What caused the death of Peter I . Open questions of history: what did Peter I die from? How old was Peter 1 when he died?

Thanks to the novel by A.K. Tolstoy’s “Peter Ι” and the films based on it “Peter Ι” (1937), “Peter’s Youth” (1980) and “At the Beginning of Glorious Deeds” (1980) give ordinary people the impression of good and strong health Petra I. Largely on the basis of these films, young people developed feelings of patriotism and pride in their homeland. The novel was written between 1929 and 1945. It is worth noting that the year the writing began occurred in the year of the “great turning point,” the year in which the policy of industrialization began. And it should be noted that A.N. Tolstoy drew analogies between the events of the novel and contemporary events. And the tsar, who raised Russia from its knees, could not look like a weak and sick person. According to the films, Peter is a huge man with great health.

Reality

Researcher of the life of Peter I N.I. Pavlenko notes that Peter I was not distinguished by great health. He was sick almost every year, and his illnesses confined him to bed for a long time. Sometimes he used the services of doctors, but while on the road he treated himself and carried a first aid kit with him. With a height of 2 meters 4 centimeters, he was incredibly thin; even the clothes of Peter I that have survived to us show that he really stood out for his height, but not for his powerful physique.

A contemporary of Peter I, Just Yul, the Danish envoy to Russia, in his essay “Notes of the Danish Ambassador to Peter the Great” shows a description of the tsar’s behavior: “We got out of the carriage and saw how the king, driving up to one simple soldier carrying the Swedish banner, began to mercilessly chop him with a naked sword and shower him with blows, perhaps because he was not walking the way the king wanted. Then the king stopped his horse, but continued to do everything... terrible grimaces, turned his head, twisted his mouth, rolled his eyes, twitched his arms and shoulders and kicked his legs back and forth. All the most important dignitaries surrounding him at that moment were frightened by this, and no one dared to approach him, since everyone saw that the king was angry and annoyed with something.” The author pointed out that doctors call these terrible movements convulsions.

Contemporaries also pointed out that the behavior of Peter I was distinguished by some anomalies. In his twentieth year, his head began to shake, and convulsions appeared on his beautiful round face in moments of long thought.

Historians note two reasons for this behavior of the king. This is the childhood fear he experienced during the Streltsy riot in 1682, and the carousing in the German settlement. N.I. Pavlenko also draws attention to the fact that the health of Peter I was greatly undermined by his vigorous activity. This includes endless travel during the Northern War to different parts of the state. Indeed, from his point of view, the main feature of the ruler was service to the fatherland.

A.S. Pushkin in “The History of Peter” draws numerous allusions to colds, fevers and fevers. As noted above, Peter I himself was never distinguished by good health, and the continuous work and travel associated with the conduct of the Northern War led to the fact that in 1708-1709. he suffered from a terrible fever for several weeks.

We also know that the tsar repeatedly resorted to treatment with mineral waters both in Russia and abroad: in Baden in 1698 and 1708, in Carlsbad in 1711 and 1712.

In addition, according to contemporaries, Peter I was characterized by sudden outbursts of anger, convulsive seizures and involuntary movements. Moreover, the sovereign’s attacks of rage occurred quite often. They appeared suddenly under the influence of unpleasant news or some other external irritants, but sometimes for no apparent reason. Only one person could relieve the emperor's fits of anger - his wife, the future Empress Catherine I. Count Genning-Friedrich Bassevich in his notes indicates that she “ she sat him down and took him, caressing him, by the head, which she scratched lightly. This had a magical effect on him; he fell asleep within a few minutes. So as not to disturb his sleep, she held his head on her chest, sitting motionless for two or three hours. After that, he woke up completely fresh and cheerful.” Some scholars attributed this to the presence of Peter I. N.N. Pukhovsky suggests that Peter I suffered from localized epilepsy.

It seems that, based only on the above-mentioned selective news, it is possible to dispel with complete confidence the myth about the “heroic” health of Peter I. This is largely understandable, because the reforms themselves and the difficult Northern War brought severe emotional and psychological shocks to the emperor.

Sources and literature

Pavlenko P.I. Peter Ι M., 2010.

Pukhovsky N.N. Emperor and Sovereign of All Rus' Peter I Alekseevich Romanov the Great // Psychology of the Elite. 2009. No. 4. P. 83.

Walking around the death of the emperor a large number of rumors Versions begin with a cold and end with sexually transmitted diseases. The latter were considered appropriate, because Peter was credited with an extremely active sex life.

