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

33 "Golovchin and Lesnaya" (pp. 439-454): Charles outflanked Russians
to cross rivers. He concentrated an attack against some Russians near
Golovchin. They retired in good order. Charles awaited reinforcements
bringing supplies. Russians concentrated an attack to Swedish surprise.
Charles foraged south. Peter hit the reinforcements whose survivors
destroyed their wagons and fled. Elsewhere Swedes fruitlessly marched
around St. Petersburg and Cossacks rebelled.

34 Mazeppa" (pp. 455-466): The sixty three year old Cossack hetman, all
his life calculating winners in Russian politics, joined the nearing
Swedes. Russians destroyed the Cossack stronghold of Baturin.

35 "The Worst Winter Within Memory (pp. 467-478): Mazeppa led Charles
to a fertile area. Peter lured Charles into the open winter. "Over
3,000 Swedes froze to death, and few escaped being maimed in some way
by frostbite." (p. 469) Charles attempted alliance with Zaporozhsky
Cossacks, Tatars and Turks. When the Zaporozhsky responded, Russians
destroyed their stronghold. Peter built new ships.

36 "The Gathering of Forces" (pp. 479-489): Charles besieged Poltava.
Peter arrived determined on a decisive battle. Charles was wounded
before it began. Peter prepared for a Swedish attack.

37 "Poltava" (pp. 490-506): With Charles wounded and Rehnskjold not
telling other commanders his battle plans, the outnumbered Swedes were
destroyed.

38 "Surrender By the River" (pp. 507-515): Peter rejoicing sent out
news of his victory. Swedish survivors fled, the bulk of them finally
surrendering. Wounded Charles and some six hundred reach Turkey.

39 "The Fruits of Poltava" (pp. 516-526): Russia's prestige increased.
Augustus regained the Polish crown. Swedish south Baltic towns and
strongholds fell to Russia.

40 "The Sultan's World" (pp. 527-538): Ottoman sultans lived in
sumptuous luxury, the real power exercised by powerful grand viziers.

41 "Liberator of the Balkan Christians" (pp. 539-551): Peter's
ambassador, Peter Tolstoy, had kept Turkey at peace. Charles XII worked
to reverse that pacific Ottoman policy. Mazeppa died. Sweden, fighting
in the Baltic declined its king's request for more troops. Russia
repulsed a Tatar attack. Peter arranged a marriage between his son and
a German princess. Peter moved to meet a large Ottoman force in the
Balkans.

42 "Fifty Blows on the Pruth" (pp. 552-566): Wallachia and Moldavia
promised to rise supporting Peter. The swift arrival of the Turks
deterred Wallachia. Russian cavalry sent ahead damaged Turkish
supplies. Peter's infantry, badly outnumbered, fought well. Peter made
prompt peace. Charles arrived and failed to defeat the peace.

43 "The German Campaign and Frederick Wilhelm" (pp. 567-580): Peter
recuperated in Germany, attended his son's wedding and appointed
Leibnitz Justice Councillor. Frederick Wilhelm I, a bit excentric with
his collection of giants, succeeded to Prussia's throne in 1713 and
continued that state's militaristic focus. A Swedish army landed in
Germany, eventually surrendered and only two Swedish holds in Germany
remained.

44 "The Coast of Finland" (pp. 581-590): Peter built many light
maneuverable galleys. In 1713 and 1714 the Russians, Peter present,
moved along the Finnish coast. On August 6, 1714 Russia won her first
sea battle at Hango.

45 "The Kalabalik" (pp. 591-601): Charles resisted a Turkish attempt to
expel him unharmed, healed in an Adrianople palace, impressively rode
swiftly ahead of returning exiles on the conclusion of lasting Russo-
Turkish peace, reaching and remaining at Stralsund until just as it
fell and then reaching a Swedish ship and the Swedish mainland.

46 "Venice of the North" (pp. 602-612): Without formal decree, simply
because Peter preferred it, St. Petersburg replaced Moscow as Russia's
capital. Architecht General Alexandre LeBlond prized water, envisaged a
grand northern Venice, was opposed by Menshikov and still influenced
the new city, enhancing the Summer Garden, Peterhof and pavilions,
especially Mon Plaisir, before his early death.

47 "An Ambassador Reports (pp. 613-623): Hannover's Ambassador Weber's
memoires describe some Russian inhospitality, his meeting Kalmuck and
Uzbek envoys, Russian dwarves, Russian baths and a visit to Peterhof
where much vodka was consumed and a rough spell on water left all,
including Peter, with fevers.

48 "The Second Journey West" (pp. 624-634): Peter took mineral waters,
attended a dynastic marriage and tried co-ordinating an invasion of
Sweden. Swedish ships stayed in port. Charles readied defences and
prepared to use scorched earth if defeated. Peter postponed attacking
until spring and travelled west.

49 "The King is a Mighty Man" (pp. 635-643): Peter visited France,
providing some surprises to his hosts, including his lifting the seven
year old French king up, allowing them to look eye to eye. He offered
the Regent a Russian alliance, though the Foreign Affairs Minister Abbe
Guillaume Dubois feared this would counter his new policy of
approchement to England.

50 "A Visitor in Paris" (pp. 644-656): Peter saw many of the sights of
Paris. He was not interested in formality. He detested French hunting.
A Russo-French alliance and marriage was agreeable to the Regent, but
declined by Dubois. At Rheims, Peter saw and could read the French royal
coronation missal (in Old Slavonik, probably Anna Yaroslavna's).

