Peter the Great

Peter the Great

There has never been a more remarkable national leader in modern history than Peter the Great (1672–1725). He was a giant in every way. In physical stature, willpower, enthusiasm, energy, libertinism, and refusal to accept old conventions, he stood head and shoulders above his contemporaries. He grew up in an atmosphere of fear, suspicion, and court rivalries that often assumed violent forms. He only gained power, at the age of seventeen, by ousting his half sister, Sophia, and shutting her up in a nunnery. As a product of the system, Peter was, of necessity, ruthless and tyrannical, personally carrying out the execution of defeated rebels and even effecting the death of his own son. But there his identification with Russia’s past ends. For what has earned Peter his place in history is his tearing his country, kicking and screaming, from its traditional, oriental customs and beliefs and integrating it into the life of Europe. He removed the privileges of the medieval aristocracy, brought the church under state control, and rejected the old Russian calendar in favor of the dating system used in Europe. He even ordered his courtiers and officials to shave their traditional beards and adopt Western dress codes. He avidly studied the latest scientific and technological advances and employed them to build a modern army and to create from scratch a Russian navy. These tools he used to devastating effect by destroying the Swedish Empire and making Russia (with its brand-new capital, St. Petersburg) master of the Baltic. European leaders did not know what to make of this eccentric, unsophisticated tsar who loathed pomp and ceremony, served as a junior officer in his own armed forces, and indulged in rowdy, boorish behavior. Yet, by the end of his remarkable reign, this man, who had made a servant girl his own wife and empress, had married members of his family into the royal houses of Europe. Thanks to Peter the Great, Russia was profoundly changed. So was Europe. Derek Wilson tells his extraordinary story with a verve and atmospheric detail that emphasizes vividly the impact this one man made not only in Russia, but in the wider world. Peter the Great created a new Europe in which, for good or ill, Russia was to play a crucial part. His contemporaries were obliged to come to terms with him. And today, it is perhaps even more important for us to understand the historical context and the pivotal role Peter played in the creation of a whole new order. A seasoned biographer, Wilson presents the remarkable personality who oriented Russia toward the West, with lasting historical—and not completely resolved—consequences. Simultaneously developing Peter I’s character and providing a narrative of his life, Wilson depicts traits such as restless curiosity and a markedly despotic streak within events such as his European tour of 1697–98 and his suppression of any perceived disloyalty. Suggesting Peter’s political ruthlessness originated in the contested circumstances of his ascension to the throne, Wilson reminds readers that the achievements that underlie his appellation of “the Great”—territorial expansion, creation of St. Petersburg, and a spate of government and social reform modeled on Western practice—flowed from the autocratic power Peter wielded. However impressed subsequent generations have been, the human price of Peter’s ventures was huge, especially in his war with Charles XII of Sweden. Yet the Great Northern War’s victorious outcome inducted Russia into Europe’s international politics, one of many examples of Peter the Great’s long-lasting legacy. Wilson’s portrait is a fine introduction to the man and his reign. --Gilbert Taylor Derek Wilson, a leading biographer and novelist, came to prominence after graduating from Cambridge thirty years ago with A Tudor Tapestry: Men, Women and Society in Reformation England . This was followed by several critically acclaimed and bestselling books such as Rothschild: A Story of Wealth and Power ; In the Lion’s Court: Power, Ambition, and Sudden Death in the Reign of Henry VIII ; and All the King’s Women: Love, Sex and Politics in the Life of Charles II . He has also written and presented numerous radio and television programs. Visit his Web site at www.derekwilson.com. PETER THE GREAT 1 Survival He stood at the top of the Red Staircase between the Cathedral of the Assumption and the Palace of Facets - a dark-haired, wide-eyed ten-year-old, already tall for his age. He huddled close to his mother, who had one arm around him and the other round his half-brother. Ivan. The tension in Tsarevna Natalya's body told him that something was very wrong. She had gathered the two boys hurriedly from their rooms in the palace and rushed them out to face a bewildering scene. Below them, in the square, stood a crowd of soldiers brandishing muskets and shouting. 'Here are Tsar Peter and Tsarevich Ivan,' Natalya cried, and that seemed to calm the angry mob.Then, three or four soldiers