early years
Peter the Great was born on May 30 (June 9), 1672 in Moscow. In the biography of Peter 1, it is important to note that he was the youngest son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from his second marriage to Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. From the age of one he was raised by nannies. And after the death of his father, at the age of four, his half-brother and new Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich became Peter’s guardian.
From the age of 5, little Peter began to be taught the alphabet. The clerk N. M. Zotov gave him lessons. However, the future king received a weak education and was not literate.
Childhood and youth in the biography of Peter 1
Pyotr Alekseevich Romanov was born on June 9, 1672 in the city of Moscow. He was the fourteenth child of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and the third child from his second wife, Crimean Tatar princess Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. Peter's father died when his son was 4 years old. Before his death, he declared Fedor, the child from his first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya, heir to the throne. Fedor had poor health since childhood. Quite difficult times came for Natalya, and therefore she was forced to leave with Peter to the Moscow region.
Peter grew up very active and inquisitive, he was a very strong and lively child. The boy was raised by nannies, and his uncles educated him. But despite this, he still had problems with literacy. And he mastered the Russian alphabet at the age of 12. Peter had a very good memory, he knew Dutch, English, German and French. In addition to all this, he studied different types of crafts (gunsmithing, turning, carpentry, and so on).
Fyodor Alekseevich died at the age of 20, and before his death he did not decide on the next heir to the throne. Therefore, his mother Maria considered that the next oldest son, Ivan, should become king; the young man was 16 years old, and he suffered from epilepsy and scurvy. But the Naryshkin family, with the support of Joachim, nominated Peter 1 as a candidate, who was healthy and at that time turning 10 years old. As a result of the Staritsky rebellion, both of Alexei’s sons were declared monarchs, and Ivan was recognized as the eldest of them. Due to the young age of the monarchs, their elder sister Sophia ascended the throne. She completely removed her stepmother Naryshkina from governing the state.
Rise to power
In 1682, after the death of Fyodor Alekseevich, 10-year-old Peter and his brother Ivan were proclaimed kings. But in fact, their elder sister, Princess Sofya Alekseevna, took over the management. At this time, Peter and his mother were forced to move away from the yard and move to the village of Preobrazhenskoye. Here Peter 1 developed an interest in military activities; he created “amusing” regiments, which later became the basis of the Russian army. He is interested in firearms and shipbuilding. He spends a lot of time in the German settlement, becomes a fan of European life, and makes friends.
In 1689, Sophia was removed from the throne, and power passed to Peter I, and the management of the country was entrusted to his mother and uncle L.K. Naryshkin.
Streletsky riot
After the death of Feodor III, the question arose: who should rule next? Peter's elder brother Ivan was a sickly child (he was also called weak-minded) and it was decided to place Peter on the throne.
However, the relatives of the first wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the Miloslavskys, . Having secured the support of 20 thousand archers who were dissatisfied at that time, the Miloslavskys staged a riot in 1682.
The consequence of this Streltsy revolt was the proclamation of Peter's sister, Sophia, as regent until Ivan and Peter grew up. Subsequently, Peter and Ivan were considered dual rulers of the Russian state until Ivan's death in 1686.
Queen Natalya was forced to go to the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow with Peter.
Rule of the Tsar
Peter continued the war with Crimea and took the fortress of Azov. Further actions of Peter I were aimed at creating a powerful fleet. Peter I's foreign policy at that time was focused on finding allies in the war with the Ottoman Empire. For this purpose, Peter went to Europe.
At this time, the activities of Peter I consisted only of creating political unions. He studies shipbuilding, structure, and culture of other countries. Returned to Russia after news of the Streltsy mutiny. As a result of the trip, he wanted to change Russia, for which several innovations were made. For example, chronology according to the Julian calendar was introduced.
