Poltava, Petersburg, Power: The Foreign Policy and Military Reforms of Peter the Great
When he took the dual throne with his half-brother, Ivan V, in 1682, Peter the Great inherited a fractured nation. While the rest of Europe was exploring the New World and establishing colonial holdings, Russia lay dormant.
Plagued by a primitive military and a backstabbing noble class, Russia hadn’t, in many ways, changed since its supposedly long-gone period of brutal civil war, the 1613 Time of Troubles. Luckily, though, Russia was now in the hands of Peter—a bright young boy, who took an interest in shipbuilding, science, and artillery. Although they may have provoked internal unrest and overspending, Peter the Great’s westernizing military reforms helped establish Russia as a major power to the rest of Europe—and the world.
Nothing was as important to Peter as conquest. Peter knew that his internal policies would define his rule to Russia, but his expansion of the empire would define him to the world. Peter did much domestically, establishing a meritocracy through his table of ranks, erecting universities, and establishing newspapers, though all of his reforms were ultimately tied back to his dream of bolstering his military. Like Otto von Bismarck, Peter understood that ultimately only blood and iron could grease the gears of progress. Chiefly among his achievements was the foundation of St. Petersburg in 1703, his “window to the west”, a year-round port that served as his main naval base. As Russian historian Simon Montefiore wrote, “Peter had started to see it as the foundation of a new city that would be both symbol and catalyst of his ambitions for Russia—a port for a naval tsar and a western metropolis for a modernized Russia: he named it St. Petersburg.” (91). St Petersburg embodied what Peter wanted Russia to be: a sophisticated and enlightened city, free from the cold, archaic, political labyrinth of Moscow—a symbol, indeed, of his new empire.
From an early age, Peter wanted to bring glory to Russia by defeating the neighboring Swedish Empire. As Peter soon learned, that would prove to be no easy task. Led by the “Ironheaded” Charles XII, the Swedish Empire was known for its brilliant military tactics and well-drilled army. Additionally, Peter realized that he couldn’t modernize Russia alone: traveling through Europe with his Grand Embassy, he visited various advanced European countries. From the shipyards of the Netherlands or Venice to the House of Parliament in London, Peter was focused on bringing western culture and practice to Russia. Peter hired many foreign generals, including the Swiss Franz LeFort or the Scottish Patrick Gordon, who helped him grow their eventual successors, such as Aleksander Menshikov or Boris Sheremetev. It was such generals and advisors that would help him found the port of Taganrog in 1698, win the 1709 Battle of Poltava against the Swedes, or sign the 1721 Treaty of Nystad, consummating a Russian victory in what would be known as the Great Northern War.
Peter’s Magnum Opus: The Battle of Poltava, 1709.
Peter was a ruthless man—nothing, though, atypical of the early tsars and emperors—but his constant trust in his adept advisors allowed him to transform Russia into a truly powerful empire. As he died in February of 1725, Peter left Russia a powerful empire on the world stage. Peter’s insatiable desire for expansion and advancement, coupled with his eye for technology and reform, thrust Russia into a position of power that would endure until the 20th century.
Bibliography
“The Romanovs” By Simon Sebag Montefiore
