The image of Peter I according to historical and literary sources: comparative analysis

This work is devoted to the study of the image of Peter I from historical and artistic sources. The work presents the views of famous historians and writers, their attitude towards this person, as well as similarities and differences in the historical and artistic image of Peter the Great.

Key words : Peter I, literary sources, historical sources.

In order to reliably study a particular era, famous person, or everyday situation, historians turn to related disciplines: archaeography, archeology, diplomacy.

Mostly, historians have studied ancient literary texts as a source. Fiction was considered very subjective; it often distorted the events of reality. The author of the work devotes a large role to his characters, endowing them with memorable features and empathy. Hence, fictional characters often interact with real ones, the course of events can move from one century to another, and the everyday situation is modernized by the author. All these criteria cause enormous difficulty in establishing the reliability of an event.

Authors of works of fiction often turn to historical events and personalities. For their future works, they turn to Russian folklore, study personal memoirs, documents, and surroundings. This way they can convey the spirit of the times and express their attitude. Such works are very interesting to analyze from a historical point of view.

One of the brightest historical figures who arouses the greatest interest among both historians and writers is Peter I. Attitudes towards the figure of Peter the Great himself and his reform activities are ambiguous. On the one hand, he was glorified as a great emperor who created a mighty power, and on the other hand, he was considered a cruel despot and Antichrist who destroyed Russian identity.

According to Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky, “Peter the Great, in his spiritual make-up, was one of those simple people whom you only need to look at to understand them” [2]. Unlike previous kings, Peter not only sent out decrees, but also actively participated in the life of the state. He was a hardworking man and, whenever possible, he was engaged in handicrafts, which helped to develop dexterity and resourcefulness. The Emperor always sought to comprehend a new matter before it was needed. Peter's love for manual labor caused him a certain fear and hatred of any ceremony. When he worked with his hands, he felt his power, independence from circumstances, but during audiences a feeling of helplessness arose. He tried to live simpler, like an ordinary person. Peter also showed his spiritual simplicity in his communication with others. When visiting, Peter did not look for a place of honor, but sat down at any free one; when he got hot, he could take off his caftan in front of everyone, and also, when eating food, he could do without a knife and fork. He could also play chess with people, smoke pipes and drink beer, not paying attention to others. He loved to have casual conversations with cheerful interlocutors. His habit of acting simply and directly in everything demanded the same dedication from other people.

The image of Peter described by Klyuchevsky is in many ways similar to the image described by Soloviev. In his public readings, he emphasizes that it was Peter’s curiosity and his love for manual labor that helped the Russian people get rid of their dependent position. The emperor, learning from the experience of foreigners, tried in every possible way to educate his people so that he would not have to invite foreigners and prevent them from doing what they wanted. Using the example of his attitude to war and diplomatic struggle, one can see that Peter was a patriot of his Motherland. Despite the temptations of foreigners that diplomacy and war should be best dealt with by trained foreigners rather than by Russians in training, Peter appointed Russians, believing that they needed to learn from their mistakes. Even in the administrative apparatus, a Russian person was put in first place, and a foreigner could take second place. Of course, foreigners were given certain benefits and were welcome, but he could not humiliate the Russian people and rule over them. Peter's patriotism connected him with the people. “Peter was himself a pure Russian man who maintained a strong connection with his people...” [3].

Karamzin develops a similar image of the ruler. In the book “Note on Ancient and New Russia,” the author emphasizes that Peter was very diligent and ready to achieve his goal no matter what. “He had generosity, insight, an unshakable will, activity, and rare tirelessness...” [1]. However, Karamzin highlights not only the positive features of the ruler and his activities, but also the negative ones. He takes as his basis the imposition of European customs on the Russian people. By introducing European manners, Russians humiliated themselves in their own country, becoming like foreigners. Karamzin believes that thanks to Peter, Russians became closer to the world, but ceased to be the Russian people. He believes that the reason for this is the instillation of everything foreign in Peter from childhood. The author also draws attention to Peter’s certain lust for power and extremes to achieve his goals. The imposition of European customs was carried out using harsh methods. All those who disagreed were punished or tortured. Suffice it to recall the decree of August 29, 1698 “On wearing German dress, on shaving beards and mustaches, on schismatics walking in the attire specified for them” or St. Petersburg - a new capital in the European style, built with hard work.

Fiction also repeatedly refers to the image of Peter the Great. This image was most vividly created in the works of A. S. Pushkin, A. N. Tolstoy and D. A. Granin.

The Peter the Great theme entered Pushkin’s work only from the end of 1826. It is most clearly represented in the works: “Stanzas”, “Arap of Peter the Great”, “Poltava” and “The Bronze Horseman”. In these works, the author reveals different features of Pyotr Alekseevich. On the one hand, he is a simple man, hardworking, fun-loving, comprehensively developed, concerned about the good of his country and people, but he also has another side. Peter is a despot, a tough autocrat who destroys everything old, everything popular, everything in which he sees an obstacle to his transformations. In his impatience, he did not take into account the serious consequences of certain reforms.

