How was the personality of Tsar Peter the Great formed? Childhood of Peter the Great and his entourage

In the history of the Russian state there were many different rulers: great diplomats, wonderful strategists and brilliant generals. But only one of them combined all these qualities - Peter the Great. He was called a genius reformer, a madman, a hooligan and Antichrist. How was the personality of Tsar Peter formed, what factors influenced it?

The Unusual Czar

Petr Alekseevich Romanov was very different from his predecessors. Undoubtedly, there was a deep hereditary connection between them. But all the rulers of Russia were masters who trebledly protected the wealth of the country for themselves and used other people's hands for work. And the son of Alexei Mikhailovich was a working king in the truest sense of the word. Fourteen professions, owned by Tsar Peter the Great - this is not a beautiful fairy tale, but the truth.

The character of the first Russian emperor

Peter the First had a complex and contradictory character. He inherited liveliness, irrepressible inquisitiveness and lively thoughts through the maternal line. As a child, he was a clever and beautiful boy, very different from his co-ruler, brother Ivan.

The main features of Peter's character were temper, impetuosity, impressionability and distrust. When he could not explain something intelligibly, he easily fell into a rage. In this state, he often clutched at the cane. By the way, the king departed quickly and in a few minutes could forgive the guilty. But its simplicity was deceptive. Peter the First asked to address him without a title, but in case of obvious disobedience the sentence was swift and cruel.

How was the personality of Tsar Peter the Great formed? Why was he so different from the rest of the rulers of Russia? The answer must be sought in the earliest years of the little prince.

Childhood of Peter the Great

It is not known where the future first Russian emperor was born. Several prospective places are called, but the researchers do not have exact data.

Trying to understand how the personality of Tsar Peter the Great was being formed, one must first turn to his parents - those who had a direct influence on him since his birth.

In 4 years he lost his father, who loved him very much. Alexei Mikhailovich, giving his son toy soldiers and pistols, conceived in the child the first interest in weapons and military affairs. According to the testimony of the contemporaries of the tsar, in his childhood he was not interested in any other toys and amusements, except for the military.

Father, wishing to give a young son the right military training, assigned to him Colonel Menezius as a military mentor. And so it turned out that Peter the Great began to study military affairs earlier than to read and write. There was a minor heir then 4 years old. Acquaintance with the letter began for him at the age of five.

Training in church books for a living and restless child was a real torment, so Nikita Zotov, a teacher of a young king, taught him also in the popular "funny" books with pictures. Peter's mentor paid much attention to the study of the military history of Russia, telling about the exploits of Alexander Nevsky, Prince Vladimir and Ivan the Terrible.

Until ten years the prince quietly and carefree lived with his mother near Moscow, in the village of Preobrazhensky. Here, for him, an earthen fort with cannons was built, where he, with his "comic" army, recruited from peers, could engage in military affairs, playing in the capture of the fortress.

Childhood of Peter the Great was not cloudless. Streletsky revolt in 1682, witnessed by a young Peter, could not help leaving a mark on the child's psyche, causing a nervous breakdown of the future emperor. Because of this, the king's face distorted convulsions in moments of intense excitement.

After the coming to power of Sophia's sister, he was again sent to Preobrazhenskoye. Zotova was removed from him, and the young heir was left to himself. Another idle way of life would spoil, but the integral and active nature of Peter did not let him kill the curiosity and desire to learn new things. He himself later said that he really lacks knowledge, not received in childhood.

Tsar Peter Alekseevich studied until his death. At the age of 14, he learned about the astrolabe and instructed him to bring it to him from France. Then he found a Dutchman who was able to outline in general terms how to handle the device. This talented young man was enough to further understand himself. So it was always. Seeing or learning about something unknown to him, the king immediately fired the idea to study a new case and did not calm down until he became his connoisseur. So, seeing an abandoned bot, he learned to swim on it and even laid his own shipyard.

Environment

How was the personality of Tsar Peter Alekseevich formed? This question is extremely interesting, given the fact how much different it was from its predecessors. The environment of the young heir played a huge role in the upbringing of those qualities that were inherent in Peter the Great. He was lucky - first his father, and after his death, elder brother Fedor paid much attention to the upbringing and training of the heir to the throne. Teachers, Menezius, and later Nikita Moiseevich Zotov, attached to Peter, incubated in him a craving for knowledge and maintained interest in everything new.

Companions and the people closest to the tsar were Franz Yakovlevich Lefort, Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, Pavel Yaguzhinsky, Jacob Bruce.

The first Russian emperor - a brilliant reformer or a tyrant?

To judge the personality of Peter the Great is difficult. In it, the opposite traits of character were closely intertwined. Spitfire, cruelty, vindictiveness were combined with diligence, curiosity, irrepressible lust for life, cheerful disposition. The uniqueness of the personality of Peter Alekseevich was that he possessed a strong desire for knowledge and tremendous efficiency, with the help of which he strove to transform Russia, which was backward in all respects, and make it a great power.