Where was Peter the Great born? The main dates of the life and work of Peter the Great. Tsar Peter I
Peter I - the youngest son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from his second marriage with Natalya Naryshkina - was born on May 30, 1672. As a child, Peter was educated at home, knew German from a young age, then studied Dutch, English and French. With the help of palace masters (carpentry, turning, weapons, blacksmithing, etc.). The future emperor was physically strong, agile, inquisitive and capable, had a good memory.
In April 1682, Peter was enthroned after the death of a childless man, bypassing his older half-brother Ivan. However, the sister of Peter and Ivan - and the relatives of Alexei Mikhailovich's first wife - the Miloslavskys used the Streltsy uprising in Moscow for a palace coup. In May 1682, the supporters and relatives of the Naryshkins were killed or exiled, Ivan was declared the "senior" tsar, and Peter the "junior" tsar under the ruler Sophia.
Under Sophia, Peter lived in the village of Preobrazhensky near Moscow. Here, from his peers, Peter formed "amusing regiments" - the future imperial guard. In those same years, the prince met the son of the court groom Alexander Menshikov, who later became the "right hand" of the emperor.
In the second half of the 1680s, clashes began between Peter and Sofya Alekseevna, who were striving for autocracy. In August 1689, having received news that Sophia was preparing a palace coup, Peter hastily left Preobrazhensky for the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, where troops loyal to him and his supporters arrived. Armed detachments of nobles, gathered by the messengers of Peter I, surrounded Moscow, Sophia was removed from power and imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent, her close associates were exiled or executed.
After the death of Ivan Alekseevich (1696), Peter I became an autocratic tsar.
Possessing a strong will, purposefulness and great capacity for work, Peter I throughout his life replenished his knowledge and skills in various fields, paying special attention to military and naval affairs. In 1689-1693, under the guidance of the Dutch master Timmerman and the Russian master Kartsev, Peter I learned to build ships on Lake Pereslavl. In 1697-1698, during his first trip abroad, he completed a full course in artillery sciences in Koenigsberg, worked as a carpenter at the shipyards of Amsterdam (Holland) for six months, studying ship architecture and drawing plans, and completed a theoretical course in shipbuilding in England.
By order of Peter I, books, instruments, weapons were purchased abroad, foreign craftsmen and scientists were invited. Peter I met with Leibniz, Newton and other scientists, in 1717 he was elected an honorary member of the Paris Academy of Sciences.
During the reign of Peter I carried out major reforms aimed at overcoming the backwardness of Russia from the advanced countries of the West. Transformations touched all spheres of public life. Peter I expanded the landlords' property rights over the property and personality of serfs, replaced the household taxation of peasants with poll tax, issued a decree on the possession of peasants, who were allowed to be acquired by the owners of manufactories, practiced the mass registration of state and yasak peasants to state and private factories, the mobilization of peasants and townspeople into the army and for the construction of cities, fortresses, canals, etc. The decree on uniform inheritance (1714) equalized estates and estates, giving their owners the right to transfer real estate to one of the sons, and thereby secured noble ownership of land. The Table of Ranks (1722) established the order of rank in the military and civil service not according to nobility, but according to personal abilities and merit.
Peter I contributed to the rise of the country's productive forces, encouraged the development of domestic manufactories, means of communication, domestic and foreign trade.
The reforms of the state apparatus under Peter I were an important step towards the transformation of the Russian autocracy of the 17th century into the bureaucratic-noble monarchy of the 18th century with its bureaucracy and service classes. The place of the Boyar Duma was taken by the Senate (1711), boards were established instead of orders (1718), the control apparatus was represented first by "fiscals" (1711), and then by prosecutors headed by the prosecutor general. Instead of the patriarchate, the Spiritual College, or Synod, was established, which was under the control of the government. Administrative reform was of great importance. In 1708-1709, instead of counties, voivodships and governorships, 8 (then 10) provinces headed by governors were established. In 1719, the provinces were divided into 47 provinces.
As a military leader, Peter I is among the most educated and talented builders of the armed forces, commanders and naval commanders of Russian and world history of the eighteenth century. His whole life's work was to strengthen the military power of Russia and increase its role in the international arena. He had to continue the war with Turkey, which began in 1686, to wage a long-term struggle for Russia's access to the sea in the North and South. As a result of the Azov campaigns (1695-1696), Azov was occupied by Russian troops, and Russia fortified on the shores of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. In the long Northern War (1700-1721), Russia under the leadership of Peter I achieved a complete victory, gained access to the Baltic Sea, which gave it the opportunity to establish direct ties with Western countries. After the Persian campaign (1722-1723), the western coast of the Caspian Sea with the cities of Derbent and Baku went to Russia.
Under Peter I, for the first time in the history of Russia, permanent diplomatic missions and consulates abroad were established, outdated forms of diplomatic relations and etiquette were abolished.
