Peter I the Great. Biography

Biography of Peter I begins on June 9, 1672 in Moscow. He was the youngest son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from his second marriage to Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. Peter was the youngest of 13 children in big family Alexey Mikhailovich. From the age of one he was raised by nannies.

Before his death, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich blessed his eldest son Fedor, who was 14 years old at that time, to rule. After Fedor ascended the throne, Natalya Kirillovna decided to leave with her children to the village of Preobrazhenskoye.

Father

Mother

Nikita Zotov received Active participation in raising the young prince, but Peter was initially not interested in science and was not literate.

V. O. Klyuchevsky noted:

“More than once you can hear the opinion that Peter I was brought up not in the old way, but differently and more carefully than his father and older brothers were brought up. As soon as Peter began to remember himself, he was surrounded in his nursery by foreign things; everything he played reminded him of the German. Over the years, Petra's nursery becomes filled with military items. A whole arsenal of toy weapons appears in it. Thus, in Peter’s nursery, Moscow artillery was quite fully represented; we see many wooden arquebuses and cannons with horses.” Even foreign ambassadors brought toy and real weapons as gifts to the prince. “In his spare time he loved to listen different stories and look at books with kunshtami (pictures).”

The revolt of 1682 and the rise to power of Princess Regent Sophia

The death of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich in 1682 marked the beginning of an active confrontation between two clans of nobles - the Naryshkins (Peter's relatives on his mother's side) and the Miloslavskys (relatives of the first wife of Alexei Mikhailovich, defending the interests of Ivan). Each of the families tried to promote its own candidate, however, they accepted final decision there was a boyar duma and most of the boyars decided to make Peter king, since Ivan was a sickly child. On the day of Fyodor Alekseevich’s death, April 27, 1682, Peter was proclaimed tsar.

Not wanting to lose power, the Miloslavskys started a rumor that the Naryshkins had strangled Tsarevich Ivan Alekseevich. Under the sounds of the alarm, many archers burst into the Kremlin, breaking the defense of the few royal guards. However, to their confusion, Tsarina Natalya appeared towards them from the Red Porch along with the princes Ivan and Peter. Ivan answered the questions of the archers:

“No one is harassing me, and I have no one to complain about”

Tsarina Natalya goes to the archers to prove that Ivan V is alive and well. Painting by N. D. Dmitriev-Orenburgsky

The crowd, heated to the limit, was provoked by accusations of Prince Dolgorukov of treason and theft - the Streltsy killed several boyars, many from the Naryshkin clan and Streltsy chiefs. Having placed their own guards inside the Kremlin, the archers did not let anyone out or let anyone in, in fact taking the entire royal family hostage.

Realizing the high probability of revenge on the part of the Naryshkins, the archers submitted several petitions (in fact, these were more likely not requests, but an ultimatum) so that Ivan would also be appointed tsar (and the eldest one at that), and Sophia as the ruler-regent. In addition, they demanded to legitimize the riot and abandon the prosecution of its instigators, recognizing their actions as legitimate and protecting the interests of the state. The Patriarch and the Boyar Duma were forced to comply with the demands of the Streltsy, and on June 25, Ivan V and Peter I were crowned kings.

Princess Sophia watches with pleasure as the archers drag out Ivan Naryshkin, Tsarevich Peter calms his mother. Painting by A. I. Korzukhin, 1882

Princess Regent Sofya Alekseevna Romanova

Natalya Kirillovna considered that it was very unsafe to remain in the Kremlin completely captured by the Miloslavskys and decided to move to the country estate of Alexei Mikhailovich - the village of Preobrazhenskoye. Tsar Peter could live here under the supervision of faithful people, sometimes going to Moscow to participate in ceremonies obligatory for the royal person.

Funny shelves

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was very fond of falconry and other similar entertainments - after his death, a large farm and about 600 servants remained. These devoted and intelligent people did not remain idle - having arrived in Preobrazhenskoye, Natalya Kirillovna set the task of organizing a military school for her son.

The prince received his first “amusing” detachment in the fall of 1683. TO next year in Preobrazhenskoe, next to the royal palace, the “amusing city” of Presburg has already been rebuilt. Peter received military training along with other teenagers. He began his service marching ahead of the Preobrazhensky Regiment as a drummer, and eventually rose to the rank of bombardier.

One of the first candidates selected for the “amusing army” was Alexander Menshikov. He had to fulfill a special role: to become the bodyguard of the young king, his shadow. According to the testimony of contemporaries of those events, Menshikov even slept at Peter’s feet near his bed. Being with the tsar almost relentlessly, Menshikov became one of his main comrades-in-arms, especially his confidant in all important matters concerning the governance of a huge country. Alexander Menshikov received an excellent education and, like Peter I, received a certificate of shipbuilding training in Holland.

Menshikov A. D.

Personal life of young Peter I - first wife

The first wife of Peter I, Evdokia Lopukhina, was chosen by the mother of Peter I as his bride without coordinating this decision with Peter himself. The queen hoped that the Lopukhin family, although not considered particularly noble, but numerous, would strengthen the position of the young prince.

The wedding ceremony of Peter I and Lopukhina took place on February 6, 1689 in the church of the Transfiguration Palace. An additional factor in the need for marriage was the Russian custom of that time, according to which a married person was full-fledged and of full age, which gave Peter I the right to get rid of the princess-regent Sophia.

