Portrait of Peter 1. Nikitin, Portrait of Peter 1. Historical portrait of Peter 1

Personality of Peter 1 by right occupies one of the main places in the history of the Russian state. And it's not even that this person founded the Empire as such, but that during the reign of Peter, Russia received a completely new vector of development. Thousands of historical and biographical books have been written that create a portrait of Peter the Great, but historians can not unambiguously characterize the activities of this man to this day. Some of them deify the first Russian emperor, describing his innovations in the state system and foreign policy. Others, on the contrary, try to show him a tyrant and a despot, referring to excessive sharpness and cruelty towards his subjects. But the portrait of Peter 1, the photo of which is presented below, depicts a person purposeful and educated.

Criticize the first emperor and for ill-considered innovations, aimed, in the opinion of historians, to eradicate all Russian, replacing it with Western values. However, both agree unequivocally in one thing: it was really a controversial, significant and great figure in the history of the Russian state.

Judge not lest ye be judged

If you carefully study the historical portrait of Peter 1, created by the authors of countless works, you can come to a simple conclusion: such a large-scale personality can not be judged one-sidedly. Strict distinctions on the type of "white and black" here are unacceptable. In addition, for criticism or, conversely, praise, it is necessary to clearly understand the laws that existed at the time and the foundations. And what seems at times wild and terrible to our contemporaries was a simple commonness for different strata of the population of Russia at the beginning of the XVIII century.

The portrait of Peter the Great can not be made using modern moral values. This approach will be "flat" and emotional. It prevents you from soberly assessing the historical reality of the Moscow state, and then the Russian Empire of the XVIII century.

Therefore, you just need to try to objectively focus on the neutral life of the first Russian emperor and everything that was associated with him. After all, such individuals, as a rule, leave a trace not only in politics and the state system.

Education - the basis of the future personality

Petr Alekseevich Romanov was born on May 30, 1672. Like all tsarist offspring, the future sovereign received only a home education. And we must admit that, even at the present time, it was not bad. Educators have revealed in the boy a greater propensity to foreign languages and exact sciences. In other words, in the future emperor, since childhood, humanitarian and technical aspirations have been combined. Although he still gave preference to practical sciences.

The younger son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Natalia Naryshkina, little Peter, grew surprisingly agile and strong child. In addition to his penchant for science, he gladly climbed the fences, fought with noble peers from the inner circle and committed other leprosy peculiar to this age.

Craftsmanship is an occupation worthy of kings

The special surprise of all biographers without exception was always caused by the fascination of the king's son with simple crafts, to which he showed interest even at a very young age. No historical portrait of Peter 1 can be dispensed with without describing how he could spend hours watching the lathe work, or with pleasure breathing the hot evaporation of the palace forge.

The interest of the tsar's son did not go unnoticed. Special artisans were selected who began to teach Peter the basics of the simplest crafts: turning and forging. It should be noted that this did not go against the basic curriculum of the young heir. No one has abolished exact sciences, the study of languages, the basis of military affairs. Already from early childhood, the future sovereign received a multi-level and high-quality education (contrary to the opinion of some Western historians that Russian home education of those years was distinguished by one-sided and unprofessionalism).

However, the "simpleton" of the emperor can not be called anything, looking at how the artist Antonropov painted a portrait of Peter 1: the royal regalia, bearing and gaze speak of a great and imperious man. And let at the time of creating the picture of the emperor was not alive for almost 50 years, the author depicted it very reliably.

Coronation and reference

The political portrait of Peter the Great should begin to be written in 1682. After the death of the childless Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, the young Romanov was elevated to the throne. However, this happened bypassing his older brother Ivan, than the Miloslavskys (the relatives of the elder sister Peter - Sophia) did not fail to use to organize a palace coup. Miloslavskie successfully used strelets' excitement, and as a result, the Naryshkin clan, to which Petr's mother belonged, was almost destroyed. Ivan was appointed the "elder" king, and Sophia became the regent ruler.

Streletsky revolt and outright cruelty of murders very seriously affected the personality of Peter the Great. Many historians associate with these events the further, not always balanced, actions of the king.

