

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

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

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

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

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

Over the course of these years, as Peter gained his knowledge in various fields, he gained many associates. These are, for example, Prince Romodanovsky, Fyodor Apraksin, Alexey Menshikov. Each of these people played a role in the nature of the future reign of Peter the Great.

Peter's family life

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

There was never any understanding between the spouses. A year after his marriage, he became interested in Anna Mons, which led to a final disagreement. The first family history of Peter the Great ended with Evdokia Lopukhina being exiled to a monastery. This happened in 1698.

From his first marriage, the tsar had a son, Alexei (born in 1690). There is a rather tragic story associated with him. It is not known exactly for what reason, but Peter did not love his own son. Perhaps this happened because he was not at all like his father, and also did not at all welcome some of his reformatory introductions. Be that as it may, in 1718 Tsarevich Alexei dies. This episode itself is quite mysterious, since many talked about torture, as a result of which Peter’s son died. By the way, hostility towards Alexei also spread to his son (grandson Peter).

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

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

The beginning of the real reign of Peter

For a long time, Peter was only second in line to the throne. Of course, these years were not in vain; he studied a lot and became a full-fledged person. However, in 1689 there was a new Streltsy uprising, which was prepared by his sister Sophia, who was ruling at that time. She did not take into account that Peter is no longer the younger brother he used to be. Two personal royal regiments - Preobrazhensky and Streletsky, as well as all the patriarchs of Rus' - came to his defense. The rebellion was suppressed, and Sophia spent the rest of her days in the Novodevichy Convent.

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

King's Wars

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

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

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

Estate reform

Despite the war, the emperor did not forget to pursue the country's internal policy. Numerous decrees of Peter the Great affected various spheres of life in Russia and beyond.

One of the important reforms was the clear division and consolidation of rights and responsibilities between nobles, peasants and city residents.

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

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

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

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

Military and judicial reforms

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

Administrative reform

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

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

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

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

Other reforms

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

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

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

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

Results of Peter's reign

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

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

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

End of reign and successor of Peter

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

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

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

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

The personality of the king in modern cinema

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

Each of the films reveals the personality of the king in its own way. For example, the television series “Testament” plays out the dying years of the king. Of course, there is a mixture of truth and fiction here. An important point will be that Peter the Great never wrote a will, which will be explained in vivid detail in the film.

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

Peter I the Great (real name - Romanov Peter Alekseevich) - Russian Tsar, since 1721 - Emperor, an outstanding statesman, famous for a large number of cardinal reforms, commander - was born on June 9 (May 30, O.S.) in 1672 in Moscow; his father was Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, his mother was Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina.

The future emperor did not receive a systematic education, and although it is reported that his education began in 1677, in fact the boy was left largely to his own devices, spending most of his time with his peers in entertainment, in which he participated quite willingly. Until the age of 10, after the death of his father in 1676, Peter grew up under the supervision of Fyodor Alekseevich, his older brother. After his death, Ivan Alekseevich was supposed to become the heir to the throne, but the latter’s poor health contributed to the nomination of Peter to this post. Nevertheless, as a result of the Streltsy revolt, a political compromise was the enthronement of Peter and Ivan; Sofya Alekseevna, their elder sister, was appointed ruler.

During the period of Sophia's regency, Peter participated in government administration only formally, attending ceremonial events. Sophia, watching the grown-up Peter, who was seriously interested in military amusements, took measures to strengthen her power. In August 1689, Peter's supporters convened a noble militia, dealt with Sophia's main supporters, she herself was placed in a monastery, and after that power actually passed into the hands of Peter's party, Ivan remained only a nominal ruler.

Nevertheless, even after gaining real power, it was actually his mother and other close people who ruled instead of Peter. At first, after the death of Natalya Kirillovna in 1694, the state machine worked by inertia, so Peter, although he was forced to govern the country, entrusted this mission mainly to the ministers. He had become accustomed to detachment from affairs over many years of forced isolation from power.

At that time, Russia was very far from advanced European states in its socio-economic development. Peter's inquisitiveness, his ebullient energy, and keen interest in everything new allowed him to take on the most important issues in the life of the country, especially since life itself urgently pushed him towards this. The first victory in the biography of young Peter as a ruler was the second campaign against Azov in 1696, and this greatly contributed to the strengthening of his authority as a sovereign.

In 1697, Peter and his entourage went abroad, living in Holland, Saxony, England, Venice, Austria, where he became acquainted with the achievements of these countries in the field of technology, shipbuilding, as well as with the way of life of other countries of the continent, their political and social structure. The news of the Streltsy revolt that broke out in his homeland forced him to return to his homeland, where he suppressed the act of disobedience with extreme cruelty.

During his stay abroad, the tsar’s program in political life was formed. In the state, he saw the common good, which everyone, first of all, himself, had to serve, and set an example for others. Peter behaved in many ways unconventionally for a monarch, destroying his sacred image that had developed over the centuries, so a certain part of society was critical of him and his activities. Nevertheless, Peter I led the country along the path of radical reforms in all areas of life, from public administration to culture. They began with an order to shave their beards and wear clothes in a foreign style.

A number of reforms were undertaken in the public administration system. Thus, under Peter I, the Senate and collegiums were created; he subordinated the church to the state and introduced an administrative-territorial division of the country into provinces. In 1703, at the mouth of the Neva River, he founded the new Russian capital - St. Petersburg. They assigned a special mission to this city - it was to become a model city, a “paradise”. During the same period, instead of the boyar duma, a council of ministers appeared, and a lot of new institutions arose in St. Petersburg. When the Northern War ended, Russia received the status of an empire in 1721, and Peter was named “Great” and “Father of the Fatherland” by the Senate.

Much had changed in the economic system, since Peter was well aware of how deep the gulf was between the country he led and Europe. He took many measures to develop industry and trade, including foreign trade; under him, a large number of new industrial sectors, factories and factories, manufactories, shipyards, and marinas appeared. All this was created taking into account the adopted Western European experience.

Peter I was credited with creating a regular army and navy. The foreign policy pursued by him was extremely energetic; Peter the Great undertook many military campaigns. In particular, as a result of the Northern War (1700-1721), territories that Sweden had conquered earlier were annexed to Russia; after the war with Turkey, Russia received Azov.

During the reign of Peter, Russian culture was replenished with a large number of European elements. At this time, the Academy of Sciences was opened, many secular educational institutions were opened, and the first Russian newspaper appeared. Through the efforts of Peter, the career advancement of the noble class was made dependent on the level of their education. Under Peter I, the civil alphabet was adopted and New Year celebrations were introduced. A fundamentally new urban environment was being formed in St. Petersburg, starting with previously unbuilt architectural structures and ending with the forms of people’s pastime (in particular, Peter introduced the so-called assemblies by decree).

Peter I is credited with bringing Russia onto the international stage as a great power. The country has become a full-fledged participant in international relations, its foreign policy has become active and led to the strengthening of its authority in the world. For many, the Russian emperor himself turned into an exemplary reformer sovereign. For a long time, the management system he introduced and the principles of the territorial division of Russia were preserved; they laid the foundations of national culture. At the same time, Peter's reforms were contradictory, which created the preconditions for a crisis to brew. The ambiguity of the course he pursues is associated with violence as the main instrument of reform, the lack of changes in the social sphere, and the strengthening of the institution of serfdom.