Evdokia Fedorovna Lopukhina

Accession of Peter I - removal of Sophia

The Second Crimean Campaign of 1689, led by Sophia's favorite, Prince Golitsyn, was unsuccessful. General dissatisfaction with her rule added to seventeen-year-old Peter's chances of returning the throne - his mother and her faithful people began preparations for Sophia's removal.

In the summer of 1689, Peter's mother called Peter from Pereslyavl to Moscow. At this turning point in his fate, Peter begins to show Sophia his own power. Planned for July this year procession he sabotaged, forbidding Sophia to participate in it, and after she refused to obey, he left, thus creating a public scandal. At the end of July, he barely succumbed to persuasion to give awards to the participants of the Crimean campaign, but refused to accept them when they came to him with gratitude.

By the beginning of August, relations between brother and sister had reached such an intensity that the entire court expected open confrontation, but both sides did not show initiative, completely concentrating on defense.

Sophia's last attempt to retain power

It is unknown whether Sophia decided to openly oppose her brother, or whether she was frightened by rumors that Peter I with his amusing regiments was planning to arrive in Moscow to remove her sister from power - on August 7, the princess’s henchmen began to agitate the archers in favor of Sophia. The tsar's supporters, seeing such preparations, immediately informed him of the danger, and Peter, accompanied by three guides, galloped away from the village of Preobrazhenskoye to the monastery of the Trinity Lavra. Starting from August 8, the remaining Naryshkins and all of Peter’s supporters, as well as his amusing army, begin to gather at the monastery.

From the monastery, on behalf of Peter I, his mother and her associates put forward a demand to Sophia in a report on the reasons for the armament and agitation on August 7, as well as messengers from each of the rifle regiments. Having forbidden the archers to send elected officials, Sophia sent Patriarch Joachim to her brother for trial, but the patriarch, loyal to the prince, did not return back to the capital.

Peter I again sent a demand to the capital to send representatives from the townspeople and archers - they came to the Lavra despite Sophia’s ban. Realizing that the situation is developing in favor of her brother, the princess decides to go to him herself, but already on the road they convince her to return, warning that if she comes to Trinity, they will treat her “dishonestly.”

Joachim (Patriarch of Moscow)

After the massacre of people who were devoted to Sophia, Peter felt the need to clarify his relationship with his brother and wrote to him:

“Now, sir brother, the time has come for both of our persons to rule the kingdom entrusted to us by God themselves, since we have come to the measure of our age, and we do not deign to allow the third shameful person, our sister, with our two male persons, to be in titles and in the dispensation of affairs... It’s shameful, sir, at our perfect age, for that shameful person to own the state bypassing us.”

Ivan V Alekseevich

Princess Sofya Alekseevna in the Novodevichy Convent

Thus, Peter I expressed an unequivocal desire to take the reins of power into his own hands. Left without people willing to take risks for her, Sophia was forced to obey Peter’s demands and retire to the Holy Spirit Monastery, and then move even further, to the Novodevichy Convent.

From 1689 to 1696, Peter I and Ivan V ruled simultaneously, until the latter died. In fact, Ivan V did not take part in the reign; Natalya Kirillovna ruled until 1694, after which Peter I himself ruled.

The fate of Tsar Peter I after his accession

First mistress

Peter quickly lost interest in his wife and in 1692 he met Anna Mons in the German settlement, with the assistance of Lefort. While his mother was still alive, the king did not show open antipathy towards his wife. However, Natalya Kirillovna herself, shortly before own death I was disappointed in my daughter-in-law because of her independence and excessive stubbornness. After the death of Natalya Kirillovna in 1694, when Peter left for Arkhangelsk and even stopped corresponding with Evdokia. Although Evdokia was also called the queen and she lived with her son in a palace in the Kremlin, her Lopukhin clan fell out of favor - they began to be removed from leadership positions. The young queen tried to establish contacts with people dissatisfied with Peter's policies.

Alleged portrait of Anna Mons

According to some researchers, before Anna Mons became Peter's favorite in 1692, she was in a relationship with Lefort.

Returning from the Grand Embassy in August 1698, Peter I visited the house of Anna Mons, and on September 3 he sent his legal wife to the Suzdal Intercession Monastery. There were rumors that the king was even planning to officially marry his mistress - she was so dear to him.

House of Anna Mons in the German Settlement in the painting by Alexandre Benois.

The Tsar presented her with expensive jewelry or intricate items (for example, a miniature portrait of the sovereign, decorated with diamonds worth 1 thousand rubles); and even built a stone one for her with government money two-storey house in the German settlement.

Great fun hike Kozhukhovsky

Miniature from a manuscript of the 1st half of the 18th century “The History of Peter I”, written by P. Krekshin. Collection of A. Baryatinsky. State Historical Museum Military exercises near the village of Kolomenskoye and the village of Kozhukhovo.

Peter's amusing regiments were no longer just a game - the scope and quality of equipment fully corresponded to real combat units. In 1694, the tsar decided to conduct his first large-scale exercises - for this purpose, a small wooden fortress was built on the banks of the Moscow River near the village of Kozhukhovo. It was a regular pentagonal parapet with loopholes, embrasures and could accommodate a garrison of 5,000 people. The plan of the fortress drawn up by General P. Gordon assumed an additional ditch in front of the fortifications, up to three meters deep.

To staff the garrison, they gathered the archers, as well as all the clerks, nobles, clerks and other service people who were nearby. The archers had to defend the fortress, and the amusing regiments carried out an assault and carried out siege work - they dug tunnels and trenches, blew up fortifications, and climbed walls.

