Sophia Alexeevna

- Prisoner of the Terem?

*in 1600s, the Terem became important part of the house, where women would spend most of thier lives - restricted freedoms of women in Russian society (why? possibly idea borrowed from Muslim neighbors to the south? - not sure) - Sofia was limited to this until adulthood and then to become a nun

-50% of children at the time would not live to the age of 10 or 11

Sofia became Regent, 1682-89 for her two brothers (Ivan from the Miloslavkii female line - same as Sofia - and Peter I of the Naryshkin femaile line)

- unsuccessful campaigns against the Turks under her, making her regency, in part, unstable- tried to limit Peter I by limiting his education - forced to live outside of Kremlin and with foreigners in the suburbs - spoke 5 languages - learned a lot of trades from the skilled tradesmen residing in the suburbs (mastered over 20 crafts by hanging around with Irishmen, Swiss and Germans)

- propped up the mentally slower Ivan

-Peter forces her into a convent, and Peter's mother becomes principle advisor until he rules on his own

Unfortunate Denouement

- Painting by Ilia Repin

- Novodevichii Convent

- painting depicts Sofia in the convent

Peter Alexeevich "the Great" ruled 1689-1725

Progress through Coercion, or Revolution from Above: Peter Transfigures Russia

(Note* - "Progress Through Coercion" is the title of one of the books on the book list)

- The Great Transfigurer of Russia

-- Preobrazhenya

- Transfiguration of Christ - written by Theophanes the Greek (Feofan Grek)

**** Referring to Peter as the Great Transfigurer would have, at the time, evoked images of the famous icon of the Transfiguration of Christ --- would evoke thoughts of comparrison of Peter to Christ

Early Life

- Born 1672 to Tsar Alexei and Natalia Naryshkina

- Co-ruler with half-brother Ivan V from 1682; half-sister Sophia was regent

- Events of 1689 - "streltsy"

(note* - the streltsy, the Russian versions of the muskateers, were those who handled the muskets. **Musketeers, contrary to the image of sole use of swords, were those who used... muskets) - (use of the streltsy marks a move away from the calvary use of the Russian army as the dominant military arm, to the use of infantry with the use of the technology of small firearms. Improved warfare tactics to incorporate usage of the new technology, and made use of engineers and seige equipment.) (Streltsy = irregular soldiers. Think of them as firearms 101 soldiers - not the best and latest. Though in use, the overall military still not modern, nor particularly sophisticated.)

- 1689 = Sofia leaves from power

****Battle of Orsha, Russians vs. Poles, 1514 - GOOGLE: painting of the battle, by German artist

Early Reign

- "Play compaigns" and White Sea sailing

- Assaults on Azov, 1694-5

- Two delegations abroad (1697-98_:

- Italy (Peter Tolstoy)

- Northwestern Europe ("Grand Embassy")

- Streltsy rebellion, 1698

**Note - Peter never promoted himself, even in his play games, to command. He put others in charge, and by choice started off as a grenadier and worked his way up through the ranks. Knew the life of the regular soldier, in effect.

** - learned to sail in the tributary of the Moscow River, the Yaosa(?)

** - Grandaddy of the Russian Navy = nickname of the boat Peter learned to sail on

** - at one point crashed on the islands of the Monastery

- 1694 - tried to take Turkish fortress on Sea of Azov and failed (remember, in the 1680s Sofia had tried twice and failed)

- Peter assembled a navy, though not well built, but good enough and he took Azov in 1695 (later gave it back in 1711, but retook it in 1739)

- initial failure, and subsequent success after building nacy convinced him of need to modernize (canons, engineering, etc.)

- Peter himself joined delegation to Europe (one who went along was... Peter Tolstoy)

- Peter Tolstoy = from boyar family and progenitor of the Tolstoy writers (Lev Tolstoy descended from him)

- traditional Muscovite (should've supported Sofia, and switched sides at last minute)

- Peter never really trusted him, so punished him by sending him with young apprentices in their 20s to Italy to learn, despite his being at least a generation older

- kept journal. On guard initially in Europe because in "Land of Heretics". Very impressed once in Italy - sees the Roman ruins (at time 1500-1700 year old) - begins to appreciate the grandeur of Old Roman civilization.

- learned how to sail, and passes much of what he'd initially toured with new eyes - becomes STRONG supporter of Peter. ***Outlives Peter, though at this point in 50s

- Peter tried to feign being a traveling student, taking name Peter Mikhailov (of course, people knew he was Tsar, but wanted to go around and learn without trappings of royal court) (Spent 8 months in a shipyard learning how to build a ship, from every step of the beginning to the end - became a skilled shipwright) - (said of all things, he'd rather be an Admiral in the British navy than anything else)

- Peter wanted to know about the House of Commons when in England -- observed from roof, looking down through skylight

- sought to hire specialists to return with them to Russia - to construct canals, create canons, fortresses, hydraulic engineers, etc.