Peter I the Great left behind an extensive manuscript heritage, numbering more than a dozen volumes; the emperor's relatives, acquaintances, his contemporaries, and biographers recorded many of the sovereign's statements that have survived to our time. On February 8 (January 28, O.S.), 1725, Peter I died in his brainchild, St. Petersburg. It is known that he suffered from a number of serious illnesses, which significantly brought his death closer.

Peter the Great briefly

The content of the article

• The childhood years of Peter the Great
  
• Beginning of the reign
• Azov campaigns
• Reforms of Peter I
• Second trip to Europe
• Caspian campaign
• North War
• The importance of Peter I for Russia

Addition to the article:

The era of the reign of Peter I (the Great) short biography for children

Peter I - briefly about the life of the most amazing Russian ruler.
The history of Russia has known a variety of rulers: stupid, cruel, wise, generous, vindictive, brave. But, in short, there has never been anyone like Peter I. Therefore, the people gave him the name the Great - for his services and deeds aimed at the good of the country.

The honorary name of the Great was borne by another ruler who lived many centuries before Peter Alekseevich - the Frankish Emperor Charles. But he did not accomplish even a tenth of what was done during the reign of the Russian ruler.

Considering the biography of Peter I, it is necessary to briefly dwell on his childhood years. It was then that the character of the future great ruler began to take shape.

Childhood

• He was the youngest son of the king Alexey Mikhailovich Romanov, nicknamed the Quietest. Born from a second marriage.
• Peter the Great's father had numerous offspring - 16 children, three of whom reigned after his death.
• 
  Interesting fact - the name Peter was never used in the Romanov dynasty.
• In early childhood, the boy was distinguished by good health, a playful character and great curiosity.
• Unfortunately, the level of literacy that existed in those years did not provide the future king with the opportunity to receive a good education, which he later greatly regretted.
• Peter's training began according to ancient Russian custom at the age of five
• Nikita Zotov was appointed his first teacher, who taught the royal child to read mainly theological literature.
• In his teaching, the mentor paid great attention to the history of the Fatherland, told the young prince about the affairs of the tsars of the Russian State, and showed pictures and illustrations dedicated to figures and events of world powers.
  Much later he began to teach Peter writing.
• However, the future emperor was never able to master this science perfectly - he was too passionate about more practical matters.
• Until the end of his life he retained a huge thirst for knowledge.
• Peter I constantly replenished his knowledge, especially during the first trip abroad.
• His favorite toys were drums, banners, pistols
• From childhood, the king's main passion manifested itself - for military affairs. When he was 4 years old, his father passed away, and his elder brother Fedor ascended the throne.
• Peter's mother was removed from business and went with her son near Moscow. Here, in the village, the future great king grew up.
• He was friends with ordinary peasant children.
• Even then, he looked not at a person’s position, but at his skills.
• He turned his peers into soldiers, creating two regiments for military fun.
• For this purpose, a small fortress was built, and Peter I took an active part in its construction, and several small but working cannons were cast.
• Together with his small army, Peter studied military skills and artillery. Having matured, he continued to consider artillery one of the main military sciences.
• Peter's passion for military affairs and the attraction of foreigners was the reason that he decided to significantly expand his education. The future king studied geometry and arithmetic with great diligence. Another hobby of young Peter, which grew into a serious business, was shipbuilding. He founded his first shipyard on the lake near Pereyaslavets.

Beginning of the reign

• At the age of 10, after the death of Tsar Fyodor, Peter had to witness the terrible death of his closest relatives during Streltsy riot, which was raised by supporters of the rule of his brother Ivan and sister Sophia.
• Contemporaries noted the incredible fortitude and courage of the young prince, who calmly observed the bloody massacre.
• He never forgave his older sister for this, and he hated the Streltsy.
  It was decided that they would rule the country together with the sickly Ivan.
• In fact, power ended up in Sophia’s hands due to Peter’s young age and Ivan’s poor health.
• But Sophia, even when Peter reached the age of 17, was not going to give him the throne.
• She tried to again organize streltsy unrest, but the troops obeyed the rightful heir.
• Peter devoted more and more time to his passion for military affairs. He visits Arkhangelsk and makes his first sea voyage. Peter undertakes military exercises and games not just for fun. He is gradually preparing for real military clashes.

Azov campaigns

• In 1695, the first campaign against the Azov fortress was made. Peter gathered an impressive army (about 30 thousand people), and during the siege he himself took part in the shelling of the fortress.
• However, after several attempts to storm Azov, it was not possible to take it. The failure did not disappoint Peter at all.
• Over the winter, the Russian fleet was replenished with 2 large ships, 23 galleys and 4 banderas.
• In addition, more than 1,000 plows and small craft were built and equipped. F. Lefort was appointed commander of the fleet.
  More than 25 thousand people mobilized from the surrounding villages took part in the creation of the flotilla.
• Specially invited Austrian shipbuilders helped them in this.
• One of his main qualities was his unwavering pursuit of his goal. The young king explained the failure of the campaign by insufficient preparation and with great energy set about organizing the next attempt.
  At the shipyard established in Voronezh, many ships were manufactured in a few months.
• Moreover, during construction, Peter himself took up the ax.
• In the spring of 1696, a forty thousand-strong army and fleet moved towards the fortress. The siege and assault were carefully prepared.
• The Turks were able to repel the first attack, but realized that surrender was inevitable. Azov capitulated.
• To continue the war with the Ottoman Empire, Peter needed allies. To this end, he made his famous diplomatic trip.

The young king's trip abroad

• In 1697, an embassy was sent to European countries to seek allies in the war against the Ottoman Empire.
• The young Tsar also rode in it under the name of Peter Mikhailov.
• Despite the fact that Peter was traveling incognito, his identity was no secret to anyone in Europe. The sophisticated European high society was amazed extravagant behavior of the new Russian ruler. Peter was absolutely not shy about trying to engage in any profession, if she seemed useful to him.
• This was Peter I's first trip outside Russia. In addition to the political one, the embassy still had many tasks: hiring foreign craftsmen, purchasing machine tools, visiting military factories.
• In addition, the king stayed in Holland to study ship craft.
• At the same time, Peter worked as an ordinary carpenter for about a week, communicating with ordinary workers, until his real position was revealed. A big part of Peter's trip was a visit to England. He inspected many institutions that interested him, paying special attention shipbuilding.
• The embassy was suddenly interrupted by news of a new Streltsy revolt, the instigator of which was again Princess Sophia, who had not given up hope of removing her younger brother from the throne.
• Peter I had to quickly return home.
• The uprising was suppressed, the archers were executed, Sophia was tonsured as a nun.
• At the same time, Peter got rid of his wife, whom his mother forcibly imposed on him.
• She was also involved in a conspiracy against her husband.
• Queen Evdokia was forcibly sent to a monastery.

