Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for in our Romanov series has arrived! Dive deep into the turbulent era of Peter the Great, the Tsar who towered above the rest - both figuratively and literally. Venture back in time to witness the seismic shifts Peter introduced to Russia. From his ambition to westernize a sprawling empire, to founding the iconic city of St. Petersburg, the Tsar's visions were as vast as the Russian landscapes. Learn how he dragged Russia, sometimes by sheer force of will, into a new age, setting it on a path to become a European powerhouse, forever changing its fate.
It would not be a great exaggeration to say that the figure of Peter the Great, in itself of simply gigantic scale, set the course for the development for Russia for many centuries ahead. To this day, to some extent, we still follow his path. Peter is "our everything", perhaps even more so than Pushkin. For better or worse, we owe everything to Peter the Great. From toy armies to Life Guards, from kaftans to German coats, from derelict Dutch frigates to the first Russian Navy, Peter changed just about everything, including the calendar and the language.
Mikhail Pogodin, one of Russia's most eminent 19th century historians, put it this way:
“We wake up. What day is it today? January 1st, 1842 — Peter the Great ordered to count the years from the Birth of Christ, Peter the Great ordered to count the months from January.
It's time to get dressed — our dress is tailored to the fashion set by Peter the First, the uniform is of his design. The cloth is woven at the factory he established; the wool is sheared from the sheep he bred.
A book catches your eye — Peter the Great introduced this typeface and carved the letters himself. You begin to read it — under Peter the First, this language became written, literary, replacing the previous, ecclesiastical one.
They bring you the newspapers — Peter the Great started them.
You need to buy various things — everything from a silk handkerchief to a shoe sole will remind you of Peter the Great...”
Young Peter The Great (The Romanovs #5) 1690-1700