Patrick Gordon, who drew up both the plan for the fortress and the scenario for its assault, was Peter’s main teacher in military affairs. During the exercises, the participants did not spare each other - according to various sources, there were up to 24 killed and more than fifty wounded on both sides.

The Kozhukhov campaign became the final stage of the military practical training of Peter I under the leadership of P. Gordon, which lasted from 1690.

The first conquests - the siege of Azov

The urgent need for trade routes in the Black Sea waters for the state's economy was one of the factors that influenced the desire of Peter I to extend his influence to the coasts of the Azov and Black Seas. The second determining factor was the young king's passion for ships and navigation.

Blockade of Azov from the sea during the siege

After the death of his mother, there were no people left who could dissuade Peter from resuming the fight with Turkey within the Holy League. However, instead of the previously failed attempts to march to the Crimea, he decides to advance south, near Azov, which was not conquered in 1695, but after the additional construction of a flotilla, which cut off the supply of the fortress from the sea, Azov was taken in 1696.

Russia's subsequent struggle against Ottoman Empire within the framework of the agreement with the Holy League, it lost its meaning - the War of the Spanish Succession began in Europe, and the Austrian Habsburgs no longer wanted to take into account the interests of Peter. Without allies, it was not possible to continue the war with the Ottomans - this became one of the key reasons for Peter’s trip to Europe.

Grand Embassy

In 1697-1698, Peter I became the first Russian Tsar to make a long trip abroad. Officially, the tsar participated in the embassy under the pseudonym of Pyotr Mikhailov, with the rank of bombardier. According to the original plan, the embassy was to go along the following route: Austria, Saxony, Brandenburg, Holland, England, Venice and, finally, a visit to the Pope. The actual route of the embassy passed through Riga and Koenigsberg to Holland, then to England, from England - back to Holland, and then to Vienna; It was not possible to get to Venice - on the way, Peter was informed about the uprising of the Streltsy in 1698.

Start of the journey

March 9-10, 1697 can be considered the beginning of the embassy - it moved from Moscow to Livonia. Arriving in Riga, which at that time belonged to Sweden, Peter expressed a desire to inspect the fortifications of the city fortress, but General Dahlberg, the Swedish governor, did not allow him to do this. The Tsar, in anger, called Riga a “cursed place,” and when leaving after the embassy to Mitava, he wrote and sent home the following lines about Riga:

We drove through the city and the castle, where soldiers stood in five places, there were less than 1,000 of them, but they say that they were all there. The city is much fortified, but it is not finished. They are very afraid here, and they are not allowed into the city and other places with a guard, and they are not very pleasant.

Peter I in Holland.

Arriving in the Rhine on August 7, 1697, Peter I descended to Amsterdam along the river and canals. Holland was always interesting to the tsar - Dutch merchants were frequent guests in Russia and talked a lot about their country, arousing interest. Without devoting much time to Amsterdam, Peter rushed to a city with many shipyards and shipbuilders' workshops - Zaandam. Upon his arrival, he signed up as an apprentice at the Linst Rogge shipyard under the name Pyotr Mikhailov.

In Zaandam, Peter lived on Krimp Street in a small wooden house. Eight days later the king moved to Amsterdam. The mayor of the city of Witsen helped him obtain permission to participate in work at the shipyards of the Dutch East India Company.

Seeing such interest of Russian guests in shipyards and the process of building ships, on September 9 the Dutch laid the foundation for a new ship (the frigate “Peter and Pavel”), in the construction of which Pyotr Mikhailov also took part.

In addition to teaching shipbuilding and studying local culture, the embassy was looking for engineers for the subsequent development of production in the Russian Tsardom - the army and future fleet were in dire need of re-equipping and equipping.

In Holland, Peter became acquainted with many different innovations: local workshops and factories, whaling ships, hospitals, orphanages - the tsar carefully studied Western experience to apply it in his homeland. Peter studied the mechanism of a windmill and visited a stationery factory. He attended lectures on anatomy in Professor Ruysch's anatomy office and expressed a special interest in embalming corpses. In the anatomical theater of Boerhaave, Peter participated in the dissection of corpses. Inspired by Western developments, a few years later Peter will create the first Russian museum of curiosities - the Kunstkamera.

In four and a half months, Peter managed to study a lot, but his Dutch mentors did not live up to the king’s hopes; he described the reason for his dissatisfaction as follows:

At the East India Dockyard, having devoted himself with other volunteers to the study of naval architecture, the sovereign in a short time accomplished what a good carpenter should know, and with his labors and skill he built a new ship and launched it into the water. Then he asked that shipyard bass, Jan Paul, to teach him the ship’s proportions, which he showed him four days later. But since in Holland there is no such mastery of perfection in a geometric way, but only some principles, other things from long-term practice, which the above-mentioned bass said, and that he cannot show everything on a drawing, then he became disgusted that such a long way for I perceived this, but did not achieve the desired end. And for several days His Majesty happened to be in the country yard of the merchant Jan Tessing in company, where he sat much sadder for the reason described above, but when between conversations he was asked why he was so sad, then he announced that reason. In that company there was one Englishman who, hearing this, said that here in England this architecture is as perfect as any other, and that it can be learned in a short time. This word made His Majesty very happy, so he immediately went to England and there, four months later, he completed his studies.

Peter I in England

Having received a personal invitation from William III at the beginning of 1698, Peter I went to England.

Having visited London, the tsar spent most of his three months in England in Deptford, where, under the guidance of the famous shipbuilder Anthony Dean, he continued to study shipbuilding.