Reforms of Peter I

• After returning home, impressed by what he saw, the tsar decides to change the country’s routine, which has been established for centuries, and translate it into a European style.
• The difference between Europe and traditional Russia seemed too big to him.
• The reforms of Peter I, in short, were numerous.
• They affected all spheres of life in the country. Was introduced Julian calendar, the tsar ordered that the beginning of the new year should be considered not September, as it was before, but the beginning of January.
• It was ordered to celebrate the New Year holiday.
• Besides the administrative and military, the largest reforms were:
  - provincial. Carried out in two stages, it contributed to the centralization of power in the state;
  - judicial, which established the rule of law. But it caused confusion due to the large number of those who had the right to administer justice;
  - church, as a result of which the patriarchate was abolished, and the church itself submitted to the tsar;
  - financial, which served to increase income to the treasury due to the oppression of the common population.
• In addition, thanks to the reorganization of the old, outdated system, the basis was laid for the development of industry and manufacturing production.
• Many changes affected the appearance of the Russian people, especially the boyars. Shaving beards, wearing European-style clothes, introducing new foreign habits into everyday life (drinking coffee, attending assemblies) caused dissatisfaction among the overwhelming majority of the population with the changes that the sovereign was making.
• These changes were not senseless undertakings of an energetic king. Peter is wonderful understood that the centuries-old traditions of Russian society had become a brake on its development.
• Russian highborn people treated everything foreign with hostility, so a necessary condition for progress was a radical break in outdated habits.
• Peter I valued people primarily for their personal qualities and skills. Before him, the main condition for occupying higher education state positions were of noble birth and pedigree.
• Introduction in 1722 Tables of ranks allowed truly talented and capable figures to break into the “people.”
• When carrying out reforms, Peter I, to put it briefly, acted quite harshly, and sometimes even cruelly.
• He saw no other way to make Russia a progressive state capable of competing with other countries.
• The most important and necessary reforms for the country concerned the army, navy and public administration. The Northern War, undertaken by the Tsar against Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea, showed how Russia lags behind European countries in almost everything.
• The reforms of Peter I, briefly outlined, helped to create a combat-ready army and navy in the shortest possible time

Founding of St. Petersburg. Transfer of capital

• One of the “trophies” of the Russian army in the Northern War was the Nyenskans fortress (the correct Swedish name is Nyenkas). In order to further strengthen his positions near it, Peter orders the founding of a new city next to it.
• As in everything that interested him, he took the most active and active part in choosing the territory for construction. It had to meet two main requirements: proximity to the sea (since the city had to be a port) and suitability for living.
• As a result of research, the choice fell on an island located at the widest point of the Neva mouth, called Zayachiy.
• Soon the construction of the first fortifications of the Peter and Paul Fortress began here. This moment became the starting point of the history of St. Petersburg.
• The new fortress was located in such a way that it allowed complete control of the sea and monitoring of ships approaching the shore. If necessary, fire could be opened on these ships from the walls of the citadel.
• The fortress itself was surrounded on all sides by water, which increased its safety and inaccessibility to the enemy.
• Having issued an order to build a city on the Neva, the Tsar cut down a small wooden house in which he settled in order to be closer to the construction and personally supervise all the work.
• It was wartime, so construction was carried out at an accelerated pace (like practically everything in the era of Peter the Great). In record time (in just three years), the fortress was completely built.
• Initially it was named St. Petersburg. However, after the Peter and Paul Cathedral was erected in its courtyard, the fortress was renamed Peter and Paul Fortress.
• The next step in the construction of the new city was the construction of a shipyard - the Admiralty. The place for it was chosen just as carefully as for the fortress.
• Soon the areas around these two strategic structures began to be built up. Construction work has also begun on neighboring islands. All buildings were built following the example of the European ones seen by Peter during the Great Embassy.
• To speed up the work, labor conscription was introduced by order of the tsar. But without waiting for the completion of the work, he transfers the most important management government organizations here. The city, named St. Petersburg (in honor of St. Apostle Peter), becomes the capital of Russia.

Second trip to Europe

• Peter I made his second trip to Europe during the heyday of his reign, when world powers had already recognized Russia as one of the powerful states of our time, which must be reckoned with.
• And this time the main official purpose of the trip was to search for allies. Only now, to fight against the Swedish king.
• And Peter really wanted to visit France. He was very interested in this country, which had become the most powerful and influential world power. This desire appeared during the first European tour. However, Louis XIV, who was ruling at that time, chose not to notice the subtle hints of Russian diplomats.
• Now the ruler had changed, and the Russian autocrat hoped to find a reliable ally in him and counted on his financial support. He also had matrimonial plans: he wanted to see his daughter Elizabeth as the wife of Louis XV and the French queen.
• Along with his political and diplomatic plans, the Russian Tsar also wanted to get acquainted with the world-famous cultural heritage. By the way, this made his second trip very different from the one he made 20 years ago. On his first visit to Europe, Peter was not at all interested in culture and art.
• During his trip to the cities of France, he did not ignore various fortifications, fortifications, the construction of gateways and canals.
• Having set foot on French soil at Dunkirk, he also visited Calais, Boulogne, Abbeville and many other cities. Walking around them, he examined the sights and everything that might interest him. In Abbeville, for example, he did not fail to look at the cloth factory and get acquainted with its structure.
• In the Louvre, the Russian ruler, by order of the regent F. of Orleans, was greeted with great pomp. However, it did not strike Peter, and he even refused to spend the night in the palace.
• After courtesy visits and protocol negotiations, Peter went on a tour of Paris. The arsenal and foundries, squares with statues of French kings located on them, carpentry and carpentry workshops, where he did not fail to show off his skills - nothing escaped the watchful eye of the monarch.
• He was interested in the Botanical Garden, the apothecary garden with pharmacies, and the anatomical theater. At the same time, wherever he went, no matter what the king examined, according to eyewitnesses, he always had a pencil with him, with which he made notes on paper.
• Peter visited the Paris Observatory several times, and among the Versailles treasures presented to his attention, he especially noted only the unusual map of France. Visited the Academy of Sciences and the Royal Library.
• All these movements around the French capital once again demonstrated the tsar’s unusual craving for everything new, unusual, and interesting.
• Negotiations with the French monarch did not bring the expected result, but the trip could not be considered a failure. After all, its result was the acquisition of a large number of books and the invitation of local scientists. Architects and artists to Russia and much more.
• Having left France, Peter I, accompanied by his entourage, returned to his homeland through Amsterdam and Danzig.

