History of Russia from Ancient Times. Volumes 15, 16

39 hrs. 11 min.

Language Russian

Author Sergey Solovyov

Narrator Ilya Prudovsky

Volume 15. The Reign of Peter I Alekseevich. 1703–1709.

Volume 15. Contents

Chapter 01. The Reign of Peter I Alekseevich
Shipbuilding for the Baltic Sea. — Struggle with the Swedes for St. Petersburg. — Taking from the Swedes old Russian cities. — Devastation of Estonia. — Taking Derpt and Narva. — The Swedes repelled from St. Petersburg. — Relations with Poland. — Patkul in Russian service; his activities. — Russian auxiliary troops under Patkul’s command. — Patkul’s relations with the Little Russian Cossacks. — The end of Paley’s activities. — Relations with the Vienna court. — Patkul in Vienna. — Matveev’s activity in Holland. — Postnikov in Paris. — The French ambassador Baluz in Russia. — Matveev in Paris. — Relations with Turkey. — Peter Tolstoy’s activities in Constantinople.
Chapter 02. Continuation of the Reign of Peter I Alekseevich
The internal state of Russia in the first five years of the 18th century. — The character of the rule. — Government figures. — Old and new ranks. — Old and new orders. — A new form of petitions. — Involvement in drawing up a new code of laws. — The town council and voivodes. — Voivodes govern together with city nobles. — Financial measures. — Coinage. — Activities of the profiteer Kurbatov. — Manifesto calling foreigners to Russia. — Dislike of Jews. — Means of education for Russian people. — Schools. — Books. — The first bulletins. — Theater. — Confrontations between foreign teachers and Russian people; the case of Neigebauer. — Guisen. — Measures to preserve life and health. — Measures against fires. — Measures against family disorder. — Prohibition to sign with diminutive names. — Reforms regarding the clergy. — Postponement in the election of the patriarch. — Stefan Yavorsky. — The Monastery Order. — Measures concerning church property. — Bulletins on the number of births and deaths. — Moscow academy. — Activities of the metropolitans: Dimitry of Rostov and Philofey of Siberia. — Mitrofan of Voronezh. — Dissatisfactions. — Rumor about a non-Russian tsar. — Grigory Talitsky. — Change of clothing. — Dissatisfactions at the top. — The Astrakhan uprising. — Affairs in the Don and Zaporizhia.
Chapter 03. Continuation of the Reign of Peter I Alekseevich
Two field marshals. — Peter in Polotsk. — An incident in a Uniate monastery. — Sheremetev’s defeat at Gemauertgofern. — Peter in Courland. — Ogilvy and Menshikov. — Patkul in Saxony. — The case about transferring Russian troops to Austrian service. — Patkul is captured by Saxon ministers and imprisoned in Sonnenstein. — The embassy of Shenbek to the tsar with explanations on this matter. — Charles XII’s campaign into Lithuania. — Wintering of the Russian army in Grodno. — Its departure from there. — Dismissal of Ogilvy. — Peter and Menshikov in Kiev. — Unsuccessful siege of Vyborg. — Battle of Kalish. — King Augustus concludes a separate peace with Charles XII. — Peter in Zholkva. — Relations with Polish magnates and candidates for the Polish throne. — Matveev in England. — A proposal to the Duke of Marlborough of a Russian principality. — Relations with France and Austria. — Peter offers the Polish throne to Prince Eugene of Savoy. — Tolstoy’s activities in Constantinople. — The embassy of Prince Kurakin to Rome. Peter’s preparations to meet the enemy in Russia. — The Bashkir uprising. — The Bulavin uprising.
Chapter 04. Continuation of the Reign of Peter I Alekseevich
Charles XII’s campaign into Lithuania. — Peter’s orders in Grodno; Charles enters the city. — His further movements. — Peter’s illness. — Strengthening St. Petersburg. — Strengthening Moscow. — Battle of Golovchyn. — Military council in Shklov. — Charles in Mogilev. — Battle of Dobroye. — Charles’s movement into Little Russia. — Battle of Lesnaya. — The state of affairs in Little Russia. — Preparations for Mazepa’s betrayal. — Mazepa’s relations with Kocheyubey. — Kocheyubey’s denunciation. — Investigation and execution of Kocheyubey. — Mazepa’s betrayal. — Peter’s orders regarding this. — Mazepa’s universal letter to colonels. — Baturyn taken by Menshikov. — Election of a new hetman. — Mazepa is cursed. — Peter’s charter to the Zaporozhian Cossacks. — Charles’s charters to the Little Russians. — Peter’s and the new hetman Skoropadsky’s reply charters. — Military actions at the end of 1708. — News from Poland. — Matveev’s departure from London. — The dishonor done to him. — Relations with Denmark. — With Turkey. — Military actions at the beginning of 1709. — Peter in Voronezh. — His displeasure with Sheremetev. — Mazepa’s relations with the tsar. — The tsar’s charter to the Little Russians regarding Mazepa’s intercepted letter to Leshchinsky. — The betrayal of the Zaporozhians. — Capture and devastation of the Sich. — Battle of Poltava. — Preparations to continue the war. — Celebrations.
Additions to Volume 15

Volume 16. The Reigns of Peter I Alekseevich. 1709–1722.

