Contemporaries of Peter 1. Historical figures

Contemporaries of Peter 1 played an important role in his transformational activities. According to the apt definition of A.S. Pushkin, they were all "Petrov's nests". It is a well-known fact that the success of a ruler's policy is very often determined by the environment he chooses. In this respect, the reign of Peter Alekseevich was one of the most fruitful and interesting in history.

General characteristics of the era

Contemporaries of Peter 1 were part of his entourage. All of them were connected in one way or another with the beginning of his reign. Many of them began their careers at a time when he was still at a young age carried away with the creation of amusing regiments. Subsequently, they occupied the leading command and administrative positions in the army and administration. One of them was A.D. Menshikov. The features of the considered time were such that the favor of the ruler often determined the ups and downs of favorites and associates. At the end of the 17th century, the social system of recruitment had not yet taken shape, which began to function only in the second half of the 18th century, when a bureaucratic apparatus finally took shape in our country. In the years of the reign of Peter Alekseevich, the personal location and mercy of the monarch determined the career of one or another associate.

Alexander Danilovich

A clear example of the above is Menshikov. According to the most common version, he was a family of merchants. Despite the origin, he was very clever, smart, had outstanding abilities. Since Peter appreciated in people not their generosity and origin, but their abilities, he immediately brought the gifted young man to himself. He was illiterate, but best able to please the king. He always coped with the errands that others could not. Since the contemporaries of Peter 1 played an important role in strengthening his power, Menshikov was no exception. He showed himself in the Northern War as a talented military commander, for which he was subsequently rewarded generously.

Lefort

In the environment of the emperor often turned out to be foreigners. One of the most famous is F. Lefort. He was Swiss by birth, but this did not stop him from becoming a loyal assistant to the emperor. He was the organizer of the so-called amusing regiments of the tsar, participated in the Azov campaigns. Contemporaries of Peter 1 did not always appreciate it, but the future emperor himself considered him his best friend. Lefort was an educated man and undoubtedly had a great influence on the young ruler with his mind, education and intelligence. That is why he headed a great embassy to Europe in the late 17th century, in which the tsar himself took part under the name of the sergeant Peter Mikhailov.

Gordon

Another foreigner in the circle of Peter Alekseevich was P. Gordon. He was an excellent military organizer. To him, just like Menshikov and Lefort, belongs to the organization of the famous comic regiments. He was an excellent military strategist with vast experience, in addition, he had extensive theoretical knowledge. At the time of the decisive clash between the king and his sister Sophia, he went over to the side of the first. That is why the future emperor especially trusted him. Gordon took part in many important events of his reign. So, it was he who suppressed the Streletsky revolt in 1698.

Romodanovsky

Companions of Peter 1 took an important place in the governance of the country and its reform. It is known that the emperor was interested in the people around him who were faithful and knew their business. Fyodor Romodanovsky belongs to such people. He came from a noble boyar family and was from childhood close to the royal court. At a very young age he was appointed a cadet, as his father was approached by Alexei Mikhailovich. Subsequently, Romodanovsky became one of the most devoted people to Peter. Indicative is the fact that the boyar himself, in his everyday life and in his worldview, was a man of the old order, for the eradication of which the new tsar fought. He belonged entirely to the past century, but, nevertheless, he supported the transformation of the young king and became his main confidant.

During his absence, Peter Alekseevich ordered him to manage the state, which indicated the special trust of the tsar in this severe boyar. Romodanovsky enjoyed a special privilege to enter the king at any time without a report, which speaks of the important place he occupied in the administration. He participated in the suppression of the streltsy rebellion in 1698. He was the de facto head of Moscow and after one of the fires was engaged in its restoration. The influence of the boyar was so great that no one dared to enter his courtyard, and even the sovereign himself left his one-girt behind the gate, visiting his friend.

Shein

Peter 1 and Catherine 2 possessed an amazing ability to find for their entourage not only devotees, but also very capable, talented and gifted people. This common feature of their rule was so obvious that in the literature there even appeared special names for their surroundings: the above quotation of Pushkin, and with reference to the encirclement of the empress began to talk about the nobles of Catherine's time. Another prominent figure in Peter Alekseevich's time was Shein. He became famous for his military and diplomatic abilities. He participated in diplomatic and military missions. So. He took part in the Prut campaign. During the Northern War, he also took part in the largest and most important battles, for which he was awarded the rank of generalissimo.

Osterman

He was still a prominent figure in Peter's reign. He was a very capable and skillful diplomat, politician. Osterman was involved in legislative activities. Peter 1 wanted to organize administration and administration on a Western European model. He was well aware of the European administration system and tried to apply its principles to Russian reality. However, the peak of the blossoming of Osterman's activities falls on the years of Anna Ivanovna's reign.

Kurakin

This famous figure of Peter's time was remembered for leaving his very interesting memoirs about this time. A man thoughtful and observant, he kept on paper all his memories and impressions of that era of the transformative activity of the emperor, whose contemporary he became. In his works, in addition to his own autobiography, there are also observations of those countries he visited, as well as sketches of the approximate ruler.

Tatischev

He is called the "father of Russian history". He rightly is considered the founder of historical science. But he began as a talented and administrator during the reign of Peter 1. He held a variety of positions and performed a variety of duties and assignments. He was in charge of the factories, supervised industrial production, studied coinage and engineering. In addition, he was commissioned to draw up a map of Russia, which, in fact, prompted him to take up history at a professional level. Its significance also lies in the fact that he was the ideologist of the Peter's reforms: he adhered to rationalism, he fervently approved the transformation of the emperor. At the same time, he believed that the latter paid insufficient attention to the development of industry and trade.

General features of activity

All these people are united by one common feature: the fact that they were completely devoted to the work of Peter 1's transformative activity, which after the successful completion of the Northern War took the title of emperor and autocrat of all-Russia. Each of them manifested itself in different spheres. They were people of different social status and origin, but they were on the same account with the ruler. In each of them he appreciated their abilities and talents and found them the right application. This was the success of his work: in that the last tsar of all Russia found himself at the right time and in the right place for his assistants.