Caspian campaign

• Among the priority areas of Peter I's policy were the development of the country's economy and trade. Therefore, after the end of the war with Sweden, he turned his gaze to the west - towards the Caspian Sea. He set out to restore the trade route between Central Asia, India and Europe, which was supposed to enrich the Russian state.
• These plans became Russia's first attempt to penetrate into an alien sphere of influence, into a civilization completely different from its usual one. And this was the beginning of a long struggle for the annexation of the Caucasus.
• A few years earlier, Peter sent a detachment led by Bekovich-Cherkassky to the Bukhara and Khiva possessions, whose goal was to conclude an agreement with the khan and the emir. Peter wanted to see the Khan of Khiva as his subject, and to establish friendship with the Emir of Bukhara. However, the ruler of Khiva tricked the Russian representative into dividing the troops, and, taking them by surprise, exterminated them. The plan turned out to be a failure.
• But Peter was not used to giving up, and did not give up his intentions.
• As part of the preliminary preparations carried out even before the end of the Northern War, maps of the shores of the Caspian Sea were drawn up.
• They were supposed to march from Astrakhan along the seashore, capturing Derbent and Baku on the way. Having reached Kura, it was planned to build a fortress there, get to Tiflis, help Georgia in the fight against the Ottoman Empire, and return to Russia. At the same time, they did not forget to enlist the support of some of the rulers of the regions through which they had to go.
• Kazan was supposed to be another starting point for the campaign. For these purposes, its Admiralty built more than 200 ships. The fleet was commanded by General Apraksin.
• The ground forces consisted of 22 thousand infantry and 196 artillery pieces. Kalmyk, Ukrainian, Don and Tatar military formations were also involved.
• During the first campaign, Derbent was captured. But it was not possible to continue further this time. Because with strong seas, all the ships with provisions sank. Leaving a garrison of his loyal soldiers in the captured city, Peter returned to Astrakhan. Thus ended the last campaign, in which the Russian emperor himself participated personally.
• Preparations for the second campaign began.
• The second time a much smaller army was sent to campaign against Persia. Peter himself remained in Russia, and from here he directed his actions.
• This time both Baku and the mouth of the Kura were taken.
• The result of the Caspian campaign was the conclusion of peace between Russia and Persia. According to him, Derbent, Baku, Rusht and several provinces remained with Russia.
• However, Peter was forced to abandon plans to advance to the center of Transcaucasia due to the invasion of this region by Ottoman troops.

North War

• If at the beginning of the war (1700) the Russian troops were defeated, then already in 1709 the army reorganized by Peter I defeated the Swedes near Poltava.
• A new force appeared before the astonished Europe, which won a significant victory over one of the best armies of the time. From that moment on, Russia began to be seen as one of the leading players in European and world politics.
• Only the created Russian fleet also won victories at sea. The war ended in 1721.
• The main task of Peter the Great was completed in it - Russia received access to the Baltic coast.

The importance of Peter I for Russia

• The importance of Peter I for Russia is invaluable.
• Thanks to his actions, the country turned into a strong empire, one of the best armies in the world was created, and a fleet was built from scratch. The second Northern capital appeared - St. Petersburg.
• The first schools and higher educational institutions began to open, and noble children received the opportunity to study abroad.
• Peter I founded the Academy of Sciences, which opened a year after his death.
• He was the first of the Russian rulers to try to change the disenfranchised position of women in society.
• Peter I showed by his personal example the importance of education.
• Many of his actions were too cruel, but thanks to them the Russian nobility was able to take their rightful place in Europe.
• The proclamation of Russia as an empire was not the personal whim of Peter I, it directly resulted from the position that our country was able to occupy in the world.
• He died in 1725 from severe inflammation that turned into gangrene.
• He did not have time to appoint an heir.

Peter I (Peter Alekseevich, First, Great) - the last Moscow Tsar and the first Russian Emperor. He was the youngest son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov from his second wife, noblewoman Natalya Naryshkina. Born in 1672, May 30 (9) (June).

A short biography of Peter I is presented below (Peter 1 photo also).

Peter's father died when he was 4 years old, and his older brother, Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, became his official guardian; a strong party of Miloslavsky boyars came to power in Moscow (Fyodor's mother was Alexei's first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya).

Upbringing and education of Peter I

All historians are unanimous in their opinion about the education of the future emperor. They believe that it was as weak as possible. He was raised by his mother until he was one year old, and by nannies until he was 4 years old. Then clerk N. Zotov took charge of the boy’s education. The boy did not have the opportunity to study with the famous Simeon of Polotsk, who taught his older brothers, since the Patriarch of Moscow Joachim, who began the fight against “Latinization,” insisted on the removal of Polotsk and his students from the court. N. Zotov taught the tsar to read and write, the law of God and basic arithmetic. The prince wrote poorly, his vocabulary was meager. However, in the future Peter will fill in all the gaps in his education.

The struggle of the Miloslavskys and Naryshkins for power

Fyodor Alekseevich died in 1682 without leaving a male heir. The Naryshkin boyars, taking advantage of the turmoil that arose and the fact that Tsarevich Ivan Alekseevich, the next eldest brother, was mentally ill, elevated Peter to the throne, and made Natalya Kirillovna regent, while the Narashkin boyar Artamon Matveev, a close friend and relative of the Narashkins, was appointed guardian.

The Miloslavsky boyars, led by Princess Sophia, the eldest daughter of Alexei Mikhailovich, began to incite the archers, of whom there were about 20 thousand in Moscow, to revolt. And the riot happened; As a result, boyar A. Matveev, his supporter, boyar M. Dolgoruky, and many from the Naryshkin family were killed. Queen Natalya was sent into exile, and both Ivan and Peter were elevated to the throne (with Ivan being considered the eldest). Princess Sophia became their regent, having enlisted the support of the leaders of the Streltsy army.

Exile to Preobrazhenskoye, creation of amusing regiments

After the crowning ceremony, young Peter was sent to the village of Preobrazhenskoye. There he grew up without feeling any restrictions. Very soon, everyone around him became aware of the young prince’s interest in military affairs. From 1685 to 1688, Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky (after the name of the neighboring village of Preobrazhensky, Semenov) amusing regiments were created in the village, and “amusing” artillery was created.

At the same time, the prince became interested in maritime affairs and founded the first shipyard on Lake Pleshcheyevo near Pereslavl-Zalessky. Since there were no Russian boyars who knew marine science, the heir to the throne turned to foreigners, Germans and Dutch, who lived in the German settlement in Moscow. It was at this time that he met Timmerman, who taught him geometry and arithmetic, Brandt, who studied navigation with him, Gordon and Lefort, who in the future would become his closest associates and associates.

First marriage

In 1689, on the orders of his mother, Peter married Evdokia Lopukhina, a girl from a rich and noble boyar family. Tsarina Natalya pursued three goals: to connect her son with well-born Moscow boyars, who, if necessary, would provide him with political support, to announce the boy-tsar’s coming of age and, as a result, his ability to rule independently, and to distract his son from his German mistress, Anna Mons. The Tsarevich did not love his wife and very quickly left her alone, although from this marriage Tsarevich Alexei, the future heir of the emperor, was born.

The beginning of independent rule and the struggle with Sophia

In 1689, another conflict broke out between Sophia and Peter, who wanted to rule independently. At first, the archers, led by Fyodor Shaklovit, sided with Sophia, but Peter managed to turn the situation around and forced Sophia to retreat. She went to the monastery, Shaklovity was executed, and the elder brother Ivan fully recognized the younger brother’s right to the throne, although nominally, until his death in 1696, he remained a co-ruler. From 1689 to 1696 year Affairs in the state were handled by the government formed by Tsarina Natalia. The tsar himself completely “devoted himself” to his favorite activities - the creation of an army and navy.