Major reforms were also carried out by Peter I in the field of culture and education. A secular school appeared, the monopoly of the clergy on education was eliminated. Peter I founded the Pushkar School (1699), the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences (1701), the Medical and Surgical School; the first Russian public theater was opened. In St. Petersburg, the Naval Academy (1715), engineering and artillery schools (1719), schools of translators at collegiums were established, the first Russian museum, the Kunstkamera (1719) with a public library, was opened. In 1700, a new calendar was introduced with the beginning of the year on January 1 (instead of September 1) and the reckoning from the "Christmas", and not from the "Creation of the World".
By order of Peter I, various expeditions were carried out, including to Central Asia, the Far East, Siberia, and a systematic study of the country's geography and mapping was laid.
Peter I was married twice: to Evdokia Feodorovna Lopukhina and to Marta Skavronskaya (later Empress Catherine I); had a son from his first marriage Alexei and from the second - daughters Anna and Elizabeth (besides them, 8 children of Peter I died in early childhood).
Peter I died in 1725 and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
The personality of Peter 1 is associated with many important historical events for our state.
It is not surprising that almost every fact from the life and work of Peter 1 becomes the object of a heated debate among historians: which of the known facts about this extraordinary person is reliable, and which is fiction? Important facts of the biography of Peter 1 have come down to us, they reveal all his positive and negative sides, both the king and the common man. Important facts are the facts of the activities of Peter I, who left a serious mark on the history of the Russian Empire. Interesting facts about Peter 1 made up more than one volume of scientific research and filled the pages of numerous popular publications.
1. The great Russian Tsar, and later the Emperor, Peter 1 ascended the throne on August 18, 1682, and since then his long period of reign begins. Peter I successfully ruled the country for more than 43 years.
2.Peter 1 became Tsar of Russia in 1682. And since 1721 - Great Peter - the first Russian Emperor.
3. There is hardly a more controversial and mysterious figure among the Russian emperors than Peter the Great. This ruler has established himself as a talented, energetic and at the same time ruthless statesman.
4. Having ascended the Russian throne, Peter 1 managed to bring a backward and patriarchal country into the ranks of European leaders. His role in the history of our Motherland is invaluable, and life is full of amazing events.
5. Emperor Peter the Great, who deserved this title due to the outstanding role he played in the history of Russia, was born on May 30 (June 9), 1672. The parents of the future emperor were Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, who ruled in those years, and his second wife, Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina.
6. All the previous children of his father were deprived of health by nature, while Peter grew up strong and never knew illness. This even gave rise to evil tongues to question the paternity of Alexei Mikhailovich.
7. When the boy was 4 years old, his father died, and the empty throne was taken by his elder brother, the son of Alexei Mikhailovich from his first marriage with Maria Ilinichnaya Miloslavskaya ─ Fedor Alekseevich, who went down in national history as the sovereign of All Rus' Fedor III.
Fedor Alekseevich
8. As a result of his accession, Peter's mother largely lost her influence at court and was forced, together with her son, to leave the capital, to go to the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow.
Peter 1 in childhood
9. In Preobrazhensky, the childhood and youth of Peter 1 passed, who, unlike the heirs of European thrones, from an early age surrounded by the most outstanding teachers of his time, was educated by communicating with semi-literate uncles. However, the gap in knowledge, inevitable in such cases, was compensated by the abundance of his innate talents.
10. During this period, the sovereign could not live without noisy games, to which he devoted most of his day. He could get so carried away that he refused to stop for food and drink.
Peter 1 becomes king at the age of 10 - 1682
11. It was in childhood that the king made friends with someone who throughout his life would be his devoted companion and confidant. We are talking about Alexander Menshikov, who participated in all the childish amusements of the future emperor. Interestingly, the ruler was absolutely not embarrassed by the lack of a good education from a statesman.
12. As for his personal life. At the age of 17, Peter, having taken it as a habit to visit the German Quarter, started an affair with Anna Mons, his mother, in order to break the relationship she hated, forcibly married her son to the daughter of the roundabout Evdokia Lopukhina.
13. This marriage, which the young people entered into under duress, turned out to be extremely unhappy, especially for Evdokia, whom Peter eventually ordered to be tonsured as a nun. Perhaps it was precisely the remorse of conscience that forced him to subsequently issue a decree forbidding the marriage of girls without their consent.
14. As you know, the king was married twice. His first wife was a girl of noble birth, while the second was a peasant daughter. Catherine I - the second wife of Peter was of low birth.
15. Empress Catherine was actually called Martha Samuilovna Skavronskaya. The mother and father of the empress were simple Livonian peasants, and she herself managed to work hard as a laundress. Marta was blonde from birth, she dyed her hair dark all her life. Such a low origin of the wife did not matter to the ruler. Catherine I is the first woman whom the Emperor fell in love with. The king often discussed important state affairs with her and listened to her advice.
