Studying the topic “Personality of Peter 1” is important for understanding the essence of his reforms in Russia. Indeed, in our country with a monarchical form of government, it is often the character, personal qualities and education of the sovereign that determined the main line of socio-political development. The reign of this king covers a rather long period of time: in 1689 (when he finally removed his sister Sophia from state affairs) and until his death in 1725.
General characteristics of the era
Consideration of when Peter the Great was born should begin with an analysis of the general historical situation in Russia at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries. It was a time when the prerequisites for serious and profound political, economic, social and cultural changes ripened in the country. Already during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, a tendency towards the penetration of Western European achievements into the country was clearly noted. Under this ruler, a number of measures were taken to transform some aspects of public life.
Therefore, the personality of Peter 1 was formed in an environment where the idea of the need for serious reforms was already clearly identified in society. In this regard, it is necessary to understand that the transformative activities of the first emperor of Russia did not arise from scratch, it became a natural and necessary consequence of the entire previous development of the country.
Childhood
Peter 1, a brief biography, the board and reforms of which are the subject of this review, was born on May 30 (June 9), 1672. The exact birthplace of the future emperor is unknown. According to a common point of view, this place was the Kremlin, but the villages of Kolomenskoye or Izmailovo are also indicated. He was the fourteenth child in the family of Tsar Alexei, but the first from his second wife, Natalya Kirillovna. Maternal Peter 1 came from the Naryshkin family. She was the daughter of small local nobles, which, perhaps, subsequently predetermined their struggle with the large and influential boyar group of the Miloslavskys at court, who were relatives of the tsar by his first wife.
The childhood of Peter 1 passed among the nannies who did not give him a serious education. That is why until the end of his life he never learned to read and write and wrote with errors. However, this was a very curious boy who was interested in everything, he had an inquiring mind, which determined his interest in practical sciences. The end of the 17th century, when Peter the Great was born, was the time when European education began to spread in higher circles of society, however, the early years of the future emperor passed away from the new trends of the era.
Teenage years
Tsarevich’s life proceeded in the village of Preobrazhenskoye, where he, in fact, was left to his own devices. Nobody was seriously engaged in raising the boy, so his studies in these years were superficial. Nevertheless, the childhood of Peter 1 was very rich and fruitful in terms of the formation of his worldview and interest in scientific and practical studies. He seriously became interested in the organization of troops, for which he arranged for himself the so-called amusement regiments, which consisted of local courtyard boys, as well as sons of small noblemen, whose possessions were located nearby. Together with these small detachments, he took improvised bastions, organized battles and gatherings, and launched attacks. In relation to this time, we can say that the fleet of Peter the Great came into being. At first it was just a small boat, but nevertheless it is customary to consider him the father of the Russian flotilla.
First serious steps
It has already been said above that the time when Peter 1 was born is considered to be transitional in the history of Russia. It was during this period that the country was in a position where all the necessary prerequisites arose for its entry into the international arena. The first steps were taken in this direction during the overseas travel of the future emperor to the countries of Western Europe. Then he managed to see with his own eyes the achievements of these states in various fields of life.
Peter 1, whose brief biography includes this important stage in his fate, appreciated the West European achievements, primarily in technology and weapons. However, he drew attention to the culture and education of these countries, to their political institutions. After his return to Russia, he made an attempt to modernize the administrative apparatus, army, legislation, which was to prepare the country for entry into the international arena.
The initial phase of government: the beginning of reform
The era when Peter 1 was born was a preparatory time for major changes in our country. That is why the transformation of the first emperor was so out of place and survived for centuries by its creator. At the very beginning of his reign, the new sovereign abolished the Boyar Duma, which was the legislative body of power under the former kings. Instead, he created the Senate on a Western European model. It should have been a meeting of senators on the drafting of laws. It is significant that initially it was a temporary measure, which, however, turned out to be very effective: this institution lasted until the February Revolution of 1917.
Further conversions
It has already been said above that Peter 1, on the maternal side, comes from a not very noble noble family. However, his mother was raised in a European spirit, which, of course, could not but affect the personality of the boy, although the queen herself adhered to traditional views and measures when raising her son. Nevertheless, the tsar was inclined to transform almost all spheres of life in Russian society, which was literally an urgent need in connection with Russia's gaining access to the Baltic Sea and the country's entry into the international arena.
And so the emperor changed the administrative apparatus: created colleges instead of orders, a synod to manage church affairs. In addition, he formed a regular army, and the fleet of Peter 1 became one of the most powerful among other naval powers.
Features of transformative activity
The main goal of the reign of the emperor was the desire to reform those areas that were necessary for him to solve the most important tasks in the conduct of hostilities on several fronts at once. He himself, obviously, assumed that these changes would be temporary. Most modern historians agree that the ruler did not have any pre-designed program of activities to reform the country. Many experts believe that he acted on the basis of specific needs.
The importance of the reforms of the emperor for his successors
However, the phenomenon of his reforms lies precisely in the fact that at first glance these temporary measures survived for a long time their creator and existed almost unchanged for two centuries. Moreover, his successors, for example, Catherine II, was largely guided by his achievements. This suggests that the reforms of the ruler came in place at the right time. The life of Peter 1 was, in fact, dedicated to changing and improving the most diverse spheres in society. He was interested in everything new, however, borrowing the achievements of the West, he first of all thought about what benefits this would bring to Russia. That is why his transformative activities for a long time served as an example for reforms during the reign of other emperors.
Relationship to others
When describing the character of the king, one should never forget what kind of boyar family Peter 1 belonged to. On the maternal side, he came from a not very noble nobility, which, most likely, determined his interest not in nobility, but in the merits of a person to the fatherland and his skill serve. The emperor valued not the rank and rank, but the specific talents of his subordinates. This indicates the democratic approach of Peter Alekseevich to people, despite its harsh and even tough character.
Mature years
In the last years of his life, the emperor sought to consolidate his gains. But here he had serious problems with the heir. The dynastic crisis subsequently had a very bad effect on political governance and led to serious difficulties in the country. The fact is that Peter's son, Tsarevich Alexei went against his father, not wanting to continue his reforms. In addition, the king had serious problems in the family. Nevertheless, he made sure to consolidate the achieved successes: he took the title of emperor, and Russia became an empire. This step raised the international prestige of our country. In addition, Pyotr Alekseevich achieved recognition of Russia's access to the Baltic Sea, which was of fundamental importance for the development of trade and the navy. Subsequently, his successors continued their policy in this direction. Under Catherine II, for example, Russia gained access to the Black Sea. The emperor died as a result of a complication after a cold and before his death did not have time to make a will, which led to the emergence of numerous applicants for the throne and repeated palace coups.