PETER THE GREAT, Robert K. Massie, Ballantine, New York, 1980

1 "Old Moscovy" (pp. 3-17): Moscow was a grand wooden city as large as
London. Red Square was a lively market, the Kremlin a citadel
resplendent in Renaissance churches and palaces. The Tsar was an
absolute ruler. Tsar Alexis, Peter's father, a very religious person,
ruled a vast, though thinly populated (c. eight million) land. Much of
it was northern forest, the Russian's soul and the supplier of much of
his material needs.

2 "Peter's Childhood" (pp. 18-30): Peter was born on May 30, 1672. His
mother was Natalya Naryshkhina, of Tatar background and ward of the
enlightened Artemon Matveev. Natalya, the Tsar's second wife, brightened
and relaxed her husband's austere life. The Tsar died in 1676. Fedor,
Peter's sickly half brother succeeded. He banished Matveev to a Siberian
prison, but kept Peter in the Kremlin and encouraged his education.
Young Fedor died after six years on the throne.

3 "A Maiden of Great Intelligence" (pp. 31-37): Fedor's sister Sophia
during his reign broke with the tradition of secluding royal women,
demonstrating her intelligence and political acumen. She resisted young
Peter's ascendency over her brother Ivan.

4 "The Revolt of the Streltsy" (pp 38-52): As Matveev returned,
soldiers were restless due to abuses. Natalya punished abusing
colonels. Rumour of Ivan's murder brought out the troops. Natalya
holding Ivan and Peter disproved the rumour. She, Matveev and the
Patriarch calmed the troops. Dolgoruky riled them again. They killed
him and rampaged through the palace, killing many. Sophia replaced
Natalya as regent. Ivan became co-Tsar.

5 "The Great Schism" (pp. 53-64): Sophia opposed the Old Believers.
Rejecting Patriarch Nikon's reforms or corrections, Old Believers
opposed Church and State. Impressive preacher Avvakum was one of some
twenty thousand Old Believers killed from 1684-1690.

6 "Peter's Games" (pp. 65-78): Peter grew up in the healthy
Preobrazhenskoe air. The playmates of his military games founded the
Preobrezhensky and Semyonovsky Guards regiments. Peter lived the
principle of promotion by merit. He had little formal education was
intently curious, joined in craft work and was fascinated by water and
by boat building. He married Eudoxia Lopukhina in January 1689 and
fathered two sons. He preferred boats to Eudoxia, leaving them
reluctantly, even to confront Regent Sophia.

7 "The Regency of Sophia" (pp. 79-94): Sophia's chief adviser and
lover, Vasily Golitsyn, was a learned Europhile. She sought peace with
Russia's neighbours, reluctantly joining against Turkey for Poland's
ceding claim to Kiev. Golitsyn hesitantly led two attacks towards
Crimea. Sophia rewarded these victories that failed to impress Peter.
She alienated most nobles and failed to gain support for her outright
rule. Tension built.

8 "Sophia Overthrown" (pp. 95-107): Rumour caused Peter to flee to
Troitsky monastery. Many joined him, including the Patriarch. Sophia's
support crumbled. Vasily Golitsyn was sent to the Arctic; Sophia to a
convent.

9 "Gordon, Lefort and the Jolly Company" (pp. 108-123): Peter waited
five years before interesting himself in governing. After Patriarch
Joachim's death, Peter spent much time in the German suburb. He took
Anna Mons as mistress. He joined a jolly company with frequent drinking
bouts. He continued his interest in boats and visited Archangel.

10 "Archangel" (pp. 124-133): Peter sailed to Russia's sole port,
ordered two ships, returned the next year and sailed on them, visiting
Solovetsky monastery despite a storm. His mother died in February 1694.
He conducted war games.

11 "Azov" (pp. 134-151): Peter led elite forces in a failed effort to
take Azov. A large more regular force had some success on the lower
Dneiper. Working furiously all winter, Peter readied a fleet, returned
to Azov and with great effort took it. He walked behind Admiral
Lefort's carriage in the first triumph since Alexis' days. At once
there was energetic building of real ships, sending west some to study
navigation, announcement of a great embassy west, rumoured to include
Peter.

12 "The Great Embassy to Western Europe" (pp. 155-167): Peter travelled
unofficially, intent on learning, especially at great shipbuilding
centres. Europe at this time remained dazzled by Louis XIV's splendour.
The West was in vigorous expansion around the globe and deep in the
sciences and arts. Previous Russian envoys had proved troublesome to
Western officials and rulers. France's hostility kept Peter away. He
and Louis XIV never met.

13 "It is Impossible to Describe Him" (pp. 168-177): Peter appointed a
regency council, executed alleged traitors, passed through Swedish
Riga, Courland's Mitau and Brandenburg's Konigsberg (where he lingered
till informed Poland's new king was not French) and dined with the
impressive and impressed electresses of Hanover and of Brandenburg.

14 "Peter in Holland" (pp. 178-189): In Zaandam Peter lived in a small
house, worked as a shipbuilder and was irate at huge curious crowds. In
Amsterdam at the Dutch East India Company yards, he worked undisturbed.
He paid keen attention to correspondence concerning Russian
administration. He observed intently Holland's prosperity, science,
culture, arts and religious tolerance.

15 "The Prince of Orange" (pp. 190-202): William had ordered the dykes
broken to prevent Louis XIV from seizing Amsterdam. This Protestant
ruler took power from England's James II. Heading an anti-French
alliance, he declined Peter's anti-Ottoman proposal. Peter learned some
shipbuilding in Holland. He went to England to learn more.