First version: death from a cold

It is believed that the first emperor was struck down by a disease that he received while standing almost knee-deep in icy water, helping sailors and their families on a ship that had run aground.

Some historians argue that Peter did not resort to treatment for the disease, and therefore it only began to gain momentum.

However, this version was refuted when Peter’s own records about those days were found.

Gangrene

This version was actually born from an anecdote.

In the month of December, his condition had already become so dangerous and the burning in the inner parts of the bladder was so noticeable that from day to day Antonov’s fire was feared. He gave up his heroic spirit on January 28, 1725. When opening the imperial body, they found completely Antonov fire (gangrene) in parts near the bladder and it was so swollen and hardened that it was difficult to cut it with an anatomical knife. "True anecdotes from the life of Peter the Great, heard from noble persons in Moscow and St. Petersburg" Jacob von Staehlin

Syphilis

This was stated by one of the French ambassadors who was with the king. He wrote that Peter allegedly suffered from urinary retention. Doctors and the emperor himself did not attach any importance to this of great importance, but, as the diplomat wrote, ".. the persons closest to His Royal Majesty and with whom I maintain constant relations are afraid of its consequences."

However, none of those close to him had any more information or heard about the diagnosis, which is strange under such piquant circumstances.

Kidney disease

For the sake of fairness, it is worth noting that the medical historian Wilhelm Richter adhered to the version of kidney disease and inflammation of the bladder, which soon led to gangrene.

Already in 1970, doctors in Moscow came to the final conclusion that the tsar was killed by serious diseases of the prostate gland, bladder or urolithiasis. Which seems quite probable, because many close to the royal court wrote about this.

Now let's look at all the pros and cons of the four versions I have proposed.

The first is poisoning. Some facts support this version. Let's start with the fact that the rumor about the poisoning of Peter the Great by Menshikov and Catherine appeared immediately after the death of the Tsar. People who knew Catherine well considered her a fairly dexterous woman, quite capable of doing such work. The presence of rumors in itself is not proof, but experts note that some symptoms of Peter’s illness (paralysis and burning in the abdomen) may indicate arsenic poisoning, since they do not fit into the picture of the disease (urinary tract disease) that is officially considered the cause of death king But, on the other hand, arsenic was also used for treatment at that time. Next, the coffin with Peter’s body stood unburied for another 40 days (let me remind you, these were winter days). So the people who buried him weren’t afraid that symptoms of poisoning would appear during this time? Or maybe they just wanted to ward off suspicion? One way or another, the version of poisoning is the only one that can be proven or disproved experimentally with a high degree of probability.

The second version is that Peter’s closest circle took advantage of his helpless state and sent him to the next world. It must be said that Peter’s attacks happened from time to time, and such close people as his wife Ekaterina and his friend in “amorous” adventures Menshikov knew this thoroughly. Moreover, Peter regularly experienced attacks of other illnesses - for example, binges. Here is a fleeting snapshot of everyday life in the last year of Peter I’s life.

“Peter and Catherine returned from Moscow to St. Petersburg; they were preparing to organize a new celebration, which was to take place in six months - the betrothal of the young Duke of Holstein, Charles XII’s own nephew, to the daughter of Peter and Catherine, Tsarevna Anna Petrovna. Meanwhile, Peter was vigilantly busy with his usual various affairs, moving from intense work to his usual amusements. Thus, at the end of August, he was present at the celebration of the consecration of the church in Tsarskoe Selo. The feast after that lasted several days, up to three thousand bottles of wine were drunk. After this feast, the sovereign fell ill and lay in bed for six days , and as soon as he recovered, he left for Shlisselburg and there again held a feast, celebrating the anniversary of the capture of this fortress. From Shlisselburg, Peter went to the Olonets iron factories, forged there with his own hands a strip of iron weighing three pounds, from there he went to Novgorod, and from Novgorod to Staraya Rusa, inspected the salt production in this city...” (N. Kostomarov “Russian history in the biographies of its main figures”)

Peter, as you know, founded the “Most Drunken Council,” at which he and his comrades relaxed from state activities, engaging in systematic drunkenness, and the king died soon after one of these “councils.” During his illness, Peter temporarily lost his ability to work, became helpless, and in this state could easily become a victim of possible conspirators.

