It turns out that the nationality of Peter 1 is not such an unambiguous question as it might seem at first glance. There are many sources and versions that the great emperor was not really Russian. In this article, we will talk about the most popular assumptions, as well as interesting facts about his biography.
Tolstoy and Stalin
It is known that Count Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy took care of the issue of the nationality of Peter 1 when he was working on his novel about the emperor. Analyzing the documents, he found out that the greatest of the Russian monarchs, in fact, had nothing to do with Russian nationality. And the fact that the name of Peter 1 is Romanov turned out to be doubtful.
This discovery excited him so much that he decided to consult with Stalin, whom he was personally acquainted with, how to deal with these data. He brought the Generalissimo the relevant document. It was a kind of letter, from which it followed that the nationality of Peter 1 was not Russian at all, as everyone thought, but Georgian.
Interestingly, Stalin was not at all surprised by this turn of events. However, he asked Tolstoy to hide this fact so as not to make the information public. He argued this decision with a very arrogant statement, noting that the people should be left with at least one "Russian" that they would be proud of.
Seditious document Stalin advised Tolstoy to destroy. To some, this decision may seem strange, because Stalin himself was a Georgian, he should have been flattered that the most famous Russian emperor was his compatriot. But if you think about it, it actually makes sense. The Generalissimo did the right thing from the point of view of the leader of the peoples, because, as you know, he considered himself Russian.
However, Tolstoy could not completely conceal his discovery. He told a narrow circle of his acquaintances about him, and then the legend spread like a snowball among the intelligentsia.
Mysterious Document
What kind of document was this, which made it possible to doubt the nationality of Peter 1? Presumably it was a letter. Most likely, a message from Darya Archilovna Bagration-Mukhranskaya, who was the daughter of the Imeretian king Archil II, to her cousin, the daughter of the Mingrelian prince Dadiani.
The letter was about a certain prophecy that Daria heard from the Georgian queen. Here is his text:
My mother told me about a certain Matveev, who had a prophetic dream in which Saint George the Victorious appeared to him and said to him: great empire. He was supposed to be born from the alien Orthodox Tsar of Iberian from that tribe of David, which is the Mother of God. And the daughters of Cyril Naryshkin, pure in heart. Disobeying this command - to be a great pestilence. God's will is will.
This prophecy clearly hinted that this event must happen, but there were certain problems.
Romanov family
It is well known that the name of Peter 1 is Romanov. Whence, then, the assumption that he was a Georgian. Let's try to figure it out.
At that time, Russia was a kingdom ruled by Alexei Mikhailovich. He frankly did not cope with his duties. The country was mired in palace intrigues, many state issues were actually resolved by the adventurer and swindler Prince Miloslavsky.
Aleksey Mikhailovich was a frail and weak person who surrounded himself mainly with church people. He listened to their opinion the most. One of his close associates was Artamon Sergeevich Matveev, who had influence at court, if necessary, could put pressure on the king to resolve this or that issue. Many modern historians believe that Matveev was a kind of prototype of Rasputin at court.
Matveev had a plan. It was necessary to help the tsar get rid of his kinship with the Miloslavskys, whose influence was growing too much, which did not benefit the state. Instead, he planned to enthrone "his" heir.
In 1669, the wife of Alexei Mikhailovich, Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya, died during childbirth. After that it isMatveev, who was friendly and close to the tsar, introduces him at home to the Crimean Tatar princess Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. She was the daughter of the Crimean Tatar Murza Ismail Narysh, who at that time lived in Moscow.
Next, we had to resolve the issue with the heirs. After all, Alexei Mikhailovich already had children from his first wife, but they did not suit Matveev by origin and state of he alth, like his father, they were frail and weak. Therefore, according to some researchers, it was decided to find a replacement for him in the person of the Georgian prince.
Emperor's Father
There are two main theories about who was the father of Peter 1, if Matveev's plan was really successful, and Alexei Mikhailovich had nothing to do with conception. Among the alleged candidates are two Georgian princes who belonged to the Bagration family.