16. The first who riveted skates to shoes was Peter the Great. The fact is that earlier skates were simply tied to shoes with ropes and straps. And the idea of skates, now familiar to us, attached to the soles of boots, Peter I brought from Holland during his trip to Western countries.
17. In order for the fighters of his troops to distinguish between the right and left sides, the king ordered hay to be tied to their left foot, and straw to their right. The sergeant-major during drill training gave commands: “hay - straw, hay - straw”, then the company printed a step. Meanwhile, among many European peoples, three centuries ago, the concepts of "right" and "left" were distinguished only by educated people. The peasants did not know how.
18. From Holland, Peter I brought many interesting things to Russia. Among them are tulips. The bulbs of these plants appeared in Russia in 1702. The reformer was so fascinated by the plants growing in the palace gardens that he established a "garden office" specifically for extracting overseas flowers.
19. In the time of Peter, counterfeiters worked at the state mints as a punishment. Counterfeiters were calculated by the presence of "up to one ruble five altyns of silver money of one coinage." In those days, even state mints could not issue uniform money. And those who had them were a 100% counterfeiter. Peter decided to use this ability of criminals to produce uniform coins for the benefit of the state. The unfortunate criminal was sent as a punishment to one of the mints to mint coins there. So, in 1712 alone, thirteen such "craftsmen" were sent to the mints.
20. Peter I is a very interesting and controversial historical figure. By the way, the emphasis, which was made over the following centuries, was precisely on the physical features of the sovereign. It was largely due to the legend about its substitution, which allegedly occurred during a trip abroad to the countries of Western Europe (1697 ─ 1698). In those years, rumors stubbornly circulated, fueled by secret oppositionists, about his substitution during the trip of young Peter with the Great Embassy. So, contemporaries wrote that a young man of twenty-six years old, above average height, dense build, physically healthy, having a mole on his left cheek and wavy hair, well-educated, loving everything Russian, an Orthodox Christian, who knew the Bible by heart, and so on, was leaving with the embassy. . But two years later, a completely different person returned - practically speaking no Russian, hating everything Russian, never learning to write in Russian until the end of his life, forgetting everything he knew before leaving for the Grand Embassy and miraculously acquiring new skills and abilities . And finally, he changed dramatically in appearance. His height increased so much that he had to re-sew his entire wardrobe, and the mole on his left cheek disappeared without a trace. In general, when he returned to Moscow, he looked like a 40-year-old man, although by that time he was barely 28 years old. All this allegedly happened during the two years of Peter's absence in Russia.
21. If historical documents do not lie, the emperor had a height that many modern basketball players can envy - more than 2 meters.
22. With such a high growth, it is all the more surprising that he had a “modest” shoe size: 38th.
23. It is strange that the legendary ruler of the Russian Empire could not boast of a strong physique. As historians managed to find out, Peter 1 wore clothes of the 48th size. The descriptions of the appearance of the autocrat, left by his contemporaries, indicate that he was narrow-shouldered and had a disproportionately small head.
24. Tsar Peter 1 belonged to the number of fierce opponents of alcoholism. In 1714, Vladyka began to fight the drunkenness of his subjects with his usual humor. He came up with the idea of "rewarding" incorrigible alcoholics with medals. Perhaps world history did not know a heavier medal than the one that was invented by the joker emperor. Cast iron was used to create it, even without a chain, such a product weighed about 7 kg or even a little more. The award was presented at the police station where alcoholics were taken. She was hoisted around her neck using chains. Moreover, they were securely fixed, excluding self-removal. The awarded drunkard had to pass in this form for a week.
25. A number of quite obvious facts make us doubt the reliability of the fact that Peter 1 was tall. Having visited the museums of the country, the expositions of which present personal items, clothes (48 sizes!) And the sovereign's shoes, it is easy to make sure that they would be impossible to use if the growth of Peter 1 was really such a significant growth. They would just be small. The same idea is suggested by several of his surviving beds, on which, with a growth exceeding 2 m, one would have to sleep while sitting. By the way, authentic samples of the king's shoes allow us to determine the size of Peter 1's feet with absolute accuracy. So, it has been established that today he would buy shoes for himself ... size 39! Another argument that indirectly refutes the generally accepted idea of the growth of the king, can serve as a stuffed animal of his favorite horse Lisetta, presented in the St. Petersburg Zoological Museum. The horse was rather squat and would have been uncomfortable for a tall rider. And, finally, the last thing: could Peter 1 genetically achieve such a growth, if all of his ancestors, about whom there is fairly complete information, did not differ in special physical parameters?
26. What could give rise to the legend of the unique growth of the king? It has been scientifically proven that in the process of evolution over the past 300 years, people's height has increased by an average of 10-15 cm. This suggests that the sovereign was indeed much taller than those around him and was considered an unusually tall man, but not according to the current, but to those long gone in the past, to the standards, when a height of 155 cm was considered quite normal. Today, the size of the feet of Peter 1, established according to shoe samples, leads to the conclusion that his height hardly exceeded 170-180 cm.
