Who laid the foundation for the creation of the famous Alexandrian library. Mysteries Shrouded in Darkness: The Library of Alexandria

Peter Alekseevich Romanov or simply Peter I - the first Russian Emperor and the last tsar of the Romanov Dynasty. Peter was proclaimed Tsar at the age of 10, although he began to rule personally only a few years later. Peter 1 is 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 very tall man(2 meters and 13 cm tall), but despite this he had small size legs (38).

2. It was Peter 1 who came up with the idea of ​​completely and tightly attaching blades to shoes to create skates for skating on ice. Before that, they were simply tied with belts, 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 the drunkard and secured so that he could not remove it. After that, the person walked with this “reward” for a whole week.

4. Peter was very a versatile person and he was well versed in many things, for example, he excelled in shipbuilding and navigation, also learned to make watches, in addition, he even mastered the craft of a mason, 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 much it was “drilled into them.” Then he ordered each soldier to tie a little hay to his left leg and a little straw to his right leg. After that, instead of left-right, it was customary to say hay-straw.

6. Among other things, Peter I was very interested in dentistry, in particular, he was very fond of pulling out sick teeth.

7. It was Peter the Great who introduced the 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 got sick very often. It was even rumored that the children were not his, but these were just rumors.

And finally, a few decrees from the great emperor, which some may find funny:

1. Navigators should not be allowed into taverns, because they, boorish bastards, quickly get drunk and cause trouble

2. “On shaving the beards and mustaches of people of all ranks” dated January 16, 1705. “And if those who do not want to shave their mustaches and beards, but want to wander around with beards and mustaches, and from those, from courtiers and courtyard servants, and from policemen, and all kinds of servants, 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 orders for zemstvo affairs, and carry those signs with them.”

3. A subordinate in front of his superiors should look dashing and stupid, so as not to embarrass his superiors with his understanding.

4. From now on, I instruct the gentlemen senators to speak in the presence not according to what is written, but only in their own words, so that everyone’s stupidity will be visible to everyone

5. We hereby command from now on not to take women on warships, and if they do take them, only according to the number of the crew, so that there will be no…

Biography, life story of Peter I

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 the birthplace, and according to folk tales Peter was born in the village of Kolomenskoye, 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 poor lexicon. This was due to the fact that the then Patriarch of Moscow, Joachim, as part of the fight against “Latinization” and “foreign influence” removed royal court students of Simeon of Polotsk, who taught Peter's older brothers, and insisted that the less educated clerks N. M. Zotov and A. Nesterov should teach Peter. In addition, Peter did not have the opportunity to receive an education from a university graduate or teacher high school, 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 the highest clergy were taught to read and write. 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 did not end. 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 younger Peter- 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 arose in military activities, he creates “funny” shelves. 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 eyeing it for a long time curious life. 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, procession 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 picked up the image Holy Mother of God and went for 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 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 control 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, visited a foundry, an arsenal, parliament, Oxford University, Greenwich Observatory and Mint, whose caretaker at that time was Isaac Newton. He was interested before technical advances Western countries, not 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 king on August 25, 1698, his transformative activities began, first aimed at changing external signs that distinguish 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 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 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 government controlled, transformations in the army, a navy was created, a reform of church governance 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 people began to appear educational establishments, the first Russian newspaper was founded, 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 digital schools created by the decree of 1714 were to serve the purposes of mass education. provincial cities, called “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-class 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). Changed interior decoration homes, lifestyle, nutritional composition, etc.

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 a new artistic experience and acquired skill.

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 with a simultaneous strengthening of 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 areas of life 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. In the same time 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. The victims of their bad jokes he elected “noble persons” and “old boyars” - 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 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 last years During 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 I went to St. Petersburg by water. 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 study state 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 on January 28 (February 8), 1725 Russian empress 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 at the Winter Canal official version from pneumonia. He was buried in the Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.

The historian Klyuchevsky said that autocracy is quite unsightly, therefore the civil conscience will never reconcile with it. However, a person who combines this unnatural strength and self-sacrifice, risking himself for the good of the country, is worthy of exorbitant reverence.

Childhood

Peter, born on May 30, 1672, had virtually no chance for the throne, since his father had older children. But fate constantly did everything so that this particular man, who went down in history as Peter the Great, would end up at the helm of Russia.

The villages of Vorobyovo and Preobrazhenskoye witnessed the growth of the future monarch; it was here that Peter’s inquisitive mind and tough, purposeful disposition were formed. He studied military affairs and mathematical sciences from experts from the German settlement, and at the age of 11 he even acquired his own amusing guard, conducting constant classes with them.

The beginning of the reign and the beginning of victories

It turned out that there were three contenders for the throne - Peter, his sickly brother Ivan and Princess Sophia, who until a certain time served as regent. Beginning in 1694, sole power was in the hands of Peter Alekseevich, and the very next year was marked by the first attempt to pave a road to the sea for the country. This Azov campaign was unsuccessful, but the next one brought the desired result - largely thanks to the fleet built at the Voronezh shipyards, it was possible to split the Crimean Khanate.

"Great Embassy"

This is the name of Peter's long journey across Western Europe which happened in 1697. One of the reasons for the trip was the desire to expand the anti-Turkish alliance. However, there were other tasks: learning everything new that Europe had created, hiring skilled craftsmen to serve in Russia to train the Russian people, as well as acquiring high-quality military equipment. The embassy numbered 250 people, several dozen remained in Europe to study.

Beginning of reforms

In April next year Peter was forced to return to suppress the Streltsy revolt, raised by his sister Sophia in order to seize power. The revolt was brutally suppressed, and just as decisively the tsar began to change the age-old Russian foundations. Russia was considered a backward country, and Peter decides to radically change the order in order to make his state civilized. Noble people were now forced to go beardless and in European clothes, Savor enriched herself with various amusements, and New Year began to meet on January 1st.

Northern War and continuation of reforms

Russia fought with Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea. Having begun in 1700 with failures, this war, which lasted until 1721, glorified the country, bringing Russia into the ranks of the leading European powers. The Battle of Poltava is especially famous, glorified in its time by A.S. Pushkin.

1721 is the time of the formation of the Russian Empire, and its ruler began to be called the emperor. Peter continued to strive to ensure that the country was strong in all respects. Collegiums were formed - prototypes of future ministries, a “Table of Ranks” was established, based on service suitability, and the foundation was laid new capital- Saint Petersburg. And the Northern War, which ended in victory, increased the power of the state.

Peter was much criticized for breaking centuries-old traditions. But the breakthrough he made was necessary at that time, otherwise Russia would have remained a backward country, and this could have led to unfavorable consequences. Peter 1 died in 1725, remaining the Great in history.

Brief information about Peter 1

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

IN Russian state there were a lot of outstanding sovereigns and rulers. 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. Peter, after his trip to Europe, was inspired by the idea of ​​a full-fledged navy for your 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 He 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 this moment it has come new life both in the state and in 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 no less 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 Preobrazhenskoe

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 it. 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. First family history 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). Quite connected with him tragic story. 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 reformist 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, biography family life who 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 convicted of love affair with Willem Mons, who was chamberlain. It was 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 didn’t take into account that Peter was far from the same younger brother, which was before. 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 carry out domestic policy countries. Numerous decrees of Peter the Great affected different areas 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 offspring from noble family 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 government agency- 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 wearing European clothes 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 There was a change in calendar calculation, as well as a 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 about 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 had a positive impact on 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 entered a new international level, and 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, the novel by A. N. Tolstoy “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.