As for the king’s main illness - urinary tract disease, experts write that not all treatment methods known at that time were used. Thus, in case of multi-day urinary retention, catheterization was performed only once. But at that time there was an operation - cystostomy, which was widely practiced by surgeons of the 18th century and which could, if not save Peter I, then at least prolong his life. But for some unknown reason, the doctors did not go for it.<1>

Peter's position in the country and in the world was such that the best doctors treated him, and it can hardly be assumed that the king was treated out of ignorance. Moreover, the attacks of the disease were constant, and it is very strange that Peter was recovering more or less well all the time, and EXACTLY the attack that happened to him shortly after the “Mons affair” became fatal. And in January 1725, apparently, Peter had no intention of dying. Contemporaries say that the king, just in case, confessed, took communion, and AFTER THAT he hoped to recover in seven days.

“As long as illness prevents the monarch from doing business. On the third day, just in case, he confessed and took communion, for he himself did not think of recovering from the pains that tormented him terribly, from which he became very weak. The night from Wednesday to Thursday he slept for about five hours, and spent that day quite calmly, since the pain had subsided significantly. Tolstoy, Golovkin and Apraksin were allowed to see him, but Yaguzhinsky and Osterman, who arrived after them, were not allowed in so as not to tire the monarch. Yesterday, Friday, there was no fever at all, and the urine was much cleaner, and the king continued to be given the same medicines that he had been taking all the time against urine retention. They are now treating him with balsamic herbs alone and hope that in seven or eight days he will be able to get out of bed and do the most important things." (Campredon, Ambassador of France)

There is evidence that his screams were heard throughout the palace. And so you can only hear CALLING screams, when a person wants to shout to someone, that is, a directed scream.<2>Was Peter really trying to shout to someone through his immediate circle? After all, from sources we know well that the sick king was actually isolated - not a single unwanted outsider was allowed to see him under the pretext of illness. It’s good when faithful servants do this out of concern for you, but what if these servants are no longer FAITHFUL? Peter was an autocrat for almost his entire adult life, that is, he was accustomed to seeing the servility and ingratiation of those around him. Naturally, he could imagine with his MIND that everything could be different, but he could not penetrate into this with his soul, understand it with his heart, or believe in this at the subconscious level, because he did not have such experience. Even in the most difficult moments of life, even under the threat of death and overthrow or captivity, the enemies were somewhere far away, and nearby were the same servile servants. From history we know how helpless overthrown rulers become, THEY CANNOT live differently, live outside of power, live HUMANLY, or at least they require long-term adaptation in order to transform into normal people.

Of course, it is impossible to thoroughly reconstruct the last hours of Peter’s life, because information about these hours came through the cordon of his immediate circle from the palace cordoned off by the guards. So, say, decrees on the release of criminals can be taken as genuine decrees of Peter. Firstly, this is in the tradition of sick kings, and secondly, from Solovyov’s text cited at the beginning of the article, we see that Peter, even in a critical situation, did not forgive obvious murderers, and this is in the spirit of his character. Moreover, people were released FOR THE HEALTH OF THE GOVERNMENT. As for the information that Catherine, in the last hours of her life, begged Peter for forgiveness for Menshikov, I strongly doubt it. Most likely, this is a lie invented by Catherine and Menshikov (especially since the investigation into the case of the “most serene” continued for some time even after the death of the emperor). When they say that Peter ordered a camp church to be erected near his bedroom, in which he confessed and received communion, then one can believe it. All kings do this in similar situations, and this was not the first time Peter himself did this. They wrote about the last years of his life that he either called a doctor or a priest to him, then suddenly, as usual, indulged in revelry with the jesters of the “All-Drunken Cathedral.” But vague information about Peter’s confessor, Fedos, to whom he confessed and whom Catherine later imprisoned in a monastery and starved to death, makes us think that not everything was so smooth on the spiritual front...

The last decree dictated by Peter I is called the decree on the sale of purchased goods (caviar and fish glue).<3>I believe that this decree belongs to Peter, perhaps it is even the last. But Peter could deal with such a minor matter as glue either after he resolved the issue with the heir, or after he began to recover. And that’s why I don’t believe Cabinet Secretary Makarov, who, in response to the official request “Is there any will or order from the sovereign regarding the heir?” replied: “There is nothing.” As we wrote above, Makarov was one of the most interested persons in the death of Peter and Catherine’s rise to power. And it cost him nothing to hide the king’s order.