27. Having issued his famous decree “Sea ships to be” in October 1696, he very quickly became convinced that, in addition to enthusiasm and financial investments, knowledge in the field of shipbuilding and navigation is required for the success of the business begun. It was for this reason that, as part of the Russian embassy (but incognito), he went to Holland, which was then one of the leading maritime powers of the world. There, in the small port city of Saardam, Peter 1 took a course in carpentry and shipbuilding, quite reasonably reasoning that before demanding from others, one must learn the secrets of the craft himself.
28. So, in August 1697, at the shipyard, owned by the Dutch shipbuilder Linstr Rogge, a new worker, Pyotr Mikhailov, appeared unusually similar to the Russian Tsar in facial features and valiant posture. However, no one raised suspicions, especially since the Dutch could hardly imagine a monarch in a working apron and with an ax in his hands.
29. This foreign voyage of the sovereign significantly enriched the palette of Russian life, since he tried to transfer much of what he had seen there to Russia. For example, Holland was exactly the country from where Peter 1 brought potatoes. In addition, from this small state, washed by the North Sea, tobacco, coffee, tulip bulbs, as well as a huge set of surgical instruments came to Russia in those years. By the way, the idea to force subjects to shave their beards was also born by the sovereign during a visit to Holland.
30. It should be noted the king's predilection for a number of activities that are not typical for other august persons. Well-known, for example, his passion for turning. Until now, visitors to the St. Petersburg Museum "House of Peter I" can see the machine on which the sovereign himself turned various wooden crafts.
31. An important step towards introducing Russia to the standards adopted in Europe was the introduction of the Julian calendar under Peter 1. The former chronology, originating from the creation of the world, became very inconvenient in the realities of life in the coming 18th century. In this regard, on December 15, 1699, the king issued a Decree, according to which the years began to be counted in accordance with the calendar generally accepted abroad, put into use by the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. Thus, on January 1, Russia, together with the entire civilized world, entered not into the year 7208 from the Creation of the world, but into the year 1700 from the Nativity of Christ.
32. At the same time, the Decree of Peter 1 came out on the celebration of the New Year on the first day of January, and not in September, as it was before. One of the innovations was the custom of decorating houses with Christmas trees.
33. Many interesting facts about Peter 1 are connected with his hobbies, among which there were also very unusual ones. Peter I was fond of medicine. He tried his hand at surgery and actively studied the anatomy of the human body. But most of all, the king was fascinated by dentistry. He liked to pull out bad teeth. It is known that with the help of tools brought from Holland, he often removed the bad teeth of his courtiers. At the same time, the king sometimes got carried away. Then their healthy teeth could also fall under the distribution.
34. The emperor was a perfect master of fourteen trades. However, not all the crafts that Peter tried to master during his long life were submitted to him. At one time, the emperor tried to learn how to weave bast shoes, but nothing came of it. Since then, he respectfully treated the "wise men" who managed to master the science, which seemed to him so difficult.
35. Behavior, appearance, habits of subjects - there is hardly a sphere of human life left that Peter 1 did not touch with his decrees.
36. The greatest indignation of the boyars was caused by his order regarding beards. The ruler, who wanted to establish European order in Russia, categorically ordered that facial hair be shaved off. The protesters were forced to submit over time, because otherwise they would face a huge tax.
37. Issued the most famous king and many other humorous decrees. For example, one of his orders was a ban on appointing people with red hair to government posts.
38. He also managed to become famous as a wrestler with national costumes. Interesting facts from the life of the sovereign confirm that among his decrees there is an order to wear European clothes. It was he who forced the fair sex to put on low-cut dresses instead of sundresses, and men - in camisoles and cropped trousers.
39. Many wonderful things would never have appeared in Russia if it were not for Peter 1. Interesting facts are related to potatoes. The inhabitants of our country were not familiar with this vegetable until the king brought it from Holland. The first attempts to introduce the potato as a daily food proved to be a failure. The peasants tried to eat it raw, not knowing to bake or boil it, and as a result they refused this tasty and nutritious vegetable. Also, during the time of Peter I, rice was first brought to the territory of Russia.
40. Tulips are beautiful flowers, the cultivation of which in the state also began at the request of Peter the Great. The autocrat brought the bulbs of these plants to the country from Holland, where he spent quite a lot of time. The emperor even organized a "garden office", the main purpose of which was the introduction of overseas flowers.
41. The first Museum of the Kunstkamera was founded by Peter, which contains his personal collections brought from different parts of the world. All the tsar's collections were transferred to the Summer Palace in 1714. This is how the Kunstkamera museum was created. Everyone who visited the Kunstkamera received alcohol free of charge.
42. Catherine I had many intrigues and often cheated on the tsar. The lover of the tsar's wife, Willim Mons, was sentenced to death on November 13, 1724 - he was executed by beheading on November 16 in St. Petersburg, and his head was put in alcohol and placed in the queen's bedroom.
