Everyone who is interested in the history of the Russian state, sooner or later had to deal with jokes, which some decrees of Peter 1 have turned into today. From our article you will learn about many unexpected decrees of this tsar-reformer, which turned the public life of the country from the end of the 17th to the beginning of the 18th centuries that is called, upside down.
Today, the decrees of Peter 1 are studied in schools and institutes. Some of them are made fun of, while others are perceived as the norm. But this applies to the present time. At the beginning of the XVIII century, these documents were for the majority "blasphemy and devilry."
Some decrees of the tsar, for example, the decree on the right of succession of Peter 1, led to intrigue. Others influenced fashion, economics, and the army. Only one thing remains certain: by tough methods, the king tried to renew the stagnant society of his time.
Succession Order
One of the most significant in the history of the state was the decree on the unanimity of Peter 1. It was published in 1722. The document changed all the foundations of power. Now the heir was not the eldest in the family, but the one whom the emperor would appoint as his successor.
This decree on the succession to Peter 1 was canceled only by Emperor Paul I in 1797. Prior to this, it served as the basis for many palace coups, murders and intrigues. Although initially conceived by Peter, as a preventive measure against the conservative mood of people dissatisfied with reforms.
New Year
We propose to consider the most popular decrees of Peter 1. Perhaps the most famous today are two laws: on the celebration of the new year and on beards. We will talk about the second below. As for the first decree, according to the tsar’s will, starting from 1700, the reckoning in Russia passed to the European manner.
That is, now the year began not in September, but on the first of January. The chronology was conducted from the birth of Christ, and not from the creation of the world, as it was before. Thus, instead of the fourth month of 7208, it became the first of 1700.
Beards
Probably the most famous innovation of the Russian Tsar after his return from Europe concerned the fashion for beards. Below will be given many decrees of Peter 1, funny and serious. But not one of them caused such indignation among the boyars as this one.
So, at the age of twenty-six, the sovereign gathered representatives of noble families, took scissors and cut off some of his beards. Such actions plunged society into shock.
But the young king did not stop there. He introduced a tax on beards. Anyone who wanted to preserve facial hair was required to pay a certain amount annually to the treasury.
So, for the nobility it was six hundred rubles a year, for merchants a hundred, Posadsky cost sixty, and servants and others thirty. It should be noted that these were very serious amounts for those times. Only peasants were exempted from this annual tax, but they had to pay a penny from a beard for entering the city.
Fashion issues
Many decrees of Peter 1 related to public life. With their help, the tsar tried to give the Russian nobility a European look.
Firstly, having spent significant funds on the construction of St. Petersburg, the sovereign took care of the service time of wooden pavements. Therefore, a ban was issued on metal heels. For their establishment fines were imposed, and for the sale - confiscation of property and hard labor.
The next moment concerned the army. Since Peter the Great was seriously engaged in its updating and improvement, attention was drawn to literally every little thing. So, a decree was issued on “sewing buttons on the front side of a soldier’s uniform”. This measure was supposed to extend the service life of state-owned clothing, since it became impossible to wipe the mouth with a sleeve.
Also, European fashion was introduced in cities. The sovereign ordered everyone to replace traditional long clothes with short costumes “in the Hungarian manner”.
And finally, noble ladies were punished to monitor the freshness of the laundry, so as not to "embarrass foreign gentlemen with indecent aromas that make their way through perfumes."
About construction and quality
One of the most famous is the decree of Peter 1 on quality. It is not as popular as many funny laws adopted by the tsar, but with its help the Russian army was able to win near Poltava.
So, having discovered that the guns from the Tula plant are not of very good quality, the emperor ordered the owner and the person responsible for the products to be arrested. Then they were sentenced to death by whips and sent into exile. Peter the Great decided to carefully monitor the quality of products manufactured at the plant. For control, he sent the whole weapons order to Tula. Any marriage was punishable by rods. In addition, the king ordered the new owner, Demidov, to build huts for all workers, as the owner had.
No less interesting is the decree of Peter 1 on construction. When the king intended to begin the construction of St. Petersburg, he forbade the construction of stone houses throughout the country. Therefore, all specialists came to work for the Neva.
Thus, the sovereign in the shortest possible time was able to build a city.
Military issues
One of the most famous jokes today is the decree of Peter 1 on subordinates. In fact, its existence has not been proven, but today it is, as they say, on everyone’s lips. We will talk about him at the end of the article.
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Now we’re not talking about the famous "ridiculous decrees of Peter", but about really important things. So, the king in the conditions of military operations with Sweden badly needed qualified officers. Therefore, it was decided to provide foreigners with promising positions in the ranks of the Russian army. So, all European warriors in high ranks, with the experience of command, were invited to our country for a salary that was twice the salary of domestic officers.
The first wave of "labor migrants" was, according to contemporaries of Peter, "a rabble of crooks." So, foreign officers in the first month of service surrendered to the Swedes. But the failure did not discourage the emperor, and in the end, he achieved the goal. The Russian army was trained and rearmament.
By the way, with regard to rearmament, that is, evidence of the melting of church bells into guns after the "embarrassment on Narva." It is noteworthy that here the sovereign showed nobility. So, he did not seize church property, but leased it. After the victory near Poltava, the king of the captured Swedish guns ordered to cast the bells and return them to their place.
Economic decrees
Introduced Peter the Great 1 and economic innovations. We will consider three decrees that have largely shaken the traditional Russian foundations.
So, according to the first decree, the state introduced "opposition to promises and bribes." For such misconduct, a death penalty was presumed. To prevent the reasons pushing officials to commit a crime, the emperor increased the salary of civil servants. But at the same time it was forbidden "all bribery, trade, in a row and promises."
