“Peter I: good or evil genius of Russian history?” With such a report at the Faculty of Philology of St. Petersburg state university At the club “Modernity through the Prism of Literature” (curated by Georgy Medvedev), a recognized expert on the Petrine era, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the European University Evgeniy Viktorovich Anisimov, spoke.

Recently, in connection with ongoing reforms, interest in the great reformer of Russia, Peter I, has again intensified. Is Peter really the Great? And was it worth cutting a window to Europe? What would Russia be like if Peter's reforms had not happened?

Assessing the personality and activities of Peter, everyone agrees that he was an influential historical figure. No one ever considered him a person who unconsciously used power or blindly followed a random path.

The famous historian S.M. Solovyov spoke about Peter in enthusiastic tones, attributing to him all the successes of Russia as internal affairs, and in foreign policy, showed the organic nature and historical preparedness of the reforms.

Voltaire defines the main value of Peter's reforms as the progress that the Russians have achieved in 50 years; other nations cannot achieve this even in 500.

The famous Swedish writer August Strindberg described Peter this way: “The barbarian who civilized his Russia; he, who built cities, but did not want to live in them ... "

“Westerners” positively assessed Peter’s reforms, thanks to which Russia became a great power and joined European civilization.
“Slavophiles” believed that only at the cost of ruining the country, Russia was elevated to the rank of a European power. The population of Russia during the reign of Peter, due to incessant wars, decreased to the number of 1695.

The famous historian N.M. Karamzin, recognizing Peter as the Great Sovereign, severely criticizes him for his excessive passion for foreign things. The sharp change in the “old” way of life and national traditions undertaken by the emperor is not always justified. As a result, Russian educated people "became citizens of the world, but ceased to be, in some cases, citizens of Russia."

The historian V.O. Klyuchevsky thought that Peter made history, but did not understand it. To protect the Fatherland from enemies, he devastated it more than any enemy... After him, the state became stronger, and the people poorer. “He hoped only to forcefully impose on the people the benefits they lacked.”
“Woe threatened the one who, even secretly, even in drunkenness, would think: “Is the king leading us to good, and are these torments not in vain, will they not lead to the most evil torments for many hundreds of years?” But to think, even to feel something... or other than submission was forbidden.”

According to P.N. Milyukov, the reforms were carried out by Peter spontaneously, from case to case, under the pressure of specific circumstances, without any logic or plan, they were “reforms without a reformer.”

The personality of Peter I and his reforms are extremely contradictory. Peter did not do the most important thing in the country: he did not abolish serfdom. Temporary improvements in the present doomed Russia to a crisis in the future.

I WILL LIST THE MOST INTERESTING POINTS OF THE DISCUSSION:

Professor Anisimov E.V. believes that the reforms of Peter I should be considered from two sides. On the one hand, Peter’s reforms were historically inevitable, since there was a systemic crisis in Russia, economic lag, and there was not even silver for minting money. The church and dynastic split led to confrontation in society. Russia was plagued by continuous military defeats. Russia's international prestige has never been lower. The Swedes laughed at the Russian ambassadors who demanded the return of the banks of the Neva, which originally belonged to the Russians, in a fair manner.

But perhaps Russia had another way of reform and development. Russia of the second half of the 17th century is not the Middle Ages. After Byzantium, Russia joined European culture through Polish-Ukrainian culture.

The space of Russia is its wealth. The Russian Tsar who did not annex something is bad.

For the Russian mentality, it is very important to realize that one belongs to a great victorious nation.

Russia, thanks to Peter, became on par with the developed European powers, possessing tremendous military power.
But what is this enormous military power for?
North War cost 500 thousand people out of a population of 12 million. But 87% were not combat losses; people died due to hunger and disease.

Before Peter there was not a single manufactory in Russia. And by the end of his reign there were more than two hundred advanced enterprises. 100% of Russian iron was exported. Russia had the most advanced mining legislation: whoever found ore and will mine it gets the land.

But at the same time, the concept of a free, free person was destroyed. All were de jure “slaves” of the king. One of the Decrees said: “There are no free people in Russia today.” 96% of workers in the Ural industry were serfs. 98% of orders went to defense. A passport system has been introduced.

Thanks to Peter, Russia became an empire. What's wrong with an empire? A good life until separatism begins. The inhabitants of the empire are cosmopolitan and do not allow nationalism to grow. The main thing is citizenship, not nationality!

Russian culture became global, thanks to Peter, thanks to the empire.
But at the same time, it is precisely from the time of Peter the Great that Russian traditional culture, “Moscow antiquity,” has been belittled.

However, culture can become global without an empire. For example, Renaissance Culture in Italy.
The Assyrian Empire and the German Reich did not bring anything good.

There are 20 thousand foreign words and expressions in the Russian language. Of these, 4 thousand were introduced during the 25 years of Peter’s reign. As a result, we began to speak European Russian.

The concept of personal freedom and intelligence came from Peter. But at the same time, not a single person was truly free. State violence in all forms. A brutal police state. Progress through violence!

Peter forced the priests to swear that they would divulge the secret of confession if it contained elements of a crime. And Russian people destroyed Russian churches, because it was a marketplace, an office.

Historian N.M. Karamzin wrote: “Having become Europeans, we have ceased to be Russians. How can a people respect themselves if they are humiliated by their past?”

Historian V.O. Klyuchevsky wrote: “With thunder and power, Peter wanted to provoke initiative among the slave-owning nobility. He wanted the slave, while remaining a slave, to act consciously and freely.”

There is a misconception that before Peter, the place where Petersburg stands was almost a deserted place. The book “Petersburg before Petersburg” clearly shows that the place here was quite lively, and international at that. On the site of the Summer Garden there was a garden of a Swedish captain, and on the site of Smolny there was a Russian village. Before Peter, 250 ships entered the mouth of the Neva, and the Swedes did not interfere with this.

Today, the historical figure of Peter I suits everyone, all political trends.
They say that in the office of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin there is a portrait of Peter the Great hanging.

Peter I is a dangerous example to follow.
Peter killed his son, Tsarevich Alexei. Thus, Peter went against divine truth, violating moral values.

There is human logic and state logic. State logic almost always does not coincide with human logic.
State priorities and values ​​do not coincide with universal human values!

When a person is in power for a long time, he develops a false, inadequate idea of ​​reality.

There was no conspiracy against Peter on the part of Tsarevich Alexei. But many were against the king.

Major Glebov became the lover of Peter I’s first wife, Evdokia Lopukhina, but did not admit it even under terrible torture.

The state does not tolerate human resilience. Old Believers were secretly strangled in the Peter and Paul Fortress and lowered under the ice.

“Russian tragedy takes place against the backdrop of European scenery.”

There is always no time in Russia. Peter's fleet rotted in the fresh water of St. Petersburg because there was no time to dry the logs for building ships.

Historical myths are ordered by politicians. Myth about bad Russia to Peter comes from Peter himself, as a justification for the reforms he carried out.

History is not an exact science. You shouldn’t trust sources, because sources are written by people.

Now there is freedom of historical research. But there is a deliberate campaign to historical research enter into a certain framework with a uniform understanding of history.

I ASKED A QUESTION: There is a mystery about the death of Peter the Great. Did the king die as a result of a political conspiracy or from his own illnesses?
– Peter died from the consequences of venereal diseases, which he suffered from constantly. Peter had a harem. His wife Catherine supplied Peter with girls. Peter cohabited with both Menshikov and the orderlies...!

– How is Peter different from Stalin and Ivan the Terrible?
– Stalin and Grozny are not “Westerners”. The general thing is that in Russia there is no price for a person; man is “material”, “camp dust”. But Peter was not a tyrant.

I ASKED A QUESTION: Peter proved with his reforms that the only possible path for the development of Russia can only be the Western path. What is the relationship today between the global development trend and national characteristics?
Professor Anisimov E.V. answered:
– We belong to European civilization. We need to stop butting heads with the West, otherwise we will suffer the fate of Byzantium.
“When you are in Europe, you feel Asian, and when you are in Asia, you feel European.”

MY IDEA ABOUT PETER THE FIRST was formed in childhood from the movie “Peter the First” with Nikolai Simonov in leading role. At school we studied Alexei Tolstoy’s novel “Peter the Great”. I myself read Yuri German’s book “Young Russia”.
Peter seemed to be an ideal ruler - quite in the spirit of socialist realism - strict, but fair, caring more about the good of the Fatherland than about himself.

Peter the Great could have repeated, following Ivan the Terrible: “I may be a sinner in my deeds, as a man I am a sinner, but as a king I am righteous!”

In Russia, authoritarian power has always won. Otherwise, it would be impossible to cope with such a state; disintegration into appanage principalities would be inevitable.
Without a strong state, Russia will cease to exist. You can't survive in this country alone. Here the principle of “every man for himself” is suicidal. Here “you can only be saved together” - this is the essence of the Russian Idea!
History teaches that the slightest weakening of the Russian state leads to its collapse and division of the country.

What is more important: the unity of the state or human rights? Man for the state or state for the man?
In the “Western model,” the state serves people and respects human rights. In the “Eastern model,” the state is more important than the individual, who can be replaced like a broken gear.
Russia is the 23rd Asian country, and therefore our interests of the unity of the state are objectively more important than the interests of the individual.

State power, probably like no other, is subject to necessity, and only superficially resembles arbitrariness. No matter what they say, power is, first of all, responsibility, and responsibility for the entire people!

Is it permissible for rulers to break moral and human laws, as well as legal laws (established by themselves) in order to maintain power?
Is morality subordinate to politics or should politics be subordinate to morality?

The writer Daniil Granin in his book “Evenings with Peter the Great,” in my opinion, somewhat idealizes the personality of the reformer tsar. At a meeting at the Writers' Book Shop, I gave Daniil Granin my novel, in which one of the characters says:
“When it comes to preserving the state, there is no place for morality. For the sake of the state, any evil is good. Yes, people are dying. But what can you do? The forest is being cut down and the chips are flying. What do any sacrifices mean when the integrity of the state is at stake! End justifies the means. The winners are not judged! If victory is won, the people forget the means to achieve it. The ruler becomes the one who is not afraid to step over morality and conscience, who is capable of taking any measures necessary for the state!” (from my true-life novel “The Wanderer” (mystery) on the New Russian Literature website

People's Musketeer Mikhail Boyarsky in an interview “Tsar or Motherland?” said: “I was born in the city of Peter the Great, I like that it is the symbol of St. Petersburg. Serving him – yes, that’s great. Although he was cruel in many ways, what he left us! Were there any dissatisfied people? Of course there were. And beards were shaved, and heads were chopped off, and Peter himself, as historians say, was built on bones.” (AiF No. 38 September 22-28, 2010).