43. The king issued a decree: all thieves who stole more than the value of a rope from the state treasury were to be hanged on this rope.
44. Peter 1 at a reception in Germany did not know how to use napkins and ate everything with his hands, which struck the princesses with his clumsiness.
45. Peter managed to make an excellent military career and as a result become an admiral of the Russian, Dutch, English and Danish fleets.
46. Naval and military affairs were the favorite areas of the king. Peter founded a regular fleet and army in Russia. He constantly studied and received new knowledge in these areas. The Naval Academy in Russia was founded by the Tsar in 1714.
47. The king introduced a tax on baths, which were privately owned. At the same time, the development of public baths was encouraged.
48. In 1702, Peter I managed to take powerful Swedish fortresses. In 1705, thanks to the efforts of the Tsar, Russia gained access to the Baltic Sea. In 1709, the legendary Battle of Poltava took place, which brought great glory to Peter 1.
49. Strengthening the military power of the Russian state was the life work of the emperor. During the reign of Peter I, compulsory military service was introduced. To create an army, taxes were collected from local residents. The regular army began to operate in Russia in 1699.
50. The emperor achieved great success in navigation and shipbuilding. He was also an excellent gardener, a bricklayer, he knew how to make watches and draw. Even Peter 1 often surprised everyone with his virtuoso piano playing.
51. The tsar issued a letter, which forbade wives to take drunken men from pubs. In addition, the king was against women on the ship, and they were taken only as a last resort.
52. Under Peter the Great, several successful reforms were carried out in education, medicine, industry and finance. The first gymnasium and many schools for children were opened during the reign of Peter I.
53. Peter was the first to make a long journey to Western European countries. Peter 1 allowed Russia to pursue a full-fledged foreign economic policy in the future thanks to his progressive reforms.
54. One of the activities of Peter I was the creation of a powerful fleet on the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, which he succeeded as a result. Access to the Baltic Sea was specially built for the development of trade. The emperor managed to conquer the coast of the Caspian Sea and annex Kamchatka.
55. The construction of St. Petersburg was started in 1703 by order of the tsar. Only in St. Petersburg it was allowed to build stone houses since 1703. The emperor made a lot of efforts to turn St. Petersburg into the cultural capital of Russia.
56. The king was asked to choose the title "emperor of the East", which he refused.
57. The exact cause of the king's death is not known today. According to one source, Peter suffered from a bladder disease. According to others, he fell ill with severe pneumonia. The king continued to rule the state until the last day, despite a severe illness. Peter 1 died in 1725. He is buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
58. The tsar did not have time to write a will, while leaving a serious mark on the history of the Russian Empire. Catherine 1 took over the rule of the Russian Empire after the death of Peter. After the death of the king, the era of palace coups began.
59. In many leading countries, monuments to Peter 1 were erected. The Bronze Horseman in St. Petersburg is one of the famous monuments to Peter 1.
60. After the death of the king, cities began to be named after him.
photo from internet
The last tsar of all Rus' and the first Emperor of Russia - Peter the Great- a truly great figure. No wonder this king was called Peter the Great. He sought not only to expand the borders of the Russian state, but also to make life in it similar to what he saw in Europe. He learned a lot himself and taught others.
Brief biography of Peter the Great
Peter the Great belonged to the Romanov family, he was born June 9, 1672. His father is a king Alexey Mikhailovich. His mother is the second wife of Alexei Mikhailovich, Natalia Naryshkina. Peter I was the first child from the tsar's second marriage and the fourteenth in a row.
AT 1976 the father of Peter Alekseevich died and his elder son ascended the throne - Fedor Alekseevich. He was sickly and ruled for about 6 years.
The death of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and the accession of his eldest son Fyodor (from Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna, nee Miloslavskaya) pushed Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna and her relatives, the Naryshkins, into the background.
Streltsy rebellion
After the death of Fedor III, the question arose: who will rule next? Peter's older brother Ivan was a sickly child (he was also called weak-minded) and it was decided to put Peter on the throne.
However, the relatives of the first wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich did not like it - Miloslavsky. Enlisting the support of 20 thousand archers, who showed discontent at that time, the Miloslavsky staged a riot in 1682.
The consequence of this streltsy rebellion was the proclamation of Peter's sister, Sophia, as regent until Ivan and Peter grow up. Subsequently, Peter and Ivan were considered dual rulers of the Russian state until Ivan's death in 1686.
Tsarina Natalya was forced to go to the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow with Peter.
"Amusing" troops of Peter
In the villages Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky Peter was engaged in far from children's games - he formed from his peers "fun" troops and learned to fight. Foreign officers helped him to master military literacy.
Later, from these two battalions were formed Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments- the basis of Peter's guard.
Beginning of independent government
In 1689 On the advice of his mother, Peter married. The daughter of a Moscow boyar was chosen for him as a bride Evdokia Lopukhin. After the marriage, 17-year-old Peter was considered an adult and could claim independent rule.