Volume 16. Contents

Chapter 01. The Reign of Peter I Alekseevich
The internal state of Russia from 1705 until the establishment of the Senate. — The character of rule. — Cabinet-secretary Makarov. Zotov. — Osterman. — The fate of Vinnius. — Kurbatov’s activities. — Kurbatov as vice-governor in Arkhangelsk. — Financial orders. — Police orders. — Hospital. — Measures against begging. — Robberies. — Peter’s concerns about education. — Clergy. — Bishops’ dissatisfaction with the Monastery Order. — The case of the Nizhny Novgorod metropolitan Isaiah. — Stefan Yavorsky. — Activities of metropolitans: Iov of Novgorod and Dimitry of Rostov. — Dissatisfaction among the lower strata of the population. — The state of Little Russia. — Division of Russia into provinces. — First numbering of arrivals and expenses. — Establishment of the Senate. — Determining its activities. — Establishment of the fiscal office. — Commissioners from the provinces. — Slowness of governors. — Continuation of the Swedish war. — The situation of the conquered Baltic region. — Marriage of the Duke of Courland to the tsar’s niece, Anna Ioannovna. — Turkish affairs. — Break with the Porte. — Actions of the Danish allies. — Relations with England and Hanover. — Relations with Poland. — Peter’s gloomy premonitions before the start of the Turkish war. — A family matter.
Chapter 02. Continuation of the Reign of Peter I Alekseevich
The movement of Russian troops to the southern borders. — Announcing to the people war against the Turks. — The tsar’s departure. — His illness and sad condition of mind. — Cheerful news. — Meeting with the Polish king in Yaroslavl and the treaty with him. — Relations with Turkish Christian people. — The Moldavian ruler Cantemir. — His treaty with the tsar. — Relations with the Serbs and Montenegrins. — At the requests of the Christians, Peter hurries Sheremetev. — Sheremetev crosses the Dniester. — Cantemir declares himself against the Turks. — Shortage of provisions. Correspondence between Peter and Sheremetev on this matter. — The tsar at the Prut. — His trip to Jassy. — A decision of the war council. — The army’s crossing of the Prut; it is surrounded by the Turks. — Desperate position of the Russians. — The vizier’s difficult position. — Negotiations. — Peace. — Peter’s situation. — His letters to the Senate and to “his own.” — Subchancellor Shafirov and the young Sheremetev remain with the vizier for final settlement of the matter. — Peter does not want to fulfill the treaty while Charles XII remains in Turkish territories. — The Turks demand that the Russians not enter Poland. — Dutch and English envoys help Shafirov in the negotiations. — Peter decides to carry out the first article of the treaty regarding returning Azov and destroying Taganrog. — Shafirov concludes a new treaty. — Costs in concluding this treaty. — Peter Tolstoy. — His efforts and Shafirov’s againstодействовать to Swedish suggestions. — The presence of Russian troops in Poland serves as the main obstacle for them, irritating the sultan. — Shafirov, Tolstoy and Sheremetev at the Semibashenny Palace. — Turkey again declares war on Russia for not withdrawing troops from Poland. — The sultan’s cowardice. — Break with Charles XII. — Final conclusion of peace between Russia and Turkey. — The Montenegrins. — Polish affairs.
Chapter 03. Continuation of the Reign of Peter I Alekseevich
The state of Russia from the establishment of the Senate until the end of the Great Northern War. — The Senate, its relations with the tsar and with the governors; senators’ relations with one another. — Collegia. — Regional administration. — The code of laws. — Abolishing the “pravozh” (official enforcement of debts). — The system of primogeniture. — Nobility. — Army and navy. — Merchants. — Trade and industry. — Peasants. — Finances. — Measures against embezzlement. — Fiscal officers (fiskaly). — The activities of chief fiscal Nesterov. — Anonymous denunciation letters. — The case of the Siberian governor, Prince Gagarin. — Abuses in Astrakhan and Revel. — Abuses by members of magistrates; abuses by fiscal officers. — Abuses by Menshikov. — The case of Kurbatov and the Solovyovs. — Fight against bandits. — Police. — Persecution of beggars and scandal-causers. — Hospitals for found and abandoned infants. — Measures against fires. — Morals and customs in different strata of society. — Measures for education: schools, publishing books, collecting natural objects, rarities, and antiquities. — Measures to spread geographical information. — Art. — The Church, its struggle against schism, against Protestant and Catholic propaganda. — Spreading the borders of the Russian Church in the East. — Measures to strengthen the moral role of the clergy. — Church administration. — Stefan Yavorsky and Feofan Prokopovich. — Establishment of the Synod. — Affairs in the border regions.
Additions to Volume 16
Comments on Volumes 15 and 16