Military history of the Russian Navy from the Constantinople campaign to the present day in the Presidential Library stock

Shortly before the Day of the Russian Navy, which celebrates in Russia this year on July 31, 2016, the Presidential Library features the digital copies of unique books created personally by Tsar Peter the Great.

The electronic copy of edition entitled “The reproduction of a handwritten notes by Emperor Peter the Great about the finding of small boat and the first journeys of His Majesty” tells how a fateful meeting of future Russian Emperor, with which the history of the Russian Navy began, has taken place: “What happened to us to be in Izmailovo, and walking around the barns, where were the remains of my grandfather’s Mikita Ivanovich Romanov house, among which I’ve noticed (a bot) - a foreign vessel. I asked the above-mentioned Franz, what kind of ship is that, and he answered that this is the English boat. I asked him, what is it used for, he said that in the ships for the errands and upkeep. I wondered, what advantages does it have, comparing to our vessels. He said that the boat sails under a wind, but also against the wind, which words amazed me so much. A more detailed history of the vessel, “which were respected as sacred and honored as a living being,” described in the 1871-year’s edition of the “A grandfather of the Russian fleet, a boat of Peter the Great. 1688-1872.”

13 (24) January 1720 the Emperor approved the first Russian Maritime charter, which laid the basic laws of the Navy. Related to the main parties of naval life regulations have been combined into one document. There are the basic for the development of national fleet publications at the library website: The Book of the Navy Regulations (1778), The project is the Navy Regulations, with references and explanations (1853) and others. They clearly stated that the main duty of seafarers is to serve the homeland and to remain loyal to moral ideals. “All ranks of the fleet at all times and in all circumstances must act so as to maintain the honor and dignity of Russian name Russian flag,” - said the Navy Regulations, published in St. Petersburg in 1885.

Although Peter the Great is considered to be the father of the Russian Navy, the mentions of distant naval campaigns of the Slavs encountered in the Russian chronicles, starting from the second half of the IX century. “The first Russian campaign, as a more or less organized naval force, under the walls of Constantinople was guided by Askold and Dir in 866; they came to Constantinople on the 200 boards,” - as we can read in the publication “A meaning of the fleet for Russian history” of 1909 from the Presidential Library funds. Its author P. I. Belavinets notes the following: “From the frequent voyages and threatening voyages of Russian ships the Black Sea itself received a name “Russian,” and a fear that was induced on Byzantium with their appearance, was proved in found on an ancient statue prophecy of the capturing of the Byzantine by Russians. This statue, established on one of the Byzantine area, was destroyed by the Crusaders in 1203.”

The history and status of the Russian Navy at various stages of its development is exposed in the numerous research works from the Presidential Library funds. For those who first got in touch with this topic the “Russian Fleet” album (1904) will be a matter of interest, a reference book of the same name for the land-based officers, the rarities entitled “The Russian Imperial Fleet” (1913) and “The Russian Navy” (1904). Such editions as “The History of the Russian fleet during the reign of Peter the Great” (1897), “The foreigners, who served in the Russian Navy” (1863), “Russian navy in the reign of Nicholas I” (1896), “The directives of restoring of our Navy” (1908) and many other sources will significantly help to increase the scope.

Speaking of the Russian Navy, there is no way not to mention the two cities whose lives are inextricably linked with the sailors. The Presidential Library web resource features thematic collections Sevastopol - a city of Russian naval glory and Kronstadt - the city of Russian naval glory. They contain the archival documents, studies, sketches, photographs and other materials that reflect the diverse historical past of the strategically important naval ports.

The first in the country electronic national library has accumulated hundreds of materials on the history of the Russian Navy: the research papers, essays, studies, movies, biographies, maps and more. The number of documents on this subject is constantly growing - the Presidential Library stock is regularly grows with new incomes, new materials, including previously confidential ones, become available for readers.