The Presidential Library rare materials tell of the beginning of Peter the Great's path, the commander and the creator of the Russian fleet

June 9, 2018 marks the 346th anniversary of the birth of the first Russian emperor, tsar-reformer Peter I. The Presidential Library portal has formed a large-scale electronic collection "The House of Romanov. Zemsky Sobor 1613", one section of which is dedicated to the converter of Russia and the founder of St. Petersburg. The collection includes historical documents, business and personal correspondence of the monarch, research devoted to him, a bibliography and many other materials.   

V. N. Olin in his book "Peter the Great’s Birth: Legend", published in 1835, mentions several auguries, which preceded the birth of the long-awaited heir. There is: "Some fool, who often visited Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich by a combination of a second marriage, came to the Emperor and greeting His Imperial Majesty said that Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna would be freed from the burden of Pakhomiy in 7 months; that he should possess this great crutch, and that his height be 53 sazhens". The author explains this prediction: "Pachomiy means in Greek a mighty one; a great crutch means the scepter of the Imperial, and 53 sazhens of height - of the life of the Sovereign". 

"The Tsarevich Peter joyfully met life. He was of good health, handsome himself; a bright blush played on his cheeks; He grew up as heroes in fairy tales, grew up by the second. One contemporary tells that he appeared to be sixteen years old for ten years", writes S. Y. Rozhdestvensky in the book "About Peter the Great", published in 1872. "Unfortunately, we know too little about the infant years of Peter, but from those stories that have come down to us, one can already see that he was an extremely lively child and therefore impatient, distinguished by his sharpness and curiosity", notes V. M. Sorokin, the author of the work "Stories about Peter the Great" (1872).  

"Peter's first teacher was chosen very successfully: he not only knew a lot himself, at that time, but he was also very good at using his pupil's amazing abilities", - we read in the same source. - Clever clerk, indulging inquisitiveness and curiosity of the child, told him about everything that only knew the good of other peoples, led him through the rooms of the palace, where different paintings were hung, and, stopping him in front of everything even more or less remarkable, explained everything to him sensibly and then forced to repeat what he had said, showed images in drawings of different lands, mountains, rivers and seas (geographical maps), models of fortresses and foreign ships. On his orders were also drawn images of the most famous Russian tsars and their famous exploits, and thus Peter saw before him a Russian story in faces. In such cheerful walks, in living, entertaining conversations, a lot of information was transmitted to him, which not only enriched his mind, but also exaggerated him to the sciences". 

It is not surprising that with such education the boy began to show an interest in military affairs early. Sorokin cites the following incident, which occurred in his youth with the future emperor: "Once Peter was given, among many other toys, a small saber. The baby, not paying attention to everything else, ordered himself to be lifted up, kissed the sword in the head, girded it - and from then on, not only did not take it off during the day, but often even fell asleep with it, imagining himself to be a great warrior. Father, seeing in his son a special hunt for military games, ordered to collect several of his peers from noble children, and with them the child spent all his free time in various military exercises".   

These Peter’s children's games began the formation of a regular Russian army: "They began to invite amusing people of different ranks and no longer children. First in the amusing ones mainly from the court grooms came; but then others began to be recorded, even from some notable surnames. Finally, in 1684, a call was made openly to hunters, and there were many who wanted to join the amusing squad. Of these, at first, one regiment was formed, and then another; Both of them were named after the settlement in which Peter lived and his comic: the first - Preobrazhensky, and the second - Semyonovsky. So now two guards regiments are called, from which the formation of the Guards began", - says the 1872 edition of the “History of Peter the Great” (with 19 drawings).  

Future emperor was also interested in the maritime affairs. In an electronic copy of the 1904 edition of the “Russian Navy”, one can find a unique document - "A photo from the handwritten note of the Emperor Peter the Great about the discovery of the boat and the first voyages of His Majesty". Thanks to him, we can literally see how a fateful meeting took place, with which the history of the Russian fleet began: "... we happened to be in Izmailovo ... and walking along the barns where the remains of the house of my grandfather Mikita Ivanovich Romanov lay, between which I saw (bot) foreign ship. He asked the out-of-the-way Franz what kind of a ship it was, he said, that the bot was English. He asked where he was being used, he said that with ships for riding and waxing. I ... asked ... what advantage before our courts is ... He told me that the boat is walking ... on sails not only in the wind, but also against the wind, which brought me a great surprise ... - Peter writes. "Franz found out the frigging Franz Dutchman Karsten Brandt, who, at my father, was called in the company of sea men to make sea vessels on the Caspian Sea, he repaired and made masts and sails ..." In more detail the history of this ship, "which was respected as a shrine and honored as a living creature", is described in the 1871 edition of "The Grandfather of the Russian Fleet, the boat of Peter the Great. 1688-1872", stored in the Presidential Library collections. 

Peter Alekseevich, awarded a special epithet - the Great, won many victories on land and on water. He brought the state to a new level of development and made Russia a full participant in events on the world stage. The disciple and continuer of the case of the Tsar-Reformer I. I. Neplyuev, in “Peter the Great: Personality and Work” (1926) said of Peter the following words: "This monarch our homeland brought into comparison (that is, in equality) with other (powers); taught us to learn that we are also people; in one word: what in Russia do not look at, everything has its beginning, and that in the future it will not be done, they will draw from this source".