The first independent years of reign and the final destruction of Sophia's supporters

Since 1696, Peter began to rule independently, choosing to continue the war with the Ottoman Empire as a priority. In 1695 and 1696, he undertook two campaigns with the goal of capturing the Turkish fortress of Azov on the Sea of ​​Azov (Peter deliberately abandoned campaigns in the Crimea, believing that his army was not yet strong enough). In 1695, it was not possible to take the fortress, but in 1696, after more thorough preparation and the creation of a river fleet, the fortress was taken. So Peter received the first port on the southern sea. In the same year, 1696, another fortress was founded on the Sea of ​​Azov, Taganrog, which would become an outpost for Russian forces preparing to attack Crimea from the sea.

However, an attack on Crimea meant war with the Ottomans, and the tsar understood that he still did not have enough strength for such a campaign. That is why he began to intensively search for allies who would support him in this war. For this purpose, he organized the so-called “Great Embassy” (1697-1698).

The official goal of the embassy, ​​which was headed by F. Lefort, was to establish connections with Europe and train minors, the unofficial goal was to conclude military alliances against the Omani Empire. The king also went with an embassy, ​​albeit incognito. He visited several German principalities, Holland, England and Austria. The official goals were achieved, but it was not possible to find allies for the war with the Ottomans.

Peter intended to visit Venice and the Vatican, but in 1698, an uprising of the Streltsy, incited by Sophia, began in Moscow, and Peter was forced to return to his homeland. The Streltsy uprising was brutally suppressed by him. Sophia was tonsured into a monastery. Peter also sent his wife, Evdokia Lopukhina, to a monastery in Suzdal, but she was not tonsured as a nun, since Patriarch Adrian opposed this.

Empire building. Northern War and expansion to the South

In 1698, Peter completely disbanded the Streltsy army and created 4 regular regiments, which became the basis of his new army. Such an army did not yet exist in Russia, but the tsar needed it, since he was going to start a war for access to the Baltic Sea. The Elector of Saxony, the ruler of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Danish king proposed to Peter to fight Sweden, the then hegemon of Europe. They needed a weak Sweden, and Peter needed access to the sea and convenient harbors for building a fleet. The reason for the war was the alleged insult inflicted on the king in Riga.

First stage of the war

The beginning of the war cannot be called successful. On November 19 (30), 1700, the Russian army was defeated near Narva. Then Charles XII, king of Sweden, defeated the allies. Peter did not back down, drew conclusions and reorganized the army and rear, carrying out reforms according to the European model. They immediately bore fruit:

• 1702 – capture of Noteburg;
• 1703 - capture of Nyenskans; the beginning of construction of St. Petersburg and Kronstadt;
• 1704 – capture of Dorpat and Narva

In 1706 Charles XII, confident in his victory after strengthening the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, began to break through to the south of Russia, where he was promised support by the Hetman of Ukraine I. Mazepa. But the battle near the village of Lesnoy (the Russian army was led by Al. Menshikov) deprived the Swedish army of forage and ammunition. Most likely, it was this fact, as well as the leadership talent of Peter I, that led to the complete defeat of the Swedes near Poltava.

The Swedish king fled to Turkey, where he wanted to gain the support of the Turkish Sultan. Turkey intervened, and as a result of the unsuccessful Prut campaign (1711), Russia was forced to return Azov to Turkey and abandon Taganrog. The loss was difficult for Russia, but peace was concluded with Turkey. This was followed by victories in the Baltic:

• 1714 - victory at Cape Gangut (in 1718 Charles XII died and peace negotiations began);
• 1721 - victory at Grenham Island.

In 1721, the Peace of Nystadt was concluded, according to which Russia received:

• access to the Baltic;
• Karelia, Estland, Livonia, Ingria (but Russia had to give Sweden the conquered Finland).

In the same year, Peter the Great proclaimed Russia an Empire, and gave himself the title of Emperor (moreover, in a short time this new title of Peter I of Moscow Tsar was recognized by all European powers: who could challenge the decision made by the most powerful ruler of Europe at that time?).

In 1722 - 1723, Peter the Great undertook the Caspian Campaign, which ended with the signing of the Treaty of Constantinople with Turkey (1724), which recognized Russia's right to the western shores of the Caspian Sea. The same agreement was signed with Persia.

Domestic policy of Peter I. Reforms

From 1700 to 1725, Peter the Great carried out reforms that in one way or another affected every sphere of life of the Russian state. The most significant of them:

Finance and trade:

It can be said that it was Peter the Great who created the industry of Russia, opening state-owned and helping to create private manufactories throughout the country;

Army:

• 1696 - the beginning of the creation of the Russian fleet (Peter did everything to ensure that the Russian fleet became the strongest in the world in 20 years);
• 1705 – introduction of conscription (creation of a regular army);
• 1716 – creation of Military Regulations;

Church:

• 1721 – abolition of the patriarchate, creation of the Synod, creation of the Spiritual Regulations (the church in Russia was completely subordinate to the state);

Internal management:

Noble law:

• 1714 - decree on single inheritance (prohibition to split up noble estates, which led to the strengthening of noble land ownership).

Family and personal life

After his divorce from Evdokia Lopukhina, Peter married (in 1712) his longtime mistress Catherine (Martha Skavronskaya), with whom he had been in a relationship since 1702 and with whom he already had several children (including Anna, the mother of the future Emperor Peter III, and Elizabeth , the future Russian empress). He crowned her king, making her empress and co-ruler.

Peter had a difficult relationship with his eldest son, Tsarevich Alexei, which led to treason, abdication and the death of the former in 1718. In 1722, the emperor issues a decree on succession to the throne, which states that the emperor has the right to appoint his own heir. The only male heir in the direct line was the grandson of the emperor - Peter (son of Tsarevich Alexei). But who would take the throne after the death of Peter the Great remained unknown until the end of the emperor’s life.

Peter had a stern character and was quick-tempered, but the fact that he was a bright and extraordinary personality can be judged from photographs taken from the emperor’s lifetime portraits.

Almost all his life, Peter the Great suffered from kidney stones and uremia. From several attacks that occurred between 1711-1720, he could well have died.

In 1724-1725, the disease intensified and the emperor suffered from terrible attacks of pain. In the fall of 1724, Peter caught a bad cold (he stood in cold water for a long time, helping sailors save a stranded boat), and the pain became continuous. In January, the emperor fell ill, on the 22nd he confessed and took his last communion, and on the 28th, after a long and painful agony (the photo of Peter I, taken from the painting “The Emperor on his Deathbed”, proves this fact), Peter the Great died in the Winter Palace of St. -Petersburg.

Doctors diagnosed pneumonia, and after an autopsy it became clear that the emperor had developed gangrene after the urinary canal finally narrowed and became clogged with stones.

The emperor was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. His reign is over.

On January 28, with the support of A. Menshikov, Ekaterina Alekseevna, the second wife of Peter the Great, became empress.

Biography, life story of Peter I

Peter I the Great (Peter Alekseevich) is the last Tsar of All Rus' from the Romanov dynasty (since 1682) and the first All-Russian Emperor (since 1721).

