On November 2 (October 22, O.S.), 1721, Tsar PETER I assumed the imperial title and became known as the Great. This event was preceded by the victorious end of the 21-year-long war with the Swedes and the conclusion of the Nishtadt Peace Treaty with them, which was beneficial for Russia. On this occasion, a mass was held in the Trinity Cathedral of St. Petersburg, after which the text of the peace treaty concluded with the Swedes was read, and then Feofan Prokopovich delivered a sermon in which he described all the famous deeds of the tsar, for which he deserves to be called the Father of the Fatherland, Emperor and Great.

Preparations for an important event took a couple of days. October 22, 1721 after the end of the service at the Trinity Cathedral, which was attended by royal family and the high society of the capital, Chancellor Count Golovkin addressed the monarch with a speech.

Noting the role of Peter I in the victory over the Swedes, the count, on behalf of all his subjects, asked the tsar "to accept the title of Father of the Fatherland, Peter the Great, Emperor of All Russia." After these words, all those present shouted “Vivat” three times, then the bells of churches rang throughout the capital, volleys of cannons and rifle salutes of the regiments lined up in front of the cathedral were heard.

Peter answered with a short word: “I strongly wish that our people would directly know what the Lord did to us by the past war and the conclusion of peace. It is necessary to thank God with all the strength; however, hoping for peace, do not weaken in military affairs, so that it does not happen with us as with the Greek monarchy. It is necessary to work for the benefit and the common profit, which God places before our eyes both inside and outside, from which the people will be relieved. At the end of the ceremony, Metropolitan Stefan of Ryazan held a thanksgiving service.

Safonov. Peter the Great announces to the people the conclusion of the Peace of Nystadt

From the cathedral, everyone went to the Senate, where tables were set for a thousand people. The ceremonial reception and dancing continued until three in the morning, interrupted by the festive fireworks, which glorified the victory in the Northern War with allegorical symbols. Soon, one with Latin text, the other with Russian. Peter on them was already titled emperor. This is the inscription that was engraved on one side of the medal with the Russian text: “V.I.B.Shch. Sovereign Peter I, in the name and deeds of the divine, the Great Russian Emperor and Father, who died after twenty years of triumphs of the North, this medal from home gold is most zealously brought.

Peter I - the youngest son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from his second marriage with Natalya Naryshkina - was born on May 30, 1672. As a child, Peter was educated at home, with young years knew German, then studied Dutch, English and French. With the help of palace craftsmen, he mastered many crafts (carpentry, turning, weapons, blacksmithing, etc.). The future emperor was physically strong, agile, inquisitive and capable, had a good memory.

In April 1682, Peter was enthroned after the death of the childless Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, bypassing his half-brother Ivan. However, the sister of Peter and Ivan - Princess Sophia and the relatives of the first wife of Alexei Mikhailovich - the Miloslavskys used the Streltsy uprising in Moscow for a palace coup. In May 1682, the supporters and relatives of the Naryshkins were killed or exiled, Ivan was declared the "senior" tsar, and Peter the "junior" tsar under the ruler Sophia.

Under the ruler Sophia, Peter lived in the village of Preobrazhensky near Moscow. Here, from his peers, Peter formed "amusing regiments" - the future imperial guard. In those same years, the prince met the son of the court groom Alexander Menshikov, who later became " right hand"emperor.

In the second half of the 1680s, clashes began between Peter and Sofya Alekseevna, who were striving for autocracy. In August 1689, having received news that Sophia was preparing a palace coup, Peter hastily left Preobrazhensky for the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, where troops loyal to him and his supporters arrived. Armed detachments of nobles, gathered by the messengers of Peter I, surrounded Moscow, Sophia was removed from power and imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent, her close associates were exiled or executed.
After the death of Ivan Alekseevich (1696), Peter I became an autocratic tsar.