Sophia, becoming the sole owner of the country, practically exiled the little tsar to Preobrazhenskoye - a small fiefdom near Moscow. It was here that Peter, having collected the nobility of the middle-class neighbors, created the famous "comic shelves." The military formations had a real form, officers and soldiers and were subject to real army discipline. Peter, of course, was the commander-in-chief. For the entertainment of the young king, a "comic fortress" was built, which, honing its "combat skills", a comic army was stormed. However, few people then guessed that it was this children's play of the boys, running with wooden rifles and sabers, would mark the beginning of the famous and formidable Petrovsky Guard.

No portrait of Peter 1 can be dispensed with without mentioning Alexander Menshikov. They met in the same place, in Preobrazhensky. The groom's son became the Emperor's right hand and one of the most powerful men in the Empire in the following years.

The Miloslavskys Revolution

The weakness and morbidity of the "elder" Tsar Ivan constantly made the ruler Sophia think of complete sovereignty in the country. Surrounded by noblemen from the strong Miloslavskys clan, the ruler was in complete confidence that she would be able to usurp power. However, Peter was on the way to the throne. He was God's anointed and full-fledged king.

In August 1689 Sophia decided on a coup d'état, whose goal was to remove Peter and capture the throne. However, faithful people warned the young king, and he managed to leave Preobrazhenskoe, hiding in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. The cloister was not chosen by chance. Powerful walls, ditches and underground passages represented an insurmountable obstacle to the foot soldiers of Sophia. For the assault on all the rules of military science, Sophia had neither time nor money. In addition, the elite of the command of the Streltsy units openly hesitated, not knowing which side to choose.

Who owned the decision to retreat exactly in the Trinity-Sergievo? This is not mentioned by any historical portrait of Peter 1. In short, this place turned out to be fatal for Sophia and very successful for the tsar. The nobles supported Peter. Combat detachments of noble cavalry and the infantry of "amusing" and loyal streltsy surrounded Moscow. Sophia was convicted and imprisoned in a monastery, and all the companions of the Miloslavskys clan were executed or exiled.

After the death of Tsar Ivan, Peter became the sole proprietor of the Moscow throne. Perhaps, it was the events described that pushed him to a serious reorganization of the whole Russian way of life. After all, the representatives of the "good old time" in the person of the archers and Miloslavsky constantly tried to physically remove the young sovereign, instilling in him a subconscious fear that, as contemporaries who painted the psychological portrait of Peter 1, reflected on his face and pursued in his soul almost until his death. Even the painters noticed and recreated the unusually strong, but at the same time extremely tired face of the king. The artist Nikitin, a portrait of Peter the Great of whom is amazing with his simplicity and the absence of imperial attributes, has just handed over such a strong-willed and powerful, but deeply sincere person. True, art critics are inclined to "take away" a part of Nikitin's fame, referring to the style of drawing, uncharacteristic for the beginning of the century.

Window to Europe - German settlement

Against the backdrop of these events, the aspirations of the young tsar to the whole of Europe look quite natural. It is impossible not to mention the role of Kukuy - the German suburb, which the emperor loved to visit. Friendly Germans and their neat way of life differed sharply from what Peter saw in the rest of the same Moscow. But the thing, of course, is not in neat little houses. The sovereign was imbued with the very life-style of this little piece of Europe.

Many historians believe that it was the visit to Kukui that partly shaped the historical portrait of Peter 1. In short, future pro-Western views. We should not forget about the acquaintances of the king in the German reservation. There he met the retired Swiss officer Franz Lefort, who became the main military adviser, and the charming Anna Mons , the future favorite of the first emperor. Both of these people played an important role in the history of Russia.

The access to the sea is a strategic task

Peter is more and more fond of the fleet. Specially hired Dutch and English masters teach him the tricks and wisdom of building ships. In the future, when under the Russian flag will go multi-gun battleships and frigates, Peter often and not two useful knowledge of the nuances of shipbuilding. All the defects and marriage in the building, he determined himself. No wonder he was called a carpenter. Peter 1 could really build a ship from nose to stern with his own hands.

However, at the time of his youth, the Moscow state had only one outlet to the sea - in the city of Arkhangelsk. European ships, of course, visited this port, but geographically the place was too unsuccessful for serious trade ties (because of the long and expensive delivery of goods into the interior of Russia). This thought, of course, was visited not only by Pyotr Alekseevich. For the output in the sea fought and his predecessors, mostly unsuccessful.

