Summary “Peter the Great” by Tolstoy
By the end of the XVII century. After the death of Emperor Fyodor Alekseevich, a struggle for power begins in Russia. Rebellion streltsy, instigated by the princess Sophia and her lover, ambitious prince Vasily Golitsyn. There were two tsars in Moscow-the youngest Ivan Alekseevich and Pyotr Alekseyevich, and above them the ruler of Sophia. “Everything went the way it was.” Nothing happened: over the Moscow, over the cities, over hundreds of counties stretched across vast land, centuries-old twilight was souring – poverty, serfdom, and unfruitfulness. “
In those same years in the village, on the land of the nobleman Vasily Volkov, the peasant family of Brovkin lives. The elder, Ivashka Brovkin, takes his son Alyoshka to Moscow with him; in the capital, frightened of punishment for the missing harness, Alyosha escapes and, having become acquainted with the same age Alexasha Menshikov, begins an independent life, is attached to trade pies. Once Alexashka Menshikov
In Preobrazhensky, where the growing up Peter and his mother Natalia Kirillovna, quiet and boring. The young tsar languishes and finds an outlet in the German settlement, where he gets acquainted with the foreigners living in Russia and among them – with the charming captain Franz Lefort (in whose service Alexa Menshikov is at that time) and, in addition, falls in love with Anhen, the daughter of a prosperous vintner Mons. To settle Petrusha, mother Natalia Kirillovna marries him to Evdokia Lopukhina. In Preobrazhensky Peter all is given to exercises with amusing army, a prototype of the future Russian army. Captain Fyodor Sommer and other foreigners strongly support his undertakings. Alex takes the queen to his bedchamber, and the clever, agile and thievish Alexashka becomes an influential mediator between the
Among the foreigners there are rumors about Peter about Peter, he has high hopes. “Russia – the golden bottom – lay under the age-old slime… If not the new king will raise life, then who?” Franz Lefort needs Peter as an intelligent mother to a child. Peter begins a campaign on the Crimea (the previous one – Vasily Golitsyn – ended in a shameful failure); and part of the army goes to war with the Turkish fortress of Azov. And this campaign ended in ingloriousness, but time is passing, Peter is conducting his reforms, a new, eighteenth century is difficult to be born. From exorbitant burdens people begin to rob or go into the woods to the schismatics, but even there they are overtaken by state servants, and people burn themselves in cottages or churches, so as not to fall into the antichrist hands. “The Western infection uncontrollably penetrated into a drowsy being… Boyars and the local nobility, the clergy and the streltsy were afraid of the changes (new affairs, new people), hated the speed and cruelty of all the innovated… But those who were bereft, agile, who wanted change, who was fascinated by Europe… – these said that in the young king were mistaken. “Peter begins building ships in Voronezh, and with the help of the Azov fleet they are taken, but this leads to a collision with the powerful Turkish empire.” We have to seek allies in Europe, and the tsar (with the name of the sergeant of the Transfiguration regiment, Peter Mikhailov) is traveling with the embassy in Koenigsberg, in Berlin and then to his beloved Holland, to England, where he lives as a simple craftsman, mastering the necessary crafts. In his absence, Russia begins to ferment: the tsar, they say, died, the foreigners replaced the tsar. The indomitable Sophia again incited the streltsi to revolt, but this riot is suppressed, and upon the return of Peter to Moscow torture and executions begin. “The whole country was gripped by horror, the old was hammered in dark corners.” Byzantine Rus ended. ” Tsarina Evdokiya Fyodorovna is sent to Suzdal, to the monastery, and her place is occupied by the lawless “Kukuyskaya queen” Anna Mons; her house is so in Moscow and called – tsaritsyn palace. Franz Lefort dies, but his case lives. All new ships are being built in Voronezh, and now a whole flotilla is sailing to the Crimea, then to the Bosphorus, and the Turks can do nothing about the new sea power of Russia that has come to no one’s whereabouts. Bogach Ivan Artemyevich Brovkin is engaged in deliveries to the army, he has a big house, many eminent merchants he has in his clerks, the son of Yakov – in the Navy, Gavril’s son – in Holland, the youngest, who received an excellent education Artamon – with his father. Alexandra, Sanka, now a noble lady and dreams of Paris. And Alexei Brovkin falls in love with the princess Natalia Alekseevna, Peter’s sister, and she is not indifferent to him.