Possessing a strong will, purposefulness and great capacity for work, Peter I throughout his life replenished his knowledge and skills in various fields, paying special attention to military and naval affairs. In 1689-1693, under the guidance of the Dutch master Timmerman and the Russian master Kartsev, Peter I learned to build ships on Lake Pereslavl. In 1697-1698, during his first trip abroad, he completed a full course in artillery sciences in Koenigsberg, worked as a carpenter at the shipyards of Amsterdam (Holland) for six months, studying ship architecture and drawing plans, and completed a theoretical course in shipbuilding in England.

By order of Peter I, books, instruments, weapons were purchased abroad, foreign craftsmen and scientists were invited. Peter I met with Leibniz, Newton and other scientists, in 1717 he was elected an honorary member of the Paris Academy of Sciences.

During the reign of Peter I carried out major reforms aimed at overcoming the backwardness of Russia from the advanced countries of the West. Transformations touched all areas public life. Peter I expanded the landlords' property rights over the property and personality of serfs, replaced the household taxation of peasants with poll tax, issued a decree on the possession of peasants, who were allowed to be acquired by the owners of manufactories, practiced the mass registration of state and yasak peasants to state and private factories, the mobilization of peasants and townspeople into the army and for the construction of cities, fortresses, canals, etc. The decree of uniform inheritance (1714) equalized estates and estates, giving their owners the right to transfer real estate one of the sons, and thus secured the noble ownership of the land. The Table of Ranks (1722) established the order of rank in the military and civil service not according to nobility, but according to personal abilities and merit.

Peter I contributed to the rise of the country's productive forces, encouraged the development of domestic manufactories, means of communication, domestic and foreign trade.

The reforms of the state apparatus under Peter I were an important step towards the transformation of the Russian autocracy of the 17th century into the bureaucratic-noble monarchy of the 18th century with its bureaucracy and service classes. The place of the Boyar Duma was taken by the Senate (1711), boards were established instead of orders (1718), the control apparatus was represented first by "fiscals" (1711), and then by prosecutors headed by the prosecutor general. Instead of the patriarchate, the Spiritual College, or Synod, was established, which was under the control of the government. Great importance had an administrative reform. In 1708-1709, instead of counties, voivodships and governorships, 8 (then 10) provinces headed by governors were established. In 1719, the provinces were divided into 47 provinces.

In 1703, Peter I founded the city of St. Petersburg, which in 1712 became the capital of the state. In 1721 Russia was proclaimed an empire.

As a military leader, Peter I is among the most educated and talented builders of the armed forces, commanders and naval commanders of Russian and world history of the eighteenth century. His whole life's work was to strengthen the military power of Russia and increase its role in the international arena. He had to continue the war with Turkey, which began in 1686, to wage a long-term struggle for Russia's access to the sea in the North and South. As a result of the Azov campaigns (1695-1696), Azov was occupied by Russian troops, and Russia fortified on the shores of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. In the long Northern War (1700-1721), Russia under the leadership of Peter I achieved a complete victory, gained access to the Baltic Sea, which gave it the opportunity to establish direct ties with Western countries. After the Persian campaign (1722-1723), the western coast of the Caspian Sea with the cities of Derbent and Baku went to Russia.

During the years of the Northern War, Peter I created a regular army and navy. The basis for the structure of the armed forces was recruitment (1705) and compulsory military service nobles who received an officer's rank after graduating from a military school or serving as privates and sergeants of the guard. Organization, weapons and equipment, rules of training and tactics, rights and obligations of all ranks of the army and navy were determined by the Military Charter (1716), the Marine Charter (1720) and the Marine Regulations (1722), in the development of which Peter I participated.

Paying much attention to the technical re-equipment of the army and navy, Peter I set up the development and production of new types of ships, new models artillery pieces and ammunition, created a harmonious system of basing the fleet on the Azov, Baltic and Caspian Seas. Was built a large number of rowing and sailing ships.

Taking care of the morale of the troops, Peter I awarded distinguished generals with the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called established by him in 1698, soldiers and officers - with medals and promotions (soldiers also with money). At the same time, Peter I introduced severe discipline in the army, with corporal punishment and the death penalty for serious military crimes.

Under Peter I, for the first time in the history of Russia, permanent diplomatic missions and consulates abroad were established, outdated forms of diplomatic relations and etiquette were abolished.