More than 100 thousand people died during the construction of St. Petersburg!
Is it possible to justify a king who ruined many thousands of lives to build a city in a swamp, who built a capital on the bones of his subjects!?

P.S. Those who want to listen to the entire discussion can download the audio file from the link.

Chapter I
The childhood and youth of the prince

As soon as the first rays of the rising sun gilded the domes of the Kremlin cathedrals, the Orthodox gospel notified the Russian people of the birth of the prince, for whom astrologers predicted a great future. It was morning on May 30, 1672.

His father, the autocrat of all Rus' Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, nicknamed the Quietest, was especially happy about the birth of his son. Married for a second marriage to Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, he hoped for healthier offspring: his sons from his first marriage - Fyodor and Ivan - had clear signs of degeneration of the dynasty. At baptism, the younger prince received the name Peter and lived up to the hopes of his happy parents: he grew up as a healthy, strong, beautiful, active and cheerful child, however, quite ordinary, not showing any special talents. Like thousands of other boys of that time, he was primarily interested in military fun, for which the young prince had a full arsenal of toys - sabers, lances, reeds, bows, arrows, arquebuses, horses, drums, banners... By tradition, his playmates were peers from among the most noble boyar families.

Peter was not even four years old when his father Alexei the Quietest died suddenly. The eldest son of the deceased tsar, Fyodor, a 14-year-old boy suffering from a severe form of leg disease, ascended the Moscow throne. At the throne of the young tsar, a struggle for power began between his maternal relatives, the Miloslavskys, and the influential minister of the court, Artamon Matveev, educator and benefactor of Peter’s mother, behind whom stood the Naryshkin clan. The confrontation ended with the fall of Matveev and the removal of the Naryshkins from the court. Natalya Kirillovna settled with her son in the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow.

Fedor's illness progressed. The young king's legs became so swollen that he almost lost the ability to move. Shortly before his death, Fyodor forgave Artamon Matveev and ordered him and the Naryshkin brothers to be returned from exile. Fyodor reigned for six years, managed to marry twice, but left no offspring.

The Boyar Duma was faced with the question: who should be king - Ivan or Peter? The first was fifteen years old at that time, the second was ten. Fyodor did not leave clear instructions which of his brothers would inherit the Moscow throne. The weak-minded and half-blind Ivan, not only the state, was incapable of governing himself. Peter is still too young. Despite the younger prince's youth, most of the boyars and Patriarch Joachim sided with him. Some pointed to Ivan's birthright. To finally resolve the issue, the boyars and the patriarch went to Red Square and asked for the voice of the people. Ivan's dementia was widely known. Following common sense, the people shouted for Peter. According to tradition, his mother Natalya Kirillovna became the regent of the young tsar. The Naryshkins were again in power. Since Natalya Kirillovna was far from politics and did not understand anything about government, she urgently summoned her patron Artamon Matveev to Moscow. A threat loomed over the Miloslavskys. They began to “simmer the conspiracy” immediately - on the day of Fedor’s funeral.

Contrary to the customs of the Moscow Kremlin, Princess Sophia, the half-sister of the deceased, who was always with Fyodor, appeared at the funeral ceremony last years his life. Her status did not allow her to attend the king's funeral. But smart, dexterous, energetic and very ambitious Sophia decided to speak out not only against old rituals. Lamenting in front of a large crowd of people, she wailed about the “malevolent” enemies who poisoned Tsar Fyodor, hinted at the illegality of electing Peter as Tsar to the detriment of his older brother Ivan, complained about the difficult fate of being an orphan, and asked to be released alive to foreign Christian lands, if she had been guilty of anything... The political performance staged by Sophia made a strong impression on the crowd - the Russian people always sympathize with those offended by the authorities.

Peter's accession to the throne coincided with unrest in the Streltsy army. Created under Ivan the Terrible, it turned into a special military caste. In peacetime, the archers performed police and guard duty, accompanied royal persons, and extinguished fires. They lived in special settlements with their families, in their free time from unburdensome service they were engaged in privileged duty-free trade, crafts, trades, and regularly received generous gifts of money and food from the treasury. Streltsy were easily distinguished on the streets by their bright caftans, red belts, morocco boots and high velvet hats with sable edges.

But even under Fyodor, the life of the archers began to change for the worse: they lost not only some of their privileges, but also faced the arbitrariness and greed of their superiors. Taking advantage of the weakness of the tsarist power, the Streltsy colonels embezzled the salaries of their subordinates, used them to work on their own estates, extorted bribes, and subjected them to cruel punishments.

The injured archers submitted a petition to Natalya Kirillovna demanding that their commanders be punished. Otherwise, they threatened to deal with them themselves. Needing the support of the Streltsy army, Peter's mother ordered the arrest of sixteen colonels and removed the boyars who were undesirable to the Streltsy from the government. But this concession only further inflamed the Streltsy passions. Realizing their strength, they did not want to wait for the investigation and official trial of those arrested, threatening an uprising, they demanded that the colonels be handed over to them for immediate execution. Patriarch Joachim unsuccessfully tried to persuade the Streltsy to wait for the royal trial, rightly believing that Streltsy lynching would serve as a bad example and a reason for general disrespect for authority. Natalya Kirillovna was completely at a loss. More than ever in this turbulent time, she needed the support of Artamon Matveev, who was delayed on his way to Moscow. Unable to pacify the agitated archers, she followed the cowardly and unreasonable advice of the Boyar Duma: she handed over those arrested to arbitrary execution.

Colonels accused of abuses were publicly thrown to the ground, beaten with batogs (sticks) and flogged until the archers considered the punishment sufficient. The cruel procedure was applied several times to especially hated bosses. Amid the screams and groans of the tortured, the archers announced clearly inflated amounts of money that their former commanders owed them. The execution continued until the archers received from them everything they demanded.

Feeling their strength, the archers completely lost their belts: drunken crowds wandered around Moscow, oppressed the townspeople, robbed merchant shops, threatened the hated boyars with violence, and threw their bosses off the tower when they tried to call them to discipline. Passions in Moscow were heating up.

The Miloslavskys quickly figured out how to use the flammable material to their advantage. Rumors appeared in the Streltsy settlements that the Naryshkins not only poisoned Tsar Fyodor, but also planned to inform Tsarevich Ivan that Peter was not the son of Alexei the Quiet at all, but the fruit of the queen’s fornication, her brother Ivan Naryshkin intended to become king, put on royal clothes, sat on the throne and tried on the crown; The new government intends in the near future to pacify the Streltsy with the most drastic measures, completely deprive them of privileges, put an end to their arbitrariness and liberties, and transfer the Streltsy regiments away from the capital... The rumors were supported by the distribution of money and generous promises.

Natalya Kirillovna waited for Artamon Matveev like manna from heaven. The Miloslavskys also prepared for the meeting. To lull Matveev’s vigilance, the archery delegation greeted him with bread and salt. Influential boyars from various quarters showed him signs of respect and recognition as the future de facto ruler of the Russian state.

Artamon Sergeevich Matveev is an amazing personality, one of the first Russian people who was keenly interested in the achievements of the Western world at a time when everything foreign was perceived in the Moscow state as an extremely hostile and harmful influence of Catholics and Protestants mired in heresy. The mere fact that he was married to a Scottish woman did not fit into any Russian medieval framework. Matveev's house, furnished in a European style, was probably the first Russian secular salon, where the most enlightened people of the time gathered. Widely educated, proficient in several foreign languages, including Greek and Latin, he collected an extensive library and put a lot of work into disseminating European culture and science in medieval Muscovy, paying special attention to medicine, history, book publishing, and theater. A skilled diplomat, courtier and warrior, Matveev once commanded the Streltsy army, so he knew the fermented environment well. The Naryshkins and their supporters hoped that he would tame the archers, and then become a mentor and leader of young Peter. However, the Miloslavsky party did not sleep. Everything was ready for the coup, all that remained was to bring the fuse to the gunpowder.

On May 15, 1682, horsemen galloped through the Streltsy quarters, shouting the terrible news as they went: “The Naryshkins strangled Tsarevich Ivan!” The archers sounded the alarm and from all sides, fully armed, ran to the Kremlin to punish the hated boyars. The order to lock the Kremlin gates was late. Having overthrown guard posts and killing boyar slaves along the way, a crowd of enraged archers burst into the Kremlin. Their cries were heard everywhere: “Tsarevich Ivan has been killed! Death to the Naryshkins! We demand the extradition of the murderers, otherwise we will put everyone to death!”

A Duma meeting has just ended in the Faceted Chamber. Hearing the raging crowd, most of the Duma boyars rushed about in horror and hid in the most remote corners of the palace. To dispel the false rumor and calm the raging archers, Matveev, maintaining complete self-control, advised Natalya Kirillovna to take both princes to the Red Porch.

The appearance of Ivan alive and unharmed cooled the ardor of the archers. The most agile of them placed a ladder to the porch and climbed straight up to the prince. Having made sure that there was no substitution here, and Ivan had no grudge against anyone and was not complaining about anything, the mutinous army finally quieted down. Behind the princes and the queen stood Patriarch Joachim, Artamon Matveev, the head of the Streletsky Prikaz, Mikhail Dolgoruky, and several other noble boyars. Matveev came down from the porch and addressed the archers with a friendly speech, reminded them of the glorious victories won with them on the battlefield, and reminded them of the oath given to the popularly elected Tsar Peter. It seemed that the incident was over and one could expect that the archers would go home, but then shouts were heard in the crowd: “Let the younger brother give the crown to the elder, let’s not offend Ivan!” The Naryshkins and Matveevs poisoned Tsar Fyodor, death to them! Queen Natalia - to the monastery! The Streltsy were again seized with rage, many of them drank vodka for courage, the arguments of reason could no longer reason with anyone, the crowd was thirsty for blood.