To develop trade, access to the Baltic Sea was required. So the next stage of the reign of Peter I was the war with Sweden. Having made peace with Turkey, he captured the fortress of Noteburg and Nyenschanz. In May 1703, construction of St. Petersburg began. Next year, Narva and Dorpat were taken. In June 1709, Sweden was defeated in the Battle of Poltava. Soon after the death of Charles XII, peace was concluded between Russia and Sweden. New lands were annexed to Russia, and access to the Baltic Sea was gained.
Beginning of the reign of Peter 1
Officially, the year of accession to the throne of Peter 1 (together with his brother Ivan 5) is considered to be 1682. But in fact, he began to govern the state independently only in 1694, after the overthrow of his sister Sophia and after the death of his mother.
At the end of his first Azov campaign in 1695, which ended in failure, Peter made the right conclusions. He quickly began building ships. And a year later, Peter repeated the campaign against Azov. He managed to take the fortress, surrounding it from sea and land. Later, a base for the Russian fleet was founded here, and Russia gained access to the southern seas.
In 1697, Peter 1, incognito, as part of the “Great Embassy”, went to Europe. Along with diplomatic activities, the king studied shipbuilding, astronomy, and coinage. He invited good specialists to work in Russia, promising excellent living conditions.
At this time, a new Streltsy rebellion occurred in Moscow. I had to return urgently. Arriving in Russia, Peter arranged a mass execution of the most active rebels. He expelled the rest of the archers, along with their families, from the capital.
New calendar
In 1699, the king, by his decree, introduced a new calendar. Imitating Western countries, he ordered January 1 to be considered the date of the new year. The tradition of decorating the fir tree and wishing a Happy New Year was also introduced by Peter the Great.
Military reform
The Azov campaigns showed the tsar that the army was not ready for military action. Therefore, he disbanded the old army. Having introduced conscription, he began training recruits under the command of foreign officers. Peter was eager to test the new army in action.
North War
In 1700, having concluded a truce with the Ottoman Empire, Russia declared war on Sweden. Peter 1 needed access to the Baltic Sea. But the new army, under the command of a Saxon field marshal, suffered a crushing defeat near Narva. The discouraged king did not give up. He continued to reform the army and navy. New ships were built, the military industry developed, our own officers were trained, and St. Petersburg was built.
By 1709, the Russian army was well armed, staffed with trained soldiers and officers, and fully ready for combat.
The turning point of the war was the Battle of Poltava. As a result, the army of Charles XII was practically destroyed. In 1721, Sweden admitted defeat. Thus, during the reign of Peter 1, Russia received access to the sea.
Reforming Russia
In October 1721, the title of emperor was adopted in the biography of Peter the Great.
Also during his reign, Kamchatka was annexed and the shores of the Caspian Sea were conquered.
Peter I carried out military reform several times. It mainly concerned the collection of money for the maintenance of the army and navy. It was carried out, in short, by force.
Further reforms of Peter I accelerated the technical and economic development of Russia. He carried out church reform, financial reform, transformations in industry, culture, and trade. In education, he also carried out a number of reforms aimed at mass education: he opened many schools for children and the first gymnasium in Russia (1705).
Period of independent rule
Having surrounded himself with comrades who, like him, wanted to change Russia’s position in the world and give it an impetus for development, Peter I began to reform all aspects of Russian life. His goal was to make the country open to communication with Europe, but at the same time strong in a military sense. For this, access to two seas was necessary - the Black and Baltic.
Access to the Black Sea was difficult due to the rule of the Ottoman Empire in those parts. Russia fought with her. During the military campaign, the Azov fortress was taken. As for the Baltic Sea, it was necessary to fight with Sweden to gain access to it.
visited Europe incognito (that is, without revealing his real name)
He stayed in Holland and England, where he conscientiously studied shipbuilding and worked in shipyards in order to understand the whole process from personal experience. The embassy also visited the German principalities, Poland, and France. But at that time another Streltsy riot , and Peter was forced to return to his homeland.