Major reforms were also carried out by Peter I in the field of culture and education. A secular school appeared, the monopoly of the clergy on education was eliminated. Peter I founded the Pushkar School (1699), the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences (1701), the Medical and Surgical School; the first Russian public theater was opened. In St. Petersburg, the Naval Academy (1715), engineering and artillery schools (1719), schools of translators at collegiums were established, the first Russian museum, the Kunstkamera (1719) with a public library, was opened. In 1700, a new calendar was introduced with the beginning of the year on January 1 (instead of September 1) and the reckoning from the "Christmas", and not from the "Creation of the World".

By order of Peter I, expeditions were carried out to Central Asia, to Far East, to Siberia, etc., laid the foundation for a systematic study of the geography of the country and cartography.

Peter I was married twice: to Evdokia Fedorovna Lopukhina and to Marta Skavronskaya, later Empress Catherine I; had a son from his first marriage Alexei and from the second - daughters Anna and Elizabeth (besides them, 8 children of Peter I died in early childhood).

Peter I died in 1725 and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.

Pyotr Alekseevich Romanov, already in childhood, became king twice within a few days. For the first time he was elevated to the throne on April 27 (May 7), 1682 after the death of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich. At the same time, Peter's older brother, Ivan, was formally bypassed, who was considered incapable of governing the state due to poor health. Together with the young tsar, supporters of the Naryshkin clan came to power, which immediately caused active opposition from the Miloslavsky clan, supported by Princess Sophia and her favorite Vasily Golitsyn.

Two weeks later, a riot provoked by the Miloslavsky archers began, which led to the physical elimination of many Naryshkins and their supporters. As a result, Ivan was proclaimed the first king, and Peter, as the youngest in age, the second. On June 25, Patriarch Joachim crowned two kings at once. But in reality, all power was in the hands of Princess Sophia, who officially took over the government of the country due to the infancy of the royal brothers.

Tsars and Grand Dukes Ivan V and Peter I

For seven years, Sophia reigned supreme in the country. In July 1689, the first public conflict between the ruler and her younger brother took place, when Peter tried to prevent his sister from participating in the religious procession in a procession with men, declaring that her place was among women. Then he failed to insist on his own, but he clearly demonstrated that he was ready to take all power into his own hands.

Sophia was not going to voluntarily cede power, but the plot to physically eliminate Peter failed. On the night of August 7-8, 1689, the young tsar managed to escape from the Transfiguration to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, where the “amusing” regiments with cannons arrived. For several weeks, a formal dual power reigned in the country. Peter was the legitimate king, and he was supported by a significant number of the highest officials of the state and the vast majority of the army, which, ultimately, decided the outcome of the case in his favor. Soon, Sophia's supporters were taken into custody, and she herself ended up in the Novodevichy Convent under strict supervision.

At the beginning of glorious deeds

Tsar Ivan did not take part in the struggle for power. The existing situation, when he reigned, but did not rule, suited him perfectly. Peter, who always treated his brother with great attention, did not dispute his superiority, but was ready to take on the main state concerns. As soon as the victory leaned in his favor, Peter sent a letter from the Trinity-Sergius Monastery to his brother, as the first person in the state, a letter: “And now, sir brother, the time will come for our two persons, God-given to us, to rule the kingdom ourselves, if you have come to the measure of age our own, but to the third shameful person, our sister, with our two male persons in titles and in the reprisal of deeds, we do not deign to be; your will, the sovereign of my brother, would have bowed to that, because it taught to enter into business and write in titles by yourself without our permission; besides, she also wanted to get married with a royal crown, for our final insult. Shameful, sire, at our perfect age, for that shameful person to rule the state past us! To you, sovereign brother, I declare and ask: allow me, sovereign, by your fatherly will, for our better benefit and for the people's reassurance, without slandering you, sovereign, to inflict truthful judges on orders, but to change indecent ones, in order to calm our state. and rejoice soon. And how, sir, brother, let us happen together, and then we will put everything on the measure; and I am ready to honor you, the sovereign brother, like a father.