*** 1698 - Had to flea back to Russia due to word of Streltsy rebellion - by the time he got there the rebellion was over. This was the third streltsy rebellion against Peter (1682, 1689, 1698) - thus Peter Livid and executes leaders, and dismantles the streltsy

GOOGLE: Surikov painting "The Morning of the Execution of the Streltsy"

http://www.abcgallery.com/S/surikov/surikov12.html

- Peter learned how to extract teeth (extracted with spoons, sword)

- Helped in axe beheadings (executions)

GOOGLE: Tolstoy's journal of visit to Italy

Great Northern War, 1700-1721 (actually started in 1699)

- Determined the character of the rest of the reign

- V.O. Kliuchevsky's interpretation

- Karl (Charles) XII of Sweden

- Narva, November 1700

- Livonia and Ingria, 1702-03

- St. Petersburg, May 1703

- Poltava, June 1709

****Started with death of King Charles XI, and 16 year old boy came to power - Gustavus Aldovis - popular in Scandinavia - fought in 30yrs War - as a result of victories Sweden became most powerful country in Northern Europe (with death of Charles XI, Russia sees opportunity -- at same time, throne of Poland = vacant -- several countries come into war against Sweden, but it's only Russia that stays in war constantly)

- Kliuchevsky = great Russian historian (Peter wanted to make Russia more powerful, but didn't know how to do it. He was "ad hocing" all the way through his reign. Responded to crisis, to crisis, to crisis. No real plan. Not so much brilliant so much as had strong will and work ethic - perhaps like most of us)

- Great Northern War began with disaster at Narva - Charles's army attacks in blinding snowstorm - men so trained to press on the attack - continue moving forward no matter what and the enemy can't take it --- this is the lesson they'd learned in battle after battle after battle - extremely well disciplined

- Narva = terrible defeat for Russians - lost almost all artillary, supply train, lots of officers. Utter disaster. Charles probably figured "it's over, Russians are defeated", but Peter totally reorganized the Russian army and helped to find new sources of iron for canons. --- Petrozovorsk (founded in 1792 - literally means Peter's factory)

- Peter = first to distinguish between field and heavy seige artillery

- Peter introduced the bayonet, making it an offensive weapon, soldiers charging with fixed bayonets

- by 1702 began to win some victories

- in 1702-3 began to win victories in Ingria, region where St. Petersburg is

- Katherine captured by Russians as prisoner of war

- 1703 = reached mouth of Neva River and St. Petersburg founded

Fortresses

Oreshok (Little Nut), later Shlisselburg (Key)

- on Lake Ladoga (quarter of a million men died here on the Soviet Side during World War II - Ivan VI strangled there - a lot of human suffering in this fortress)

Fortress of St. Peter and St. Paul - established in May 1703 (Older than Washington, and maybe a little older than Richmond, but relatively new for a European city)

- both fortresses have been used as prisons

- How to fight a war?

• The Battle of Narva = vs. Sweden – November 19, 1700 – part of the Great Northern War

- Resulted in a major defeat for the Russians

• Costs of the loss: weapons and equipment, among other things

  • Thus the need to replace them – use of iron from deposits in Karelia, Urals

  • Sophisticated use of artillery – military had to learn to distinguish between field and siege artillery

  • Bayonet came to be used as an offensive weapon – never seen before in Europe

  • Textile plants were established to manufacture uniforms

• *Essentially, Peter recognized the need to put all the resources of the nation into the war effort --- he helped to modernize the Russian military

- Building an army

- Another response to the defeat at Narva was the implementation policy changes in

a. who had to serve how long (nobles served for life from age 15 – service to the state)

b. one could only become an officer by rising through the ranks – not simply by being a noble

- Nobles serve for life from age 15 (to keep them from passing on property - no retirement age - you could petition for retirement - if you're noble you serve - no privilege - Peter thought of himself as a servant of the state - continued like this for about a century)

- Levy on peasants, one per 75 households (constituted bulk of military conscripts) - not constant, in peacetime was more like 1 of every 300. 1 of every 50 would be severe.

- To pay to build a new army: created a series of taxes

- beard tax, chimney tax, soul tax

* Soul Tax being the major income generator (established in 1718)

- After this tax, the Russian budget was able to stabilize

- in place until the late 1800s, when it was decided that it was a regressive tax –

a tax mostly on the poor

• Look up Novel by Nikolai Gogol – premise of the novel being on the soul tax

BATTLE OF POLTAVA – June 27 (July 8), 1709

• Major Russian victory!

Note: the different dates due to the difference in the calendar used at the time.