At that time, the medical practice of people far enough even from the basics of this craft was widespread in Russia. Therefore, one of the laws prohibited "the implementation of pharmaceutical and medical activities to all persons who do not have rights to do so."
The latter fact is more a joke than a truth. So, the following quotation of the tsar has survived to this day: “Collection of taxes is a thieves' business. They should not pay their salaries, but hang up one once a year so that others are not accustomed. ”
Beautification measures
Sovereign Peter the Great 1, after returning from a trip to Western Europe, seriously decided what is called to restore order in the Russian Empire. In addition to many other issues, the problems of cleanliness, fire safety and improvement were raised.
Firstly, the law “On Cleanliness in Moscow” was adopted. He ordered all residents to monitor the garbage on the pavements and in the yards. “If this is detected, take it out of town and bury it in the ground.” If you notice uncleaned waste from your yard, impose fines or whipped with rods.
The second decree concerned exclusively shipbuilding and the navy. According to him, when repairing ships and living on them, all waste should be disposed of. If at least one shovel of garbage falls into the water, punishment was imposed. For the first offense, it was in the amount of the monthly salary, and for the second - six months. For the third shovel of garbage into the river, the officers were demoted to rank and file, and ordinary sailors were exiled to Siberia.
A fire safety decree has also been adopted. It instructed homeowners to re-equip all the stoves with a stone foundation. It was also instructed to make brickwork between the wall and the stove, and to conduct pipes in which "a person will climb." It was necessary to clean such a design once a month. For non-compliance with this rule fines were imposed.
Alcohol
Corresponding to the time and different strata of society, the texts of the decrees of Peter 1 often relate to the procedure for handling alcoholic beverages. Especially these provisions concerned the army and navy.
At the assemblies it was recommended to drink to the extent that “with their snoring bodies” did not embarrass newly arrived guests who did not have time to “get into the condition of the gentlemen and others nearby”.
If we talk about the fleet, then there were several decrees.
Firstly, being abroad, it was forbidden to everyone - from the sailor to the admiral "to revel in death so as not to disgrace the honor of the fleet and the state."
Secondly, the navigators should not have been allowed into the pubs, as they are "boorish offspring, they recruit and arrange a brawl."
There was also law in the navy, which is sometimes applied today. So, if a sailor, walking on the shore, got drunk until he lost consciousness, but he was found with his head lying in the direction of the ship, then in this case he was practically not punished: “he didn’t reach, but strove back”.
Also, it was from the time of Peter the Great that it was customary in our country to celebrate May Day. It was borrowed from the peoples of Europe. So, this holiday was celebrated as a spring day among Germans and Scandinavians. Festivities were held in Moscow, tables were set for all passers-by. The emperor himself did not disdain participation in the festivities, urging the people to join.
Assembly rules of conduct
In addition to innovations in the army, chronology, and other areas of life, the emperor also cared about raising the general culture of the population. Despite the fact that the king tried to do everything the best, today his decrees like this often cause only a smile.
So, let’s look at the unusual decrees of Peter 1. Funny today, they were truly revolutionary in the eighteenth century.
Among others, the most popular is the decree on the rules of conduct among the people, at a party and at assemblies. Firstly, it was necessary to thoroughly wash and shave. Secondly, be half hungry and better sober. Thirdly, do not stand a pillar, but participate in a walk. It was also recommended to find out in advance where the toilets are in case of emergency. Fourthly, eating was allowed in moderation, but drinking was plenty. By the way, there was a special attitude to drunk in Russia. Those who lost consciousness from a large amount of alcohol should be carefully folded separately, “so as not to fall by chance and interfere with dancing." Fifthly, recommendations were made for circumventing the ladies, "so as not to get bogged down on faces."
And the last of the important instructions. It is known that without a song there is no fun, so it was necessary to attach to the general choir, and not to roar the donkey of Valaam.
Population census
As well as the decree on the succession of Peter 1, this provision was simply necessary for the state. In view of the ongoing military campaigns, the country constantly needed finances to support the army. Therefore, the emperor issued an order to conduct a homestead census.
But this measure did not give the proper result. The landlords did not want to pay taxes "no one knows where," since the country was already tired of the constant war. Therefore, Peter Alekseevich had to conduct such a census several times, since with each new number of yards decreased.
Previous census results were dated 1646 and 1678. The data for 1710 decreased by twenty percent. Therefore, after another attempt, by decree “to take fairy tales from everyone, and so that the truthful ones bring (deadline to give a year)”, home taxation was replaced by poll tax.
Other funny decrees
A smile is evoked by the king’s decisions on the attitude to the authorities. For example, the decree of Peter 1 on subordinates. According to him, "a subordinate in the face of a senior should have a silly and dashing appearance, so as not to seem smarter."
In addition, senators were forbidden to read speeches. As a result, they had to speak in their own words, and the level of development of each was understandable.
No less interesting was the decree of Peter 1 on the redheads. In accordance with it, it was forbidden to hire people with a defect (red hair was then considered as such). This order is caused in part by the proverb that "God marks the throat."
As we mentioned earlier, Peter I in his decrees covered all sectors of society. So often not only men, but also ladies. We give one example. From ancient times in Russia, pallor of the skin was considered a sign of "blue blood". Therefore, noble ladies blacked their teeth for greater contrast. In addition, damaged teeth showed prosperity. A lot of money - eats a lot of sugar. Therefore, the emperor ordered the ladies to brush their teeth with chalk and bleach them.
Thus, in this article we met with the decrees of one of the greatest rulers of Russia. Emperor Peter the First was not just the head of the country, he strove for improvements in various fields of public life.
Despite the fact that today some of his decrees cause a smile, at that time they were revolutionary measures.