From that time on, Peter, formally remaining the second person in the state, ruled almost independently, having received the approval of his brother for this. In January 1696, Tsar Ivan died, and all power finally passed to Peter I. The young tsar had to solve many difficult tasks in order not only to glorify Russia, but also to make it one of the largest European powers.

Peter I literally raised the country on its hind legs, expanded and strengthened its borders, created a regular army and navy, carried out a comprehensive reform government controlled, brought up and trained the new state elite, which would later be rightfully called "the chicks of Petrov's nest", won the hardest Northern War, which lasted more than 20 years. In fact, through the efforts of Peter I, by the 20s of the 18th century, Russia turned into a powerful empire, although officially it continued to be called a kingdom.

The title of Emperor Peter I accepted in 1721. According to historical sources, this did not happen on his initiative. The signing of the Treaty of Nystadt on August 30, 1721 ended the Northern War with Sweden. The country has finally arrived long-awaited peace. Peter rejoiced at this like a child, out of habit raising the whole of Petersburg on its hind legs and forcing it to rejoice with him. A series of festivities began, many criminals were forgiven, arrears accumulated since the beginning of the war were removed from debtors, rewards were generously distributed.

In the midst of the general rejoicing, the Senate logically decided that the king should be rewarded somehow. The decision was made quickly and unanimously - to present the monarch with the title of "Emperor, Father of the Fatherland and the Great." The Holy Synod, as expected, supported the decision of the senators. To ask Peter to take the title, the Senate went in full force. The monarch agreed.

Safonov. Peter the Great announces to the people the conclusion of the Peace of Nystadt

Preparations for an important event took a couple of days. On October 22, 1721, after the end of the service at the Trinity Cathedral, which was attended by the royal family and the high society of the capital, Chancellor Count Golovkin addressed the monarch with a speech. Noting the role of Peter I in the victory over the Swedes, the count, on behalf of all his subjects, asked the tsar "to accept the title of Father of the Fatherland, Peter the Great, Emperor of All Russia." After these words, all those present shouted “Vivat” three times, then the bells of churches rang throughout the capital, volleys of cannons and rifle salutes of the regiments lined up in front of the cathedral were heard.

Peter answered with a short word: “I strongly wish that our people would directly know what the Lord did to us by the past war and the conclusion of peace. It is necessary to thank God with all the strength; however, hoping for peace, do not weaken in military affairs, so that it does not happen with us as with the Greek monarchy. It is necessary to work for the benefit and the common profit, which God places before our eyes both inside and outside, from which the people will be relieved. At the end of the ceremony, Metropolitan Stefan of Ryazan held a thanksgiving service.

From the cathedral, everyone went to the Senate, where tables were set for a thousand people. The ceremonial reception and dancing continued until three in the morning, interrupted by the festive fireworks, which glorified the victory in the Northern War with allegorical symbols. Soon two medals were stamped in honor of the Peace of Nystadt, one with Latin text, the other with Russian. Peter on them was already titled emperor. This is the inscription that was engraved on one side of the medal with the Russian text: “V.I.B.Shch. Sovereign Peter I, in the name and deeds of the divine, the Great Russian Emperor and Father, who died after twenty years of triumphs of the North, this medal from home gold is most zealously brought.

Peter I did not begin to be crowned emperor, considering that this was no longer necessary, since he already had unlimited power in his hands, which no one doubted. But three years later, he solemnly crowned his wife as empress, and he laid the crown on her himself. By this, Peter wanted to raise the status of both his wife and the daughters she had born before marriage, through whom he wanted to intermarry with European monarchs.

Europe reacted to the imperial title of Peter I with caution. He was immediately recognized by Holland and Prussia, and two years later by Sweden. It took more than 20 years to be recognized by the rest of the major European countries. Austria and England did it in 1742, and Spain and France in 1745. According to tradition, Poland “resisted” for a long time, recognizing the Russian monarch as emperor, more precisely, empress, since at that time Catherine II ruled the country, only in 1764.

Russian empire. Project by Leonid Parfenov. Peter I

Grand Embassy in England and Holland. Morning of the archery execution. Demidov factories and the creation of troops. Foundation of St. Petersburg.

