What makes peter the great great

Any other thoughts? He embarked on the Great Embassy beginning in where he traveled incognito to learn more about culture and technology of different European nations so he could bring new ideas back to his home in Russia. The upper dress shall be of French of Saxon cut, and the lower dress and underwear—[including] waistcoat, trousers, boots, shoes, and hats—shall be of the German type. They shall also ride German saddles. From now on no one [of the above-mentioned] is to wear Russian dress or Circassian coats, sheepskin coats, or Russian peasant coats, trousers, boots, and shoes.

It is also forbidden to ride Russian saddles, and the craftsmen shall not manufacture them or sell them at the marketplaces. But, if it happens that some of them do not wish to shave their beards and moustaches, let a year tax be collected from such persons….

The tsar labored at the reform of fashions, or, more properly speaking, of dress. Until that time the Russians had always worn long beards, which they cherished and preserved with much care, allowing them to hang down on their bosoms, without even cutting the moustache.

With these long beards they wore the hair very short, except the ecclesiastics, who, to distinguish themselves, wore it very long. The tsar, in order to reform that custom, ordered that gentlemen, merchants, and other subjects, except priests and peasants, should each pay a tax of one hundred rubles a year if they wished to keep their beards; the commoners had to pay one kopek each.

He hoped to investigate and learn about all types of technology and science, especially the latest on shipbuilding and navigation. He also wanted to study the way fleets were organised, and recruit specialists to travel home with him to help build a Russian navy. William wanted to increase trade with Russia, which had plenty of pitch, potash, tallow, leather, grain and furs to trade.

Also, by travelling through Russia, European merchants hoped to join in the lucrative eastern luxury trade in silk and spices. In he stayed at a house in Deptford belonging to the writer and diarist, John Evelyn. The house suited Peter because it was close to the dockyards, where he could easily visit ships being built. He was especially keen to study the drawing of ship plans. Used to carry important passengers to Holland and back, it was one of the king's most modern ships, with an experimental design and rig.

Peter understood that he needed a new big city where his new kind of noblemen would mingle with each other, compete, and create a new social network.

At the same time, Russia desperately needed access to the sea and new trade ties with Europe. Petersburg was built. Founding St. Petersburg in on the marshy lands of Ingria along the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland was an idea that achieved all these goals at once. But St. Most of the Russian people were peasant serfs, they lived in the countryside and their bearded Russian look remained the same. But in the cities, Peter made men pay a substantial fee if they wanted to keep wearing a beard this applied to all citizens except the clergy.

Also for citizens, traditional Russian dress was banned completely. So Peter ordered all citizens to wear European-styled clothing. Peter also inundated Russia with foreigners who came to the country to work — building ships, serving in the army, teaching sciences, organizing business enterprises, factories and mills.

At the same time, Peter sent a lot of Russians abroad to study, as he himself did in The conflict was around the control of the Baltic Sea and its shores.

In this war, Russia wanted to return its territories in Ingria — these lands belonged to the Moscow Tsardom before the Time of Troubles at the beginning of the 17th century.

When Peter came to power, Russia had only Arkhangelsk on the White Sea as its only big trading port, so for the development of naval trade, access to the Baltic was crucial. For Russia, the war began with a devastating defeat at Narva on November 19, Peter the Great became a great reformer.

The Emperor separated the church from the state. Thanks to Peter, Russia became a secular country. Peter was actively involved in the education of the population. There appeared free schools for all classes and the career of the nobility depended directly on the level of education received. He built St Petersburg according to foreign designs, faced the halls of the palaces with Dutch tiles and even made the nobles look like foreigners.

To win the Northern War, which lasted 21 years, the emperor introduced new rules for soldiers. Certain classes had to perform military service fo the whole life. It was due to this that Peter the Great was able to prepare powerful fighters and win the war with the Swedes.

That is why he is called the Great. Mikhail Shankov, Peter the Great taking a rest Peter the Great married at the age of 17 at the insistence of his mother. The first wife of the emperor was the noblewoman Evdokia Lopukhina. But the marriage was unsuccessful. Peter did not love her. In the end, he signed a decree according to which Evdokia was given to the convent and was sent to a monastery.

The second wife of Peter the Great was a commoner, the daughter of a peasant — Marta Skavronskaya.