But perhaps this is how it actually happened. They tore the pen out of his hands at the moment when the king was able to write “Give everything...” and did not allow him to finish writing the words that frightened them. Or maybe they said: “Okay, everything will be done, Your Majesty.” And after the death of the Majesty, the decree about fish glue was left, but about the heir was destroyed... Peter called his grandson, his daughter Anna came and put the king to sleep so that he would not talk too much.<4>

At least one thing we know for sure: near Peter, the person closest to him was once inseparable, who was about to inherit the greatest empire at that time. Anna of Holstein, the princess, friends and servants, hovered nearby. AND THE OUTSIDE - the followers of Peter the grandson - were offered a COMPROMISE. That is, they used the “carrot and stick” method. At a gathering of nobles near the dying Peter, there was heated bargaining. Supporters of Peter the Grandson were not only intimidated by the Guard, the Senate, and the Synod. Active negotiations were held with them. For example, the following proposal was discussed: Peter the grandson became emperor in title, and Empress Catherine became ruler-regent. And although it was rejected, the nobles AGREED. And despite the fact that everyone at the top knew about the “black cat” that ran between Peter and Catherine, no one raised the issue of poisoning Peter, or concealing his last will, since the other side was appeased and intimidated at the same time - very subtle and competent move. Soon a generous rain of awards and titles began to fall on everyone. And the coronation of Catherine was announced to the common people as the fulfillment of Peter’s will... The people grumbled a little, and then fell silent.

That's why there are so many "punctures" in official version Peter's death - those who came up with it did it, firstly, in a hurry, and secondly, they knew that in the near future no influential forces would challenge it. And then... and then Solovyov appeared, sanctified it with his authority, and so sanctified it that subsequent historians, with rare exceptions, did not look at it critically - why bother delving into it if Solovyov himself had already figured it all out. Moreover, when you raise such “slippery” topics, you risk finding yourself on a par with the sensational notes of “yellow historians” working for the needs of a greedy public.

Having sifted through many primary sources of the first half of the 18th century, ensuring that the characters I was writing about became well-known to me, almost “native” people, already approaching the end of the article I began to doubt whether I was doing the right thing by writing it? After all, outwardly my work looks like some kind of “sensational” writing or “research” claiming that the first light bulb was invented by Neanderthals, Jesus was crucified in the 12th century, and Yesenin and Mayakovsky were killed by punitive agents. Now, unfortunately, the authority of science has fallen, and pseudoscience is trying to take its place. Why should the average person delve into the works of scientists, many of whom in their entire lives have been able to add only a brick to the huge edifice of science, while a pseudoscientist “builds and rebuilds” the entire edifice in one sitting? When do various “Veles books”, “New chronologies”, “Da Vinci Codes” appear, in one fell swoop overturning all the centuries-old work of conscientious scientists? The half-educated average person loves “large-scale projects”, loves when the foundations of the universe shake and that everything immediately becomes clear. If you hit it, hit the foundation. Beginning with Egyptian pyramids, built by aliens, and ending with Alexander I, who was carried away by these aliens in an unknown direction. And if not on a global scale, then serve something that will take your breath away. For example, take the most popular historical characters and call them all... homosexuals, or describe their sex lives, inventing non-existent lovers or heartbreaking dramas in the style of "soap operas". This is our opinion! What a story!

In order to dissociate myself from pseudoscientific “colleagues”, I will say right away that my work does not pretend to be anything global. This is just a small brick added to an old building, not a new building. My task was not to write my own version of Peter’s death, but to refute the official one. Now, in the best traditions of the tabloid novel, they write about the end of the reign of Peter the Great something like this: “Having given all of himself state affairs, Peter did little with his family and was unhappy in his personal life. On his deathbed, with a numb hand, the emperor could only write “Give everything...”. However, giving away a great cause and great power there turned out to be no one." I want to say that not only “there was someone,” but there was even more than enough. A ten-year-old grandson and a regency council of the child’s most faithful associates and educators with him were much better than those nonentities who were on the throne of Peter before the beginning reign of Catherine the Great. And who, who, but Peter understood this. Moreover, his death coincided with the exposure of his closest people, but nothing prevented Peter from marrying again and getting new heirs. And he could not help but think about this option... did not have time?

In the best traditions of the pulp novel, they write about the end of Peter’s reign something like this: “At the end of his life, Peter discovered that all his closest associates had betrayed him, and this was his human tragedy.” The task of my work is to prove that everything was wrong, cause and effect are reversed. THE END OF Peter's LIFE came from the fact that he DISCOVERED the betrayal of those closest to him.

My work does not pretend to be sensational. Having listed four possible scenarios for the development of events, I do not dwell on any of them, because I understand that in order to do this competently, it is necessary not only to read ALL the primary sources in a new way, to make a chronology of events by day, to provide biographies and behavior of ALL characters. It is necessary to conduct a series of medical examinations with the corpse.