Battle of Poltava and Prut campaign. Conspiracy of Tsarevich Alexei. New alphabet and new chronology. The death of the emperor and the foundation of the dynastic tomb.

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Peter I, nicknamed Peter the Great for his services to Russia, is not just a symbolic figure in Russian history, but a key one. Peter 1 created Russian empire, so it turned out the last king of all Rus' and, accordingly, the first All-Russian Emperor. The son of the king, the godson of the king, the brother of the king - Peter himself was proclaimed the head of the country, and at that time the boy was barely 10 years old. Initially, he had a formal co-ruler Ivan V, but from the age of 17 he already ruled independently, and in 1721 Peter I became emperor.

Tsar Peter the First | Haiku Deck

For Russia, the years of the reign of Peter I were a time of large-scale reforms. He significantly expanded the territory of the state, built the beautiful city of St. Petersburg, incredibly boosted the economy by founding a whole network of metallurgical and glass factories, and also reduced the import of foreign goods to a minimum. In addition, Peter the Great was the first of the Russian rulers to adopt their best ideas. But since all the reforms of Peter the Great were achieved through violence against the population and the eradication of any dissent, the personality of Peter 1 among historians still evokes diametrically opposed assessments.

Childhood and youth of Peter I

The biography of Peter I initially implied his future reign, since he was born in the family of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov and his wife Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. It is noteworthy that Peter the Great turned out to be the 14th child of his father, but the firstborn for his mother. It is also worth noting that the name Peter was completely unconventional for both dynasties of his ancestors, so historians still cannot figure out where he got this name from.

Childhood of Peter the Great | Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

The boy was only four years old when the king-father died. His older brother and godfather Fyodor III Alekseevich ascended the throne, who took custody of his brother and ordered him to be given the best possible education. However, Peter the Great had big problems with this. He was always very inquisitive, but just at that moment Orthodox Church started a war against foreign influence, and all Latin teachers were removed from the court. Therefore, the prince was taught by Russian clerks, who themselves did not have deep knowledge, and Russian-language books of the proper level did not yet exist. As a result, Peter the Great had a meager vocabulary and wrote with errors until the end of his life.

Childhood of Peter the Great | View map

Tsar Fedor III reigned for only six years and died due to poor health at a young age. According to tradition, another offspring of Tsar Alexei, Ivan, was to take the throne, but he was very painful, so the Naryshkin family actually organized palace coup and declared the heir to Peter I. It was beneficial for them, since the boy was a descendant of their family, but the Naryshkins did not take into account that the Miloslavsky family would revolt because of the infringement of the interests of Tsarevich Ivan. The famous Streltsy rebellion of 1682 took place, the result of which was the recognition of two tsars at the same time - Ivan and Peter. The Kremlin Armory still has a double throne for the brother-kings.

Childhood and youth of Peter the Great | Russian Museum

The favorite game of young Peter I was training with his army. Moreover, the soldiers of the prince were not at all toys. His peers dressed in uniform and marched through the streets of the city, and Peter the Great himself "served" in his regiment as a drummer. Later, he even started his own artillery, also real. The funny army of Peter I was called the Preobrazhensky regiment, to which the Semenovsky regiment was later added, and, in addition to them, the tsar organized a funny fleet.

Tsar Peter I

When the young king was still a minor, behind him stood elder sister, Princess Sophia, and later mother Natalya Kirillovna and her relatives Naryshkins. In 1689, co-ruler brother Ivan V finally gave all power to Peter, although he nominally remained co-tsar until he suddenly died at the age of 30. After the death of his mother, Tsar Peter the Great freed himself from the burdensome guardianship of the princes Naryshkins, and it was from that time that one can speak of Peter the Great as an independent ruler.

Tsar Peter the First | Culturology

He continued military operations in the Crimea against the Ottoman Empire, conducted a series of Azov campaigns, which resulted in the capture of the Azov fortress. To strengthen the southern borders, the tsar built the port of Taganrog, but Russia still did not have a full-fledged fleet, so it did not achieve a final victory. The large-scale construction of ships and the training of young nobles abroad in shipbuilding began. And the tsar himself learned the art of building a fleet, even working as a carpenter on the construction of the ship "Peter and Paul".

