Peter+the+Great

media type="file" key="Sarbanes, Peter The Great.mp3"[|Sarbanes, Peter The Great.mp3] Peter the Great’s childhood toughened him. His life was constantly under threat **from factions surrounding the two widows of his father.** When his father, Alexis, died in January 1676, Peter’s elder brother succeeded as Theodore III. **His succession was legal and no-one could dispute it. Theodore died in 1682.** ** Problems over the succession came on the death of Theodore **. The mother of Peter came from the **Naryshkin** family. **They wanted Peter as sole tsar of** ** Russia ****. ** Alexis’s first wife came from the **Miloslavkys** family. They did not want **Peter alone to succeed. The Miloslavkys were supported by the** ** Moscow **** Musketeers (the Streltsy) and they both wanted a joint rule by Peter and Ivan, his mentally deficient half-brother. ** The **Streltsy gave the Miloslavkys family the military backing to** succeed in this case and Peter and Ivan were accepted as joint rulers. However, in **1682 both were under age and a regent, their sister Sophia, was appointed to this position**. In effect, Sophia did little as she was besotted by her lover Prince Golitsin who was appointed Chief Minister by Sophia and ruled as he wished. He **embarked on a highly unpopular domestic policy.** He **persecuted the Old Believers** for spiritually holding Russia back. Many Russian people looked up to the Old Believers as the true symbol of religious devotion and disapproved of what he did. Golitsin also **pursued a lacklustre foreign policy**. In 1687 and 1698, he launched **two disastrous campaigns against the Crimean** Tartars. With such chaos at government level, **Peter the Great felt strong enough to challenge Golitsin. This he did in August 1689 aged 17 when he removed both Sophia and Golitsin from power and ruled as** ** Russia **** ’s sole leader. In theory he shared the throne with Ivan until Ivan died in 1696, but in reality, Ivan played no part in the government of **** Russia ****. ** Peter the Great’s physical presence seemed to indicate the way his rule would go. He was **nearly 7 feet tall** and very broad. He was massively powerful, "**loud-mouthed, violent, ruthless and impetuous**". He always wanted to learn and was always active. He **learned how to be carpenter, talked to mathematicians and learned how best to train soldiers- including how to torture people.** While Sophia had been regent, he had **lived in** ** Germany **** and had spent time living with soldiers learning about fortifications and ballistics. ** When back in Russia he formed a **small army out of his servants and used them in live ammunition firing war games.** (2003). History Learning Site > Peter the Great. Retrieved October 1, 2008 , from History Learning Site > Peter the Great Web site: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/peter_the_great.htm

 Peter I, (Peter the Great) 1) Childhood a) Born on May 30, 1672 the only son of Czar Alexis and his second wife, Natalia Naryshkin b) Had 13 half brothers, from his father’s. i) 3 were prominent (1) Sophia- able and ambitious (2) Ivan- half- blind and half - witted (3) Feodor- amiable 2) Education a) Formal education started when he was 7, entrusted to private tutors b) When he was 10 his father died and his education was interrupted i) Another group wanted Peter to rule, 10 very intelligent ii) His sister and a small group of supporters wanted Ivan, 15 and mentally retarded to as the czar (1) Sophia got the support of the army so Ivan was installed as 1st Czar and Peter was 2nd Czar, and Sophia was regent 3) Formative years a) While being a 2nd czar all he had to do was part take in formal ceremonies b) He continued his education especially in terms of military i) He spent a lot of time at games involving arms practice and battle maneuvers ii) At an early age he trained 2 regiments iii) Studied skills of navigation, carpentry, stonecutting, printing (1) Gained knowledge out of the country c) Married Eudoxia Lopukhin in January 1689 i) Didn’t allow his wife to come in his #1 interest or his unconventional activities d) Political opposition in Sophia’s regency when he was 17 e) In 1690 he inserted himself as czar

Mqhayi, Powhatan (1973). //The Encyclopedia of World Biography//. New York, New York: The McGraw- Hill.