Suppression of the rebellion
Princess Sophia immediately realized what danger she was in. Not wanting to lose power, she persuaded the archers stand up to Peter. Young Peter managed to gather an army loyal to him, and together with him he moved to Moscow.
The uprising was brutally suppressed, the instigators were executed, they were hanged, flogged with a whip, burned with a red-hot iron. Sofia was sent to Novodevichy Convent.
Capture of Azov
Since 1696, after the death of Tsar Ivan V, Peter became sole ruler of Russia. He turned his gaze a year earlier to the map. Advisers, among them the beloved Swiss Lefort, suggested that Russia needed access to the sea, it was necessary to build a fleet, it was necessary to move south.
The Azov campaigns began. Peter himself participated in the battles, gained combat experience. On the second attempt, they captured Azov, in a convenient bay of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, Peter laid the city Taganrog.
Trip to Europe
Peter went "incognito", he was called the volunteer Petr Mikhailov,
sometimes captain of the Preobrazhensky Regiment.
In England Peter the Great studied maritime affairs, in Germany- artillery, in Holland worked as a simple carpenter. But he had to return to Moscow prematurely - he received information about a new rebellion of archers. After the brutal massacre of the archers and executions, Peter began to prepare for the war with Sweden.
Peter's war with Sweden
On the allies of Russia - Poland and Denmark- the young Swedish king began to attack CharlesXII who decided to conquer all of northern Europe. Peter I decided to go to war against Sweden.
Battle of Narva
First battle near Narva in 1700 was unsuccessful for the Russian troops. Having a multiple advantage over the Swedish army, the Russians failed to take the fortress of Narva, and they had to retreat.
decisive action
Having attacked Poland, Charles XII got bogged down in the war for a long time. Taking advantage of the respite, Peter announced a set of recruits. He issued a decree according to which they began to collect money for the war against Sweden, bells from churches melted down into cannons, strengthened old fortresses, erected new ones.
St. Petersburg - the new capital of Russia
Peter the Great personally participated in a sortie with two regiments of soldiers against the Swedish ships that blocked the exit to the Baltic Sea. The attack was successful, the ships were captured, the exit to the sea became free.
On the banks of the Neva, Peter ordered the construction of a fortress in honor of Saints Peter and Paul, later named Petropavlovskaya. It was around this fortress that the city was formed. St. Petersburg is the new capital of Russia.
Battle of Poltava
The news of Peter's successful sortie on the Neva forced the Swedish king to move his troops to Russia. He chose the south, where he was waiting for help from Turk and where is ukrainian Hetman Mazepa promised him to give the Cossacks.
The battle near Poltava, where the Swedes and Russians pulled their troops, did not last long.
The Cossacks brought by Mazepa were left by Charles XII in the wagon train, they were not sufficiently trained and equipped. The Turks never came. Numerical superiority in the troops was on the side of the Russians. And no matter how hard the Swedes tried to break through the ranks of the Russian troops, no matter how they rebuilt their regiments, they failed to turn the tide of the battle in their favor.
The cannonball hit Karl's stretcher, he lost consciousness, and panic began among the Swedes. After the victorious battle, Peter arranged a feast at which treated the captured Swedish generals and thanked them for the science.
Internal reforms of Peter the Great
Peter the Great actively, in addition to wars with other states, was engaged in reforms within the country. He demanded that the courtiers take off their coats and put on European clothes, that they shave their beards, go to balls arranged for them.
Important reforms of Peter
Instead of the Boyar Duma, he established Senate, who dealt with the solution of important state issues, introduced a special Table of ranks, which defined the classes of military and civilian officials.
Petersburg began to operate Marine Academy, opened in Moscow math school. Under him, the country began to publish first Russian newspaper. For Peter, there were no titles and awards. If he saw a capable person, albeit of low birth, then he sent him to study abroad.
Reform Opponents
Many innovations of Peter did not like- starting from the highest ranks, ending with serfs. The church called him a heretic, the schismatics - the Antichrist, sent all sorts of blasphemy against him.
The peasants were completely dependent on the landowners and the state. Increasing tax burden 1.5-2 times, for many it turned out to be unbearable. Major uprisings took place in Astrakhan, on the Don, in Ukraine, the Volga region.
Breaking the old way of life caused a negative reaction among the nobles. Peter's son, his heir Alexei, became an opponent of reforms and went against his father. He was accused of conspiracy and in 1718 sentenced to death.
Last year of reign
In the last years of the reign of Peter was very sick He had kidney problems. In the summer of 1724, his illness intensified, in September he felt better, but after a while the attacks intensified.
On January 28, 1725, he had such a bad time that he ordered a camp church to be built in the room next to his bedroom, and on February 2 he confessed. Forces began to leave the sick, he no longer screamed, as before, from severe pain, but only moaned.