Emperor Peter the First | Bookaholic

While Peter the Great was preparing to reform the country and personally studied the technical and economic progress of the leading European states, a conspiracy was conceived against him, and the king's first wife was at the head. Having suppressed the streltsy rebellion, Peter the Great decided to reorient military operations. He concludes a peace agreement with the Ottoman Empire and starts a war with Sweden. His troops captured the fortresses Noteburg and Nienschanz at the mouth of the Neva, where the tsar decided to found the city of St. Petersburg, and placed the base of the Russian fleet on the nearby island of Kronstadt.

Wars of Peter the Great

The above conquests made it possible to open an exit to the Baltic Sea, which later received the symbolic name "Window to Europe". Later, the territories of the Eastern Baltic joined Russia, and in 1709, during the legendary Battle of Poltava, the Swedes were completely defeated. Moreover, it is important to note: Peter the Great, unlike many kings, did not sit out in fortresses, but personally led the troops on the battlefield. In the Battle of Poltava, Peter I was even shot through his hat, that is, he really risked his own life.

Peter the Great at the Battle of Poltava | X-digest

After the defeat of the Swedes at Poltava, King Charles XII took refuge under the patronage of the Turks in the city of Bender, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire, and today is located in Moldova. With the help of the Crimean Tatars and the Zaporozhye Cossacks, he began to escalate the situation on southern border Russia. Seeking the expulsion of Charles, Peter the Great, on the contrary, forced the Ottoman sultan to unleash the Russo-Turkish war again. Rus' found itself in a situation where it was necessary to wage a war on three fronts. On the border with Moldova, the king was surrounded and agreed to sign peace with the Turks, giving them back the fortress of Azov and access to the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov.

Fragment of Ivan Aivazovsky's painting "Peter I at Krasnaya Gorka" | Russian Museum

In addition to the Russian-Turkish and northern wars, Peter the Great escalated the situation in the east. Thanks to his expeditions, the cities of Omsk, Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk were founded, later Kamchatka joined Russia. The king wanted to carry out campaigns in North America and India, but he failed to realize these ideas. On the other hand, he conducted the so-called Caspian campaign against Persia, during which he conquered Baku, Rasht, Astrabad, Derbent, as well as other Iranian and Caucasian fortresses. But after the death of Peter the Great, most of these territories were lost, as the new government considered the region not promising, and maintaining the garrison in those conditions was too expensive.

Reforms of Peter I

Due to the fact that the territory of Russia expanded significantly, Peter managed to reorganize the country from a kingdom into an empire, and starting from 1721, Peter I became emperor. Of the numerous reforms of Peter I, the transformations in the army clearly stood out, which allowed him to achieve great military victories. But no less important were such innovations as the transfer of the church under the subordination of the emperor, as well as the development of industry and trade. Emperor Peter the Great was well aware of the need for education and the fight against an outdated way of life. On the one hand, his tax on wearing a beard was perceived as tyranny, but at the same time, there was a direct dependence of the promotion of the nobles on the level of their education.

Peter the Great cuts the boyars' beards | VistaNews

Under Peter, the first Russian newspaper was founded and many translations of foreign books appeared. Artillery, engineering, medical, naval and mining schools were opened, as well as the first gymnasium in the country. Moreover, now not only the children of noble people, but also the offspring of soldiers could attend general education schools. He really wanted to create a mandatory for all primary school, but did not manage to carry out this plan. It is important to note that the reforms of Peter the Great affected not only the economy and politics. He financed the education of talented artists, introduced a new Julian calendar, tried to change the position of women by banning forced marriage. He also raised the dignity of his subjects, obliging them not to kneel even before the king and to use full names, and not call yourself "Senka" or "Ivashka" as before.