In England, Peter I also inspected everything that was connected with production and industry: arsenals, docks, workshops, and visited warships of the English fleet, getting acquainted with their structure. Museums and cabinets of curiosities, an observatory, a mint - England was able to surprise the Russian sovereign. There is a version according to which he met with Newton.

Leaving the art gallery of Kensington Palace without attention, Peter became very interested in the device for determining the direction of the wind, which was present in the king’s office.

During Peter's visit to England, the English artist Gottfried Kneller managed to create a portrait that later became an example to follow - most of the images of Peter I distributed in Europe during the 18th century were made in Kneller's style.

Returning back to Holland, Peter was unable to find allies to fight against the Ottoman Empire and headed to Vienna, to the Austrian Habsburg dynasty.

Peter I in Austria

On the way to Vienna, the capital of Austria, Peter received news of plans by Venice and the Austrian king to conclude a truce with the Turks. Despite the long negotiations that took place in Vienna, Austria did not agree to the demand of the Russian kingdom for the transfer of Kerch and offered only to preserve the already conquered Azov with the adjacent territories. This put an end to Peter's attempts to gain access to the Black Sea.

July 14, 1698 Peter I said goodbye to the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I and planned to leave for Venice, but news was received from Moscow about the mutiny of the Streltsy and the trip was cancelled.

Meeting of Peter I with the King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Already on the way to Moscow, the tsar was informed about the suppression of the rebellion. July 31, 1698 In Rava, Peter I met with the King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Augustus II. Both monarchs were almost the same age, and in three days of communication they managed to get closer and discuss the possibility of creating an alliance against Sweden in an attempt to shake its dominance in the Baltic Sea and adjacent territories. The final secret agreement with the Saxon Elector and the Polish King was signed on November 1, 1699.

August II Strong

Having assessed the prospects, Peter I decided to focus on the Baltic Sea instead of the Black Sea. Today, centuries later, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of this decision - the conflict between Russia and Sweden, which resulted in the Northern War of 1700-1721, became one of the bloodiest and most debilitating in the entire existence of Russia.

(to be continued)

There is a rather interesting story that when the writer Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy was working on his novel “Peter the Great,” he encountered quite unusual fact that the greatest of Russian monarchs, the pride of the Romanov family, has nothing to do with either the family name or Russian nationality in general!

This fact greatly excited the writer, and he, taking advantage of his acquaintance with another great dictator, and remembering the fate of other, careless writers, decided to turn to him for advice, especially since the information was in some sense quite close to the leader.

The information was provocative and ambiguous, Alexei Nikolaevich brought Stalin a document, namely a certain letter, which clearly indicated that Peter I by origin was not Russian at all, as previously thought, but Georgian!

What is noteworthy is that Stalin was not at all surprised by such an unusual incident. Moreover, after familiarizing himself with the documents, he asked Tolstoy to hide this fact, so as not to give him the opportunity to become public, arguing his desire quite simply: “Let’s leave them at least one “Russian” whom they can be proud of!”

And he recommended that the document that Tolstoy received be destroyed. The act would seem strange if we remember that Joseph Vissarionovich himself was a Georgian by origin. But if you look at it, it is absolutely logical from the point of view of the position of the leader of the people, since it is known that Stalin considered himself Russian! How else would he call himself the leader of the Russian people?

The information after this meeting, it would seem, should have been buried forever, but no offense to Alexei Nikolaevich, and he, like any writer, was an extremely sociable person, was told to a narrow circle of acquaintances, and then, according to the snowball principle, it was spread like a virus throughout to all the minds of the intelligentsia of that time.

What was this letter that was supposed to disappear? Most likely we're talking about about a letter from Daria Archilovna Bagration-Mukhranskaya, daughter of Tsar Archil II of Imereti, to her cousin, daughter of the Mingrelian prince Dadiani.

The letter talks about a certain prophecy she heard from the Georgian queen: “My mother told me about a certain Matveev, who saw prophetic dream, in which Saint George the Victorious appeared to him and said to him: You have been chosen to inform the king that a “KING OF KINGS” is to be born in Muscovy, who will make it great empire. He was supposed to be born from the visiting Orthodox Tsar of Iveron from the same tribe of David as the Mother of God. And the daughters of Kirill Naryshkin, pure of heart. If you disobey this command, there will be a great pestilence. The will of God is the will.”

The prophecy clearly hinted at the urgent need for such an event, but another problem could actually contribute to such a turn of events.

The beginning of the end of the Romanov family

To understand the reasons for such a written appeal, it is necessary to turn to history and remember that the kingdom of Moscow at that time was a kingdom without a king, and the acting king, the monarch Alexei Mikhailovich, could not cope with the role assigned to him.

In fact, the country was ruled by Prince Miloslavsky, mired in palace intrigues, a swindler and an adventurer.

Context

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Matveev’s plan was simple: it was necessary to help the tsar get rid of kinship with the Miloslavskys and place “his” heir on the throne...

So in March 1669, after giving birth, the wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya, died.

After which it was Matveev who betrothed Alexei Mikhailovich to the Crimean Tatar princess Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, the daughter of the Crimean Tatar murza Ismail Narysh, who at that time lived in Moscow and for convenience bore the name Kirill, which was quite convenient for the local nobility to pronounce.

It remained to resolve the issue with the heir, since the children born from the first wife were as frail as the tsar himself, and were unlikely, in Matveev’s opinion, to pose a threat.