The first is the king of Imereti Archil II, one of the founders of the Georgian diaspora in Moscow, a poet. The second is Heraclius I, king of Kartli and Kakheti.
Analyzing the documents of that time, we have to admit that Heraclius has the greatest chances to be the father of Peter 1, since it was he who was in Moscow at the time when the conception of the future Russian emperor approximately occurred. Archil arrived in the capital later - in 1681.
Heraclius in Russia was known under the name Nikolai Davydovich, which he used for convenience. He was among those close to Alexei Mikhailovich, and at his wedding with the Tatar princess he was appointed thousandth, that is, the main manager of all marriage celebrations.
It is worth noting that the dutytysyatsky, among other things, included the honorary mission of becoming the godfather of the wedding couple. In 1672, at the christening of the future Russian ruler, Heraclius fulfilled his duty by naming the baby Peter. Two years later he left Russia, going to reign in Kakheti.
Archil version
For the sake of justice, it is worth considering the version according to which the origin of Peter 1 may be associated with the Imeretian king Archil II, who stayed at the Russian court after he escaped from pressure from Persia. There is an assumption that he was literally forced to go to the princess's bedroom, convincing that this is God's providence, and he should take part in a good deed, that is, the conception of a future heir to the throne.
It is possible that it was Matveev's dream, which had a great influence on Archil, that forced the Georgian to go to the chambers of the young princess. Indirectly, Peter's relationship with Archil is evidenced by the fact that the official heir to the Georgian monarch, whose name was Prince Alexander, became the first general of Georgian origin in the history of Russia. He served with Peter in amusing regiments, died being captured by the Swedes. And other children of Archil received all sorts of preferences from Peter, lands on the territory of the Russian Empire.
Besides, it was at this time that the mass migration of the Georgian elite to Moscow began. The second version is also supported by the fact that outwardly Peter was similar to Archil. Both were of enormous growth for that time, with almost identical characters and facial features. This may also indicate that his fatherwas Heraclius. After all, the Georgian princes are relatives among themselves.
Be that as it may, the big question arises as to what family Peter 1 belonged to. If this version is correct, then he was Bagration, and not Romanov, as everyone always believed.
Open Secret
The most amazing thing is that at court, apparently, many knew about the true father of the Russian emperor. For example, Princess Sophia, when she was fighting for the throne, wrote to Golitsyn that it was impossible to allow a Basurman to get power in the country.
Natalya Naryshkina, the mother of Peter I, is said to have later repented of her act, afraid of what she had done under pressure from Matveev. Therefore, she allegedly repeatedly stated that Peter could not be Tsar.
Yes, and Peter himself somehow let it slip. When he was married to a Georgian princess, he publicly declared that he would not marry a namesake.
To believe that not everything is so smooth in the origin of Peter, one should at least remember how he looked. After all, not a single Russian tsar before this was distinguished by high growth.
According to historical documents, his height under two meters was truly gigantic for that time. Yes, and by today's standards, it would look very impressive. At the same time, Peter wore size 48 clothes, and shoes size 38, which is very surprising, but this was precisely the peculiarity of the princes from the Bagration clan.
It is believed that even in character the emperor was a real Caucasian, and not a representative of the Romanov family. At the same time, he inherited the cruelty of the Muscovite tsars who ruled before him. This feature couldto get on the maternal side, since her whole family was more Tatar than Slavic. Perhaps it was this character trait that allowed him to turn Russia into an empire and a European state.
Describing the personality of Peter 1, we can say that he was not Russian, but was a Russian. Despite his confused origins, Peter still belonged to the royal blood, only, perhaps, not to the Romanov family.
Maybe it was not the Horde origin that made him a reformer, an adherent of Western values and ideals. In this way, by the way, he resembled Matveev, who supposedly arranged this multi-move. Artamon Sergeevich's fate was tragic. After the death of Alexei Mikhailovich, he fell into disgrace and was expelled from the capital. However, he soon returned, took the side of Peter, to enthrone him. Literally a few days after his arrival from exile in Moscow, the Streltsy rebellion took place. Matveev was among those who were one of the first to try to pacify the rebels and force them to return to the barracks. Treated him cruelly. Artamon Sergeevich was killed right in front of the young Peter.