Monument "Tsar Carpenter" in St. Petersburg | Russian Museum

In general, the reforms of Peter the Great changed the value system of the nobles, which can be considered a huge plus, but at the same time, the gap between the nobility and the people increased many times over and was no longer limited only to finances and title. The main disadvantage of the tsarist reforms is considered to be the violent method of their implementation. In fact, it was a struggle of despotism with uneducated people, and Peter hoped to instill consciousness in the people with a whip. Indicative in this regard is the construction of St. Petersburg, which was carried out in the most difficult conditions. Many craftsmen rushed from hard labor to flee, and the king ordered their entire family to be imprisoned until the fugitives returned with a confession.

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Since not everyone liked the method of governing the state under Peter the Great, the tsar founded the Preobrazhensky Prikaz, an organ of political investigation and court, which later grew into the infamous Secret Chancellery. The most unpopular decrees in this context were the prohibition of taking notes in a closed room, as well as the prohibition of non-speech. Violation of both of these decrees was punishable by death. In this way, Peter the Great fought conspiracies and palace coups.

Personal life of Peter I

In his youth, Tsar Peter I liked to visit the German Quarter, where he not only became interested in foreign life, for example, he learned to dance, smoke and communicate in a Western manner, but also fell in love with a German girl, Anna Mons. His mother was very alarmed by such a relationship, so when Peter reached the age of 17, she insisted on his wedding with Evdokia Lopukhina. However, normal family life they did not have: shortly after the wedding, Peter the Great left his wife and visited her only in order to prevent rumors of a certain kind.

Evdokia Lopukhina, first wife of Peter the Great | Sunday afternoon

Tsar Peter I and his wife had three sons: Alexei, Alexander and Pavel, but the last two died in infancy. The eldest son of Peter the Great was to become his heir, but since Evdokia in 1698 unsuccessfully tried to overthrow her husband from the throne in order to transfer the crown to her son and was imprisoned in a monastery, Alexei was forced to flee abroad. He never approved of his father's reforms, considered him a tyrant and planned to overthrow his parent. However, in 1717 young man arrested and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, and next summer sentenced to death. The matter did not come to execution, since Alexei soon died in prison under unclear circumstances.

A few years after the dissolution of the marriage with his first wife, Peter the Great took 19-year-old Marta Skavronskaya as his mistress, whom the Russian troops captured as spoils of war. She gave birth to eleven children from the king, half of them even before the legal wedding. The wedding took place in February 1712 after the woman adopted Orthodoxy, thanks to which she became Ekaterina Alekseevna, later known as Empress Catherine I. Among the children of Peter and Catherine are the future Empress Elizabeth I and Anna, mother, the rest died in childhood. Interestingly, the second wife of Peter the Great was the only person in his life, who knew how to calm his violent temper even in moments of rage and fits of anger.

Maria Cantemir, favorite of Peter the Great | Wikipedia

Despite the fact that his wife accompanied the emperor in all campaigns, he was able to get carried away by the young Maria Cantemir, the daughter of the former Moldavian ruler, Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich. Maria remained the favorite of Peter the Great until the end of his life. Separately, it is worth mentioning the growth of Peter I. Even for our contemporaries, a more than two-meter man seems very tall. But in the time of Peter I, his 203 centimeters seemed absolutely incredible. Judging by the chronicles of eyewitnesses, when the Tsar and Emperor Peter the Great walked through the crowd, his head towered over the sea of ​​people.

Compared to his older brothers, born to a different mother from their common father, Peter the Great seemed to be quite healthy. But in fact, he was tormented by severe headaches almost all his life, and in last years reign, Peter the Great suffered from kidney stones. The attacks intensified even more after the emperor, along with ordinary soldiers, pulled out the boat that had run aground, but he tried not to pay attention to the illness.

Engraving "Death of Peter the Great" | ArtPolitInfo

At the end of January 1725, the ruler could no longer endure pain and fell ill in his Winter Palace. After the emperor had no strength left to scream, he only groaned, and the whole environment realized that Peter the Great was dying. Peter the Great accepted death in terrible agony. Doctors called pneumonia the official cause of his death, but later doctors had strong doubts about such a verdict. An autopsy was performed, which showed a terrible inflammation of the bladder, which had already developed into gangrene. Peter the Great was buried in the cathedral at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, and his wife, Empress Catherine I, became the heir to the throne.