Patriarch Joachim began to persuade the rioters to calm down and go home, but few listened to him: there were many schismatics among the archers. Seeing that persuasion was useless, Mikhail Dolgoruky threatened them with a gallows and a stake for disobedience. This threat turned out to be the last straw that overflowed the cup of Streltsy hatred.

Seized by rage, several people ran up to the porch, grabbed Dolgoruky and, amid the crowd’s cries of “love! love!” They threw him onto the placed archer's spears. Having chopped Dolgoruky's body into pieces with berdysh, the archers grabbed hold of Matveev. In vain did Natalya Kirillovna and Prince Cherkassky try to protect him. The queen was unceremoniously pushed away, the prince was beaten, after which Matveev was thrown onto pikes after Dolgoruky and his body was also shredded. Amid the jubilant cries of the rebels, Natalya Kirillovna, in horror, carried the princes into the inner chambers of the Kremlin. During this terrible scene, young Peter did not make a single sound, his face remained impassive, his body motionless. Probably the shock was so great that the ten-year-old boy was in complete prostration.

The archers burst into the palace, and the massacre began according to a pre-compiled list, which included more than forty names. The running, cracking of broken doors, screams, curses, groans, lamentations and pleas for mercy were drowned out by the beat of rifle drums coming from the street. The archers searched every corner, looked into chests, ripped open feather beds, poked spears under the beds... Even the temples could not protect the doomed... Having discovered the next victim, the rebels killed her with sophisticated cruelty, some were cruelly tortured before death, and cynically mocked the corpses. A sea of ​​rage and blood spilled onto the city streets. Pogroms of government institutions, murders and robberies of wealthy citizens, officials, and random people began...

By evening, a storm hit Moscow, it seemed like the end of the world was coming... Having surrounded the Kremlin and the surrounding areas with a dense ring of guards, the archers, feeling like complete masters of the city, went home to celebrate the death of their enemies. But this was not the end of the bloody drama... Ivan Naryshkin, Natalya Kirillovna’s brother, whom the archers especially hated for his arrogance, arrogance and love of power, remained alive.

Arriving at the Kremlin the next day, the rebels presented an ultimatum: either the queen’s brother would be handed over to them, or they would slaughter all the boyars who had escaped death the day before. This was not an empty threat; everyone understood that after yesterday’s massacre the archers had nothing to lose. The surviving boyars begged Natalya Kirillovna on their knees to sacrifice her brother to save many other lives, perhaps including her own and young Peter.

All this time, Ivan Naryshkin was hiding under a pile of mattresses in the room of Peter’s younger sister Natalya. Having made a difficult, forced decision, the queen ordered her brother to be brought in, who courageously listened to the decision of his fate. Having confessed and received communion, he calmly went out to his executioners.

The triumphant archers grabbed Naryshkin by the hair, dragged him to torture him in the dungeon, and demanded a confession that he had attempted the life of Tsarevich Ivan. The queen's brother was hung on a rack, whipped, burned with a hot iron, ribs and joints were broken, but he never admitted his guilt. Tormented and broken, he was publicly raised on spears, cut into pieces, dumped in the mud and impaled on stakes for everyone to see. Ivan Naryshkin was only 23 years old.

The terror continued for several more days. Natalya Kirillovna looked after Peter, who had collapsed in a fever, and trembled with fear for her own and her son’s future. Having destroyed sixty boyars, the rebels took a break and, threatening further reprisals, demanded that both brothers reign, with Ivan, as the eldest, becoming the first tsar, and Peter the second. The Duma and the Patriarch resignedly submitted and even brought positive examples dual power from the history of Sparta, Egypt, Byzantium. But who will really rule the country? Ivan is weak-minded, Peter is still a child. The Sagittarius wished for Princess Sophia to become regent. All key positions in the state were occupied by her supporters. Natalya Kirillovna and Peter were again sent to Preobrazhenskoye. The surviving Naryshkins and their supporters were exiled, others fled from Moscow on their own. The Miloslavskys' victory was complete. The Sagittarius feasted in the Kremlin, Sophia personally served them with wine from the Kremlin cellars.

The bloody scenes of the Streltsy riot could not but affect the psyche of young Peter. The terrible death of people close to him haunted him all his life and affected the formation of his personality - the young king grew up as a nervous, uncontrollable, restless, impressionable boy, prone to displaying unbridled rage and cruelty. He was haunted by nightmares, in moments of anger his face would contort into a grimace of convulsions, and attacks of epilepsy, which he had probably suffered from birth, became more frequent.

In Preobrazhenskoe, Peter was left to his own devices, not bound by palace ceremonial, and could allow himself to follow his natural inclinations, which later became his bright personality. Military amusements continued to absorb all his attention, new playmates appeared - the noble sons of the courtyard servants. Most boys love to play war, but the little king has the opportunity to play almost real war. Very soon Peter’s amusing guards exchanged wooden sabers and squeaks for military weapons, even cannons.

Tall, strong and resilient, the young king was interested in crafts and spent whole days in the forge. The sight of red-hot iron and a scattering of sparks fascinated him. The people were amazed at Peter's eccentricities - it was not a royal thing to swing a hammer and fire cannons in the company of grooms and slaves.

Peter was looked after by his uncles (educators) Boris Golitsyn and Tikhon Streshnev. He revered the latter as his father. Representatives of noble families who suffered from the Streltsy sympathized with the young tsar and tried to be useful to him - first of all, the Dolgorukys and Romodanovskys. When Peter was fourteen years old, Yakov Dolgoruky, noticing his new passion for overseas technical wonders, told him about a device with which “you can measure distances without leaving your place.” Peter got excited and asked to get him such an instrument. Dolgoruky, who visited France on a diplomatic mission, brought the promised gift to the Tsar - an astrolabe. Peter immediately asked to show how to use such an amazing device. Neither Dolgoruky nor anyone else from the young king’s entourage had the slightest idea about this. The situation was saved by Peter’s personal doctor, a German, who promised to ask knowledgeable people in the German settlement, where foreigners lived. On his next visit, the doctor brought with him the Dutchman Franz Timmerman, a carpenter and merchant who had some knowledge of engineering, but Peter did not understand anything from the Dutchman’s explanations - he knew neither arithmetic nor geometry. Until now, no one had seriously educated Peter; he read with difficulty, and wrote even worse. From the day he met Timmerman, another powerful passion for life awoke in him - for knowledge. The Dutchman not only became his teacher, but also his comrade, although he was almost thirty years older than his student. In his studies, Peter showed diligence and brilliant abilities. Timmerman did not have extensive knowledge, teaching was reduced to a simple presentation of the basic rules of arithmetic and geometry, but his student grasped everything on the fly and reached many of the intricacies of science with his own mind. He listened with particular interest to the course on fortification and fortress construction; I immediately began to apply the acquired knowledge in practice.

In the vicinity of the Preobrazhenskoe village, an entire military town grew up - barracks, arsenals, fortifications. The Presburg fortress was built on the banks of the Yauza. Peter's war games became more and more serious, the number of amusing soldiers grew, and weapons were purchased. Everyone from the surrounding villages of Semenovskoye, Izmailovo, Vorobyovo was accepted into the service of the young tsar, regardless of “breed”, as long as the recruits had a desire for military science, were diligent in their studies, quick-witted, nimble and efficient. Along with grooms and serfs, combat tactics were learned by the scions of noble Moscow families - the future field marshal Mikhail Golitsyn began his military career as a drummer, just like Peter himself. The commanders of the “funny guys” in military affairs were predominantly foreign officers, who were recruited through Boris Golitsyn, who had extensive connections in the German Settlement. In 1987, from soldiers trained according to Western standards, Peter formed two battalions, from which the Russian Guard later grew - the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments.

Naturally, all this could not help but worry Sophia and the Miloslavskys in power, although outwardly they did not show much concern and presented the shooting in Preobrazhenskoye as extravagant tomfoolery. Smart and very ambitious Sophia, whose dreams extended to the very crown of the king, could not help but understand that her half-brother’s battalions could interfere with her dizzying plans. But no matter how much she wanted, she could not prohibit Peter’s “fun”. He was the tsar, all orders for the purchase of weapons, uniforms, and recruitment of recruits were carried out by official letters through the Duma and Orders. Failure to comply with the king's demands is tantamount to a death sentence. Peter also replenished his arsenals through intermediaries in the German Settlement in the form of gifts from foreigners, who were generally not subject to government control.

Sophia could solve the problem of Peter, for whom time was working, in only one way - to eliminate his growing rival and become a sovereign autocrat herself. Brother Ivan, the first Tsar, was not at all interested in power; most of all he wanted to live a private life in a country estate. The regent could no longer rely fully on the Streltsy again: many of them were dissatisfied with her rule, to others the new coup seemed too risky. Attempts to carefully test the waters for accession to the throne turned out to be depressing: Patriarch Joachim responded with a categorical refusal; the boyars, even in a nightmare, could not imagine a woman on the Moscow throne - this did not fit at all into the Russian monarchical traditions of the late 17th century. But Sophia, who had tasted the sweetness of power, now found it very difficult to give it up.

While examining the Izmailovo barns for all sorts of interesting and useful things, Peter came across an old rotten sea boat that belonged to his grandfather Nikita Ivanovich Romanov, which was once used for walks along the Moscow River. This meeting turned out to be fateful not only for Peter, but for the entire country. He was fascinated by looking at the sharp keel, the graceful contours of the sides, and the upturned nose. The young king had never seen anything like this before. Timmerman explained that such vessels are used in the navy with large ships for communications, cargo transportation, coastal reconnaissance, landing troops, and rescuing the crew in case of a shipwreck. Peter was especially struck by the fact that, unlike the Pomeranian boat, the bot is capable of sailing both with and against the wind. Greatly surprised, he was inspired by the idea of ​​repairing the ship, equipping it and personally testing all its capabilities. But are there people knowledgeable in this matter? Timmerman knew such people. In the German settlement lived the Dutchman Carsten Brand, who worked as a carpenter, who, even under Alexei Tishaysh, took part in the construction of the first and only Russian warship "Eagle", which was burned by Stepan Razin on the Oka River right next to the pier. Brand quickly put the bot in order, which was tested on Yauza. The narrow river was not suitable for naval maneuvers - the boat kept bumping into its banks. The local Prosyany Pond also turned out to be not spacious enough for the young king’s new hobby, which gripped him imperiously and swiftly, for the rest of his life. He ordered the boat to be delivered to Lake Pereslavl (Pleshcheyevo), located one hundred and twenty miles from Moscow. Here, under the leadership of Brand, he learned the science of sail control and decided to build several more ships.