For, speaking purely psychologically, murder by poisoning was rarely encountered in Russian history. This is the lot of European or Byzantine practice. And in Russia, monarchs were usually strangled, chopped, blown up, shot, but not poisoned. And Menshikov and Ekaterina loved Peter in their own way,<5>therefore, it would be psychologically difficult for them to take such an extraordinary step as poisoning, even under the “sword of Damocles” of the impending threat. On the other hand, even if Peter’s closest people, people who have access to him (as they would put it now), would simply not allow him to recover from an illness that began independently of them, then even here one cannot do without the help of a doctor. Although Catherine took on the role of nurse, doctors were called to Peter - we know this for certain. And for Peter to die, it was necessary to somehow “process” this doctor. Of course, doctors in Rus' at that time were mostly foreigners. They came to Russia FOR MONEY and looked at Peter not as their monarch, but as a FOREIGN (that is, someone else’s) source of enrichment. In the situation that arose, Menshikov and Ekaterina could have given the doctor two orders of magnitude more money than he could have earned in his entire life... Moreover, the doctor did not risk anything, well, just think, he prescribed the wrong medicine - he poured in the wrong poison . However, it is possible to prove the guilt of doctors only indirectly.

If we talk about the fourth scenario I cited (Peter’s death was natural, but the will was hidden), then what is alarming is that death occurred IMMEDIATELY after Mons was exposed.

From a psychological point of view, a combined hypothesis is also very likely - Menshikov and Catherine, after the exposure, began to look for the possibility of eliminating the monarch, and as a result of this work they inevitably had to contact the doctors. Another attack of Peter's illness gives their feverish thoughts a new direction. During his illness, Peter is helpless and needs nurses - so let them be OUR nurses. They are already ready for the next attack of the disease. There is no need to poison (ugh, thank God), it is much safer not to treat it further. After which the monarch’s will is destroyed and Catherine is proclaimed autocrat.

All hypotheses are viable - not a single one is one hundred percent provable now. Therefore, before my work I set a small but feasible goal. This article should not give a new version of the death of Peter the Great, its task is to make sure that in history textbooks at the end of Peter’s biography there is not a spectacular “Give everything ...”, but a modest but reliable text. Something like this:

“Peter the Great died under still unclear circumstances. It is very likely that people close to him were involved in his death, whose abuses began to be investigated two months before the death of the emperor.”

And in more detailed descriptions it is necessary to give Solovyov’s version and arguments FOR and AGAINST its authenticity. As you can see, there are more arguments AGAINST. But I am not rewriting the picture of history, but adding a small touch to it.

This is how in the 19th century the famous historian T.N. Granovsky described his impression of the portrait of Peter the Great, which was painted from the dead, immediately after the death of the converter:

"The upper part of the divinely beautiful face is imprinted with majestic calm; there is no more thought, but its expression remains. I have never seen such beauty. But life has not yet frozen in the lower part of the face. The lips are compressed with anger and sorrow; they seem to tremble. Whole evening I looked at this image of the man who gave us the right to history and almost alone declared our historical vocation."

NOTES:

1 - Some historians spread rumors that the cause of Peter’s illness was a venereal disease. The pious grandfathers from the Soviet Politburo, led by Stalin's general L.I. Brezhnev, decided to defend the honor of their predecessor. The luminaries of Soviet venereology proved that vile allusions to the first emperor were unfair. I think we can agree with them. After all, no one can refute the fact that the king had extensive love affairs, and if he really had venereal diseases, then “Venus” would soon be picked up by the entire top of the country. And we know that this did not happen.

2 - A cry of pain, no matter how terrible and loud it is, dissipates because it is directed “to nowhere,” or rather, in all directions, and is heard only close. If you've been to a maternity hospital, you can understand what I'm talking about. The large maternity hospital can be compared in size to a palace. No matter how much women in labor scream, their screams can be heard just a few rooms away, but if you shout with the purpose of specifically shouting to someone, then such a scream can really be heard far away.

3 - “A strange topic for the latest orders,” some commentators say. And for me it’s a very good topic. Power should be boring and invisible in the eyes of the public, power should be managerial and businesslike - then it is good power. My heart was relieved when I turned on the radio in August 2006 and heard that the deputies, instead of a political show, were busy with some kind of legislative tedium. In fact, they are chosen for this, and not for political clownery. And the fact that Peter dictated and signed the most boring everyday orders in the last hours of his life suggests that he was a conscientious master of the country.

4 - We know that Peter, after trying to squeeze out the name of the heir and losing consciousness, lived for another 36 hours. So according to their version - the version of his inner circle. At least in this wordless form it was shown to the nobles. Here is another parallel with Stalin, who, having lost the ability to speak and walk, lived for several more days (according to the official version).