In 1700 the young and brave Swedish King Karl XII smashed Russian troops near Narva; he has the strongest army, and already dizzy in anticipation of the glory of the second Caesar. Karl occupies Livonia and Poland, wants to rush after Peter to the depths of Muscovy, but generals discourage him. And Peter rushes between Moscow, Novgorod and Voronezh, re-creating the army; ships are built, new cannons are cast (from the monastery bells). The nobility of the irregular army is unreliable, now everyone in its place is recruited, but from bondage and peasant bondage, there are many who want to. Under the command of Boris Petrovich Sheremetev, Russian troops seize the fortress of Marienburg; among the captives and soldiers, the Field Marshal General notices a pretty girl with straw in her hair (“… apparently, they were already hanging around in carts under the carts…”) and takes her housekeeper, but influential Alexander Menshikov takes beauty Katerina himself. When Peter learns of the treachery of Anna Mons with the Saxon envoy Kengisek, Menshikov slips him Catherine, who is the king after the heart (this is the future tsarina Catherine I). “Confusion under Narva went to our great advantage,” says Peter, “iron is getting stronger from being beaten, a man is cruel.” He begins the siege of Narva, her defender General Horn does not want to surrender the city, which leads to the senseless sufferings of its inhabitants. Narva is taken by a furious assault, in the thick of the battle is seen the fearless Menshikov with a sword. General Horn is surrendering. But: “You shall not have any honor from me,” he hears from Peter: “Take him to prison, on foot, through the whole city, that he may see the sad work of his hands…” When Peter learns of the treachery of Anna Mons with the Saxon envoy Kengisek, Menshikov slips him Catherine, who is the king after the heart (this is the future tsarina Catherine I). “Confusion under Narva went to our great advantage,” says Peter, “iron is getting stronger from being beaten, a man is cruel.” He begins the siege of Narva, her defender General Horn does not want to surrender the city, which leads to the senseless sufferings of its inhabitants. Narva is taken by a furious assault, in the thick of the battle is seen the fearless Menshikov with a sword. General Horn is surrendering. But: “You shall not have any honor from me,” he hears from Peter: “Take him to prison, on foot, through the whole city, that he may see the sad work of his hands…” When Peter learns of the treachery of Anna Mons with the Saxon envoy Kengisek, Menshikov slips him Catherine, who is the king after the heart (this is the future tsarina Catherine I). “Confusion under Narva went to our great advantage,” says Peter, “iron is getting stronger from being beaten, a man is cruel.” He begins the siege of Narva, her defender General Horn does not want to surrender the city, which leads to the senseless sufferings of its inhabitants. Narva is taken by a furious assault, in the thick of the battle is seen the fearless Menshikov with a sword. General Horn is surrendering. But: “You shall not have any honor from me,” he hears from Peter: “Take him to prison, on foot, through the whole city, that he may see the sad work of his hands…” Confusion under Narva went to our great advantage, “says Peter. “The iron is getting stronger from the beating, the man is getting sick.” He starts the siege of Narva, her defender, General Horn, does not want to surrender the city, which leads to senseless sufferings of its inhabitants. Narva is taken by furious assault, in the thick of battle is seen the fearless Menshikov with a sword. But: “You will not have any honor from me,” he hears from Peter. “Take him to prison, on foot, through the whole city, so that he sees the sad work of his hands…” Confusion under Narva went to our great advantage, “says Peter. “The iron is getting stronger from the beating, the man is getting sick.” He starts the siege of Narva, her defender, General Horn, does not want to surrender the city, which leads to senseless sufferings of its inhabitants. Narva is taken by furious assault, in the thick of battle is seen the fearless Menshikov with a sword. But: “You will not have any honor from me,” he hears from Peter. “Take him to prison, on foot, through the whole city, so that he sees the sad work of his hands…” he hears from Peter. “Take him to prison, on foot, through the whole city, so that he sees the sad work of his hands…” he hears from Peter. “Take him to prison, on foot, through the whole city, so that he sees the sad work of his hands…”
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