Natalya Kirillovna was worried about her beloved Petrusha: he was seventeen years old, his son was almost three arshins tall, and he still wouldn’t calm down, he indulged in fun, like a small child. We should marry him. He will calm down and come to his senses. She also found a bride - Evdokia Lopukhina, a pretty, well-behaved girl, brought up according to the canons of “Domostroy”, a family not rich, but ancient and very numerous. The last circumstance was especially important - the Naryshkin clan, which had been fairly cut down by the archers, needed new allies. Peter was entering his mature years, and if Sophia did not voluntarily cede power to her younger brothers, a new struggle for the Moscow throne would begin.

Peter did not resist the will of his mother, whom he loved very much. The wedding took place at the end of January 1689. But as soon as the snow melted in the spring, he, leaving his young wife in Preobrazhenskoye, again left for Lake Pereslavl. He was much more interested in ships than women.

From time to time, Peter was obliged to attend meetings of the Boyar Duma, Orthodox holidays, and take part in solemn palace ceremonies. He sang with enthusiasm in the choir in churches, but could not stand the endless and tedious Kremlin rituals, which he tried to avoid whenever possible.

Work on the construction of ships on Lake Pereslavl was in full swing. Peter worked with passion and enthusiasm, but in the middle of summer, at the urgent request of his mother, he had to return to Moscow to participate in the festival of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God. After the service in the Assumption Cathedral there was a religious procession, in which men usually took part. Previously, an exception was made for Sophia, as a co-ruler. But this time Peter told his sister to leave. This was a clear hint that the young king was ready to take control of the state into his own hands. Sophia silently ignored the words of her fledgling brother, took the icon of the Mother of God in her hands and led the solemn procession. Peter left the Kremlin in a fury.

He was even more outraged by the celebrations marking the return of Vasily Golitsyn, Sophia’s favorite, from a campaign in the Crimea. Despite the failure of the military campaign, the government, saving face, declared it a victory and did not skimp on generous rewards for dubious exploits. Peter pointedly refused to participate in the cheap farce. When the favorite, accompanied by his comrades-in-arms, arrived in Preobrazhenskoye to express the tsar’s gratitude, the young tsar did not even accept them. Now Sophia flared up with anger.

Provoking a conflict, Peter followed the advice of Boris Golitsyn and Lev Naryshkin, who had returned from exile, who decided to declare the rights of the young tsar. Peter himself at this time was only interested in work at the shipyard. If it had been his will, he would have immediately returned to Lake Pereslavl, but now there was no time for building ships. The situation was heating up every day. Boris Golitsyn believed that Sophia, thirsty for sole power, was planning to destroy Peter. Sophia feared a sudden attack on the Kremlin by the Preobrazhensky battalions. The two warring camps kept a close eye on each other.

On the evening of August 7, an anonymous letter is found in the Kremlin chambers. It reported that at night Peter was preparing to attack the Kremlin to deal with Sophia and Tsar Ivan. Sophia immediately took measures: she ordered all the gates to be locked, and gathered seven hundred archers to protect the government. Among them were secret supporters of Peter, who decided that Sophia had decided to attack Preobrazhenskoye. They immediately hastened to notify the king of the mortal danger.

Peter was woken up late at night. Probably, terrible pictures of the Streltsy riot of seven years ago flashed through his memory. The young king was seized by animal horror, his face was distorted by a nervous tic. In a panic, he jumped out of bed, rushed to the stable, jumped on a horse in only his shirt and disappeared into the nearby forest. Gabriel Golovkin, Peter's bed-man and future chancellor of the empire, found his master buried in the bushes in an extremely confused and depressed state. Feverishly putting on the clothes and boots he had brought, Peter galloped to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. Completely exhausted, he got there early in the morning. The monks took him off the horse, picked him up by the arms, and put him to bed. But Peter could not sleep, every now and then he jumped up and rushed from corner to corner. When the rector of the monastery, Archimandrite Vincent, appeared, he burst into tears and in a trembling voice asked for protection and patronage. The archimandrite kindly reassured the king and assured him that he was completely safe behind the walls of the Trinity.

In the evening of the same day, Boris Golitsyn arrived at the monastery. He informed Peter that the Preobrazhensky battalions were heading to Trinity, the Sukharevsky Streltsy Regiment had gone over to the Tsar’s side, that he had foreseen such a development of events, had a plan of action and was confident of a successful outcome of the matter. The guy's composure and confidence helped Peter regain his composure. The nervous, overly impressionable king, subject to sudden changes in mood, in the future had to make enormous efforts to cultivate courage, determination and bravery.

The ratio of the warring parties at that time was seven to three in favor of Sophia, but Boris Golitsyn believed that half of the archers and the regiments of the foreign system could be won over to Peter’s side. Messengers with royal letters rushed from Trinity to Moscow. The Tsar ordered all Streltsy colonels and elected Streltsy, ten people from each regiment, to immediately come to him to resolve an important state matter. Sophia declared the royal letters anonymous and, under pain of death, forbade the archers to move; made a strong speech to them, calling for loyalty.

Sophia made several attempts to persuade her brother to return to Moscow, explained that she had called the archers to the walls of the Kremlin to accompany her on a pilgrimage, and offered to end the matter peacefully. Peter did not react. Then she sent the most authoritative negotiator to Trinity - Patriarch Joachim. This decision turned out to be a political mistake for her: the patriarch stayed with Peter, expressing his support.

The Streltsy regiments were in indecision and doubt - their heads were at stake in the feuds of the royal family. In such a risky situation, the right choice must be made quickly. At the end of August, five Streletsky regiments went over to Peter's side; their colonels testified that the head of the Streletsky Order, Fyodor Shaklovity, encouraged them to carry out a palace coup in order to place Sophia on the throne. Peter demanded the extradition of Shaklovity to search for the case of state crime. Sophia responded with a categorical refusal.

Following the archers, the commanders of the regiments of the foreign system also received the king’s order to appear before his eyes. Colonel Patrick Gordon showed the royal letter to Vasily Golitsyn, his immediate superior, asking for his advice, but Sophia’s favorite did not say anything definite, was confused and inactive. Foreign commanders decided that the future belonged to Peter and the very next day they kissed the hand of the Tsar, who brought a glass of vodka to everyone, including Colonel Franz Lefort, who was introduced to him, who soon became his closest friend and mentor.

The scales of political confrontation began to clearly tip towards Peter. The archers who remained in Moscow came to the Kremlin and, threatening Sophia with rebellion, demanded that Fyodor Shaklovity be handed over to the Tsar - he was to become their atoning sacrifice, which would satisfy the Tsar’s anger for not following the order. The boyars surrounding Sophia fell at her feet and shouted that they would all disappear if she did not yield. The townspeople, fearing a new massacre, took refuge behind strong bolts. Sophia, in hopeless despair, gave in to the rebel archers. Shaklovity was taken to Trinity, where, under torture, he admitted that he was planning to set fire to Preobrazhenskoye and, in the chaos, on the quiet, to kill Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, but he denied the accusations of preparing an attempt on the life of the Tsar. After five days of interrogation and torture, he was publicly executed with two accomplices, three others were flogged, their tongues were cut and they were sent to Siberia.

Events became irreversible, and the ruler’s companions left her to save their lives. The Sagittarius en masse went over to Peter's side. Vasily Golitsyn came to Trinity to confess. The life of Sophia's favorite hung in the balance - Shaklovity testified against him as well. Thanks to the efforts of his cousin Boris, the deposed favorite escaped with exile. Sophia, by order of the tsar, retired to the Novodevichy Convent.

Two months after the panicked flight from Preobrazhenskoe, Peter solemnly entered Moscow. The archers who remained faithful to Sophia until the last hour, as a sign of submission and trusting in the mercy of the sovereign, lay down along the road on the block with stuck axes. Peter generously forgave them.

He was met in the Kremlin by his brother Ivan, who remained neutral all this time. The two kings embraced. The crowd rejoiced and cried with emotion. Peter always treated his sick older brother very warmly.

Chapter 2
The Tsar's Youth

Peter became a sovereign king, but power did not interest him. He left all government affairs to his mother's inner circle - Lev Naryshkin, Boris Golitsyn, Tikhon Streshnev - to deal with, and he himself returned to his former hobbies, to which was added a passion for fireworks. Its inspiration was Colonel Patrick Gordon, who was well acquainted with pyrotechnics.

Gordon was thirty-eight years older than Peter, which did not prevent his close relationship with the young king immediately after the fall of Sophia. A Scottish mercenary, he left his homeland as a youth, sold his services to Germans, Swedes, and Poles for many years, until he settled in Russia thirty years ago. Such an experienced warrior interested Peter; the king needed such a mentor - his fun reached a new, higher level. Especially for Peter, Gordon arranged maneuvers for his Butyrsky regiment, trained according to the advanced canons of Western military science. The Tsar especially admired the actions of the grenadier company, first created by Gordon in the Russian army.

The Scot took up the military education of the king. Peter borrowed books from him on artillery, fortification, history and geography, worked with the Scot on experiments on creating grenades, and improved in cannon shooting. Gordon not only had deep knowledge of military affairs, he was a multifaceted educated man of the European type. He conducted extensive correspondence with foreign correspondents and was aware of all the important political news of Western Europe; he ordered newspapers, books, maps, instruments, weapons, and scientific publications of the Royal Society from England.

On February 18, 1690, Queen Evdokia gave birth to a son, Alexei. To celebrate, Peter ordered the cannons to be fired, which was a completely new manifestation of the celebrations and alarmed all of Moscow.

On the occasion of the national holiday, the tsar invited Gordon to the Kremlin to the ceremonial table. Patriarch Joachim resolutely opposed this and reprimanded the king that it was not right for heretical foreigners to be present at court in such cases. The authority of the patriarch was so high that Peter did not dare to disobey, but the next day he paid a visit to the offended Gordon, dined with him outside the city and had a friendly conversation on the way back.

