"Peter the First" - a novel about a turning point in the life of Russia

AN Tolstoy's novel "Peter the First" created about a decade and a half. Three books were written, the epic was planned to be continued, but even the third book was not finished. Before writing, the author deeply studied historical sources, and as a result we have the opportunity to see a portrait of the creator of the empire.

"Peter the First" - a novel about the customs and life of the era in which magnificent portraits of historical figures of Peter's time are given. This greatly contributes to the language, which conveys the color of the XVII century.

Childhood and youth of the king

After the death of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and then his son Fyodor Alekseevich, active and energetic Sofya Alekseyevna aspired to come to power, but the boyars prophesied to the kingdom of Peter - a healthy and lively son Naryshkina. "Peter the First" - a novel that describes the tragic events in Russia, where the old and the nobility rule, and not the mind and business qualities, where life flows in the old manner.

Streltsia, instigated by Sophia, demands that they be shown two young princes Ivan and Peter, who are later placed on the kingdom. But in spite of this, their sister Sophia rules in the state. She sends Vasily Golitsyn to the Crimea to fight with the Tatars, but the Russian army is ignominiously returned. Meanwhile Petrusha grows up in the distance from the Kremlin. "Peter the First" is a novel that acquaints the reader with those persons who will later be Peter's associates: Aleksashka Menshikov, Franz Lefort, the clever boyar Boris Golitsyn, Fedor Sommer. In the German settlement, young Peter meets Anna Mons, who later becomes an uncrowned queen. Meanwhile, the mother marries her son on Evdokia Lopukhina, who does not understand the aspirations of her husband and gradually becomes a burden to him. So rapidly develops the action in Tolstoy's novel.

"Peter the First" is a novel that in the first part shows the conditions under which the unyielding nature of the autocrat is forged: conflicts with Sophia, the capture of Azov, the Grand Embassy, work at the shipyards in Holland, the return and bloody suppression of the Streltsy rebellion. It is clear one thing - Rus Byzantine under Peter does not happen.

Maturity of the autocrat

How does the king build a new country, shows in the second volume of A. Tolstoy. Peter the First does not let the boyars sleep, raises the active merchant Brovkin, gives his daughter Sanka his marriage to their former master and master Volkov. The young king is eager to lead the country to the seas, in order to freely and duty-free trade and grow rich. He organizes a fleet construction in Voronezh. Later Peter sails to the shores of the Bosphorus. By this time Franz Lefort died - a loyal friend and assistant who understood the king better than himself. But the thoughts laid by Lefort, which Peter could not formulate, begin to be realized. He is surrounded by active, energetic people, and all the mossy and stiff boyars, like Buinosov, have to be pulled out of their slumber by force. The merchant Brovkin gains a lot of strength in the state, and his daughter, the noble boyar Volkova, learns Russian and foreign languages and dreams of Paris. Jacob's son is in the Navy, Gavrila studies in Holland, Artamosha, who has received a good education, helps his father.

War with Sweden

Already laid on the swampy and marshy banks of the Neva, St. Petersburg is the new capital of Russia.

Natalia, Peter's beloved sister, does not let her boyars doze in Moscow. She puts on performances, arranges the European court yard of beloved Peter - Catherine. Meanwhile, the war with Sweden begins. About 1703-1704 years tells in the third book A. Tolstoy. Peter the First acts at the head of the army and after a long siege takes Narva, and the general - the commandant of the fortress of Horn, who doomed to death meaningless death, many people are taken to prison.

The person of Peter

Peter is the central personality of the work. The novel introduced many characters from the people who see him as a substitute for the ruler abroad, and a reformer king who is hardworking and does not shun black work: he himself chops with an ax in the construction of ships. The king is trying, easy to communicate, brave in battle. The novel "Peter the First" image of Peter represents in dynamics and development: from a young uneducated boy who already in his childhood begins to plan the creation of an army of a new type, to the purposeful builder of a huge empire.

On his way, he sweeps away everything that prevents Russia from becoming a full-fledged European state. The main thing for him at any age is to sweep away the old, musty, everything that prevents the movement forward.

The memorable paintings of the Petrine era were created by AN Tolstoy. The novel "Peter the First" is read easily and captures the reader immediately. Language is rich, fresh, historically accurate. The writer's artistic skill is based not only on his talent, but also on the profound study of primary sources (the works of N. Ustryalov, S. Soloviev, I. Golikov, diaries and notes of Peter's contemporaries, torture records). Based on the novel, feature films are placed.