• Russians caught Charles’s 8,000 strong (of wagons) wagon train (supply train) – on narrow, poor roads. – Mostly destroyed

• GOOGLE: book by Peter Englund on the Battle of Poltava

• Quote from book: “Most of the Swedish army spent the rest of their lives, over the next half hour, walking over that hot, dusty field.”

• The Swedish army was totally DESTROYED!

• Sweden DONE as a military power

• Russian became a major European and military power

• Russians slaughtered the Cossacks – men, women, and children – in front of the Swedes – all while Sweden is starving – thus Sweden lost its appetite for war – surviving Swedish prisoners who made it back home after release wrote of the helplessness they felt in watching the slaughter

* Peter the Great had an immense cultural impact

- clothing

- language

- law

- military

- social status

- food (ordered potatoes grown in Russian)

- calendar change (introduced the Julian calendar)

- new words:

Empire (imperia), gubertanor

- founded St. Petersburg

- forced the nobles to build houses in St. Petersburg

- prescribed the types of houses nobles, mid-class and low-class citizens had to build

Concern of the succession:

Peter had great concerns over who would succeed him to the throne

- son Alexei greatly displeased Peter - completely unlike his father

- fled Russia, going to Vienna, Austria

--- GOOGLE: painting - Alexei repremanded by Peter at Peterhov

- note the setting in the painting - not a typical Russian interior -- it's Peter's European style world - the checkered floor is a pattern taken from the Dutch

- Peter sitting in an armchair (typically Russians had benches and stools, but not chairs) - paintings on the wall - the painting suggests a broken relationship between father and son - Alexei's girlfriend broke under the pressure of torture (in the case of Alexei's supposed conspiracy) - Alexei then tortured, perhaps even by Peter himself - sentenced and died

http://www.royalhistorian.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Peter_the_Great_Interrogating_the_Tsarevich_Alexei_Petrovich.jpg

When Peter died, he had been in the process of setting up the Academy of Sciences - governmental support of sciences was becoming fashionable in Europe at the time, particularly among the royals/nobles - Peter wanted to establish his own (went to Versailles and Paris, sought advice from Leibnitz) -

* Leibnitz also interpretted a few of Peter's dreams, as well as Katherine's

The Russian Academy of Science became the most important scientific and research institution in the country

- Back to the issue of the succession:

- got rid of his heir, Alexei - other son, Peter, developed slowly - Alexei had a son also named Peter (stronger than Peter the Great's younger son) - Peter the Great died in 1725 likely due to urinary tract infections - NEVER NAMED SUCCESSOR

- Issue becomes those who Peter placed in power vs. the nobles

- many among Peter's appointees and beneficiaries support Katherine as his heir

- foreigners supported her, in fear of what would happen to them if the Moscow nobles retook power

- Tolstoy, one of the Moscow nobles, threw his support behind her

*The Privy Council set up to help her rule

The Time Between the "Greats"

1725-1762

or "Sots, Sadists and Nymphomaniacs"

**Between Peter the Great and Catherine the Great

Rulers

- Catherine I (1725-27). Widow of Peter I

- Peter II (1727-30). Grandson of Peter I

- Anna Ioannovna (1730-40). Niece of Peter I (daughter of Ivan V)

- Ivan VI Antonovich (1740-41). Grand-nephew of Anna

- son of duke of Brunswick

- Regencies: Ernst Johann Biron (1740); mother Anna Leopoldovna

- Elizabeth Petrovna (1741-61). Daughter of Peter I

- Peter III (1761-62). Grandson of Peter I (son of Anna)

- Also duke of Holstein and putative heir to throne of Sweden

- Husband of Catherine (Sophia Dorothea of Anhalt-Zerbst)

Catherine I

- Supreme Privy Council

- Dominated first by Menshikov, then the Dolgorukiis

- Academy of Sciences

*most of the seats of the Privy Council given to the "new people" - the ones Peter had brought up to power

* family from Moscow with the most power on the Council --- Dolgorukiis (remember - decendants of Yuri Dolgorukii - oldest of the Moscow nobility) - Note: consider the fact that the Dolgorukii's are on the same council as... Menshikov, a man whose father had sold meatpies on streets of Moscow (this thanks to Peter the Great)

Academy of Sciences:

Leonard Euler - most famous mathemetician in Europe after death of Isaac Newton - buried in St. Petersburg

- Menshikov = driving force during Catherine's reign

- Menshikov wanted his daughter to marry Catherine's son (to become grandfather of Emperor - this move not favored by the nobles)

----- overplayed his hand, even losing support of previous supporters (lost everything - titles, property, and exiled to Siberia - on journey his wife died of illness)

GOOGLE: Menshikov and family in exile --- Note: the interior of the building in the painting - might be referred to as "true Russia"