The capital was overwhelmed by endless holidays. Feasts and parties were accompanied by the most extreme manifestations of the jubilation of the Russian soul - rowdy, fights, violence, pogroms of shops and general idleness. The feast on the mountain continued for a whole month - until the death of the patriarch.

Joachim bequeathed to the Russian tsars not to get close to people of other faiths, not to appoint them to higher positions, to prohibit the construction of Catholic and Protestant churches in the German settlement, to demolish those already built, to introduce the death penalty for those who persuade Orthodox Christians to another faith. However, Peter was already old enough to blindly follow the calls of the late patriarch, he was imperiously drawn to the knowledge that he could only receive from foreigners.

The young tsar proposed choosing as the new patriarch the Pskov Metropolitan Marcellus, who was distinguished by his liberalism and open-mindedness, who traveled a lot and knew Latin, French and Italian. Natalya Kirillovna and the majority of church dignitaries spoke in favor of the Kazan Metropolitan Adrian, arguing for their choice that Markell spoke “barbarian” dialects, had a beard of insufficient length, and his coachman sat on a box and not on a horse, as expected. Peter relented. He wanted to end the election of a new patriarch as quickly as possible and return to his previous way of life.

He was eager to put into practice the advanced military knowledge he had received from Gordon. Regular exercises began, as close as possible to combat operations, with the use of all types of weapons. The battles were so fierce that there were many wounded and killed. Peter himself was once severely burned in the face by gunpowder, and Gordon was wounded in the leg.

Mars “fun” gave way to Neptunian “fun”. On May 1, 1691, the tsar launched the first ship built on Lake Pereslavl - a small yacht. Then several more small ships left the stocks. The naval glory of Russia began with this flotilla.

Peter preferred to rest from his labors in the German Settlement. It was a world completely different from patriarchal Moscow, into which Patrick Gordon introduced the young Tsar.

Located on the Yauza River, just two miles from Preobrazhensky, the German settlement was a small Western European town with straight streets, neat, ivy-covered brick houses, green alleys, flower beds and even fountains - an unprecedented luxury at that time. Cleanliness and exemplary order reigned everywhere. The contrast with the chaotically built-up wooden Moscow, dusty and cluttered, with stinking gutters and domestic animals walking the streets, was striking. Foreigners furnished their cozy homes with beautiful, comfortable furniture - damask armchairs, elegant chairs, round tables on one leg, the walls were decorated with mirrors, paintings and engravings, while, as in the houses of Moscow inhabitants, wretched simplicity reigned - benches along long rough tables, massive chests in the corners and ancient sooty images.

A variety of people lived in the German Settlement - from adventurers and adventurers to political emigrants expelled from their homeland and victims of religious intolerance. They all came to Russia to seek a better life. Germans, Dutch, Livonians, Swedes, Swiss, English, Spaniards, French, Italians... Different in birth, language and faith, they showed amazing loyalty to each other, were the best doctors, engineers, artists, teachers, merchants, jewelers in Moscow, officers... In the settlement, foreigners built their own churches and schools, staged plays, read novels, played harpsichords, held balls and masquerades, for which ladies ordered exquisite toiletries from London, Berlin and Amsterdam. In Russia public life limited to visiting Orthodox churches and wall-to-wall fist fights; secondary schools did not exist at all. The connection between foreigners and Europe was never interrupted; they closely followed events in their homeland, most of them hoped to return home sooner or later.

But it was not the clean streets and flower beds that mainly attracted Peter here - many brilliantly educated people lived here, friendly, courteous, easy-going and interesting to talk to. Through Patrick Gordon, the Tsar became closely acquainted with the Swiss Franz Lefort, who became his closest and most intimate friend.

Lefort left his father's house when he was fifteen years old. Studied commerce in France, but dreamed of military service, which he began in Holland under the banner of William III of Orange, distinguished himself in battles with the French, and more than once risked his life. When the war ended, Lefort decided to continue his career in distant Muscovy.

Tall, strong and handsome, an excellent horseman, fencer and shooter, including archery, the Swiss attracted Peter's attention not so much with his knowledge and education, but with his personality. Lively, witty, resourceful, open, good-natured and cheerful, Lefort was distinguished by rare charm. A wonderful storyteller and a passionate admirer of the fairer sex, he valued pleasure most of all in life, was the life of the party, spoke six languages, and sported refined manners and French attire. Under the influence of a new friend, the tsar ordered himself a foreign dress, a wig and a sword with an embroidered gold belt, but he dared to put on “infidel” clothes only in the German settlement.

While visiting Lefort’s house, Peter drew attention to the Swiss’s servant, Aleksashka. Nimble, efficient and quick-witted, anticipating all the wishes of the distinguished guest, the Tsar liked him so much that Peter took him into his service as an orderly, from whom he later grew into His Serene Highness, Duke, Admiral and Field Marshal of the Empire Alexander Danilovich Menshikov.

Lefort had a great talent for organizing cheerful feasts, and taught the young king to drink and smoke. Sometimes the feasts lasted for several days without a break, numerous guests got drunk until they dropped, but Lefort himself always remained on his feet, retained his sanity, regardless of the amount of wine consumed, which brought Peter into complete admiration. Local ladies were invited to the celebrations with music, dancing and games. Unlike Russian women, doomed to live as hermits in towers behind a spinning wheel, modest, bashful, downtrodden and pious, foreign women enjoyed a sufficient degree of independence, open-mindedness, were well educated, read novels, played music, danced with gentlemen, knew how to lead an easy and relaxed life. conversation. Some of them were famous for their freedom of morals, unprecedented for Moscow, which gave the process a special intrigue. The Russian Tsar learned the old German dance “Grossvater” that he really liked.

At one of these holidays, Lefort introduced Peter to Anna Mons, the daughter of a wine merchant. A charming German woman, cheerful, courteous and desirable, captivated the Tsar. The tsar's experience with women was limited to courtyard girls and his wife, for whom he never felt anything other than youthful sexual curiosity and in the area of ​​high relationships remained a mere baby. A passionate and addicted nature, Peter fell in love immediately, at full speed.

Like any real man, he did not allow himself to be so carried away by women as to forget about business. Leaving his beloved, Peter began to prepare for the “sea” campaign. He was so absorbed in the maneuvers on Lake Pereslavl that he openly neglected his representative functions in the Kremlin. The Persian ambassador was awaiting the royal audience in Moscow. To avoid a diplomatic scandal, Lev Naryshkin and Boris Golitsyn personally arrived at the shipyard to persuade the Tsar to respect the distinguished guest with his attention. Having learned that the ambassador had brought him a lion and a lioness as a gift, Peter agreed - he was always interested in everything new and unusual.

The young king began to develop an interest in international affairs. He began to closely follow the claims of the French king Louis XIV to continental dominance, against which almost all of Europe united. When the English fleet won a brilliant victory over the French at Cape La Hogue, the Russian Tsar celebrated this event on Lake Pereslavl with a volley from the cannons of his small flotilla and, in a fit of enthusiasm, even expressed a desire to take part in the war against Louis on the side of the English. Through the Dutch ambassador Keller, Peter began correspondence with the burgomaster of Amsterdam, Nicholas Witsen, in which the prospects for the development of trade with Persia and China were discussed. The stories of Lefort and Yakov Dolgoruky about the rich and prosperous Holland made a deep impression on the young king; he was fascinated by this amazing country, whose ships plied all known seas and oceans.

Peter felt cramped on Lake Pereslavl, youthful amusements were becoming a thing of the past, he irresistibly wanted to see the real sea and large sea ships, to look beyond the edge of the horizon...

The only Russian seaport at that time was located on the shores of the White Sea - Arkhangelsk. The path from Moscow is long and unsafe. The young king went to ask his mother for permission to travel. Natalya Kirillovna persisted for a long time, but could not resist the persistence of her beloved Petrusha, she gave her blessing for the journey against her will, but made him promise that she would not walk on the sea, but would only look at the ships.

The farewell to the Tsar continued in the German settlement for three days and three nights, ending with cannon fire and colorful fireworks, to which Moscow had already begun to get used to. On July 4, 1693, the king, accompanied by his closest friends and a detachment of archers, set off on his first long journey. It turned out to be a real adventure and a major event in his life. We reached Vologda on horseback, then moved on longboats by water - along the Sukhona and Northern Dvina rivers. On July 30, Arkhangelsk greeted the sovereign of all Rus' with a cannon salute, which greatly pleased the tsar.

The gloomy White Sea shocked Peter. The earth had never seemed so huge and powerful to him. The immense water element, stretching into unknown distances, filled the king’s soul with such delight as he had never experienced before.

Peter plunged headlong into the bustle of port life. With interest he examined the English, German, and Dutch ships standing on the roadstead, watched their unloading and loading, visited the offices of foreign merchants, warehouses, customs, and asked about trade. In Europe, Russian furs, caviar, mast timber, hemp, leather, walrus ivory, honey, wax were highly valued... Among the foreign goods imported were fabrics, metals and metal products, weapons, glassware, paints, paper, wine, fruit, salt... Sovereign I gladly accepted invitations from foreign captains to dine on board the ship, played bowls with them, and talked for a long time about sea routes to Europe. He also frequented the port taverns and easily sat down with the sailors to taste overseas wine in a cheerful company. One thing was upsetting: there was not a single large Russian merchant ship in the only Russian port. In comparison with foreign ships, Pomeranian boats seemed like child's play.

Peter appointed his friend Fyodor Apraksin as governor of Arkhangelsk and instructed him to lay down a merchant ship at the local shipyard. The tsar ordered another ship from the Amsterdam burgomaster Witsen - a frigate in full combat armament.

When merchant ships loaded with goods were preparing to weigh anchors, Peter, despite his mother’s promise, decided to go to sea with Timmerman on a small yacht to accompany them on their long journey. The king rejoiced at the rocking and free wind like a child. A high wave arose at the borders of the Dvina Bay, the yacht shook violently, and the king standing at the helm was doused with a fountain of cold water. With difficulty, Timmerman convinced Peter to turn back - it was too dangerous to go further on such a small ship. The first sea voyage, which lasted six days, made an indelible impression on the tsar - it could not even come close to comparing with his amusing maneuvers on Lake Pereslavl. The sea and the fleet became his main love and destiny for life. In the fall he arrived in Moscow with the firm intention of returning to Arkhangelsk the following summer.