In the poem “The Bronze Horseman,” the poet does not set himself the task of painting the image of Peter: it is important for him to present the great king as the bearer of the idea of the power and prosperity of the state. The king himself remains in the distant past, but his power, will, and aspirations are personified in the monument by Falcone. It is interesting to note that neither the name Falcone nor the words “monument” or “monument” appear in the poem. Instead, periphrases are used: “an idol on a bronze horse,” “an idol with an outstretched hand,” “the lord of fate,” “the ruler of half the world,” “the formidable king,” the one “who stood motionless in the darkness with a copper head.” If in the introduction the living king is devoid of visible details, then in the second part of the poem the monument is endowed with signs of a living person. In the introduction, we recognize the “great thoughts” of the king, but do not see his face. In the main part, these thoughts are reflected “on the forehead” of the sculpture. Pushkin seems to assert that Peter continues to participate in the events of the present. His actions influence both his current life and even the future. The Bronze Horseman is Peter’s other “I,” as if responsible for everything that he accomplished and passed on to his descendants.

A. N. Tolstoy first turned to the image of Peter in the story “The Day of Peter” in 1918. In this story, Peter is an unkempt man, walking with a clubfoot and eating vodka and cucumber for breakfast, but at the same time powerful, intimidating and ready to do anything to achieve his goals. It is also interesting to look at Peter’s surroundings. From the description of his office it is clear that the Tsar is an active and versatile person. Through the people around him, Tolstoy ridicules European fashion, which was forcibly imposed on Russian society.

In achieving his goal, he did not think about the sacrifices that would need to be made, including human ones. This can be seen in the description of the construction of St. Petersburg. Construction was very difficult. Floods, fires, famine and plagues destroyed the people, who did not even understand the purpose of building a royal city in the swamps. All those who disagreed were taken to the Secret Chancellery or to the Preobrazhensky Prikaz, brutally tortured and could be killed.

Tolstoy revealed the image of Peter more widely in his novel Peter the Great. Here the author sought to show the need for the changes that the emperor would make. Peter is shown not as an idealized sovereign, but as an ordinary person with his positive and negative traits. When studying the image of Peter in the novel by Alexei Tolstoy, it is worth taking a closer look at his writing style. Here the author mixes historical facts with fictional characters, shifts the sequence of events, some historical figures say things that they did not actually say. The author tried to write a novel, and not a historically accurate treatise. Even if the author embellished them somewhere, he put realistic facts into the basis. His Peter I is both the people's king, and the beast of prey, and even the Antichrist.

In D. A. Granin’s book “Evenings with Peter the Great” you can see the author’s thoughts about this person and her significance in the history of Russia. Granin in this book relied on numerous historical facts and documents, which he himself studied. He interprets known facts in a new way, reveals new aspects of Peter’s life, and through his characters gives his assessment of his personality and actions. Many people put Peter as an example of the ideal image of a monarch. It was this ruler who accomplished a lot during his life and achieved his goals. He was a man of his time, able to understand what was needed. For example, the episode of the Streletsky revolt is often encountered. Unlike other authors, not only Peter’s psychological trauma is touched upon here, but also the formation of his strong and sometimes harsh character.

The author notes Peter's courage for violating the customs of the Russian court. It was Peter who traveled a lot abroad, studied new things and tried to teach this to Russia. Many blamed Peter for not implementing many of the projects that he himself conceived, but they forget how many years he spent on turmoil and war. And at the same time, many reforms have brought Russia to a new stage of development.

Each author, relying on generally accepted facts, interprets them in his own way. Some try to focus attention only on Peter’s positive traits, only briefly mentioning the negative ones, while others try to exaggerate the negative aspects. But there are those who view both sides of Peter equally. In many ways, the worldview of the authors plays a role here. You cannot blindly trust one or another source. Everything needs to be approached objectively, studying several sources. No one can reliably understand the necessity of certain actions of the sovereign. After all, it is very difficult to understand a person from a different historical era when your era, having a different worldview, leaves its mark.

Literature:

Karamzin N. M. “Note on ancient and new Russia”, M.: “Nauka”, 1991. P. 31
Klyuchevsky V. O. “Historical Portraits”, M.: “Eksmo”, 2008. P. 42
Solovyov S. M. “Public readings about Peter the Great.” Reading fifth. [Electronic resource], - URL: https://az.lib.ru/s/solowxew_sergej_mihajlovich/text_0150.shtml#05

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Mature years

Peter I was interested in various European innovations, communicated with foreigners in the German Settlement, and in 1697-1698 went on a trip that was unique even by the standards of world history - to the Grand Embassy. That is, the head of a large state went incognito to other countries to get acquainted with achievements in the field of military and naval affairs, in science and culture. He visited Holland, England, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the German principalities, and returned to Russia because of the Streltsy riot in Moscow.

The revolt was suppressed, and Peter I began to actively reform the state. The reforms coincided with the waging of three wars:

Northern War with Sweden;
Short war with Turkey in 1710–1714;
war with Persia in 1722–1723.

During the Northern War, Peter I was able to deal with his heir from his first wife, Tsarevich Alexei, which was depicted in a painting by the artist Ge. The results of his reign should be considered:

The emergence of the Academy of Sciences in Russia, the first museum, new educational institutions, the beginning of student education in Europe.
Creation of the Baltic Fleet and regular army.
The construction of new cities, the emergence of many manufactories and factories, the development of metallurgy in the Urals.
The growth of Russian territory due to the annexation of the Baltic states from Vyborg to Riga.
Reform of all spheres of state life: church, finance, succession to the throne, calendar, authorities and local government.

The second wife of Peter I and the first Russian empress was Marta Skavronskaya or Catherine I. Many children were born from her, but almost all died in childhood, except for Anna and Elizabeth. The first became the mother of Peter III, and the second occupied the throne in Russia from 1741 to 1761.

Rice. 3. Great Embassy of Peter I.