The early years of Peter. 1672-1689

Peter was born on the night of May 30 (June 9), 1672 (in 7180 according to the then-accepted calendar “from the creation of the world”). The exact place of Peter's birth is unknown; Some historians indicated the Kremlin's Terem Palace as his birthplace, and according to folk tales, Peter was born in the village of Kolomenskoye, and Izmailovo was also indicated.

The father, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, had numerous offspring: Peter I was the 14th child, but the first from his second wife, Tsarina Natalya Naryshkina. June 29, St. Day Apostles Peter and Paul, the prince was baptized in the Miracle Monastery (according to other sources in the Church of Gregory of Neocaesarea, in Derbitsy), by Archpriest Andrei Savinov and named Peter.

Education

After spending a year with the queen, he was given to nannies to raise. In the 4th year of Peter’s life, in 1676, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich died. The Tsarevich's guardian was his half-brother, godfather and new Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich. Peter received a poor education, and until the end of his life he wrote with errors, using a poor vocabulary. This was due to the fact that the then Patriarch of Moscow, Joachim, as part of the fight against “Latinization” and “foreign influence”, removed from the royal court the students of Simeon of Polotsk, who taught Peter’s older brothers, and insisted that less educated clerks would teach Peter. N. M. Zotov and A. Nesterov. In addition, Peter did not have the opportunity to receive an education from a university graduate or from a high school teacher, since neither universities nor secondary schools existed in the Moscow state during Peter’s childhood, and among the classes of Russian society only clerks, clerks and higher clergy were trained literacy The clerks taught Peter to read and write from 1676 to 1680. Peter was later able to compensate for the shortcomings of his basic education with rich practical training.

CONTINUED BELOW

On April 27 (May 7), 1682, after 6 years of reign, the sickly Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich died. The question arose of who should inherit the throne: the older, sickly Ivan, according to custom, or the young Peter. Having secured the support of Patriarch Joachim, the Naryshkins and their supporters enthroned Peter on April 27 (May 7), 1682. In fact, the Naryshkin clan came to power and Artamon Matveev, summoned from exile, was declared the “great guardian.”

This gave impetus to the start of the Streletsky revolt. Natalya Kirillovna, hoping to calm the rioters, together with the patriarch and boyars, led Peter and his brother to the Red Porch. The consequence of the horrors of the Streltsy demonstrations was Peter's illness: with strong excitement, he began to have convulsive facial movements. However, the uprising was not over. On May 26, elected officials from the Streltsy regiments came to the palace and demanded that the elder Ivan be recognized as the first tsar, and the younger Peter as the second. Fearing a repetition of the pogrom, the boyars agreed, and Patriarch Joachim immediately performed a solemn prayer service in the Assumption Cathedral for the health of the two named kings; and on June 25 he crowned them kings.

On May 29, the archers insisted that Princess Sofya Alekseevna take over control of the state due to the minor age of her brothers.

In the Kremlin Armory, a two-seat throne for young kings with a small window in the back was preserved, through which Princess Sophia and her entourage told them how to behave and what to say during palace ceremonies.

Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna was supposed to, together with her son Peter - the second Tsar - retire from the court to a palace near Moscow in the village of Preobrazhenskoye. At this time, in the biography of Peter 1, interest in military activities arose; he created “amusing” regiments. He is interested in firearms, shipbuilding, and spends a lot of time in the German suburbs.

First marriage of Peter I

The German settlement was the closest “neighbor” of the village of Preobrazhenskoye, and Peter had been keeping an eye on its curious life for a long time. More and more foreigners at the court of Tsar Peter, such as Franz Timmermann and Karsten Brandt, came from the German Settlement. All this imperceptibly led to the fact that the tsar became a frequent visitor to the settlement, where he soon turned out to be a big fan of relaxed foreign life. Peter lit a German pipe, began attending German parties with dancing and drinking, met Patrick Gordon, Franz Lefort - Peter's future associates, and started an affair with Anna Mons. Peter's mother strictly opposed this. In order to bring her 17-year-old son to reason, Natalya Kirillovna decided to marry him to Evdokia Lopukhina, the daughter of a okolnichy.

Peter did not contradict his mother, and on January 27, 1689, the wedding of the “junior” tsar took place. However, less than a month later, Peter left his wife and went to Lake Pleshcheyevo for several days. From this marriage, Peter had two sons: the eldest, Alexei, was heir to the throne until 1718, the youngest, Alexander, died in infancy.

Accession of Peter I

Peter's activity greatly worried Princess Sophia, who understood that with the coming of age of her half-brother, she would have to give up power.

On July 8, 1689, on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the first public conflict occurred between the matured Peter and the Ruler. On that day, according to custom, a religious procession was held from the Kremlin to the Kazan Cathedral. At the end of the mass, Peter approached his sister and announced that she should not dare to go along with the men in the procession. Sophia accepted the challenge: she took the image of the Most Holy Theotokos in her hands and went to get the crosses and banners. Unprepared for such an outcome, Peter left the move.

In August 1689, Princess Sophia tried to turn the archers against Peter, but most of the troops obeyed the rightful king, and Princess Sophia had to admit defeat. She herself went to the Trinity Monastery, but in the village of Vozdvizhenskoye she was met by Peter’s envoys with orders to return to Moscow. Soon Sophia was imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent under strict supervision.

The elder brother, Tsar Ivan (or John), met Peter at the Assumption Cathedral and actually gave him all power. Since 1689, he did not take part in the reign, although until his death on January 29 (February 8), 1696, he continued to be a co-tsar. At first, Peter himself took little part in the board, giving powers to the Naryshkin family.

Azov campaigns. 1695-1696

The priority of Peter I's activities in the first years of autocracy was the continuation of the war with the Ottoman Empire and Crimea. Peter I decided, instead of campaigning against the Crimea, undertaken during the reign of Princess Sophia, to strike at the Turkish fortress of Azov.
The first Azov campaign, which began in the spring of 1695, ended unsuccessfully in September of the same year due to the lack of a fleet and the unwillingness of the Russian army to operate far from supply bases. However, already in the fall of 1695, preparations for a new campaign began. Peter I took part in the siege with the rank of captain on a galley. Without waiting for the assault, on July 19, 1696, the fortress surrendered. Thus, Russia's first access to the southern seas was opened.

However, Peter failed to gain access to the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait: he remained under the control of the Ottoman Empire. To finance the construction of the fleet, new types of taxes are introduced. At this time, the first signs of dissatisfaction with Peter's activities appear. In the summer of 1699, the first large Russian ship “Fortress” (46-gun) took the Russian ambassador to Constantinople for peace negotiations. The very existence of such a ship persuaded the Sultan to conclude peace in July 1700, which left the Azov fortress behind Russia.

During the construction of the fleet and the reorganization of the army, Peter was forced to rely on foreign specialists. Having completed the Azov campaigns, he decides to send young nobles to study abroad, and soon he himself sets off on his first trip to Europe.

Grand Embassy. 1697-1698

In March 1697, the Grand Embassy was sent to Western Europe through Livonia, the main purpose of which was to find allies against the Ottoman Empire. In total, up to 250 people entered the embassy, ​​among whom, under the name of the sergeant of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Peter Mikhailov, was Tsar Peter I himself. For the first time, a Russian Tsar undertook a trip outside the borders of his state.