Peter the First decided to continue the Azov campaigns. Moreover, the war with Turkey started in 1686 continued. The army, which he trained in the European way, already represented an impressive force. Several military campaigns were carried out to the sea town of Azov. But only the latter was crowned with success. True, the victory went at a high price. A small fortress, built at that time by the last word of engineering thought, took many Russian lives.

And although the fact of taking Azov in Europe was perceived rather skeptically (precisely because of the ratio of losses), this was the first real strategic victory of the young king. And most importantly - Russia finally got access to the sea.

North War

Despite the frank skepticism of European politicians, Peter 1 begins to think about the Baltic. The ruling elite was at that time seriously concerned about the growing ambitions of another young strategist, the Swedish king Charles XII. This is partly why the Europeans supported the Moscow Tsar in his desire to get some of the coastal Baltic lands to open shipyards and ports there. It seemed that it would be possible to have two or three Russian ports, and an imminent war over the Baltic Sea would seriously weaken Sweden, which, although it will defeat the weak Russians, will seriously get bogged down in the mainland part of the wild Muscovy.

Thus began the long Northern War. It lasted from 1700 to 1721 and ended with the unexpected defeat of the Swedish army near Poltava, as well as the approval of the Russian presence in the Baltic.

Reformer

Of course, without serious economic and political changes in Russia, Peter 1 would not have cut through the famous "window to Europe." Reforms touched literally the entire life of the Moscow state. If we talk about the army, it was in the Great Northern War that it developed. Peter found resources for its modernization and organization on the European model. And if at the beginning of the fighting the Swedes dealt with unorganized, often poorly armed and untrained units, then at the end of the war it was already a powerful European army, able to win.

But not only the personality of Peter the Great, who possessed the remarkable talent of the commander, allowed him to win a great victory. The professionalism of his closest generals and ascetics is a topic for long and informative conversations. About the heroism of a simple Russian soldier are legends. Of course, not a single army could have won without a serious rear. It was military ambitions that spurred the economy of old Russia and brought it to a completely different level. After all, the old traditions could no longer fully meet the needs of the growing army and navy. Almost every lifetime portrait of Peter 1 depicts him in military armor or with military paraphernalia. The artists paid tribute to the merits of the emperor.

Not an army of one

The portrait of Peter 1 will not be complete, if we confine ourselves only to economic and military victories. The Emperor needs to be given credit for the development and implementation of reforms in the field of state administration. First of all, this is the establishment of the Senate and colleges instead of the obsolete and working according to the class principle of the Boyar Duma and orders.

The "Table of Ranks" developed by Peter gave birth to the so-called social elevators. In other words, Tabel gave the opportunity to receive benefits and nobility solely on merit. Changes have also affected diplomacy. Instead of old fur coats and hats of noble boyars who represented Russia, embassies with diplomats of European level appeared.

Description of the portrait of Peter 1 will be incomplete, if we talk about it only in an excellent degree. It is worth noting that with the general geopolitical growth of Russia, the life of ordinary people within the country has not changed much, and in some cases (for example, recruitment) has become worse. The life of a simple serf cost less than a horse's life. This was particularly noticeable in the "global" construction projects in Petrograd. Thousands of people died building a beautiful city in Europe - St. Petersburg. Nobody considered the dead and the construction of the Ladoga Canal ... And many young guys never became soldiers, having died under the batons of officers introducing discipline in military units.

It is for the complete disregard for the human life of the first emperor that he is criticized, imputing to him a senseless cruelty and a huge number of unreasonable victims. In addition, we are everywhere confronted with the stupefying facts of Peter's activity 1.

In defense of this man, we can say only one thing. The first emperor of Russia never moved away from his people to the distances that the subsequent rulers allowed themselves. A thousand times the enemy's core could tear it apart. Dozens of times Peter Alekseevich Romanov could simply drown on imperfect sea vessels. And during global construction projects, he slept in some barracks with sick builders, at the risk of picking up the sickness, from which at that time there were no medicines.

Of course, guarded from the enemy bullets of the emperor better than a soldier, he was treated by good doctors, and he had much better chances of not dying from the flu than a normal peasant. However, let's finish the description of the portrait of Peter 1 with a memory of the cause of his death. The emperor died of pneumonia, which he received, rescuing from the cold water a simple soldier who left the banks of the Neva. The fact, maybe, and not so remarkable in comparison with the deeds of his entire life, but speaking of many things. It is unlikely that any of the modern "powerful of this world" is capable of such an act ...