5 - With Catherine, everything is much more complicated. As you know, for men, betrayal is often purely physical and mechanical in nature and is not always associated with spiritual intimacy or love. This also occurs in women, but much less frequently. Usually a normal woman decides to cheat after emotional attraction has appeared. The man plays, the woman gives herself away. Didn’t Catherine stop loving the aged Peter by getting involved with the handsome young Mons? Did she still love Peter, seeing her lover’s head on her table? Couldn't she, while forgiving Peter's endless betrayals, consider herself entitled to cheat at least once? And didn’t she decide, after everything that happened, to take revenge on her husband? After all, as you know, women driven to extremes can be very vindictive, cruel and vindictive, especially towards those they once loved. This trait is much more pronounced in the female psyche than in the male. Moreover, Catherine is a foreigner and could not experience loyal and religious feelings towards Peter as a monarch. Moreover, didn’t she think that after everything that had happened, she HAD THE RIGHT to respond? Perhaps she decided to eliminate the king not only out of fear for her fate, but also as revenge for her beloved Mons, who looked at her from the jar and seemed to say: “Avenge, avenge me.” Maybe she acted with a clear conscience, or at least that’s how she positioned her actions? Add jealousy to this. Reluctantly, she forgave the king for his betrayal, but did she forgive them in the depths of her soul? Maybe she just pretended to forgive and accumulated hatred? But before the “Mons affair,” she could look down on her rivals, knowing that, having slept with them, the king would still return to her, that she was the EMPRESS, and they were “girls for the night.” After November 1724, Catherine could not look at her rivals like that; she had to see in them not only rivals in bed, but also possible competitors in the fight for the title of empress. Didn't she put herself in Lopukhina's place? What is it like to sit in a monastery and see how a young beauty rules on YOUR THRONE and in your bedroom?

Peter I, who received the nickname Peter the Great for his services to Russia, is not just a significant figure in Russian history, but a key one. Peter 1 created Russian Empire, therefore he turned out to be the last Tsar of All Rus' and, accordingly, the first All-Russian Emperor. The son of the Tsar, the godson of the Tsar, the brother of the Tsar - 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 Great | 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 reducing imports of foreign goods to a minimum. In addition, Peter the Great was the first of the Russian rulers to adopt their best ideas from Western countries. But since all the reforms of Peter the Great were achieved through violence against the population and the eradication of all dissent, the personality of Peter the Great still evokes diametrically opposed assessments among historians.

Childhood and youth of Peter I

The biography of Peter I initially implied his future reign, since he was born into 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 first-born 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 Tsar Father died. His elder brother and godfather Fyodor III Alekseevich ascended the throne, took guardianship of his brother and ordered him to give him the maximum a good education. However, Peter the Great had big problems with this. He was always very inquisitive, but just at that moment the 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 lexicon and until the end of his life he wrote with errors.

Childhood of Peter the Great | View Map

Tsar Feodor III reigned for only six years and died due to poor health at a young age. According to tradition, the throne was supposed to be taken by another son of Tsar Alexei, Ivan, but he was very sick, so the Naryshkin family actually organized palace coup and declared Peter I the heir. This 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 due to the infringement of the interests of Tsarevich Ivan. The famous Streletsky revolt 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 preserves a double throne for the brother tsars.

Childhood and youth of Peter the Great | Russian Museum

Favorite game young Peter I began training with my army. Moreover, the prince’s soldiers were not toys at all. His peers dressed in uniform and marched through the streets of the city, and Peter the Great himself “served” as a drummer in his regiment. Later, he even got his own artillery, also real. The amusing 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 an amusing fleet.

Tsar Peter I

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

Tsar Peter the Great | Cultural studies

He continued military operations in Crimea against the Ottoman Empire, carried out 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 final victory. Large-scale construction of ships and training of young nobles abroad in shipbuilding begins. And the tsar himself studied the art of building a fleet, even working as a carpenter on the construction of the ship “Peter and Paul”.

Emperor Peter the Great | Bookaholic

While Peter the Great was preparing to reform the country and personally studied the technical and economic progress of leading European states, a conspiracy was hatched against him, led by the tsar’s first wife. Having suppressed the Streltsy revolt, Peter the Great decided to redirect military operations. He concludes a peace agreement with the Ottoman Empire and begins a war with Sweden. His troops captured the fortresses of Noteburg and Nyenschanz 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 access to the Baltic Sea, which later received the symbolic name “Window to Europe.” Later, the territories of the Eastern Baltic were annexed to 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 in fortresses, but personally led his troops on the battlefield. In the Battle of Poltava, Peter I was even shot through his hat, meaning he really risked his own life.