At the end of January 1694, Natalya Kirillovna died. The queen died quickly, within five days. Heartbroken, Peter retired to Preobrazhenskoye and experienced his pain alone, as he would always do, so that those around him would not see his weakness. The son was not present at either the funeral service or the funeral of his mother, which caused gossip, misunderstanding and condemnation. Peter came to the grave a few days later, alone mourned his dearly beloved mother, after which he went to the German Settlement, where he quickly recovered from his grief with his friends. By his nature, the king was not able to indulge in inaction, despair and sadness for a long time, which largely influenced both his life and the fate of the country as a whole in the future.

In May, Peter again went to Arkhangelsk, where the ship “St. Paul”, built by Apraksin, was waiting for him on the stocks. The king himself cut down the supports and, amid the thunder of cannons, lowered it into the water. Peter couldn't wait to go to sea again. On the yacht that he tested last year with Timmerman, he sailed to the Solovetsky Islands.

On the way there was a storm. The sky was torn apart by thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down like a continuous wall. The yacht was bursting at all the seams, burying its nose in the raging sea to the very top. High lead waves threatened to crush the boat. The collapse seemed inevitable, courageously preparing for death, the king and his companions received holy mysteries from the hands of Dvina Archbishop Afanasy, who accompanied the expedition. The situation was saved by the Pomeranian helmsman Antip Timofeev who was on board, who skillfully and calmly brought the yacht to the Summer Coast and hid it in Unskaya Bay. On the occasion of his happy deliverance from death, Peter himself made a wooden cross and erected it in the place where he stepped onto the saving shore. Returning to Arkhangelsk, the tsar generously rewarded Antip Timofeev.

On July 21, the long-awaited sails of the frigate “Holy Prophecy”, ordered in Holland, appeared on the horizon. Guns fired salutes in the port and bells rang throughout the city. Peter was jubilant; he had never been so happy about any event in his life. A real warship! Forty-four guns with a full combat complement, beautifully furnished cabins, silverware in the officers' mess, a supply of first-class food and barrels of French wine in the holds. Like a boy, the king examined the ship in detail, meticulously questioning the Dutch sailors about the purpose of all components rigging, learned to climb shrouds and masts, sat for hours in the captain's cabin over maps and sailing directions... The Russian tricolor flag (a variation of the flag of Holland) was first hoisted on the frigate's mainmast, which is still state symbol Russia.

Noting significant event With a grandiose feast, Peter made another journey on new ships - to Cape Holy Nose on the Kola Peninsula, separating the White and Barents seas. During the voyage, the ships ran aground and lost their bearings - the king’s team was still too inexperienced, but everything ended well. Having fully enjoyed the dangerous adventures of a real sea voyage, Peter returned to Moscow, where he began preparing large-scale maneuvers on land.

At the end of September 1694, military exercises began in the area of ​​​​the village of Kozhukhovo, in which twenty thousand people took part, divided into two “armies”. One stormed the fortress, the other defended it. All methods of war were used - crossing the river, digging, mining, building redoubts, overcoming a ditch, sortieing the besieged, practicing the coordinated interactions of various units in battle. Under unfurled banners, the roar of cannons, exploding grenades, salvo shots, the sounds of trumpets and drums, the king, with his sword at the ready, was the first to rush into the attack. The siege of the fortress lasted three weeks. When it fell, the casualties on both sides were twenty-four killed and fifty seriously wounded. No one counted the puncture wounds received in hand-to-hand combat. The captured defenders of the fortress were kept tied up all night, after which they were released and invited to a set table, at which the king celebrated Victoria.

Peter's friendship with Lefort, who took an active part in all the tsar's affairs, grew stronger. The Tsar allocated considerable funds for the expansion and decoration of his house in the German settlement, which turned into a luxurious palace. The huge hall with expensive furniture, sculptures, mirrors and paintings, decorated with Persian carpets and Chinese silk, was especially splendid. Here, in a relaxed atmosphere, luxurious receptions, feasts and dances were held until the morning. The house was surrounded by a park with a menagerie, and security guards were on duty at the gates around the clock.

Peter was twenty-two years old, fun was becoming a thing of the past. The young king dreamed of creating a fleet and developing maritime trade. Arkhangelsk was not well suited for this purpose: for seven months of the year the White Sea was covered with ice, the port was too far from the economic centers of the country, and the long route from it to Western Europe ran through the harsh northern seas. The Caspian Sea has no outlet to the world ocean. The Baltic Sea was controlled by Sweden, and the Black Sea was the internal basin of the Ottoman Empire. To gain access to them, there was only one way - war.

According to the Treaty of Kardis, Russia has been in a state of “perpetual peace” with Sweden since 1661. In the southern direction there was a more convenient situation for the implementation of the tsar’s ambitious plans: in 1686, Moscow joined the Holy League, directed against the Ottoman Empire. Russia's allies expected Moscow to resume hostilities, which had ceased with the fall of the Sophia government. Peter began to prepare for a war with Turkey for access to the southern seas - the Azov and Black Seas.

In the summer of 1695, Russian regiments with Don and Zaporozhye Cossacks attacked Turkish fortifications in the lower reaches of the Don and Dnieper. The main goal was the Azov fortress, located fifteen miles from the Sea of ​​Azov on the left bank of the Don. If the fortress was captured, the tsar planned to make it a stronghold for creating a fleet and put the Crimean Khanate, a vassal of Turkey and a long-time enemy of Russia, at risk.

The Turkish quadrangular stone fortress, surrounded by a high earthen rampart and a ditch with palisades, had a garrison of eight thousand; the Russian army numbered thirty thousand people. Peter was in high fighting spirit, was arrogant and had no doubts about the success of the military campaign.

The siege of Azov began with the fire of batteries commanded by the Tsar himself. Fires broke out in the fortress, but the powerful stone walls survived. Peter convened his generals – Gordon, Lefort and Avtonom Golovin – for a military council. Each of them commanded a separate corps, decisions about the course military operation were accepted collectively. Lefort proposed to take the fortress with a general decisive assault. Gordon objected: to do this, it is first necessary to break through the walls and provide the troops with assault ladders. The Tsar, who was impatient to win his first victory, supported Lefort. Moreover, having no combat experience, he was guided by personal sympathies, and the Swiss was the closest person to him.

Gordon's corps was the first to storm the fortress. With a decisive onslaught he managed to capture the rampart, but Lefort and Golovin did not support this success in time. With a quick retaliatory attack, the Turks drove Gordon back, who suffered heavy losses.

Peter became convinced that the Azov stronghold could not be taken without destroying the fortress walls. The military council decided to dig a tunnel and place powerful charges of gunpowder under them, which was done extremely unsuccessfully: the gunpowder chambers were not placed close enough to the wall, the powerful explosion not only did not harm the fortress, but also claimed dozens of lives of Russian soldiers. The day before, Gordon had convinced the tsar that the explosion would be useless, but he again took the side of Lefort, who accused the Scot of insufficient desire to take possession of the fortress. Rivalries, disagreements and growing hostility between the generals harmed the common cause.

The besieged made daring forays, in one of them the Janissaries slaughtered more than a hundred archers who were sleeping in the trenches after lunch, captured and damaged many cannons. The Sagittarius turned out to be bad warriors: during enemy counterattacks they fled more than once, which aroused the wrath of the sovereign. It seems that they were only suitable for palace coups.

It was impossible to starve Azov out: the fortress received everything it needed for defense by sea. Without a fleet, Peter could not cut off the sea communications of the Turks and block the fortress from all sides. In September, heavy rains began, the trenches turned into a quagmire, the Russian army lacked food, especially salt - the rear administration for supplying troops turned out to be completely incapacitated, many suppliers, having received money, went on the run.

Another dig brought the same disastrous results. Finally, through trial and error, they managed to bring down the wall in one place. The Preobrazhensky battalions and Don Cossacks rushed into the gap, and a fierce hand-to-hand fight ensued in the fortress. But this time, too, it was not possible to build on the success: the activity of some units was combined with the indecisiveness and passivity of others. The assault choked in blood. The tough Turkish nut turned out to be too tough for the young king.

Peter was in the darkest mood. After a three-month siege, he gave the order to retreat to Cherkassk. On the march through the desert steppes, they had to fight off surprise attacks by the Crimean cavalry. Suddenly, early winter came, it snowed, and frosts struck. The soldiers suffered from hunger and cold and died in hundreds. The road from Cherkassk to Moscow was strewn with the corpses of people and horses who died along the way for eight hundred miles.

The failure at Azov was partly compensated by the success of the troops under the command of the boyar Boris Petrovich Sheremetev, who, together with the Zaporozhye Cossacks of Hetman Mazepa, easily captured the weakly defended mouth of the Dnieper on the Black Sea. The actions of Sheremetev and Mazepa were of a distracting nature main goal in the war with the Turks - Azov.

In these difficult days, the young king for the first time showed amazing fortitude, perseverance and determination in achieving his goal. He perceived the campaign against Azov not as a defeat, but as a lesson from which it was necessary to draw conclusions about the reasons for the failure, eliminate them and get down to business again with renewed energy. Already on the way to Moscow, Peter lived not in the past, but in the future.

A cool-blooded analysis of the failure of the military campaign showed: the fortress must be blocked not only from land, but also from the sea; To continue the war, competent military engineers and demolitionists are needed. And Peter immediately develops vigorous activity.

The Dvina governor Apraksin receives an order from the tsar to deliver ship carpenters, including foreign ones, to Moscow, by kindness or force. Diplomats in Austria and Brandenburg (Prussia) have been instructed to demand specialists in organizing explosive siege operations; in England, Holland and Venice - sailors and shipbuilders. Messengers rushed to all the districts of the country with the royal decree on the mobilization of not only nobles, but also everyone, including slaves, who, having joined the army, received freedom. In the dense Voronezh forests, thousands of local peasants began to cut down timber.