On February 7, all those sentenced to death or hard labor were amnestied (excluding murderers and those convicted of repeated robbery). On the same day, at the end of the second hour, Peter demanded paper, began to write, but the pen fell out of his hands, only two words could be made out of what was written: "Give it all...".
At the beginning of the sixth hour in the morning February 8, 1725 Peter the Great "The Great" died in terrible agony in his Winter Palace near the Winter Canal, according to the official version, from pneumonia. He was buried in Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
The study of the topic "The Personality of Peter 1" is important for understanding the essence of the reforms he is carrying out in Russia. Indeed, in our country, it was often the character, personal qualities and education of the sovereign that determined the main line of socio-political development. The reign of this king covers a rather long period of time: in 1689 (when he finally removed his sister Sophia from public affairs) and until his death in 1725.
General characteristics of the era
Consideration of the question of when Peter 1 was born should begin with an analysis of the general historical situation in Russia at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries. It was a time when the prerequisites for serious and profound political, economic, social and cultural changes were ripe in the country. Already during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, there was a clear trend towards the penetration of Western European achievements into the country. Under this ruler, a number of measures were taken to transform some aspects of public life.
Therefore, the personality of Peter 1 was formed in an environment where the idea of the need for serious reforms was already clearly outlined in society. In this regard, it is necessary to understand that the transformative activity of the first emperor of Russia did not arise from scratch, it became a natural and necessary consequence of all the previous development of the country.
Childhood
Peter 1, a brief biography, whose reign and reforms are the subject of this review, was born on May 30 (June 9), 1672. The exact birthplace of the future emperor is unknown. According to the generally accepted point of view, this place was the Kremlin, but the villages of Kolomenskoye or Izmailovo are also indicated. He was the fourteenth child in the family of Tsar Alexei, but the first from his second wife, Natalya Kirillovna. on the maternal side came from the Naryshkin family. She was the daughter of small estate nobles, which, perhaps, subsequently predetermined their struggle with the large and influential boyar group of the Miloslavskys at court, who were relatives of the tsar by his first wife.
The childhood of Peter 1 passed among nannies who did not give him a serious education. That is why until the end of his life he did not learn how to read and write properly and wrote with errors. However, he was a very inquisitive boy who was interested in everything, he had an inquisitive mind, which determined his interest in practical sciences. The end of the 17th century, when Peter 1 was born, was the time when European education began to spread in the highest circles of society, but the early years of the future emperor passed away from the new trends of the era.
Teenage years
The life of the prince proceeded in the village of Preobrazhenskoye, where he, in fact, was left to his own devices. No one was seriously involved in the upbringing of the boy, so his studies in these years were superficial. Nevertheless, the childhood of Peter 1 was very eventful and fruitful in terms of the formation of his worldview and interest in scientific and practical studies. He became seriously interested in the organization of troops, for which he arranged for himself the so-called amusing regiments, which consisted of local yard boys, as well as the sons of small estate nobles, whose possessions were located nearby. Together with these small detachments, he took improvised bastions, arranged battles and gatherings, and made attacks. In relation to the same time, we can say that the fleet of Peter 1 arose. At first it was just a small boat, but it is nevertheless considered to be the father of the Russian flotilla.
First serious steps
It has already been said above that the time when Peter 1 was born is considered to be a transitional one in the history of Russia. It was during this period that the country was in a position where all the necessary prerequisites for its entry into the international arena arose. The first steps were taken in this direction during the foreign travel of the future emperor through the countries of Western Europe. Then he was able to see with his own eyes the achievements of these states in various areas of life.
Peter 1, whose brief biography includes this important stage in his life, appreciated Western European achievements, primarily in technology and weapons. However, he drew attention to the culture, education of these countries, their political institutions. After his return to Russia, he made an attempt to modernize the administrative apparatus, the army, and legislation, which was supposed to prepare the country for entering the international arena.
The initial stage of government: the beginning of reforms
The era when Peter 1 was born was a preparatory time for major changes in our country. That is why the transformations of the first emperor turned out to be so out of place and outlived their creator for centuries. At the very beginning of his reign, the new sovereign abolished which was the legislative body of power under the former kings. Instead, he created the Senate on the Western European model. It was supposed to hold meetings of senators to draw up laws. It is significant that initially it was a temporary measure, which, however, turned out to be very effective: this institution lasted until the February Revolution of 1917.
Further transformations
It has already been said above that Peter 1 on the maternal side comes from a not very noble noble family. However, his mother was brought up in a European spirit, which, of course, could not but affect the boy's personality, although the queen herself, when raising her son, adhered to traditional views and measures. Nevertheless, the tsar was inclined to transform almost all spheres of life in Russian society, which was literally an urgent need in connection with the conquest of access to the Baltic Sea by Russia and the country's entry into the international arena.
And so the emperor changed the administrative apparatus: he created collegiums instead of orders, a Synod to manage church affairs. In addition, he formed a regular army, and the fleet of Peter 1 became one of the strongest among other maritime powers.