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

After the defeat of the Swedes near Poltava, the king Charles XII took refuge under the protection of the Turks in the city of Bendery, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire, and today is located in Moldova. With help Crimean Tatars and the Zaporozhye Cossacks, he began to escalate the situation on the southern border of Russia. By seeking the expulsion of Charles, Peter the Great, on the contrary, forced the Ottoman Sultan to restart the Russian-Turkish war. Rus' found itself in a situation where it was necessary to wage a war on three fronts. On the border with Moldavia, the tsar was surrounded and agreed to sign peace with the Turks, giving them back the Azov fortress and access to Sea of ​​Azov.

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, and later Kamchatka joined Russia. The Tsar wanted to carry out campaigns in North America and India, but failed to bring these ideas to life. But he carried out 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, since the new government considered the region not promising, and maintaining a 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 in 1721, Peter I became emperor. Of the numerous reforms of Peter I, 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 authority 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 appeared a direct dependence of the promotion of nobles on the level of their education.

Peter the Great cuts off the beards of the boyars | 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 country's first gymnasium. Moreover, now not only the children of nobles, but also the offspring of soldiers could attend secondary schools. He really wanted to create a mandatory primary school, but did not have time to implement this plan. It is important to note that the reforms of Peter the Great affected not only economics and politics. He financed the education of talented artists, introduced a new Julian calendar, tried to change the situation of women by prohibiting forced marriage. He also raised the dignity of his subjects, obliging them not to kneel even before the tsar and to use full names, and not call themselves “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 and was no longer limited only to finances and titles. The main disadvantage of the royal reforms is the violent method of their implementation. In fact, this was a struggle between despotism and uneducated people, and Peter hoped to use the whip to instill consciousness in the people. Indicative in this regard is the construction of St. Petersburg, which was carried out in difficult conditions. Many artisans ran away from hard labor, and the tsar ordered their entire family to be imprisoned until the fugitives returned to confess.

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Since not everyone liked the methods of governing the state under Peter the Great, the tsar founded the political investigation and judicial body Preobrazhensky Prikaz, which later grew into the notorious Secret Chancellery. The most unpopular decrees in this context were the ban on keeping records in a room closed from outsiders, as well as the ban on non-reporting. Violation of both of these decrees was punishable by death. In this way, Peter the Great fought against conspiracies and palace coups.

Personal life of Peter I

In his youth, Tsar Peter I loved to visit the German Settlement, where he not only became interested in foreign life, for example, 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 his 17th birthday, she insisted on his wedding to Evdokia Lopukhina. However, normal family life they did not: soon after the wedding, Peter the Great left his wife and visited her only 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 latter two died in infancy. The eldest son of Peter the Great was supposed 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 detained in the Peter and Paul Fortress, and the following summer they were sentenced to death. The matter did not come to execution, since Alexei soon died in prison under unclear circumstances.

A few years after the divorce from his first wife, Peter the Great took 19-year-old Marta Skavronskaya as his mistress, whom Russian troops captured as booty 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 converted to 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, the mother, the rest died in childhood. It is interesting that the second wife of Peter the Great was the only person in his life who knew how to calm his violent character 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 on all campaigns, he was able to become infatuated with young Maria Cantemir, the daughter of the former Moldavian ruler, Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich. Maria remained Peter the Great's favorite until the end of his life. Separately, it is worth mentioning the height of Peter I. Even for our contemporaries, a more than two-meter man seems very tall. But during the time of Peter I, his 203 centimeters seemed completely incredible. Judging by the chronicles of eyewitnesses, when the Tsar and Emperor Peter the Great walked through the crowd, his head rose above the sea of ​​people.

Compared to his older brothers, born by a different mother from their common father, Peter the Great seemed quite healthy. But in fact, he was tormented by severe headaches almost all his life, and in last years During the reign of Peter the Great, he suffered from kidney stones. The attacks intensified even more after the emperor, together with ordinary soldiers, pulled out the stranded boat, 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 the pain and fell ill in his Winter Palace. After the emperor had no strength left to scream, he only moaned, and everyone around him realized that Peter the Great was dying. Peter the Great accepted his death in terrible agony. Doctors named pneumonia as the official cause of his death, but later doctors had strong doubts about this 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.

