Everyone who is interested in the history of the Russian state, sooner or later, had to deal with anecdotes that some decrees of Peter 1 have turned into today. XVII - early XVIII centuries, as they say, 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 18th century, these documents were for the majority “blasphemy and devilry.”
Some decrees of the tsar, for example, the decree on the single succession of Peter 1, led to intrigues. Others influenced fashion, the economy, and the military. Only one thing remains undoubted: the tsar tried hard to renew the stagnant society of his time.
Line of Succession
One of the most significant in the history of the state was the decree onsingle succession 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 sovereign appointed as his successor.
This decree on the succession to the throne of Peter 1 was canceled only by Emperor Paul I in 1797. Prior to that, he served as the basis for many palace coups, assassinations and intrigues. Although it was originally conceived by Peter as a preventive measure against the conservative mood of people dissatisfied with the 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 later. As for the first decree, according to the will of the tsar, starting from 1700, the chronology in Russia switched to the European style.
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 the year 7208, it became the first of the year 1700.
Beards
Probably the most famous innovation of the Russian Tsar after his return from Europe concerned the fashion for beards. Further, many decrees of Peter 1 will be given, funny and serious. But none 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 their beards. Such actions shocked society.
But the young king didn't stop there. He introduced a tax on beards. Anyone who wanted to keep 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, townspeople cost sixty, and servants and others - thirty. It should be noted that these were very serious sums for those times. Only peasants were exempted from this annual tax, but they also had to pay a penny from their beards to enter the city.
Fashion Issues
Many decrees of Peter 1 concerned 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 thing was about the army. Since Peter the Great was seriously engaged in updating and improving it, attention was paid to literally every little thing. So, a decree was issued on "sewing buttons to the front side of a soldier's uniform." This measure was supposed to extend the life of official clothing, since it became impossible to wipe your mouth with your sleeve.
Also, European fashion was introduced in the cities. The sovereign ordered everyone to replace traditional long clothes with short suits “in the Hungarian manner.”
And finally, noble ladies were punished to followfreshness of linen, so as not to "confuse foreign gentlemen with obscene aromas that make their way through perfumes."
About construction and quality
One of the most famous is the decree of Peter the Great on quality. It is not as popular as many of the ridiculous laws passed by the tsar, but with its help the Russian army was able to win at Poltava.
So, having discovered that the guns from the Tula plant are not of very good quality, the emperor ordered the owner and those responsible for the products to be arrested. Then they were destined for punishment in the form of killing with 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 entire weapons order to Tula. Any marriage was supposed to be punished with rods. In addition, the tsar ordered the new owner, Demidov, to build huts for all the workers, like the owner.
No less interesting is the decree of Peter the Great on construction. When the tsar intended to begin the construction of St. Petersburg, he forbade the construction of stone houses throughout the country. Therefore, all the specialists came to the Neva to earn money. Thus, the sovereign was able to build the city in the shortest possible time.
Military matters
One of the most famous jokes today is Peter the Great's decree on subordinates. In fact, its existence has not been proven, but nowadays it is, as they say, on everyone's lips. We will talk about it at the end of the article.
Now we will not talk about the famous "funny decrees of Peter", but about really importantthings. So, the king in the conditions of hostilities with Sweden was in dire need of qualified officers. Therefore, it was decided to provide foreigners with promising positions in the ranks of the Russian army. So, all European soldiers in the highest ranks, with command experience, were invited to our country for a salary that was twice that of domestic officers.
The first wave of "labor migrants" turned out to be, according to Peter's contemporaries, "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 his goal. The Russian army has been trained and re-equipped.
By the way, with regard to rearmament, there is evidence of the melting down of church bells into cannons after the “embarrassment at Narva”. It is noteworthy that here the sovereign showed nobility. So, he did not seize church property, but rent it. After the victory at Poltava, the tsar ordered the bells to be cast from captured Swedish guns and returned to their place.
Economic decrees
Introduced by Peter the Great 1 and economic innovations. We will look at three decrees that have largely shaken traditional Russian foundations.
So, according to the first decree, "counteraction to promises and bribes" was introduced in the state. For such misconduct, the highest pen alty was assumed. To prevent the reasons pushing officials to crime, the emperor raised the salaries of civil servants. But at the same time, “any bribery, trade, contracts and promises” were prohibited.
In those days in Russia there wasthe medical practice of people who are quite far from even the basics of this craft is widespread. Therefore, one of the laws forbade "the implementation of pharmaceutical and medical activities to all persons who do not have the right to do so."
The last fact is more of a joke than the truth. So, the following quote from the king has survived to this day: “The collection of taxes is a thieves' business. Do not pay them salaries, but hang one once a year so that it would not be habitual for others.”
Beautification measures
Sovereign Peter the Great 1, after returning from a trip to Western Europe, seriously decided, as they say, to restore order in the Russian Empire. In addition to many other issues, issues of cleanliness, fire safety and landscaping were also raised.
