13 - Westernization

Empires of the Early Modern Period (1450-1750)

Subtitle Text

The most important Romanov czar of Russia was Peter I (1682-1725), widely known as Peter the Great. Peter had a burning desire to make Russia, a huge but underpopulated land, into a great military power like those in western Europe. So in 1697-98, he led a large party of Russian observers on a tour of Germany, the Netherlands, and England to learn about western European administrative methods and military technology. His traveling companions often behaved crudely by western European standards—they consumed alcohol in vast quantities and wrecked the homes and gardens that they were allowed to reside in. The king of England even sent Peter a bill for the damages! When Peter returned to Russia, he set forth westernizing the up-and-coming state.

(top left)

“Peter the Great Consults the Blueprint” in the founding of St. Petersburg (1703), which would serve as his new capital city and main seaport. Thousands of laborers and POWs died in creating the wide-avenues, huge buildings, cathedrals, and palaces of the new Italian Baroque-style city.

(top right)

The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg houses Peter the Great’s collection of Baroque art and was further expanded by Catherine the Great

(middle right) Peter reorganizes his military based on the Prussian model of professional, disciplined infantrymen armed with muskets and pikes

(middle left) Despite being a traditional Russian symbol of faith and masculinity, Peter forced his nobles to shave their beards to replicate the styles. Those who refused had to pay an enormous beard tax of 100 rubles. Bearded peasants had to pay one kopek coin to enter the cities.

(bottom right) Peter the Great’s new navy wins its first battle at Gangut

(bottom left) Russian boyars had their traditional long-robes cut. These nobles were also forced to serve in the army or government administration for life and send their sons away to school for five years.

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