Having suppressed the rebellion, the tsar began to actively transform Russia. He changed the chronology from the ancient Slavic calendar to the Julian calendar adopted in Europe, where the year began on January 1 and lasted 12 months. A new city was founded on the shores of Lake Ladoga - St. Petersburg, where the capital was moved from Moscow.
Peace was concluded with Turkey, and the war with Sweden, which began with defeat at Narva, then ended with the Poltava victory. After the death of the Swedish king Charles XII, a peace treaty was signed, according to which Russia received new lands and access to the Baltic Sea.
The name of the country has been changed. Russia began to be called officially the Russian Empire, and Peter I became emperor in 1721 . All areas of state and public life were reformed.
Death and legacy
Before his death, Peter I was very ill, but continued to rule the state. Peter the Great died on January 28 (February 8), 1725 from inflammation of the bladder. The throne passed to his wife, Empress Catherine I.
The strong personality of Peter I, who sought to change not only the state, but also the people, played a vital role in the history of Russia.
Cities were named after the Great Emperor after his death.
Monuments to Peter I were erected not only in Russia, but also in many European countries. One of the most famous is the Bronze Horseman in St. Petersburg.
Last year of reign
In the last years of his reign, Peter was very ill and had kidney problems. In the summer of 1724, his illness intensified; in September he felt better, but after a while the attacks intensified.
On January 28, 1725, he had such a bad time that he ordered a camp church to be erected in the room next to his bedroom, and on February 2 he confessed. The patient’s strength began to leave him ; he no longer screamed, as before, from severe pain, but only moaned.
On February 7, all those sentenced to death or hard labor (excluding murderers and those convicted of repeated robbery) were amnestied. On the same day, at the end of the second hour, Peter demanded paper, began to write, but the pen fell out of his hands, and only two words could be made out from what was written: “Give everything up...” .
At the beginning of six o'clock in the morning on February 8, 1725, Peter the Great “the Great” died in terrible agony in his Winter Palace near the Winter Canal, according to the official version, from pneumonia. He was buried in the Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
Interesting Facts
- Contemporaries and historians note that Peter I was distinguished by his tall height, more than two meters, beautiful, lively facial features and noble posture. Despite his formidable dimensions, the king still could not be called a hero - shoe size 39 and clothing size 48. Such disproportion was observed in literally everything: his shoulders were too narrow for his gigantic height, his hands and head were too small. His frequent dashing and fast walking did not save the situation. Those around him did not feel the strength and power in him. He conquered others.
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Report on Peter 1
Peter ascended the throne, they immediately began to call him Peter the first, because before him there had been more than one Peter on the throne. He came from high society. He took the throne of the king after his older brother. Before reaching the age of 18, he got married, came back, raised an uprising in Moscow, overthrew his brother and took the throne.
Peter 1 was a smart and intelligent young man, he tried to learn everything new. So his expanded circle of worldviews helped him make Russia strong and invincible.
After the death of his brother, he decided to strengthen the country’s military strength and develop trade relations. To do this, he had to conquer the lands near the Sea of Azov, and after long battles he succeeded. Peter 1 had to go to Europe to study how to properly build and strengthen the navy. After his return from Europe, he had to participate in the war with Switzerland, in which he won.
15 years later he built a navy. During his reign, he tried to significantly improve and change the country, and he succeeded, as he was a decisive and purposeful ruler. Having won a victory over Switzerland, he built the Peter and Paul Fortress, which became the main attraction of St. Petersburg, after which, by order of the Tsar, St. Petersburg was designated the new capital of Russia.
Trying to do everything like in Europe, even down to the style of clothing, uprisings and riots of people occurred. As a sign of protest. Peter 1 died of illness in 1725, from pneumonia, a common disease at that time.
Summing up the reign of Peter 1, we can say that he was a good and responsible ruler of Russia. He tried his best to improve and expand the country. Opening up numerous attractions in Russia and strengthening its weapons. Because of his youthful determination and courage, he is able to rule and win battles.
3rd, 4th grade, 7th grade