Firstly, the law "On cleanliness in Moscow" was adopted. He ordered all residents to keep an eye on the garbage on the pavements and in the yards. “If it is revealed, take it out of the city and bury it in the ground.” If they noticed uncleaned waste from their yard, they imposed fines or flogged with rods.
The second decree de alt exclusively with shipbuilding and the fleet. According to him, during the repair of ships and life on them, all waste should be removed. If at least one shovel of garbage fell into the water, punishment was envisaged. For the first fault, it was in the amount of a monthly salary, and for the second - half a year. For the third shovel of garbage into the river, the officers were demoted to the rank and file, and ordinary sailors were exiled to Siberia.
A fire safety decree was also passed. It directed homeowners to refurbish all stoves,setting them up with stone foundations. It was also prescribed to make brickwork between the wall and the stove, and to lay pipes such that “a person can climb through”. It was necessary to clean such a structure once a month. Fines were imposed for non-compliance with this norm.
Alcohol
Corresponding to the time and different strata of society, the texts of the decrees of Peter 1 often refer to the procedure for handling alcoholic beverages. These provisions were especially relevant to the army and navy.
At the assemblies, it was recommended to drink to the extent that "with your snoring bodies" not to embarrass the recently arrived guests who did not have time to "get up to the standard of gentlemen and others lying nearby."
If we talk about the fleet, then there were several decrees.
Firstly, being abroad, it was forbidden for everyone - from a sailor to an admiral "to revel to death, so as not to dishonor the honor of the fleet and the state."
Secondly, navigators should not have been allowed into the taverns, as they are “boorish offspring, they recruit and make a brawl.”
There was also a law in the navy that sometimes still applies today. So, if a sailor, walking on the shore, got drunk to the point of losing consciousness, but he was found lying with his head towards the ship, then in this case he was practically not punished: “did not reach, but strove back.”
Also, since the time of Peter the Great, it has been customary in our country to celebrate May Day. It was borrowed from the peoples of Europe. So, this holiday was celebrated as the day of spring among the Germans and Scandinavians. In Moscow, festivities were organized, tables were laid for all passers-by. Participation in festivitiesthe emperor himself was disdainful, urging the people to join.
Rules of Conduct at Assemblies
In addition to innovations in the army, chronology and other areas of life, the emperor also took care of raising the general culture of the population. Despite the fact that the king tried to do everything for the best, today such decrees of his often cause only a smile.
So, consider 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 in front of the people, on a visit and at assemblies. First, you had to wash and shave thoroughly. Secondly, being half hungry and better sober. Thirdly, do not stand as a pillar, but participate in the festivities. It was also recommended to find out in advance where the toilets are in which case. Fourthly, it was allowed to eat moderately, but drink plenty. By the way, there was a special attitude towards drunks in Russia. Those who lost consciousness from a large amount of alcohol were to be carefully folded separately, "so that they would not fall by chance and interfere with the dances." Fifthly, recommendations were given for dealing with the ladies, “so as not to get into trouble in the face.”
And the last of the important instructions. It is known that there is no fun without a song, so it was necessary to join the general choir, and “not to roar like a Valaam donkey.”
Census
As well as the decree on the succession to the throne of Peter 1, this provision was simply necessary for the state. Due to the constant conduct of military campaigns, the country is constantlyneeded funds to support the army. Therefore, the emperor issued an order to conduct a household census.
But this measure did not give the desired result. The landlords did not want to pay taxes "no one knows where", as the country was already tired of constant war. Therefore, Pyotr Alekseevich had to conduct such a census several times, since with each new number of households 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 (give a year)", the household tax was replaced by poll tax.
Other funny decrees
The king's decrees on the attitude towards the authorities cause a smile. For example, the decree of Peter 1 on subordinates. According to him, "a subordinate in the face of high-ranking should have a silly and dashing appearance, so as not to seem smarter."
Besides, senators were forbidden to read speeches. As a result, they had to speak in their own words, and the level of development of everyone was clear.
No less interesting was the decree of Peter the Great about redheads. In accordance with it, it was forbidden to hire people with a defect (the red hair color was then considered as such). This order is inspired in part by the saying that "God marks the rogue."
As we mentioned earlier, Peter I in his decrees covered all sectors of society. So it often got not only men, but also ladies. Let's take one example. From ancient times in Russia, pallor of the skin was consideredsign of blue blood. Therefore, noble ladies blackened their teeth for greater contrast. In addition, spoiled 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 whiten them.
Thus, in this article we got acquainted with the decrees of one of the greatest rulers of Russia. Emperor Peter the Great was not just the head of the country, he was responsible for improvements in various areas of public life.
Even though some of his decrees are smiley today, at the time they were revolutionary measures.