In other words, as soon as the tsar was married to Princess Naryshkina, the question of an heir arose, and since at that time the tsar was seriously ill and physically weak, and his children were frail, it was decided to find a replacement for him, and that’s where The Georgian prince fell into the hands of the conspirators...

Who is Peter's father?

There are actually two theories; Peter’s fathers include two great Georgian princes from the Bagration family, these are:

Archil II (1647-1713) - king of Imereti (1661-1663, 1678-1679, 1690-1691, 1695-1696, 1698) and Kakheti (1664-1675), lyric poet, eldest son of the king of Kartli Vakhtang V. One of founders of the Georgian colony in Moscow.

Irakli I (Nazarali Khan; 1637 or 1642 - 1709) - king of Kartli (1688-1703), king of Kakheti (1703-1709). Son of Tsarevich David (1612-1648) and Elena Diasamidze (d. 1695), grandson of the King of Kartli and Kakheti Teimuraz I.

And in fact, after conducting a little investigation, I am forced to incline that it was Heraclius who could have become the father, because it was Heraclius who was in Moscow at the time suitable for the king’s conception, and Archil moved to Moscow only in 1681.

Tsarevich Irakli was known in Russia under the name Nikolai, which was more convenient for local people, and the patronymic Davydovich. Irakli was a close associate of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and even at the wedding of the Tsar and the Tatar princess he was appointed thousand, that is, the main manager of wedding celebrations.

It is fair to note that the tysyatsky’s duties also included becoming godfather wedding couple. But as fate would have it, the Georgian prince helped the Tsar of Moscow not only with the choice of a name for his first-born, but also with his conception.

At the christening of the future emperor, in 1672, Heraclius fulfilled his duty and named the baby Peter, and in 1674 he left Russia, taking the throne of the principality of Kakheti, although to receive this title he had to convert to Islam.

Version two, dubious

According to the second version, the father of the future autocrat in 1671 was the Imeretian king Archil II, who had been staying at court for several months and fled from the pressure of Persia, who was practically forced to visit the princess’s bedroom under pressure, convincing him that according to divine providence his participation was extremely necessary. a godly deed, namely, the conception of “the one they were waiting for.”

Perhaps it was the dream of the practically holy man Matveev that forced the most noble Orthodox Tsar to enter the young princess.

The relationship between Peter and Archil can be evidenced by the fact that the official heir of the Georgian monarch, Prince Alexander, became the first general Russian army of Georgian origin, served with Peter in amusing regiments and died for the emperor in Swedish captivity.

And Archil’s other children: Matvey, David and sister Daria (Dardgen) received such preferences from Peter as lands in Russia, and were treated kindly by him in every possible way. In particular, it is a known fact that Peter went to celebrate his victory in the village of Vsekhsvyatskoye, the area of ​​​​present-day Sokol, to visit his sister Daria!

Also associated with this period in the life of the country is a wave of mass migration of the Georgian elite to Moscow. As proof of the relationship between the Georgian king Archil II and Peter I, they also cite the fact captured in the monarch’s letter to the Russian princess Naryshkina, in which he writes: “How is our naughty boy doing?”

Although “our naughty boy” can be said about both Tsarevich Nicholas and Peter, as a representative of the Bagration family. The second version is also supported by the fact that Peter I was surprisingly similar to the Imeretian king Archil II. Both were truly gigantic for that time, with identical facial features and characters, although this same version can also be used as evidence of the first, since the Georgian princes were directly related.

Everyone knew and everyone was silent

It seems that everyone knew about the king’s relatives at that time. So Princess Sophia wrote to Prince Golitsyn: “You cannot give power to an infidel!”

Peter's mother, Natalya Naryshkina, was also terribly afraid of what she had done, and repeatedly stated: “He cannot be a king!”

And the tsar himself, at the moment when the Georgian princess was wooed for him, declared publicly: “I will not marry people of the same name!”

Visual similarity, no other evidence needed

This is a must see. Remember from history: not a single Moscow king was distinguished by either height or Slavic appearance, but Peter is the most special of them.

According to historical documents, Peter I was quite tall even by today’s standards, since his height reached two meters, but what’s strange is that he wore size 38 shoes, and his clothing size was 48! But, nevertheless, it was precisely these features that he inherited from his Georgian relatives, since this description accurately suited the Bagration family. Peter was a pure European!

But not even visually, but in character, Peter definitely did not belong to the Romanov family; in all his habits, he was a real Caucasian.

Yes, he inherited the unimaginable cruelty of the Moscow kings, but this feature could have been inherited from his mother’s side, since their entire family was more Tatar than Slavic, and it was precisely this feature that gave him the opportunity to turn a fragment of the horde into a European state.

Conclusion

Peter I was not Russian, but he was a Russian, because despite his not entirely correct origin, he was still of royal blood, but he did not ascend either to the Romanov family, much less to the Rurik family.

Perhaps it was not his Horde origin that made him a reformer and actually an emperor, who turned the district Horde principality of Muscovy into the Russian Empire, even though he had to borrow the history of one of the occupied territories, but we will talk about this in the next story.

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.

The last Tsar of All Rus' and the first Emperor of Russia - Peter the First- a truly great figure. It is not for nothing that this king was called “The Great” by Peter. 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 the king Alexey Mikhailovich. His mother is the second wife of Alexei Mikhailovich, Natalya Naryshkina. Peter I was the first child from the tsar’s second marriage and the fourteenth.