Peter visited Riga, Koenigsberg, Brandenburg, Holland, England, Austria, and a visit to Venice and the Pope was planned.

The embassy recruited several hundred shipbuilding specialists to Russia and purchased military and other equipment.

In addition to negotiations, Peter devoted a lot of time to studying shipbuilding, military affairs and other sciences. Peter worked as a carpenter at the shipyards of the East India Company, and with the participation of the Tsar, the ship “Peter and Paul” was built. In England, he visited a foundry, an arsenal, parliament, Oxford University, the Greenwich Observatory and the Mint, of which Isaac Newton was the caretaker at that time. He was primarily interested in the technical achievements of Western countries, and not in the legal system. They say that having visited Westminster Hall, Peter saw there “lawyers”, that is, barristers, in their robes and wigs. He asked: “What kind of people are these and what are they doing here?”. They answered him: “These are all lawyers, Your Majesty.” “Legalists! - Peter was surprised. - What are they for? In my entire kingdom there are only two lawyers, and I plan to hang one of them when I return home.”. True, having visited the English Parliament incognito, where the speeches of the deputies before King William III were translated for him, the Tsar said: “It’s fun to hear when the sons of the patronymic tell the king the obvious truth; this is something we should learn from the English.”.

Return. Crucial years for Russia 1698-1700

In July 1698, the Grand Embassy was interrupted by news of a new Streltsy rebellion in Moscow, which was suppressed even before Peter’s arrival. Upon the tsar’s arrival in Moscow (August 25), a search and inquiry began, the result of which was the one-time execution of about 800 archers (except for those executed during the suppression of the riot), and subsequently several hundred more until the spring of 1699. Princess Sophia and Peter's unloved wife, Evdokia Lopukhina, were tonsured as nuns and sent to a monastery.

During his 15 months abroad, Peter saw a lot and learned a lot. After the return of the tsar on August 25, 1698, his transformative activities began, aimed first at changing the external signs that distinguished the Old Slavic way of life from the Western European one. In the Preobrazhensky Palace, Peter suddenly began cutting off the beards of nobles, and already on August 29, 1698, the famous decree was issued “On wearing German dress, on shaving beards and mustaches, on schismatics walking around in the attire specified for them”, who banned the wearing of beards from September 1.

The new year 7208 according to the Russian-Byzantine calendar (“from the creation of the world”) became the 1700th year according to the Julian calendar. Peter also introduced the celebration on January 1 of the New Year, and not on the day of the autumn equinox, as was previously celebrated. His special decree stated:
“Since people in Russia count the New Year differently, from now on, stop fooling people and count the New Year everywhere from the first of January. And as a sign of good beginnings and fun, congratulate each other on the New Year, wishing prosperity in business and in the family. In honor of the New Year, make decorations from fir trees, amuse children, and ride down the mountains on sleds. But adults shouldn’t commit drunkenness and massacres - there are enough other days for that.”

Creation of the Russian Empire. 1700-1724

To develop trade, access to the Baltic Sea was required. So the next stage of the reign of Peter 1 was the war with Sweden. Having made peace with Turkey, he captured the fortress of Noteburg and Nyenschanz. In May 1703, construction of St. Petersburg began. In the next one, Narva and Dorpat were taken. In June 1709, Sweden was defeated in the Battle of Poltava. Soon after the death of Charles XII, peace was concluded between Russia and Sweden. New lands were annexed to Russia, and access to the Baltic Sea was gained.

After the victory in the Northern War and the conclusion of the Peace of Nystadt in September 1721, the Senate and Synod decided to present Peter with the title of Emperor of All Russia. The population of the Russian Empire amounted to up to 15 million subjects and was second in Europe only to France (about 20 million).

Also during his reign, Kamchatka was annexed and the shores of the Caspian Sea were conquered. Peter 1 carried out military reform several times. It mainly concerned the collection of money for the maintenance of the army and navy, and was carried out by force.

Transformations of Peter I

All of Peter’s internal state activities can be divided into two periods: 1695-1715 and 1715-1725.
The peculiarity of the first stage was haste and not always thought out, which was explained by the conduct of the Northern War. In the second period, reforms were more systematic.

Peter carried out a reform of public administration, transformations in the army, a navy was created, and a reform of church government was carried out, aimed at eliminating the church jurisdiction autonomous from the state and subordinating the Russian church hierarchy to the Emperor. Financial reform was also carried out, and measures were taken to develop industry and trade.
After returning from the Great Embassy, ​​Peter I waged a struggle against the external manifestations of an “outdated” way of life (the ban on beards is most famous), but no less paid attention to introducing the nobility to education and secular Europeanized culture. Secular educational institutions began to appear, the first Russian newspaper was founded, and translations of many books into Russian appeared. Peter made success in service for the nobles dependent on education.

Peter was clearly aware of the need for enlightenment, and took a number of decisive measures to this end. The goals of mass education were to be served by digital schools created by decree of 1714 in provincial cities, designed to “teach children of all ranks to read and write, numbers and geometry”. It was planned to create two such schools in each province, where education was to be free. Garrison schools were opened for soldiers' children, and a network of theological schools was created for the training of priests in 1721. Peter's decrees introduced compulsory education for nobles and clergy, but a similar measure for the urban population met fierce resistance and was cancelled. Peter's attempt to create an all-estate primary school failed (the creation of a network of schools ceased after his death; most of the digital schools under his successors were repurposed as estate schools for training the clergy), but nevertheless, during his reign the foundations were laid for the spread of education in Russia.

Peter created new printing houses, in which 1,312 book titles were printed between 1700 and 1725 (twice as many as in the entire previous history of Russian printing).

There have been changes in the Russian language, which included 4.5 thousand new words borrowed from European languages.

In 1724, Peter approved the charter of the organized Academy of Sciences (opened in 1725 after his death).

Of particular importance was the construction of stone Petersburg, in which foreign architects took part and which was carried out according to the plan developed by the tsar. He created a new urban environment with previously unfamiliar forms of life and pastime (theater, masquerades). The interior decoration of houses, lifestyle, food composition, etc. have changed.

By a special decree of the tsar in 1718, assemblies were introduced, representing a new form of communication between people in Russia.

The reforms carried out by Peter I affected not only politics, economics, but also art. Peter invited foreign artists to Russia and at the same time sent talented young people to study “art” abroad. In the second quarter of the 18th century. “Peter’s pensioners” began to return to Russia, bringing with them new artistic experience and acquired skills.

On December 30, 1701 (January 10, 1702) Peter issued a decree, which ordered that full names should be written in petitions and other documents instead of derogatory half-names (Ivashka, Senka, etc.), not to fall on your knees before the Tsar, and a hat in winter in the cold Do not take pictures in front of the house where the king is. He explained the need for these innovations as follows: “Less baseness, more zeal for service and loyalty to me and the state - this honor is characteristic of a king...”

