Peter later reintegrated into Russian politics, wary of Sofia's control over his co-ruler Ivan V. In 1689, Peter the Great stopped Sofia from an attempt at seizing power, succeeding and forcing his half-sister to enter a convent for the rest of her life. In 1696, Ivan V died, and Peter became the sole, undisputed Tsar of Russia. At an early age, he was exposed to backward politics and violence in the Russian court, both of which heavily informed his character.
Peter the Great's Grand Embassy
In 1697, Peter directed a war effort against the Crimean Khanate, a subject of Turkey that controlled the Sea of Azov. Eager to obtain allies in the conflict, Peter the Great embarked on his Grand Embassy tour of Europe.
Fig. 3- Peter partying in Holland.
Traveling under the pseudonym Pyotr Mikhailov (though his height did not help to hide his true identity), the Russian ruler traveled to places such as Holland, London, and Prussia. Peter learned about shipbuilding, artillery, and western politics; he invited engineers from Europe to Russia; he ingratiated himself with European culture, often while drunk at a local pub.
Peter the Great as Absolute Monarch
The Grand Embassy further opened Peter's eyes to the success of Europe and the backwardness of 17th-century Russia. Keen to bring his country into competition with the west, Peter the Great enacted a series of aggressive reforms.
[Peter the Great] did not feel a blind sentimental affection for [the West] but on the contrary approached it with sober mistrust.
-Historian Vassily Kluchevsky
Exercising absolute power over his peoples, Peter the Great instituted the following reforms:
- Europeanization of the Russian court culture (including shaved beards!)
- Modernization of the Russian calendar.
- Reformation of school systems and simplification of the Russian alphabet.
- Instituted universal taxation and standardized Russian currency.
- Established a civilian and military rank system that determined a person's status based on merit (and not heredity).
- Introduced European technologies and ideas in the Russian military and the creation of a Russian navy.
- Built and established St. Petersburg as the capital of Russia.
This list is not all-inclusive, but it does indicate some of the drastic and swift measures that Peter the Great was willing to take to bring his country up to par. Often, Peter was absolute in his enforcement of these new measures, essentially assuming full dictatorial control of Russia. Some resisted the Tsar, but Russian victories against Sweden in the Battle of Poltava and the Ottoman empire validated Peter's reforms.
Peter the Great, or Peter the Cruel?
Tsar Peter's cruelty is undeniable. Though he was well-liked by his people, his reforms were imposed through intimidation and fear. After his son Alexey fled Moscow as part of a conspiracy and later returned, Peter had Alexey imprisoned and tortured for the rest of his life. After defeating his half-sister Sofia's initiative to seize the throne, he had heard guards executed and hanged outside of the prison cell he kept her in. More than a couple of times, Peter the Great had his opponents beheaded, their heads preserved in a pickle jar for his observance.
If Peter the Great's claim as absolute monarch was ever disputed, one can point to the year 1721, when Peter proclaimed Russia as an empire, with himself as the emperor. He adopted the epithet "the great", confident that his reforms had shaped Russia for the better. Before his death in 1725, Tsar Peter announced his wife Catherine as his successor.
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