IN 1976 Peter Alekseevich’s father died and his eldest son ascended the throne - Fedor Alekseevich. He was sickly and reigned for about 6 years.

The death of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and the accession of his eldest son Fyodor (from Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna, née Miloslavskaya) pushed Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna and her relatives, the Naryshkins, into the background.

Streletsky riot

After the death of Feodor III, the question arose: who should rule next? Peter's elder brother Ivan was a sickly child (he was also called weak-minded) and it was decided to place Peter on the throne.

However, the relatives of the first wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich did not like this - Miloslavsky. Having secured the support of 20 thousand archers who were dissatisfied at that time, the Miloslavskys staged a riot in 1682.

The consequence of this Streltsy revolt was the proclamation of Peter's sister, Sophia, as regent until Ivan and Peter grew up. Subsequently, Peter and Ivan were considered dual rulers of the Russian state until Ivan's death in 1686.

Queen 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 childish games - he formed from his peers "funny" troops and learned to fight. Foreign officers helped him master military literacy.

Subsequently, these two battalions were formed Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments- the basis of Peter's guard.

Beginning of independent rule

In 1689 On the advice of his mother, Peter got married. The daughter of a Moscow boyar was chosen as his bride Evdokia Lopukhina. After his marriage, 17-year-old Peter was considered an adult and could lay claim to independent rule.

Suppression of the riot

Princess Sophia immediately realized the danger she was in danger of. Not wanting to lose power, she persuaded the archers oppose 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, whipped, and burned with a hot iron. Sophia was sent to Novodevichy Convent.

Capture of Azov

Since 1696, after the death of Tsar Ivan V, Peter became sole ruler of Russia. A year earlier, he turned his gaze to the map. Advisers, among them the beloved Swiss Lefort, suggested that Russia needs access to the sea, it needs to build a fleet, it needs to move south.

The Azov campaigns began. Peter himself took part in battles and gained combat experience. On the second attempt they captured Azov, in a convenient bay Sea of ​​Azov Peter founded the city Taganrog.

Trip to Europe

Peter went “incognito”, he was called volunteer Peter 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 - information about a new mutiny of the Streltsy reached him. After the brutal massacre of the archers and executions, Peter began preparing for war with Sweden.

Peter's war with Sweden

On Russia's allies - Poland and Denmark- the young Swedish king began to attack CharlesXII, determined to conquer all of northern Europe. Peter I decided to enter the war against Sweden.

Battle of Narva

First battle of Narva in 1700 was unsuccessful for the Russian troops. Having a multiple advantage over the Swedish army, the Russians were unable to take the Narva fortress and had to retreat.

Decisive action

Having attacked Poland, Charles XII was stuck in the war for a long time. Taking advantage of the ensuing respite, Peter announced a recruitment drive. He issued a decree according to which money and bells from churches began to be collected for the war against Sweden melted down for cannons, strengthened old fortresses, erected new ones.

St. Petersburg – the new capital of Russia

Peter the First personally participated in a combat sortie with two regiments of soldiers against Swedish ships blocking the exit to the Baltic Sea. The attack was a success, the ships were captured, and access 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, which was later named Petropavlovskaya. It was around this fortress that the city was formed Saint Petersburg- the new capital of Russia.

Battle of Poltava

The news of Peter's successful foray on the Neva forced the Swedish king to move his troops to Russia. He chose the south, where he waited for help from Turk and where is Ukrainian Hetman Mazepa promised to give him Cossacks.

The Battle of Poltava, where the Swedes and Russians gathered their troops, didn't last long.

Charles XII left the Cossacks brought by Mazepa in the convoy; they were not sufficiently trained and equipped. The Turks never came. Numerical superiority in 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 reorganized their regiments, they failed to turn the tide of the battle in their favor.

A 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 captured Swedish generals and thanked them for their science.

Internal reforms of Peter the Great

Peter the Great, in addition to wars with other states, was actively engaged in reforms within the country. He demanded that the courtiers take off their caftans and put on European dress, that they shave their beards, and go to the balls arranged for them.

Important reforms of Peter

Instead of the Boyar Duma, he established Senate, who dealt with important government issues, introduced a special Table of ranks, which determined the classes of military and civilian officials.

Started operating in St. Petersburg Marine Academy, opened in Moscow math school. Under him, it began to be published in the country first Russian newspaper. For Peter there were no titles or awards. If he saw a capable person, albeit of low origin, he would send him to study abroad.

Opponents of reforms

To many Peter's innovations didn't like it- starting from the highest ranks, ending with serfs. The Church called him a heretic, schismatics called him the Antichrist, and sent all kinds of blasphemy against him.

The peasants found themselves completely dependent on the landowners and the state. Increased tax burden 1.5-2 times, for many it turned out to be unbearable. Major uprisings occurred in Astrakhan, on the Don, in Ukraine, and the Volga region.

The breaking of 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 Peter's reign I 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 erected in the room next to his bedroom, and on February 2 he confessed. Strength began to leave the patient, he no longer screamed, as before, from severe pain, but only moaned.

On 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...".

At the beginning of six o'clock in the morning February 8, 1725 Peter the Great “the Great” died in terrible agony in his Winter Palace at the Winter Canal, according to the official version, from pneumonia. He was buried in Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.