Peter tried to change the position of women in Russian society. By special decrees (1700, 1702 and 1724) he prohibited forced marriage. It was prescribed that there should be a period of at least six weeks between betrothal and wedding, “so that the bride and groom can recognize each other”. If during this time, the decree said, “The groom doesn’t want to take the bride, or the bride doesn’t want to marry the groom,” no matter how the parents insist on it, “there will be freedom in that”. Since 1702, the bride herself (and not just her relatives) was given the formal right to dissolve the betrothal and upset the arranged marriage, and neither party had the right to “beat the forfeit.” Legislative regulations 1696-1704. on public celebrations, mandatory participation in celebrations and festivities was introduced for all Russians, including the “female sex.”

In general, Peter's reforms were aimed at strengthening the state and introducing the elite to European culture while simultaneously strengthening absolutism. During the reforms, the technical and economic lag of Russia from a number of other European countries was overcome, access to the Baltic Sea was won, and transformations were carried out in many spheres of life of Russian society. Gradually, a different system of values, worldview, and aesthetic ideas took shape among the nobility, which was radically different from the values ​​and worldview of the majority of representatives of other classes. At the same time, the popular forces were extremely exhausted, the preconditions were created (Decree on Succession to the Throne) for a crisis of supreme power, which led to the “era of palace coups.”

Orders

1698 - Order of the Garter (England) - the order was awarded to Peter during the Great Embassy for diplomatic reasons, but Peter refused the award.

1703 - Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (Russia) - for the capture of two Swedish ships at the mouth of the Neva.

1712 - Order of the White Eagle (Rzeczpospolita) - in response to the awarding of the King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Augustus II with the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

1713 - Order of the Elephant (Denmark) - for success in the Northern War.

Character

Peter I combined practical ingenuity and dexterity, gaiety, and apparent straightforwardness with spontaneous impulses in the expression of both affection and anger, and sometimes with unbridled cruelty.
In his youth, Peter indulged in crazy drunken orgies with his comrades. In anger, he could beat those close to him. He chose “notable persons” and “old boyars” as victims of his evil jokes - as Prince Kurakin reports, “fat people were dragged through chairs where it was impossible to stand, many had their dresses torn off and left naked...”. The All-Joking, All-Drunken and Extraordinary Council that he created was engaged in mockery of everything that was valued and revered in society as primordial everyday or moral-religious foundations. He personally acted as executioner during the execution of participants in the Streltsy uprising.
During the fighting on the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on July 11, 1705, Peter attended vespers in the Basilian monastery in Polotsk. After one of the Basilians called Josaphat Kuntsevich, who was oppressing the Orthodox population, a holy martyr, the king ordered the monks to be seized. The Basilians tried to resist and four of them were hacked to death. The next day, Peter ordered the hanging of a monk who was distinguished by his sermons directed against the Russians.

Family of Peter I

For the first time, Peter married at the age of 17, at the insistence of his mother, to Evdokia Lopukhina in 1689. A year later, Tsarevich Alexei was born to them, who was raised by his mother in concepts alien to Peter’s reform activities. The remaining children of Peter and Evdokia died soon after birth. In 1698, Evdokia Lopukhina became involved in the Streltsy revolt and was exiled to a monastery.

Alexei Petrovich, the official heir to the Russian throne, condemned his father's reforms, and eventually fled to Vienna under the patronage of his wife's relative (Charlotte of Brunswick), Emperor Charles VI, where he sought support in the overthrow of Peter I. In 1717, the prince was persuaded to return home, where he was taken into custody. On June 24 (July 5), 1718, the Supreme Court, consisting of 127 people, sentenced Alexei to death, finding him guilty of treason. On June 26 (July 7), 1718, the prince, without waiting for the sentence to be carried out, died in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

From his marriage to Princess Charlotte of Brunswick, Tsarevich Alexei left a son, Peter Alekseevich (1715-1730), who became Emperor Peter II in 1727, and a daughter, Natalya Alekseevna (1714-1728).

In 1703, Peter I met 19-year-old Katerina, whose maiden name was Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya, captured by Russian troops as booty during the capture of the Swedish fortress of Marienburg. Peter took a former maid from the Baltic peasants from Alexander Menshikov and made her his mistress. In 1704, Katerina gave birth to her first child, named Peter, and the following year, Paul (both died soon after). Even before her legal marriage to Peter, Katerina gave birth to daughters Anna (1708) and Elizabeth (1709). Elizabeth later became empress (reigned 1741-1761).
Katerina alone could cope with the king in his fits of anger; she knew how to calm Peter’s attacks of convulsive headaches with affection and patient attention. The sound of Katerina's voice calmed Peter; then she:
“she sat him down and took him, caressing him, by the head, which she lightly scratched. This had a magical effect on him; he fell asleep within a few minutes. So as not to disturb his sleep, she held his head on her chest, sitting motionless for two or three hours. After that, he woke up completely fresh and cheerful.”

The official wedding of Peter I and Ekaterina Alekseevna took place on February 19, 1712, shortly after returning from the Prut campaign. In 1724 Peter crowned Catherine as empress and co-regent. Ekaterina Alekseevna bore her husband 11 children, but most of them died in childhood, except for Anna and Elizaveta.

Death of Peter

In the last years of his reign, Peter was very ill (presumably from kidney stones complicated by uremia). In the summer of 1724, his illness intensified; in September he felt better, but after a while the attacks intensified. In October, Peter went to inspect the Ladoga Canal, contrary to the advice of his physician Blumentrost. From Olonets, Peter traveled to Staraya Russa and in November traveled by water to St. Petersburg. Near Lakhta, he had to stand waist-deep in water to save a boat with soldiers that had run aground. The attacks of the disease intensified, but Peter, not paying attention to them, continued to engage in government affairs. On January 17, 1725, he had such a bad time that he ordered a camp church to be erected in the room next to his bedroom, and on January 22 he confessed. The patient’s strength began to leave him; he no longer screamed, as before, from severe pain, but only moaned.

On January 27 (February 7), all those sentenced to death or hard labor (excluding murderers and those convicted of repeated robbery) were amnestied. That same day, at the end of the second hour, Peter demanded paper and began to write, but the pen fell out of his hands, and only two words could be made out from what was written: "Give it all...". The Tsar then ordered his daughter Anna Petrovna to be called so that she could write under his dictation, but when she arrived, Peter had already fallen into oblivion.

When it became obvious that the emperor was dying, the question arose as to who would take Peter's place. The Senate, the Synod and the generals - all institutions that did not have the formal right to control the fate of the throne, even before Peter's death, gathered on the night of January 27-28, 1725 to resolve the issue of Peter the Great's successor. Guards officers entered the meeting room, two guards regiments entered the square, and to the drumbeat of troops withdrawn by the party of Ekaterina Alekseevna and Menshikov, the Senate made a unanimous decision by 4 o'clock in the morning on January 28. By decision of the Senate, the throne was inherited by Peter's wife, Ekaterina Alekseevna, who became the first Russian empress on January 28 (February 8), 1725 under the name Catherine I.

At the beginning of six o'clock in the morning on January 28 (February 8), 1725, Peter the Great died in his Winter Palace near the Winter Canal, according to the official version, from pneumonia. He was buried in the Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.