Peter the Great for his vigorous activity associated with the transformation of Russia into a great European country, reforms in military affairs, in the judicial branch, in church affairs and others are called “Great”. He was one of greatest people of his time, he had a giant stature, enormous physical strength, he did not disdain hard physical labor, in addition, he was the founder of the glorious and legendary Russian fleet, and became famous for his military campaigns against the Tatars, Turks and Swedes. The king had good health, but lived only fifty-three years and died in great agony. So what is the cause of Peter's death?
According to historians, a year before his death, in 1724, the tsar became very ill, but soon began to recover and the illness seemed to recede. But after a short period of time, Peter fell ill again. The doctors tried to restore the king’s iron health, but he, in anger from his illness, almost killed the unfortunate doctors. Then the illness went away again. One day, in November of the same year, the emperor was sailing along the Neva and saw how one of the sides ran aground. There were sailors on board. Peter jumped into the cold, autumn water and began to save people, being knee-deep in the water. This had a fatal effect, the king fell ill. His health deteriorated more and more, and on January 28, 1725, he died in bed, not even having time to leave a will. Various reasons were given. Many Europeans who served Peter or with him as diplomats expressed their own versions. Someone said that Peter suffered from stranguria, his comrade Lefort argued that the emperor suffered from urinary stones. Russian historian M.N. Pokrovsky stated that the tsar died from syphilis, which he received in Europe. Thus, the cause of Peter’s death could be either one or completely different.
The person who was then in charge of Peter’s treatment was Blumentrost. As the king’s illness progressed, Doctor Bidloo was prescribed to help him. They were engaged in improving the health of the autocrat. At first he felt better after being examined by doctors. Peter recovered a little and even intended to go abroad. But a few days later, attacks reappeared, and the monarch’s health condition worsened. On the night of January twenty-first, the king felt better, he slept well and everything seemed to be fine, but, as often happens, relief came before death. The emperor developed a severe fever, fainted and died in great agony, as stated above.
Historians of our time express different opinions regarding the causes of the death of Peter the Great.
There is a version of poisoning. The hypothesis is this: the king died before he could announce an official heir. Catherine comes to power with the help of His Serene Highness Prince Menshikov. Alexander Danilovich came from the lower classes, was the son of a simple peasant and achieved such a position at court only thanks to Peter’s disposition towards him. The Emperor was often dissatisfied with Menshikov for his constant embezzlement. In addition, the eminence grise once patronized the love affair of the king’s wife with the foreigner Vilim Mons. The monarch would never have known about this if it had not been for the note about lovers that was planted on him. Mons was executed, but for Menshikov this accident passed. At the direction of the tsar, the case of abuses of “Aleksashka” was carried out for a long time. His Serene Highness could have been interested in eliminating Peter. He did not benefit from the recovery of the monarch, nor from the coming to power of a party of influential courtiers, for they nominated the grandson of Tsar Peter the Second to the throne. Menshikov won only with the accession of Catherine, who was not distinguished by great intelligence and foresight; through her it was possible to calmly rule the state.
Similar versions were expressed by Peter's contemporaries. With the execution of Mons, Catherine herself could either end up in a monastery, as Peter did with his first wife Evdokia Lopukhina, or the tsar could find another way of retribution. Take the same block. European kings did not shy away from this method of eliminating women who cheated on them. Therefore, both Catherine and Menshikov were interested primarily in eliminating Peter, who was quick to kill. The pedestal of power on which Alexander Danilovich stood and has been shaking so much lately. Peter no longer placed his trust in him and removed him from some leadership positions.
Immediately after the death of the emperor, rumors began to circulate about his poisoning. As you know, there is no smoke without fire. Knowing the mind of the king, it was not difficult to guess that the emperor guessed who needed to transfer the throne, namely his grandson Peter. The Tsarevich was surrounded by associates devoted to the monarch, with whom he had been together for a long time, and Menshikov and Catherine could not help but understand that with the coming to power of Peter the Second, there would be no heavenly life for them, even if their rivals would leave them alive
So how could Peter’s death be caused? One day, he was presented with candy as a gift. After this, he began to feel unwell, vomiting, numbness and abdominal pain appeared.
But Doctor of Medical Sciences L.L. Khundanov argued that there could be no special poison. At that time, they often tried to cure a person with arsenic; a large amount of the latter could lead to death. Instead, the professor says that the most likely cause of the king's death is an urinary stricture. In addition, excessive alcohol consumption at the “most drunken” and “most jocular” orgies, as well as hypothermia in the water, could have affected. All this could cause an exacerbation, which could then progress.