Peter the Great was determined to reform the domestic structure of Russia. He had a simple desire to push Russia - willingly or otherwise - into the modern era as existed then. While his military reforms were ongoing, he reformed the church, education and areas of Russia's economy.  Church. I  in bygone years it had been semi-autonomous. For someone who believed in royal absolutism this was unacceptable. The subordination of the church within Russia was completed without a problem.  There were other reasons to explain Peter's interest in the Church.  it was a very rich institution and Peter wanted this wealth  it refused to be modernized  it owned vast amounts of land and serfs and, as such, could be seen to be a rival to the tsar.  In 1700, the head of the church, Patriach Adrian, died. Peter did not replace him. In 1701, the control of church property was handed over to a government department called the Monastyrskii Prikaz.  This received monastic revenues and paid monks a salary. The simple fact that it was a government department meant that it was subordinate to the will of Peter. In 1721, the church hierarchy was officially abolished by the Ecclesiastical Reservation and the church was placed under the control of the Holy Synod and was fully linked to the state. The 1721 Regulation specifically stated what the clergy could do; in essence, it was designed to control their daily life so that they became an apparatus of the state. The task of the clergy was seen as two-fold: to work for the state and to make their congregations totally submissive to the state by convincing them that Peter was all but God-like to ensure the population of Russia's total subordination to the crown.

Education also had to be modernized if Russia was going to survive as a power in Europe. Peter wanted a modern army and navy that would be feared throughout Europe. The officers in the military had to be educated or this would never be achieved.  Found/ developed new schools  In 1701, the School of Navigation and Maths was founded in Moscow.  This was run by British teachers. In the same year, similar schools were created for artillery and languages.  In 1707, a School of Medicine was created and in 1712 a School of Engineering.  Iin 1724 a School of Science was established though the lack of scientists in Russia meant that it had to be initially staffed by foreigners.  For the educated public, a newspaper was established in 1703 called the "Vedomosti". It was issued by the state  Many young noblemen were encouraged to do as Peter had done - go to western Europe and experience what it was like and also learn. A broadening of knowledge was not seen as being a threat by Peter; on the contrary, he believed that these young educated noblemen were of great benefit to Russia's development.  Peter also expected the young and educated to shun Russian traditions and adopt what he considered to be western values.  Beards were shaved off; western clothes were encouraged; the nobility were expected to hold western style tea parties and social gatherings.

Economy of Russia needed reforming. As tsar he wanted to apply western mercantilism to stimulate agriculture, industry and commerce.  A richer Russia could only benefit the position of the tsar as more could be taxed and invested into the military.  A further strengthened military would further enhance his power.  The state dominated all forms of industry. The state was the source of capital, raw materials and labour. The state was also the main purchaser of finished goods. In 1718, two colleges were created for commerce and mines and manufacturing. Under state direction, factories of all types were developed. Prices were fixed by the state and the state had the right to be the first purchaser from the producers - but at a price fixed by the state. Private businesses could make a profit only on the surplus of produce which the state did not want and many successful enterprises were simply taken over by the state.  Little was achieved in agriculture which simply remained medieval. The superstitious and conservative attitude of those in agriculture and the sheer size of the country, meant that government officials had great difficulty getting out to rural areas and imposing the will of the tsar on those who lived there. The supremacy of the local lord over his people was deeply entrenched. The state did what it could to encourage those in farming to use modern equipment such as harrows and ploughs but to little avail. Human labour doing the bulk of the work carried on into the Nineteenth Century and was an issue Stalin tried to deal with in the 1930's. For someone to successfully reform agriculture in the 1720's, the problem proved too great.

historylearningsite.co.uk (2000-2008). Peter the Great - Domestic Reforms. Retrieved September 30, 2008, from peter_the_great2.htm Web site: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/peter_the_great2.htm 

** [|Peter the Great's] military reforms massively modernised Russia’s Army and Navy **. By his death in 1725, Russia 's military was a force to be reckoned with. The Russia army was both **enlarged and made into a professional unit** by Peter the Great. Peter had a very clear idea about the direction of his foreign policy and he **needed a strong army to** execute this. A strong army would also make his own position much **stronger and free him from the threat of coups.** Before the rule of Peter the Great, the Russian army had been amateur. It was basically **based on villagers going into battle to defend the Motherland,** lead by village elders with no or little knowledge about military leadership. There were some professionals in the army but they were few and far between. **The Streltsy and the Cossacks were professional units but they were officered by foreigners**. Peter the Great took the **best parts of both systems and introduced a standing army in 1699**. All soldiers received similar training so that the army had uniformity. **The Streltsy was abolished**. Peter the Great had hated it ever since it had backed a joint rule between Peter and Ivan. Two new elite **Guards regiments were created** - the **Preobrazhenskii and the Semeovskii**. These were officered by an elite. From 1705 on, both nobles and serfs could be conscripted for life long service in the army. **By 1725,** ** Russia **** had 130,000 men in the army **. Discipline was savage but by the death of Peter, the army was up to European standards though untested in western Europe. The navy was essentially Peter the Great’s creation. The navy was **based on the moth of the River Don and then expanded to the** ** Baltic Sea ****. ** As Russia lacked the necessary expertise, Peter the Great brought in foreign **experts and by 1725,** ** Russia **** had 48 ships of the line and 800 galleys **. The officers **in the navy were foreign but the crews were Russian.** ** The Russian Navy defeated **** Sweden **** ’s navy under Charles XII and its potential for success sufficiently alarmed George I of **** Britain ****. ** Military expenditure was high **but it was met out of direct taxation**. Revenue was expanded three times to pay for the military and wars. 85% of royal income was taken up in this way. **Direct taxation was levied on households but this could be avoided by a number of houses grouping together as one ‘house’ and therefore paying the demands of just one house.** Thus, the collected revenue did not keep up with the growth in population and therefore the growth in required houses. In November 1718**, Peter the Great introduced a soul tax on all males** (except the clergy and nobility) with the Old Believers paying double. **Military reforms were also financed by indirect taxes on beards, horse-collars, bee-hives etc.** (2000-2008 ). History Learning Site > Peter the Great > Peter the Great - Military Reforms. Retrieved October 1, 2008 , from History Learning Site > Peter the Great > Peter the Great - Military Reforms Web site: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/peter_the_great1.htm