51 "The Education of an Heir" (pp. 657-668): Peter largely neglected
Alexis, wrenched him from his mother, gave him German tutors and
readied him for military command. The heir preferred traditional Moscow
and religion. Peter arranged a marraige, then separated the newlyweds
because of war. Charlotte facing blended neglect, drunken abuse and a
resident mistress, died shortly after delivering Peter II.

52 "A Paternal Ultimatum" (pp. 669-680): Peter admonished Alexis,
threatening to disinherit him. Alexis agreed not to succeed. Peter
insisted Alexis serve the state or become a monk. Alexis said he would
become a monk. Peter asked Alexis for the date he was joining the Tsar
or the date he was entering a monastery. Alexis fled towards Vienna.

53 "Flight of the Tsarevich" (pp. 681-691): The Hapsburgs concealed
Alexis in a Tyrolean castle. Discovered he was moved to Naples. Peter
demanded his return. Peter's envoys conveyed the Tsar's pardon to
Alexis and the promise Alexis could marry his mistress. Alexis
returned.

54 "The Future on Trial" (pp. 692-710): Ceremonial naming of Peter
Petrovich's heirship took place on February 3, 1718. Peter seeking
treason found it. There were interrogations under torture, banishments,
executions, some acquittals. Alexis was tortured and died.

55 "Charles' Last Offensive" (pp. 711-723): Charles' adviser von Goertz
began intricate peace talks. Warlike Charles died fighting in Norway.

56 "King George Enters the Baltic" (pp. 724-734): The Swedes beheaded
von Goertz. England's new George I (who spoke no English) sought to
array an alliance against Russia. Peter carried war close to Stockholm.

57 "Victory" (pp. 735-743): England's Admiral Norris, past recipient of
Peter's hospitality, did not energetically oppose Russia in the Baltic.
Overwhelmingly England's people, merchants and parliamentarians
favoured peace. This and the South Sea Bubble scandal forced George I
to accept Russian Baltic presence. On September 10, 1721 the twenty one
year long Russo-Swedish war ended. There was extensive celebration and
the Russian Senate proclaimed Peter, "Father of the Fatherland, Peter
the Great, Emperor of All Russia." p. 741

58 "In the Service of the State" (pp. 747-769): Peter established the
Senate in 1711 and sought afterwards to enhance its functioning. A most
impressive senator was aged Jacob Dolgoruky. Peter instituted colleges
(ministries) on the Swedish model. He strove hard to enforce noble
service in the army and navy. He decreed estates be bequethed to one
heir. He rewarded merit. He punished rampant corruption, executed among
others Siberia's Governor Matthew Gagarin. Corruption continued:

   It was a hopeless task; Peter could not compel honesty. In this
   sense, the Tsar's admiring contemporary Ivan Pososhkov was right
   when he wrote, "The great monarch works hard and accomplishes
   nothing. The Tsar pulls uphill alone with the strength of ten, but
   millions pull downhill." p. 769

59 "Commerce by Decree" (pp. 770-782): Peter sought to transform
Russia's locally self sufficient economy into a national military based
industrial one. Seeking more tax revenue to conduct warfare, he
encouraged private enterprise. He promoted canal building. Noticing the
household tax contributed to a decrease in the number of houses, he
conducted a census and instituted a poll tax.

60 "Supreme Under God" (pp. 783-794): Peter encouraged religious
tolerance. He opposed Jesuits, seen as political, and gradually became
more discriminating against Old Believers. He envisaged an educated
clergy. He combatted superstitious fraud. On Patriarch Adrian's death,
he did not reappoint a patriarch, preferring a temporary guardian and
then a synod, acting almost as his ministry of religion.

61 "The Emperor in St. Petersburg" (pp. 795-817): Peter rose early,
worked hard, took a daily nap, ate heartily and simply and was given to
outbursts. He hated hunting, liked chess and most preferred sailing,
even in winter on ice. He attended events such as baptisms. He had
simple tastes; his wife liked a more courtly style. He instituted
assemblies or soirees, writing out regulations for these. He opened a
museum, sent youths abroad to study art, collected books, founded a zoo
and established an Academy of Sciences.

62 "Along the Caspian" (pp. 818-827): China's Manchu rulers declined
Russian requests for closer trade. An expedition in 1716 to the Khanate
of Khiva was deceitfully destroyed. In 1717 a Russian envoy reported
Persia was weak. Caucasians killed and looted some Russian merchants.
Peter in 1722 led a force which occupied Derbent. He did not overextend
himself.

63 "Twilight" (pp. 828-845): Peter celebrated festivals, drank mineral
waters, sought in vain a French husband for his daughter Elizabeth,
married Anne to Charles Frederick of Sweden, rejoiced at his wife's
surprise gift of Tsarskoe Selo, crowned her empress on May 17, 1724 and
in November 1724 executed one of her attendants for corruption.
Seriously sick, he did not fully heed his doctors. He died on January
28, 1725.

"Epilogue" (pp. 846-855): Catherine succeeded and died two years later.
Three other women (Anne 1730-1740, Elizabeth 1741-1762 and Catherine
the Great 1762-1796) dominated the rest of the Century. Paul restored
the principle of all male rule and this lasted until the 1917
Revolution. Of course, through the generations there have been widely
varying views of Peter's role in history.

This synopsis of a truly awesome book was prepared by Michael McKenny
from December 26, 2005 to January 8, 2006 C.E.


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