"Russia would not be what it is now without Peter": the Presidential Library’s materials illustrate the first emperor of Russia

November 2, 2020 marks the 299th anniversary of the day when Russia became known as an empire, and Tsar Peter I took the title of Great. The history of this day is spotlighted in the authoritative source "Peter the Great, the last Tsar of Moscow and the first emperor of All Russia" from the extensive "Peter's" collection - it is included in the large-scale electronic collection "The House of Romanov. The Zemsky Sobor of 1613" and contains historical documents, business and personal correspondence of the monarch, studies dedicated to him, bibliography ...

So what preceded this great day?

Implementation of a number of reforms - the creation of a Russian fleet from scratch, access to the sea, the development of trade, etc. Moreover, having reigned on the Russian throne after overcoming palace intrigues and conspiracies, Peter first of all went to Europe to study shipbuilding and other crafts and science.

“Arriving in Amsterdam, - we read in the above-mentioned study “Peter the Great: Three Readings”, - Peter did not stay there, but immediately went to the small town of Saardam, about whose shipyards I heard a lot back in Moscow ... <...> Soon all Saardam knew the handsome Russian giant carpenter, Peter Mikhailov. He lived very modestly, visiting only the families of carpenters and other craftsmen...and worked tirelessly".

Peter also visited England - all with the same purpose to learn about the work of shipyards and the peculiarities of the organization of production. He became the first of the Russian tsars who made a long journey through the countries of Western Europe, and upon returning to his homeland in 1698, he launched unprecedented reforms. According to the book by Sergei Grechushkin "In St. Petersburg under Peter the Great", "The young tsar...by personal observation and comparison appreciated the advantages of European knowledge... and... returned to Moscow with a firm intention to start rebuilding the fatherland according to the Western European model".

It was then that the idea of ​​free access to the sea and the creation of a new capital of Russia appeared. Petersburg was founded in 1703. Having won the Neva delta from the Swedes, from all the islands scattered on the Neva, Peter chose Hare Island as the most elevated and convenient. The Swedes could come with renewed vigor every minute and take revenge. It was necessary to take root in a new place as soon as possible. The tsar's lively, ebullient nature demanded immediate action: orders were given to lay the fortress and the admiralty, cut through the "prospect" on the wooded left bank of the Neva...

There were not enough soldiers for all of Peter's plans - and then “the tsar sent orders everywhere to send excavators, carpenters, and masons to him from all sides - and now peasant laborers with picks, crowbars, wheelbarrows and with all sorts of tools ..." - Vladimir Sorokin describes the beginning of the construction of the city in the publication "Tales of Peter the Great".

Quite often the tsar, with an ax in his hands, set the pace of construction on an unprecedented scale. “It is not surprising, therefore”, we read in the book “Peter the Great: Three Readings”, “that only a few months have passed since the founding of St. Petersburg, and the islands closest to the fortress and the opposite left bank of the Neva were cleared of the forest and built up at a fabulous speed. The king himself drew a plan of the city and indicated to whom, where and how to build".

In the battle near Poltava in June 1709, the sovereign also finds himself in the thick of events, according to Peter Petrov in the book “Peter the Great: An Outline of the Life of the First Emperor of All Russia”: ““Both troops fought very fiercely in the fire, but it didn’t last more than two hours ; for the invincible gentlemen the Swedes soon showed the ridge“, - Peter wrote. He was everywhere - where danger came. A bullet-through hat ... says better than any other evidence that the Emperor acted “as a good driver should be!”. Not just for the beauty of speech and not out of boast, but sincerely from the depths of his soul he himself spoke. - “And about Peter know that life is not dear to him, only Russia would live in glory and prosperity, for your well-being!”.

The Battle of Gangut in 1714 under the leadership of Peter was the first victory of the Russian fleet over the Swedish and had far-reaching consequences. On August 30 (September 10), 1721, the Treaty of Nystadt was concluded between Russia and Sweden, which ended the Northern War, which lasted 21 years. Russia got access to the Baltic Sea, annexed the territory of Ingria, part of Karelia, Estonia and Livonia. In commemoration of this event, the Senate and Synod decided to "present" to Peter Alekseevich the title of Emperor of All Russia with the following wording: "As usual from the Roman Senate for the noble deeds of emperors, their titles were publicly presented to them and signed on statutes for memory in eternal birth".

On November 2 (October 22, old style), 1721, Mass was held in the Trinity Cathedral of St. Petersburg, and then the text of the peace treaty concluded with the Swedes was read. Feofan Prokopovich delivered a sermon, describing all the famous deeds of the tsar. Following this, senators approached the tsar, Chancellor Count Gabriel Golovkin asked Peter to accept the title of Father of the Fatherland, Peter the Great, Emperor of All Russia. Under the volleys of hundreds of guns from the Admiralty, the Peter and Paul Fortress and 125 galleys introduced into the Neva, Peter assumed a new title. According to an eyewitness, "everything seemed to be engulfed in flames, and one might think that the earth and the sky were about to collapse". Thus Russia has become an empire.

The adoption of the imperial title marked a fundamentally important change in the international position of Russia. The recognition of the imperial title of the Russian monarch by the leading states of Europe meant the validity of Russia's claims to the role of one of the leaders of world politics at that time.

It was time to take care of creating more than just powerful warships. "The tsar cared a lot about the merchant fleet ..." - writes Sergei Solovyov in the publication “Peter the Great: Three Readings”. - ... To encourage the Russians to start their ships, Peter ordered them to be given various benefits: duties were imposed on goods transported on Russian ships by a third less than on goods transported on foreign ships".

In addition, the emperor did his best to develop industry in Russia. “Not long before Peter's death in Russia, thanks to his efforts, there were already 5 copper factories and more than 25 iron ones. The best of them belonged to Nikita Demidov, at first a simple Tula blacksmith who, with the support of the great emperor, became... one of the richest people in Russia".

“Tsar like Peter the Great”, - writes Peter Petrov in the publication “Peter the Great: An Outline of the Life of the First Emperor of All Russia” - you cannot find a whole world in the annals. No one can match him with either the foresight of enterprises or the vastness of the mind. <...> Russia would not be what it is now without Peter".