Peter I is a great Russian emperor and an incredibly attractive and creative personality, so interesting facts from the biography of the tsar of the Romanov dynasty will be of interest to everyone. I will try to tell you something that is definitely impossible to find in any school textbooks. According to the new style, Peter the Great was born on June 8, according to his zodiac sign - Gemini. It is not surprising that it was Peter the Great who became an innovator for the conservative Russian Empire. Gemini is air sign who is distinguished by his ease of decision-making, sharp mind and amazing imagination. Only the “horizon of expectation” usually does not justify itself: the rough reality is too different from the blue dreams.

According to calculations of the Pythagorean square, the character of Peter 1 consists of three units, which means that the emperor had a calm character. It is believed that a person with three or four units is most suitable for working in government agencies. For example, a person with one or five or six units has a despotic character and is ready to “go over their heads” for the sake of power. So, Peter the Great had all the prerequisites for occupying the royal throne.

Is he the heir?

There is an opinion that Peter the Great is not the natural son of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov. The fact is that the future emperor was different strong health, unlike his brother Fyodor and sister Natalya. But this is just a guess. But the birth of Peter was predicted by Simeon of Polotsk, he informed the sovereign that he would soon have a son, who would go down in Russian history as a great almighty!

But the Emperor’s wife, Catherine I, was of peasant origin. By the way, this is the first woman who was aware of all government affairs. Peter discussed everything with her and listened to any advice.

Innovator

Peter the Great introduced many new ideas into Russian life.

• While traveling in Holland, I noticed that skating is much more convenient if they are not tied to shoes, but are tightly attached to special boots.

• To prevent soldiers from confusing right and left, Peter I ordered hay to be tied to his left leg and straw to his right. During drill training, the commander, instead of the usual “right - left”, commanded “hay - straw”. By the way, previously only educated people were able to distinguish between right and left.
• Peter intensively struggled with drunkenness, especially among the courtiers. To completely eradicate the disease, he came up with his own system: giving out seven-kilogram cast-iron medals for every binge. This award was hung around your neck at the police station and you had to wear it for at least 7 days! It was impossible to remove it on your own, and asking someone else was dangerous.
• Peter I was impressed by the beauty of overseas tulips; he brought flower bulbs from Holland to Russia in 1702.

Peter I's favorite pastime was dentistry; he took such interest in pulling out diseased teeth from anyone who asked. But sometimes he got so carried away that he could vomit even healthy ones!

Substitution of Peter I

The most unusual and interesting fact V Russian history. Researchers A. Fomenko and G. Nosovsky claim that there was a substitution and provide significant evidence to confirm it. In those days, the names of the future heirs to the throne were given in accordance with the day of the angel and the Orthodox canons, and this is where a discrepancy emerged: the birthday of Peter the Great falls in the name Isaac.

From his youth, Peter the Great was distinguished by his love for everything Russian: he wore a traditional caftan. But after a two-year stay in Europe, the sovereign began to wear exclusively fashionable European clothes and never again put on his once beloved Russian caftan.

• Researchers claim that the impostor who returned from distant countries had a body structure different from Peter the Great. The impostor turned out to be taller and thinner. It is believed that Peter 1 was not actually two meters tall before; this is logical, because his father’s height was 170 cm, his grandfather - 167. And the king who came from Europe was 204 cm. Therefore, there is a version that the impostor did not wear the king's favorite clothing due to the discrepancy in size.
• Peter I had a mole on his nose, but after his stay in Europe, the mole mysteriously disappeared, this is confirmed by numerous portraits of the sovereign.
• When Peter returned from a campaign abroad, he did not know where the oldest library of Ivan the Terrible was located, although the secret of its location was passed down from generation to generation. Princess Sophia constantly visited her, and the new Peter could not find the repository of rare publications.
• When Peter returned from Europe, his entourage consisted of Dutchmen, although when the tsar just set off on his journey there was a Russian embassy of 20 people with him. Where 20 Russian subjects went during the two years of the Tsar’s stay in Europe remains a mystery.
• After arriving in Russia, Peter the Great tried to avoid his relatives and associates, and then got rid of everyone in different ways.

It was the archers who announced that the returning Peter was an impostor! And they staged a riot, which was brutally suppressed. This is very strange, because only those close to the tsar were selected for the Streltsy troops, the title of Streltsy was inherited with the confirmation of the tsar. Therefore, each of these people was definitely dear to Peter the Great before his trip to Europe, and now he suppressed the uprising in the most brutal way; according to historical data, 20 thousand people were killed. After this, the army was completely reorganized.

In addition, while in London, Peter the Great imprisoned his wife Lopukhina in a monastery without announcing the reason and took as his wife the peasant woman Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya-Kruse, who in the future would become Empress Catherine I.

Researchers note that the calm and fair Peter the Great became a real despot after returning from a foreign campaign, all his orders were aimed at destroying Russian heritage: Russian history was rewritten by German professors, many Russian chronicles disappeared without a trace, were introduced new system chronology, abolition of customary measurement measures, repressions against the clergy, eradication of Orthodoxy, the spread of alcohol, tobacco and coffee, a ban on the cultivation of medicinal amaranth and much more.

Is this really so, one can only guess; all the historical documents of those times that we have cannot be considered valid, because everything was rewritten many times. We can only guess and assume; you can also watch a film on this topic.

In any case, Peter I - significant person Russian history.

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History of the reign of Emperor Peter I

The personality of Peter the Great stands apart in Russian history, because everything that his contemporaries, successors and followers did did not stand next to the deep state transformations that this ruler was able to introduce into the historical memory of the people. As a result of the wise reign of Peter, Russia was able to become an empire, taking its place among the developed countries of Europe!