16 "Peter in England" (pp. 203-216): Peter stayed in a simple London
house, later in John Evelyn's elegant home treated harshly enough by
the Russians William recompensed Evelyn three hundred and fifty pounds.
Peter checked into watchmaking, the English mint, Parliament, British
religious sects (Quakers impressed him) and, of course, shipbuilding.
He granted a tobacco concession, bestowed lavish gifts and departed
after some four months.

17 "Leopold and Augustus" (pp. 217-233): Peter met in Vienna Hapsburg
ceremony, convivial festivity, diplomatic failure (Austria was
determined to make peace with Turkey) and in Poland a young energetic
king eager to join Peter in attacking Sweden.

18 "These Things Are In Your Way" (pp. 234-243): Peter initiated
reforms (the cutting of beards, Western style clothing, coinage, Julian
calendar and awards of titles). He placed Eudoxia in a convent.

19 "Fire and Knout" (pp. 244-261): Abused, the Strelsty had marched on
Moscow and been defeated. Peter, deflected by the Strelsty revolt from
his planned visit to Venice, tortured them savagely, forced Sophia to
actually become a nun, executed some twelve hundred Strelsty and
disbanded the Strelsty regiments.

20 "Among Friends" (pp. 262-274): Peter had parties with friends and
foreigners while these Strelsty interrogations and executions proceeded.
Peter had swift mood changes. Korb, an Austrian diplomat in Moscow
(1698-1699), left glimpses of Moscow life at this time.

21 "Voronezh and the Southern Fleet" (pp. 275-286): Peter worked
building his fleet at Voronezh. Lefort and Gordon died in 1699. Austria
and others made peace with Turkey. Peter's envoy, Ukraintsev, sailed to
the Golden Horn in a Russian ship. He secured agreement for Russian
orthodox clergy in Jerusalem and for a permanent Russian embassy in
Constantinople. Peter's southern fleet kept Russia neutral during the
Great Northern War.

22 "Mistress of the North" (pp. 289-301): Sweden was an impressive
Baltic power. It had treated badly the Livonian nobility. Von Patkul
worked to gain an anti-Swedish alliance. Denmark and Poland attacked.
Poland was repulsed. Peter awaited assurances of peace with Turkey,
then attacked Sweden.

23 "Let the Cannon Decide" (pp. 302-311): Wars resolved disputes.
France had the largest armies, de Vauben ("the greatest master of
fortification and siege operations in the history of warfare" (p. 304),
great marshalls. Marlborough, appreciating increased infantry firepower,
was the best general of the age. Sweden's infantry, long trained,
fanatically religious, were the best troops. Sweden had a higher
proportion of cavalry and it was trained in tighly packed fighting.

24 "Charles XII" (pp. 312-322): Sweden's young, impetuous and obstinate
king boldly and swiftly joined England and Holland in knocking Denmark
out of the war.

25 "Narva" (pp. 323-338): Charles XII led his travel weary, badly
outnumbered Swedes in an attack against entrenched Russian lines in a
blizzard. The Russians were shattered.

26 "We Must Not Lose Our Heads" (pp. 339-354): Peter remained calm. He
reformed and reinforced his defeated forces. He melted churchbells to
obtain new cannons. He retained the support of King Augustus of Poland.
While Charles focused on Augustus in the West, Russians captured lands
in the east. Peter began to build a new port.

27 "The Founding of St. Petersburg" (pp. 355-366): With enormous
effort, Peter fortified the place, encouraged ship's to come, compelled
people to settle there despite the natural obstacles of flood, wild
animals and scarcity of locally grown food. He himself led efforts to
control frequent fires. He personally established this great capital.

28 "Menshikov and Catherine" (pp. 367-382): (pp. 367-382): Alexander
Menshikov, Peter's close friend and confident, and Catherine, the
Tsar's mistress and later wife, his intimate friend who bore him a
dozen children, both rose from humble origins and both remained devoted
to him.

29 "The Hand of the Autocrat" (pp. 383-396): Peter travelled
incessantly. He modernized administration, selected capable ministers,
eased oppression of women, enhanced learning and encouraged foreigners.
His increased financial exactions and conscripted labour led many to
flee. Peter put down uprisings in Astrakhan and amongst Bashkirs and
Cossacks.

30 "Polish Quagmire" (pp. 397-412): The Russians took Dorpat and Narva.
Charles had Poles dethrone Augustus. Charles struck at Russian winter
quarters. Augustus' reinforcements were defeated. Charles failed in the
spring melt to catch the retreating Russians. He occupied Saxony which
accepted peace. Augustus aided Russia defeat Swedes at Karlisz. Then he
accepted peace, even surrendering the Livonian Patkul to the Swedes who
executed him.

31 "Charles in Saxony" (pp. 413-426): Charles in Germany raised hopes
and fears, until it was perceived that he intended striking at Peter.
Charles rejected all attempts at peace. This obsessive Christian
warrior started toward Moscow.

32 "The Great Road to Moscow" (pp. 427-438): Peter prepared despite
fever and many other preoccupations. Enhancing Moscow defences
proceeded even in winter. Charles faced scorched earth, outflanked
defenders at the Vistula and the Narew and with his advance guard
seized and held Grodno. Peter ordered a long, broad belt of scorched
earth.


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