Script

 I was in 1672 in Moscow, Russia. My father was Alexis my mother and I of Russia was Nataliya Kyrillovna Naryshkina. My father was the Tsar of Russia and my mother was his second wife. I had had 13 half brothers, from his father. They are important enough to mention; Sophia who was able and ambitious and Ivan who was half- blind and half not up to my standard inteligete whiles, HAHAHA --(laugh)--and Feoder who I had a rival. Growing up there was vary little tension. The tension began after my father passed on January 29, 1676. My older sister Sophia became regent sovereignty to my elder half-brother, the weak and sickly Feodor III. --(funeral noises)--. He died six years later in 1682. He left no heir to fulfill the Tsar position, an event that changed the history of Russia of the better. The open spot for the throne started a dispute between my mother’s family the Naryshkin and my step family the Miloslavsky over who should inherit the throne. In order of succession, my half-brother Ivan V was the next for the throne, but he was chronically ill and of infirm mind, so it was clear that the smarter decision was to install me as the Tsar. The Boyar Duma (the council of my countries nobles) understood that I had an intelligence of full grown man and the leadership to rule supported my camping to become the tsar. However, my ignorant and selfish older sister had her own ambitions. She led a rebellion of the Streltsy (Russia's elite military corps), --(noises of riots) --The uprising was success for and led to the joint Tsarts of my self and Ivan. Sophia was established as regent, but because of my age and Ivan’s mental state, she exercised all power.
 * Describe your family and the tension in the family? **

I had a very formal education started when I was 7, entrusted to private tutors. I studied mathematics, arts, history, and tactics. When my father died my education was interrupted. My education continued his especially in terms of military. I spent a lot of time at games involving arms practice and battle maneuvers. At an early age was command of two regiments which I was trained. My pursuit in having the best education in the world led me to different countries. I studied skills of navigation, carpentry, stonecutting, and printing in Germany and France.
 * Can you describe your education? **

I married Eudoxia Lopukhin in January 1689. A married that was brought upon me by my mother. The marriage was a failure, and ten years later I forced her to become a nun. I remarried later in my life.
 * Who did you marry and when? **

When Ivan died in 1696, I became sole Tsar—(sound of triumph) greatest point of all of Russia’s history. What did you do as tsar. In the winter of 1723, my overall health was becoming weak. I began having problems with my urinary tract and bladder. In early January 1725, I developed uremia. On my death bed before lapsing into unconsciousness I asked for a paper and pen and scrawled an unfinished note that read: //"Leave all to...."// and then, I asked for my daughter Anna. I died on February 8, 1725. I was 52 years.
 * When did you become Tsar? **
 * What would you say are your greatest accomplishment?    **The reforms under my control that modernized Russia, I have to say are my greatest accomplishments. I modernized the educational system because of two reasons. Education had to be modernized if Russia was going to survive as a power in Europe and I wanted a modern army and navy that would be feared throughout Europe. The officers in the military had to be educated or this would never be achieved. Over the course of my reign new schools were founded and established in and outside of Moscow and other large cities. I also reformed **Russia’s Army and Navy **.   Russia army was both **<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">enlarged and made into professional units under my rule. I **had a very clear idea about the direction of his foreign policy and he **<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">needed a strong army to ** execute this. A strong army would also make his own position much **<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">stronger and free him from the threat of coups. ** The strong army allowed me to win in The Great Northern War which allowed me to take control of the Baltic Sea, which was under the control of Sweden.
 * What were your later years like? **