Peter The Great Legacy

Peter the Great would come to be one of Russia’s most influential and powerful rulers by implementing easily the greatest amount of reforms a Russian ruler has ever attempted and altering the course of Roman history for good. The Tsar’s many reforms brought Russia out of archaic times and into a more Europeanized modern age where not only was the entire structure of government changed but so too were extensive reforms brought onto late 17th century and early 18th century Russia’s industry, commerce, technology, military, and culture among other things. Peter the Great’s legacy brought Russia to the height of her power and is one that has inspired many Russians and historians alike through the centuries since his death.

In Moscow, Russia on

June 9th, 1672 Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov was born to parents Tzar Alexksey Mikhailovich Romanov I (Alexi I) and Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, the Tzar’s second wife. As the fourteenth son of his father, no one expected Peter to be much different from Tsar Alexkesy’s other children but the future emperor would bring many unthought of changes to his country. Unlike his half brothers and sisters, Peter was a very healthy child. Full of life and inquisition, Peter would grow to rule the nation and later empire. On January 29th, 1676 at the ripe age of four, Tsar Alexksey passed away and the throne was left to Peter’s older half-brother, Fyodor (Feodor) III. Although older, Fyodor was very sick and inept to rule so his mother’s relatives ruled in place of him. In 1682 Fyodor died without having had a single child, leaving no heir. A massive power struggle for the right to the Russian throne ensued. Peter’s other half brother, Ivan V, was next in line but with poor health, many people doubted he was ept to rule while others supported Peter. A streltsy revolt gave Ivan’s supporters the upper hand but yet still Peter and Ivan were made joint Tsars on April 27th, 1682 when Peter was merely 10. Despite being the official Tsars of Russia, the official power was ultimately put in the hands of their sister, Sofia (Sophia) who became the reigning regent. With political tensions still high, Peter was often completely left out of affairs, political or otherwise, and lived in a village near Moscow with his mother for safety reasons. In this unbecoming exile, Peter learned many skills and gained many interest to help prepare him for the tasks and struggles of being a ruler.
Peter I had the almost fairytale like chance to grow up away from the culture and atmosphere of palace life. He was able to learn to be more interactive with all he was involved with. Not having servants dote on him hand and foot was crucial to him coming of age and becoming the man that changed Russia’s course. As a child, he was very playful and energetic, often times participating in outdoor games with other children. As he grew older, Peter took special interests in mathematics, military affairs, navigation, fortification, and sailing. These interests would prove as very helpful training in the future and several trips to German colonies nearby insured a fascination with all things European and western. In 1689, Natalya arraigned for Peter to marry Yevdokiya Lopukhina. This loveless political marriage was projected at proving that Peter, who was 17 at the time, was grown enough to rule by himself. Although the couple would have a son Aleksey (Alexei, Alexis) their marriage would eventually fall apart and Peter would have Yevdokiya committed to a convent. In August of the same year the streltsy once again decided they had enough and revolted. This attempted coup d’etat was pivotal because Sofia was thrown from power and exiled to a covenant but it was ultimately unsuccessful because now Ivan was in charge.
A mere seven years later in 1696, Ivan’s death was announced and Peter I could finally soley rule as Tsar of of Russia but when he saw the state of Russia as compared to other leading European nations, he began an ambitious and massive undertaking of reformations to set her on a stronger course against all objections. Over two and a half decades Peter changed every area of Russia, more so than any other Tsar before of after him had ever managed to do. Peter recognized his country’s need for access to the seas as a crucial method for increased trade and thus embarked on his first reformation. He initially wanted access to the Black Sea and began a war against the Turks who, at the time, dominated that region. Although Russia ultimately failed at procuring the Black Sea, they gained some land and the loss prompted Peter to start assembling a navy but first if Russia was to win future battles, she needed an upgrade and that’s exactly what Peter aimed to do when he took a trip to Europe. Failing to gain support in his plithe against Turkey, he decided to focus his attention on eagerly soaking up all of the crafts, skills, and knowledge that he possible could. He disguised himself and worked as a ship carpenter in Holland. His tour of Europe ultimately had to come to a sudden end when he was called back to Russia in 1698 where he mercilessly suppressed another streltsy revolt. Not being able to procure the Black Sea, Peter set his eyes on obtaining the Baltic Sea in the north. Now known as the Northern War, no one could have guessed that this war against the Swedes would last a whopping twenty-one years. Allied with several European countries, Peter personally emerged himself in almost every aspect of this war and was even seen on the battlefield. The losses Russia faced in this war only proved to egg Peter on. He worked harder and smarter, mobilizing every resource he could get his hands on against, what was then, the leading country in militia advancements. His zealous attempts at procuring the Baltic Sea paid off when Russia captured Narva and Tartu in 1704 and won the battle of Poltava in 1709. After decades of war in November of 1721, Peter celebrated his success by proclaiming Russia an empire and himself rightfully, her emperor. Two years later, he procured Persian territory on the Caspian Sea. These wars were as bold as the liberties Peter took to make Russias as close and advanced as he possibly could to Europe. He changed the fashions of his royal court to mimic the western fashions he saw in Europe and even went as far as to cut the beards of his courtiers as well as their clothing himself. Those who decided to keep their beards had to pay a special beard tax. He changed the entire structure of Russian government administration and introduced a Senate, funded an updated foreign policy; revolutionized Russia’s outdated battle equipment, such as changing cannons to guns, and the military itself, by introducing drills and what not. Peter valued honesty and talent over social status, even urging his officers not to only stick to the rules they were taught but to take action and initiative. He produced the Baltic fleet, Russia’s first navy warships. While those reforms were going on, Peter opened secular schools everywhere where all children of Russia could attend, transformed and simplified the Russian alphabet, and adapted to the European calendar. During his reign, many Russians studied abroad in Europe and gained valuable knowledge and many European experts were invited to travel to Russia to help educate and teach her people. Knowledge was no longer controlled by the orthodox church, which he now controlled. In 1703, the Vedomosti, the first ever Russian newspaper, was created. He developed the sciences and improved the population. Peter even boosted Russia’s industry, building more factories and plants and increasing trade especially near waterways. Also, in 1703, he had the Gulf of Finland built and over the course of almost a decade, he constructed the city of St. Petersburg on the delta of the Neva River, his own personal Russian European paradise. In 1712, the now major seaport was declared the new capital of Russia. In the same year, Peter married Catherine I, a low born woman with whom he had several other children and quite of few of which died.
The copious changes came at a heavy price: Peter taxed his people heavily to see his ambitious dreams through.