Jewish Roots
There is another conspiracy version of the origin of the future first Russian emperor. According to her, Peter was Jewish through his mother.
Allegedly, the Naryshkin family descended from the Karaite warrior Naryshko, who in 1392 entered the personal guard of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt after he defeated the Crimean Tatars. Later, Naryshko moved to Moscow, converted to Orthodoxy, giving rise to his ownkind.
Already in modern Russia, Raisa Slobodchikova writes about this, who assures that she also comes from the Naryshkin family. In her book The Romanovs, Naryshkins and Their Descendants, she claims that there was a part of Jewish blood in the family of the future Russian emperor. At the same time, it is reliably known that the religion of Peter 1 is Orthodoxy.
To be more precise, the Naryshkins came from the Karaites, who just lived in the Crimea, Galicia and Lithuania. This is a small Turkic nation, which has its own religion, recognizing only the Holy Scriptures. At the same time, the Karaites deny the Talmud and observe stricter religious rites than the Jews.
Perhaps this kinship explains the special attitude towards the Karaites on the part of the Romanovs. In Russia, they were considered equal citizens of the empire. All sovereigns who visited the Crimea were present at prayer services in their prayer houses. For example, Alexander I and Nicholas II.
Short biography of the Emperor
Date and place of birth of Peter 1 - May 30, 1672, Moscow. As a child, his half-brother Fedor was his guardian. At the same time, it is known that the future emperor received a poor education, until the end of his life he wrote with errors.
After the death of the official father, Fedor, the son of Alexei Mikhailovich from Maria Miloslavskaya, became king. The Naryshkins were then forced to leave for the Moscow region. Fedor's reign was short-lived - he died six years later. Ivan was supposed to be the next heir, but he was weak and sickly. Therefore, at the court, the party began to gain strengthsupporters of Peter. Enlisting the support of Patriarch Joachim, the Naryshkins won this fight. Urgently summoned from exile, Artamon Matveev was appointed "great guardian" of the infant tsar.
The Miloslavskys, believing that their interests were violated, provoked the archers to rebel. As a result of the pogrom, several well-known boyars, two brothers of Natalya Naryshkina, were killed. The archers demanded that Ivan be recognized as the first king, and Peter as the second. The boyars agreed, fearing further pogroms. This is how the dual kingdom began in Russia. Moreover, their older sister Sophia took over the actual administration of the state, since both monarchs were still small.
Telling a brief biography and interesting facts about Peter 1, it is worth noting that his childhood passed away from the palace. In the villages of Preobrazhenskoye and Vorobyevo, he became interested in military affairs, creating his own "amusing" troops. In 1689, at the insistence of his mother, he married Evdokia Lopukhina. From this marriage he had two sons.
Becoming stronger, Peter overthrew Sophia, and his older brother Ivan met Peter in the Assumption Cathedral and actually gave him power. Formally remaining one of the kings, since 1689 he no longer took any part in state affairs. Until his death in 1696.
At the same time, the official years of the reign of Peter 1 - 1682 - 1725.
Reforms and wars of conquest
Becoming king, he immediately set to work. The priority was to continue the war with the Crimea and the Ottoman Empire. For this, the Azov campaigns were startedin 1695 and 1696.
Then the sovereign sent the Grand Embassy to Europe to find allies in the fight against the Ottoman Empire. A well-known story about the life of Peter 1 says that under the guise of a constable of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, the sovereign himself participated in the trip. In addition to negotiations, he studied shipbuilding, processed the acquisition of military and other equipment for various purposes. The Great Embassy did not achieve its goal. Due to the War of the Spanish Succession, it was not possible to form a coalition against the Ottoman Empire in Europe. But there were favorable conditions for Russia's struggle for the B altic Sea. So there was a reorientation of foreign policy from the south to the north.