Childhood and youth of the future first emperor of Russia.

Pyotr Alekseevich was born in the summer of June 9, 1672 in the family of the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov. His mother was the tsar’s second wife, Natalya Naryshkina. At the age of four, he is left without a father, who died at the age of forty-seven.

Nikita Zotov, who was considered quite educated for the period of the then Russia, took up the upbringing and education of the young prince. It is also worth noting the fact that Peter was the youngest in the considerable family of Tsar Alexei, who had thirteen children. In 1682, a struggle between the boyar clans - the Naryshkins and Miloslavskys, relatives of the first and second wives of the late tsar - began in the royal court.

The latter advocated that the sick Tsarevich Ivan act as the new ruler of the state. The other side, having secured the support of the patriarch, insisted that the healthy and active ten-year-old Peter should become the ruler of Russia. As a result, a compromise option was approved, according to which both princes became kings with a common regent - their elder sister Sophia.

As a teenager, the future ruler discovers a craving for the art of war. At his request and command, “funny” shelves are created that imitate real ones. fighting, helped shape the skills of a commander in Petra. Subsequently, the “amusing” regiments turn into the guard and personal support of Peter. Also, Peter is interested in shipbuilding, for this purpose a flotilla was created on the Yauza River.

Contemporaries note that at first Peter was not at all interested in politics and state affairs. He often traveled to the German Settlement, where the tsar met his future comrades-in-arms, General Gordon and Lefort. At the same time, the young ruler spent most of his time in Preobrazhenskoye and Semenovskoye villages. Amusing regiments were also formed there, which later turned into the first guards regiments - Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky.

The year 1689 was marked by a difference of opinion between Sophia and Peter, who demanded that her sister retire to a monastery, because both Ivan and Peter should have ruled independently by this time, since both had reached adulthood. From 1689 to 1696, both brothers were rulers until Ivan died.

Peter realized that the situation modern Russia does not allow her to implement the ruler’s foreign policy plans. In addition, the country in that state could not develop internally. The most important step towards correcting the current situation was to gain access to the Black Sea, which would certainly give impetus to Russian industry and trade.

For this reason, Tsar Peter decides to continue the work that his sister started, intensifying the fight against Turkey within the Holy League. However, instead of the usual campaign for Russia in Crimea, the ruler throws forces under Azov to the south. And although it was not possible to take Azov this year, it was taken the next year after the necessary flotilla was built in Voronezh. At the same time, further participation in Holy League Russia gradually lost its meaning, because Europe was preparing forces for the War of the Spanish Succession. Because of this, the war with Turkey lost its relevance for the Austrian Habsburgs. In turn, Russia could not oppose the Ottomans without allies.

Azov campaigns of Peter I

One of the most pressing and key tasks facing the future emperor was the continuation of military operations against Crimean Khanate. Russian troops made the first attempt to capture the Azov fortress in 1695, but the insufficient preparedness of the military company did not ultimately allow the siege to be successfully completed. One of the factors of failure was the lack of a full-fledged fleet by the Russian state. The result of the first siege of Azov was Peter's awareness of the need for a radical transformation of the Russian army and the creation of a fleet.

Before the second siege of the Azov fortress in 1696, the Russian army was more than doubled, the first full-fledged warships appeared, with the help of which the city was blocked from the sea. The result of the siege was the capture of the fortress by Russian troops and the founding of the first Russian fortress on the Sea of ​​Azov - Taganrog.

"Grand Embassy" to Western European countries

After the successful capture of the Azov fortress, Peter decides to travel through Western European countries in order to strengthen the allied relations of the European powers and the Russian state against the offensive of the Turks. In addition to the main goal, Peter sought to study the Western European way of life and learn about the achievements of technological progress.

Thus, from 1697 to 1698, Tsar Peter the Great traveled incognito throughout Europe as part of the Great Embassy, ​​taking the name of the bombardier Peter Mikhailov. During this period, the ruler personally met the monarchs of the richest and most developed countries in Europe. In addition, from this trip the king brings back extensive knowledge about shipbuilding, artillery, and navigation. After his audience with the Polish king Augustus II, the Russian Tsar gives the order to move the center of foreign policy activity from the south to the north and gain access to the Baltic Sea. Only Sweden stood in the way of Peter, which was at that time one of the most powerful Baltic states.

Going to Europe as part of the “Great Embassy” became one of the fateful decisions of Peter I. There he became acquainted with the achievements of Western European technical thought, gained an idea of ​​the way of life, and became acquainted with the basics of navigation and shipbuilding. Visits to local cultural attractions, theaters and museums, factories and schools laid the foundation for future Peter's reforms.

The era of Peter's transformations and economic reforms

Results of the reign of Peter I

Wanting to make Russia more developed in all respects, the tsar introduces government reforms, creating collegiums, the Senate, as well as bodies of higher state control. Also, Peter introduces Spiritual Regulations, subordinates the church to the state, builds a new capital Saint Petersburg and divides the country into separate provinces.

Realizing that Russia was significantly behind the European powers in industrial development, the tsar used the experience brought from Europe in a variety of areas - in culture, trade and manufacturing.

The Russian sovereign forcibly forced merchants and nobles to obtain and develop the knowledge necessary for the country. No less successful was foreign policy king He personally led military operations in Azov campaigns, and also developed tactical and strategic operations for the Northern War, Prut and Persian campaigns.

Tsar Peter the Great died on February 18, 1725 due to pneumonia received while rescuing fishermen.

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