At the end of January 1696, Tsar Ivan died. Having buried his brother, Peter went to Voronezh, where work on building a fleet began at the shipyard that was created in the shortest possible time. The king himself, with an ax in his hands, worked next to his subjects in the sweat of his brow, tirelessly. The main part of the fleet was built on the model of a battle galley ordered in Holland, which was dragged along ice rivers and snow-covered roads from Arkhangelsk. It was a bitter winter. From poor nutrition, terrible conditions and backbreaking labor, the peasants driven to the sovereign's construction site died in the hundreds, and others were brought in to take their place. In order to achieve his goal, Peter was ready to make any sacrifices and did not spare either himself or people.

The results of the young tsar’s vigorous activity amazed his contemporaries: in the spring, two frigates, twenty-two galleys, four fire ships and one thousand three hundred plows left the shipyard slips into the waters of Voronezh. A country that had never had a fleet acquired one in one winter.

All this time, replenished old and newly formed regiments arrived from Moscow to Voronezh. The number of the new army was forty thousand people, which were later to be joined by twenty thousand Cossacks and three thousand Kalmyk cavalry. Taking into account the unsuccessful experience of collegial command of the previous company, Peter subordinated all ground forces to the governor Alexei Semenovich Shein, and appointed Gordon as his assistant. Lefort received the post of fleet commander. The Swiss had a very vague idea of ​​maritime affairs, but the tsar simply did not have other people, loyal and well-trained.

In May 1696, Russian troops again approached Azov. The Turks were so confident that they discouraged them from storming the fortress for a long time that they did not even fill up the trenches they dug last year. The Tatar cavalry tried to prevent the troops from taking their previous positions, but were repulsed by the mounted noble militia.

On the evening of May 19, under the command of Peter and Lefort, nine galleys, accompanied by forty Cossack seagulls, went to sea for reconnaissance. In sight of the Turkish squadron standing in the roadstead, the galleys ran aground. Having dragged the ships to high water, Peter ordered to return to the mouth of the Don. With the crews of his ships poorly staffed and untrained, Peter did not dare to take the risk naval battle with the Turks in completely unfamiliar waters. The king was gloomy and depressed. Blockading the fortress from the sea turned out to be not as easy as he imagined.

The problem was solved by the Zaporozhye Cossacks: at night, on their own initiative, on their light ships they crossed the shoals and suddenly attacked the Turkish squadron. One ship was burned, two were captured, the rest were put to flight. Peter perked up and immediately began a complete blockade of Azov. Having explored the coastal waters, he took the fleet out to sea and ordered the construction of two forts on both banks of the river mouth.

All that remains is to take the fortress from land. It was necessary to develop a siege strategy that would lead to success. At the military council, the archers proposed a legendary method that the Kiev prince Vladimir the Great used in the 10th century when taking Kherson: to build an earthen rampart level with the fortress and, pouring it in its direction, bring it to the impregnable walls. Perhaps, in the absence of guns in hoary times, such an idea was innovative and effective, but seven hundred years have passed since then... Nevertheless, the military council approved the plan. Fifteen thousand soldiers enthusiastically set to work. Their ardor was not even cooled by the aimed fire of the Turkish fortress cannons. Despite the losses, the work progressed successfully.

Three days later, Austrian artillerymen, miners and military engineers, led by Baron Ernst von Borgsdorff, a major specialist in taking fortresses, arrived near Azov. The foreigners marveled at the large-scale work that had unfolded, competently installed batteries on the erected hill and destroyed the corner bastion of the fortress with concentrated hurricane fire. Under the cover of cannons, the Zaporozhye and Don Cossacks rushed to the assault, acting equally courageously both at sea and on land. They managed to capture part of the enemy fortifications and gain a foothold on them.

On June 14, a Turkish fleet consisting of twenty-three ships, hurrying to help Azov, appeared on the horizon. Peter gave the order to the galleys to prepare for battle. This time the Turks avoided the battle and went back to sea. Hoping that they would return, the fortress garrison held out for another month - until the ammunition and food ran out. On the eve of the assault scheduled for July 22, the commandant of Azov began negotiations on an honorable surrender - preserving the lives of the garrison soldiers, free exit from the fortress with personal weapons and belongings. Peter accepted the terms. The winners received one hundred and thirty-six cannons as trophies.

Celebrating your first on a grand scale military victory, the tsar attracted foreign engineers to the restoration and reconstruction of Azov according to the latest achievements of fortification science. He himself began searching for a more convenient harbor for basing the fleet. This one turned out to be at Cape Tagan-Rog. Here the king planned to build a fortress and a city, securely gain a foothold on the seashore, develop a fleet and begin a further fight against Ottoman Empire for access to near and far seas. For Russia at the end of the 17th century, these were unprecedented and grandiose decisions.

On his way to Moscow, Peter visited Tula. According to legend, on the eve of the second Azov campaign, the tsar asked the Tula gunsmith Nikita Demidov to repair a German pistol, which he really liked. Demidov not only fulfilled the sovereign’s request, but also made an exact copy of that pistol. Admiring the master’s art, Peter made him a state order for three hundred guns based on Western models. Even if this is a historical anecdote, it is a very typical one, clearly characterizing the tsar’s methods of attracting all the talented people he met along the way, regardless of their most “vile” origin. Be that as it may, in Tula the tsar actually visited Demidov’s weapons workshops and ordered five thousand rubles to be allocated from the treasury for the development of domestic weapons production.

On September 30, 1696, a triumphal procession of victorious troops took place in Moscow in the spirit of ancient traditions. The regiments, stretching for several miles, entered the capital through a huge arch, the arch of which was supported by statues of Hercules and Mars. Its pediment was decorated with a bas-relief depicting scenes of a military campaign and a painting on canvas with a Turkish sultan mounted on a chain. Voivode Shein, Gordon and Lefort sat in full dress in luxurious carriages, and Peter himself, holding a spear in his hands, modestly followed his generals in a black German dress and a hat with a white feather. In honor of the heroes of Azov, poems were recited and cannon salvoes thundered. The soldiers dragged Turkish banners along the ground. The ringing of bells mixed with the beating of drums, trumpets hummed and timpani played. Muscovites watched the procession in silence and puzzled - for the first time, the Moscow Tsar celebrated a military victory not with prayer services led by the patriarch, but with a completely unusual secular holiday. The crowd was especially amazed by the fact that the procession was led by Nikita Zotov, a drunkard and the first teacher of young Peter, who sat imposingly in the royal carriage. The Tsar made him the patriarch of the jester's council, consisting of the people most trusted and close to the sovereign, with whom Peter loved to shock the public and have fun in a completely indecent and provocative manner for that time. The holiday ended in the German Settlement, where all the windows were smashed with artillery fireworks.

The unusual image of the king alarmed the people. Much of his behavior was regarded as blasphemy - he loved foreigners who ate grass called lettuce like cattle, attending their weddings, baptisms and funerals, the sovereign visited Catholic churches and Protestant churches - an unthinkable act for an Orthodox tsar. All this in the eyes of the pious people was regarded as heresy. The sovereign refused to play the role of a demigod on the throne, avoided participating in Orthodox holidays, struck up a strong friendship with Ivashka Khmelnitsky, openly fornicated with a German woman with his legal wife, parodied and ridiculed religious rituals. Peter was probably aware that he was challenging patriarchal society, but from early childhood he was accustomed to following his essence and believed that the unlimited power of the monarch gave him every right to do so.

The passive murmur of the people bothered the king the least. Much more important tasks lay ahead. The capture of Azov is only half the battle; the Turks will certainly try to return the fortress. It was necessary not only to defend the conquered territories, but also to begin the fight for the Kerch Strait, connecting the Sea of ​​Azov and the Black Sea.

Immediately after the triumph, Peter informed the Boyar Duma that he intended to “fight by sea” with the Ottomans, and since the treasury did not have sufficient funds for this, the sovereign ordered the creation of kumpanstvos - companies that would be engaged in the construction of the fleet. They united landowners, the church, townspeople - mostly merchants. For evading the sovereign's business, the landowner's patrimony was transferred to the treasury. The merchants were obliged to both finance the royal project and independently engage directly in the construction of ships - to hire working people, craftsmen, to fell and deliver timber. In a year and a half, fifty-two ships should be launched. Royal family undertook to build ten ships.

But who will control the fleet? By the next decree, Peter sent sixty stolniks to Europe to study maritime affairs, a third of whom bore princely titles. The young offspring of the most noble families of the country had to not only learn to “own a ship” and, upon returning, present the king with a certificate of fitness for service, but also be required to attend a naval battle. Special royal favor awaited those who additionally mastered shipbuilding. For disobedience to the monarch's will, deprivation of all rights, lands and property was envisaged. The elite was shocked. A trip abroad was considered in Russian society almost as treason to the homeland; it was believed that an Orthodox Christian, endowed by God with true faith, has everything necessary for a righteous and fulfilling life, he does not need to communicate with people of other faiths, much less learn from them the demonic knowledge that can shake the purity of faith. But no one dared to resist the will of the king. Among the “students” was the only volunteer - Pyotr Andreevich Tolstoy, the future Count of the Empire, who at that time was fifty-two years old. A former supporter of the Miloslavskys, who was in disgrace, he was eager to win the favor of the sovereign.

Peter was twenty-fifth year old. An energetic statesman awoke in the young king. The decree follows the decree. A decision is quickly made to maintain a permanent garrison of five thousand in Azov. Three thousand families move to the conquered shore from the Volga cities, twenty thousand soldiers begin construction of a new port - Taganrog. The young king was clearly aware: to continue a successful war with Turkey, the country needed effective communications for the transfer and provision of fleet and ground forces. A network of rivers could become such roads if they were connected by canals. Thirty-five thousand peasants were sent to build the Volga-Don Canal in the area of ​​​​the closest convergence of the two rivers - between the Kamyshinka tributary of the Volga and the Ilovlya tributary of the Don. There were rumors among the Orthodox people: it is impossible to turn the streams in one direction if God has already turned them in the other. Public criticism of the tsar's will was suppressed by whipping and exile.

But all this was a preamble to the unfolding vigorous activity of the sovereign: the Boyar Duma received a true shock when Peter announced that he himself would go on a trip abroad in order to set a personal example for his subjects in learning and to enlist additional support from the allies in the fight against the “infidel hordes.” Never before has a Moscow Orthodox sovereign left the country. The king's decision was so unusual that it did not fit into the minds of his contemporaries.

