Emperor Peter the Great of Russia
Posts in The Copybook tagged ‘Emperor Peter the Great of Russia’
In The Copybook
Posts in The Copybook tagged ‘Emperor Peter the Great of Russia’
In The Copybook
Peter the Great wanted Russia to join the nations of Western Europe, but the nations of Western Europe refused to make room for him.
On the eve of the Great Northern War (1700-1721), most Europeans saw Russia only as an uncouth land useful as a supplier of wax, hemp and leather goods. Her ambitious new Tsar, Peter I, swore that Germany would soon admire her industry, and France her elegance, and that the Dutch and English would salute her navies; but without a European seaport, all this was an idle dream.
Despite failing health, Peter the Great of Russia leapt into Kronstadt Bay to save some young sailors from a watery grave.
By the autumn of 1724, kidney disease was exaggerating Emperor Peter the Great’s contradictions. Fleeting bursts of ill-temper had settled into peevish melancholy; he had fallen out with his mentor Alexander Menshikov; he had quitted his palace to live in a wooden cottage; and exhausting days of duty merged into exhausting nights of wine. But in a crisis, the old Peter was still there.
A young Peter the Great of Russia toured Europe seeking help for his diplomatic, military and architectural plans.
Tsar Peter the Great’s attempt to bring Russia into the modern world of the West began with a ‘Grand Embassy’, touring the capitals of Europe to drum up support for his country, and acquire scientific and artistic knowledge. The tour included four hectic months in England.