The last years of the 17th century became a turning point for Russia. From the Great Embassy, Peter had to urgently return to Russia. Sophia staged a Streltsy rebellion. True, the uprising was crushed even before the return of the king. As a result of the investigation, about 800 archers were executed, Sophia was tonsured a nun.
Returning from Europe, Peter began to actively discuss the reforms that the country needed. He began to change the old Slavic way of life, striving to make it as similar as possible to the European one in everything. It was then that the boyars began to cut their beards, there were decrees on wearing German dresses.
Peter carried out large-scale military reforms. In building a new empire, the successful Northern War against Sweden for access to the B altic Sea was of great importance. Russia's expansion to the East also continued.
The reforms initiated by the tsar led to significant economicsuccess. Western industrial technologies were introduced into production, almost all sectors of the national economy were reorganized. The years of the reign of Peter 1 became a real breakthrough in the development of the country.
The Sovereign applied the economic theory of mercantilism that was dominant at that time in Europe. This doctrine was based on the fact that each nation must produce everything that it needs in order not to become impoverished. And in order to get rich, you should export your own products for sale abroad as much as possible, and buy as little as possible.
It was under Peter that geological exploration began to develop, thanks to which metal ore deposits were found in the Urals. Started building factories.
One of the main things of the king was the founding of St. Petersburg. This is perhaps the best and most widely known memory of Peter 1 that could be. The construction of the city was carried out from 1704 to 1717. Already in 1712 it was proclaimed the new capital of the Russian state. The royal court and all official institutions were transferred here from Moscow.
For Peter the Great, St. Petersburg was a strategically important project. Researchers believe that by moving the capital to the city on the Neva, the ruler implemented the political and spatial embodiment of the idea of cultural-state "eccentrism". After all, at that time the city was formally in the territory of Sweden. This is precisely what this idea consisted of, when the center of the cultural and religious-political model was moved outside the state. By this action, the Russian tsar committedturn towards Europe. The foundation of St. Petersburg was one of the main events of the era of Peter the Great. Since then, the new capital was perceived as a western city, as opposed to eastern Moscow.
It is known that in the last years of his life the emperor's he alth deteriorated. Presumably, he suffered from urolithiasis, which was complicated by uremia. In October 1724, against the advice of doctors, he went to inspect the Ladoga Canal. In the Lakhta area, he had to stand waist-deep in water, rescuing a boat with soldiers that ran aground.
This incident finally undermined his he alth. But he continued to engage in state affairs, despite the increasing pain. In January, he became so ill that the emperor ordered a camp church to be erected next to his bedroom. On January 22, he confessed.
Peter died in terrible agony on January 28.
Performance evaluation
It is difficult to underestimate the role of Peter 1 in Russian history. For his merits, he was nicknamed the Great, which fully reflects how much he did for the prosperity of his state. This is a key figure in the history of Russia's development.
It was Peter who created the empire. His reign was a time of full-scale reforms for Russia. The territory of the state has expanded significantly. Especially in the B altic region after the victory in the Northern War over the Swedes. It was this success that allowed him to take the title of emperor, and proclaim the state itself an empire.
The economy was raised, a network of glass andmetallurgical plants, imports of foreign goods are reduced to a minimum. In the shortest possible time, he managed to realize this strategically important, but difficult task.
One of the first Russian rulers, Peter began to take over from the Western powers their best ideas and undertakings. However, it is worth recognizing that all successes and reforms were achieved only through violence against the population, any dissent was eradicated. Because of this, it still causes conflicting assessments among historians.
Describing the personality of Peter 1, it is worth noting that he had a cheerful and quick-witted disposition, which was combined with sudden and spontaneous impulses. It could be both affection and unbridled cruelty.
From his youth, Peter was a supporter of drunken orgies with his comrades. Being in anger, he could beat the close one. Often he chose old boyars and other persons from the nobility as victims of his evil jokes. At the same time, he was not ashamed of his determination and cruelty. After the Streltsy rebellion, he personally performed the functions of an executioner.
At the same time, in the official Russian historiography, it is customary to consider him one of the most prominent statesmen who determined the development of Russia and its fate.