Features of transformative activity
The main goal of the emperor's reign was the desire to reform those areas that he needed to solve the most important tasks in the conduct of hostilities on several fronts at once. He himself apparently assumed that these changes would be temporary. Most modern historians agree that the ruler did not have any premeditated program of activities to reform the country. Many experts believe that he acted on the basis of specific needs.
The Importance of the Emperor's Reforms for His Successors
However, the phenomenon of his reforms lies precisely in the fact that these seemingly temporary measures outlived their creator for a long time and existed almost unchanged for two centuries. Moreover, his successors, for example, Catherine II, were largely guided by his achievements. This suggests that the reforms of the ruler came to the right place and at the right time. The life of Peter 1 was, in fact, devoted to changing and improving the most diverse areas in society. He was interested in everything new, however, borrowing the achievements of the West, he first of all thought about what benefit this would bring to Russia. That is why his reforming activity served as an example for reforms during the reign of other emperors for a long time.
Relationships with others
When describing the character of the tsar, one should never forget to which boyar family Peter 1 belonged. On the maternal side, he came from a not very well-born nobility, which, most likely, determined his interest not in nobility, but in the merits of a person before the fatherland and his ability serve. The emperor valued not the rank and rank, but the specific talents of his subordinates. This speaks of the democratic approach of Pyotr Alekseevich to people, despite his harsh and even tough character.
mature years
In the last years of his life, the emperor sought to consolidate the successes achieved. But here he had serious problems with the heir. subsequently had a very bad effect on political administration and led to serious difficulties in the country. The fact is that the son of Peter, Tsarevich Alexei, went against his father, not wanting to continue his reforms. In addition, the king had serious problems in the family. Nevertheless, he took care to consolidate the successes achieved: he took the title of emperor, and Russia became an empire. This step raised the international prestige of our country. In addition, Peter Alekseevich achieved recognition of Russia's access to the Baltic Sea, which was of fundamental importance for the development of trade and the fleet. Subsequently, his successors continued the policy in this direction. Under Catherine II, for example, Russia gained access to the Black Sea. The emperor died as a result of a complication after a cold and did not have time to draw up a will before his death, which led to the appearance of numerous contenders for the throne and repeated palace coups.
Pyotr Alekseevich Romanov, or simply Peter I, is the first Russian Emperor and the last Tsar of the Romanov Dynasty. Peter was proclaimed king from the age of 10, though he personally began to rule only a few years later. Peter 1 is a very interesting historical figure, so here we will look at some of the most interesting facts about Peter the Great (1).
1. Peter 1 was a very tall man (2 meters and 13 cm tall), but despite this he had a small foot size (38).
2. It was Peter 1 who came up with the idea of completely and tightly fastening blades to shoes to make skates for skating on ice. Before that, they were simply tied with straps, which was not very convenient.
3. Peter I really did not like drunkenness and tried in every possible way to eradicate it. One of his favorite methods was a special medal "For drunkenness", which weighed 7 kg and was made of cast iron. This medal was hung on a drunkard and fastened so that he could not remove it. After that, the person walked with this “reward” for a whole week.
4. Peter was a very versatile person and he was well versed in many things, for example, he excelled in shipbuilding and navigation, he also learned how to make watches, in addition, he even mastered the craft of a bricklayer, gardener, carpenter and took drawing lessons. He even tried to weave bast shoes, but he never mastered this science.
5. Many soldiers could not distinguish between right and left, no matter how they were “hammered into it”. Then he ordered each soldier to tie some hay to his left leg, and some straw to his right. After that, instead of left-right, it was customary to say hay-straw.
6. Among other things, Peter I was very fond of dentistry, in particular, he was very fond of tearing out the sick.
7. It was Peter the Great who introduced a decree on the celebration from December 31 to January 1 (1700). The New Year was also celebrated in Europe.
8. Peter himself had excellent health, but all his children were very often sick. It was even rumored that the children were not from him, but these are only rumors.
And finally, a few decrees from the great emperor, which some may find funny:
1. Do not let the navigators into the taverns, because they, the boorish offspring, get drunk without delay and arrange a brawl
2. "On shaving beards and mustaches of every rank to people" dated January 16, 1705. “And if someone doesn’t want to shave their mustaches and beards, but they want to wander around with beards and mustaches, and from those they have, from courtiers and from courtyards, and from policemen, and all sorts of servicemen, and clerks, 60 rubles per person, from guests and the living room hundreds of the first articles for a hundred rubles ... And give them signs of Zemstvo affairs, and carry those signs with you.
3. A subordinate in the face of those in authority should look dashing and foolish, so as not to embarrass the authorities with his understanding.
4. From now on, I direct the gentlemen senators to keep speech in the presence not according to the written, but only in their own words, so that everyone’s nonsense is visible to everyone
5. From now on, we command you not to take women on warships, and if you do, from only according to the number of crew, so that there would be no ....