The lower class workers suffered the most and were almost constantly at the end of their rope. Harsh working conditions coupled with forced reformations, no matter how beneficial, and heavy taxation resulted in quite a few revolts which were always brutally and mercilessly crushed. Many people disliked Peter’s reforms and his son, Alexei was one of them. Described as lazy and stupid, Alexei suffered domestic abuse from his father for his stupidity. He surely grew to despise his father and his extensive reforms. He was never one for politics or military strategy but when his father heard a rumor of an attempted coup d’etat and assassination, Alexei fled Russia. He was later captured and brought back to Russia in 1718 where a suspicious Peter personally interrogated and tortured his own son before charging him for high treason and sentencing him to death. Peter was nothing if not an ambitious hard working man and kept improving Russia as much as he could even when he got sick a while after saving a few of his soldiers from drowning in 1724. He worked hard until his death a year later on February 8th, 1725 in St. Petersburg. Peter severed as a very effective ruler, full of energy and ambition. Standing at 6’8”, Peter the Great was a force to be reckoned with. Handsome and zealous, Peter also had a prominent anger that was spurred on by, at times, heavy drinking.and could be cruel and tyrannical, executing anyone who dared stand in the way of his dreams. He was a deft shipbuilder as well as an experienced and talented army and naval officer, leaving a legacy that stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Caspian Sea to the Pacific ocean without declaring an heir to inherit all that he had accomplished. He was buried at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul and there a many monuments to and of Peter that make sure he will never be

forgotten.