Chapter 3
Date with Europe

Peter developed the idea of ​​the Great Embassy not only for officially stated reasons and under the influence of a vague understanding of long-overdue transformations in the country. The king was largely driven by keen curiosity. He's heard so much about prosperity Western countries, their reasonable state structure and outlandish technical inventions, that he certainly wanted to see everything with his own eyes, especially Holland, which he fell in love with in absentia from the stories of foreigners. What was being prepared was not just a diplomatic trip with an educational program, but a large-scale action to study foreign experience and gain advanced knowledge, mass recruitment into the Russian service of naval officers who made a career thanks to their own talents, “and not for other reasons,” shipwrights, various other specialists, both military and civilian, purchase of weapons, materials for the production of weapons, tools, navigational instruments, ship equipment, books, maps, good cloth... Two hundred and fifty people were preparing to go on the trip with the sovereign.

The training camp abroad was coming to an end. Lefort was giving a farewell dinner when two archers from the Stremyanny Regiment came to his house and asked for an urgent meeting with the Tsar on a matter of national importance. Peter accepted them without delay. The Streltsy informed the sovereign that Colonel Ivan Tsikler was weaving a conspiracy among the Streltsy against him. Enraged, Peter called the guards, ordered the attacker to be immediately arrested, tortured, and an investigation began, in which he himself took part.

Tsikler admitted that he had conversations about the assassination attempt on the tsar with the devious Alexei Sokovnin and his son-in-law Fyodor Pushkin, who were extremely dissatisfied with the new orders introduced by the sovereign and the sending of Sokovnin’s two sons to study abroad. Alexei Sokovnin, an Old Believer, the brother of the famous noblewoman Morozova, perceived the fate of his offspring in a foreign land as obvious death. Zikler himself, who defected to Peter’s camp during his confrontation with Sophia in 1689, was more guided by personal motives: counting on a rapid career for betraying Sophia, the colonel was cruelly deceived in his expectations, harbored anger and resentment. Hoping to avoid death, he spoke about his affairs long ago days gone by. During Sophia’s reign, Ivan Miloslavsky and the princess herself encouraged him and Fyodor Shaklovity to “commit murder on the sovereign.” The shadow of Ivan Miloslavsky, the Tsar’s most hated enemy, who died eleven years ago, surfaced. In anger, Peter was terrible. He personally developed a procedure for the terrible execution of intruders.

The Tsar ordered the corpse of Ivan Miloslavsky to be dug up, delivered on a sleigh drawn by pigs to Preobrazhenskoye and installed in an open coffin under the platform of the erected scaffold. Tsikler and Sokovnin were quartered, Pushkin and two archer accomplices were simply cut off their heads. The blood of those executed flowed into the coffin onto the decayed body of Miloslavsky, uniting the enemies of the sovereign in dishonor. Even death did not save them from the fierce hatred and cruel revenge of the formidable king. The severed heads were hung on stakes fixed in a stone pillar, and the chopped bodies were piled at its foot. Emitting a sickening odor, they lay there for several months. Such terrifying pictures served as an eloquent warning to all opponents of the sovereign’s will, and there were many of them.

A potential threat to the tsar was posed by numerous relatives of his wife, Evdokia Lopukhina, who held influential government positions. Even if Peter had any feelings for her as the mother of his son, having become seriously interested in Anna Mons, he finally lost them. The already rare meetings between the king and queen stopped long ago. Evdokia, an exemplary product of a musty Russian tower, colorless, inert and ignorant, was unable to understand the interests and aspirations of her husband, and was completely unsuited to him - energetic, impetuous, sensual, passionate and keen on everything new. Her philistine outlook and needs were limited to the interpretation of dreams, endless prayers, soul-saving conversations with the blessed, sauerkraut, baking homemade pies, porridges, jelly... There was nothing in common between the spouses. Peter considered Evdokia unbearably boring and stupid; from communicating with her he felt nothing but irritation.

Probably, even before leaving abroad, the tsar decided to separate from his wife and instructed Tikhon Streshnev to persuade her to voluntarily become a nun - a common practice of that time for breaking up unsuccessful marriages. In order to protect his throne from the possible hostile machinations of the prolific Lopukhin clan and many others dissatisfied with his rule, Peter removed the relatives of his disgusted wife from the court, concentrating during his absence all power in the hands of his closest associates, who more than once proved their absolute devotion to him - Lev Naryshkin, Tikhon Streshnev, Boris Golitsyn, Prince Peter Prozorovsky and Prince Fyodor Romodanovsky, a direct descendant of Rurik. Romodanovsky was given the unprecedented title of Prince Caesar and remained in the Kremlin as the Tsar himself. As the head of the Preobrazhensky Prikaz, he performed the functions of the security service and was a very colorful figure. “With the appearance of a monster, the disposition of an evil tyrant and drunk all the days,” Fyodor Romodanovsky lived the luxurious lifestyle of a Byzantine nobleman, his retinue consisted of five hundred people. Prince Caesar revered ancient morals and customs, was known as a cordial and hospitable owner of the house, kept tame bears in the yard, one of which brought a glass of strong pepper to the arriving guests. Anyone who refused to drink was hit with a backhand paw by the bear. The descendant of Rurik was distinguished by extreme honesty, incorruptibility and mercilessness towards the enemies of the sovereign. Peter himself more than once reproached his evil guard dog for excessive cruelty.

At the beginning of March 1697, the Great Embassy set off. A thousand sleighs stretched for two miles. The Tsar appointed Lefort and two experienced diplomats, Fyodor Golovin and Prokofy Voznitsyn, as Grand and Plenipotentiary Ambassadors, while the Tsar himself wished to remain incognito during the trip under the name of the constable Pyotr Mikhailov. Such a modest position allowed the king to avoid official ceremonies that he disliked, provided time and opportunity for study, b

Ivan Medvedev

Peter I. Good or evil genius of Russia

The childhood and youth of the prince

As soon as the first rays of the rising sun gilded the domes of the Kremlin cathedrals, the Orthodox gospel notified the Russian people of the birth of the prince, for whom astrologers predicted a great future. It was morning on May 30, 1672.

His father, the autocrat of all Rus' Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, nicknamed the Quietest, was especially happy about the birth of his son. Married for a second marriage to Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, he hoped for healthier offspring: his sons from his first marriage - Fyodor and Ivan - had clear signs of degeneration of the dynasty. At baptism, the younger prince received the name Peter and lived up to the hopes of his happy parents: he grew up as a healthy, strong, beautiful, active and cheerful child, however, quite ordinary, not showing any special talents. Like thousands of other boys of that time, he was primarily interested in military fun, for which the young prince had a full arsenal of toys - sabers, lances, reeds, bows, arrows, arquebuses, horses, drums, banners... By tradition, his playmates were peers from among the most noble boyar families.

Peter was not even four years old when his father Alexei the Quietest died suddenly. The eldest son of the deceased tsar, Fyodor, a 14-year-old boy suffering from a severe form of leg disease, ascended the Moscow throne. At the throne of the young tsar, a struggle for power began between his maternal relatives, the Miloslavskys, and the influential minister of the court, Artamon Matveev, educator and benefactor of Peter’s mother, behind whom stood the Naryshkin clan. The confrontation ended with the fall of Matveev and the removal of the Naryshkins from the court. Natalya Kirillovna settled with her son in the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow.

Fedor's illness progressed. The young king's legs became so swollen that he almost lost the ability to move. Shortly before his death, Fyodor forgave Artamon Matveev and ordered him and the Naryshkin brothers to be returned from exile. Fyodor reigned for six years, managed to marry twice, but left no offspring.

The Boyar Duma was faced with the question: who should be king - Ivan or Peter? The first was fifteen years old at that time, the second was ten. Fyodor did not leave clear instructions which of his brothers would inherit the Moscow throne. The weak-minded and half-blind Ivan, not only the state, was incapable of governing himself. Peter is still too young. Despite the younger prince's youth, most of the boyars and Patriarch Joachim sided with him. Some pointed to Ivan's birthright. To finally resolve the issue, the boyars and the patriarch went to Red Square and asked for the voice of the people. Ivan's dementia was widely known. Following common sense, the people shouted for Peter. According to tradition, his mother Natalya Kirillovna became the regent of the young tsar. The Naryshkins were again in power. Since Natalya Kirillovna was far from politics and did not understand anything about government, she urgently summoned her patron Artamon Matveev to Moscow. A threat loomed over the Miloslavskys. They began to “simmer the conspiracy” immediately - on the day of Fedor’s funeral.

Contrary to the customs of the Moscow Kremlin, Princess Sophia, the half-sister of the deceased, who was constantly with Fyodor during the last years of his life, appeared at the funeral ceremony. Her status did not allow her to attend the king's funeral. But smart, dexterous, energetic and very ambitious Sophia decided to speak out not only against old rituals. Lamenting in front of a large crowd of people, she wailed about the “malevolent” enemies who poisoned Tsar Fyodor, hinted at the illegality of electing Peter as Tsar to the detriment of his older brother Ivan, complained about the difficult fate of being an orphan, and asked to be released alive to foreign Christian lands, if she had been guilty of anything... The political performance staged by Sophia made a strong impression on the crowd - the Russian people always sympathize with those offended by the authorities.

Peter's accession to the throne coincided with unrest in the Streltsy army. Created under Ivan the Terrible, it turned into a special military caste. In peacetime, the archers performed police and guard duty, accompanied royal persons, and extinguished fires. They lived in special settlements with their families, in their free time from unburdensome service they were engaged in privileged duty-free trade, crafts, trades, and regularly received generous gifts of money and food from the treasury. Streltsy were easily distinguished on the streets by their bright caftans, red belts, morocco boots and high velvet hats with sable edges.

But even under Fyodor, the life of the archers began to change for the worse: they lost not only some of their privileges, but also faced the arbitrariness and greed of their superiors. Taking advantage of the weakness of the tsarist power, the Streltsy colonels embezzled the salaries of their subordinates, used them to work on their own estates, extorted bribes, and subjected them to cruel punishments.

The injured archers submitted a petition to Natalya Kirillovna demanding that their commanders be punished. Otherwise, they threatened to deal with them themselves. Needing

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