A new capital on the marsh
In May 1703 Peter began the Peter and Paul Fortress on an island in the river Neva, near the Baltic Sea. The land was wet, flat and often flooded. Why build there? Russia was fighting Sweden for the Baltic coast, and Peter wanted a port that opened a sea road to western Europe.
Tens of thousands of workers were brought by force from many parts of Russia. They dug, drained and carried stone in hard cold weather, and many died. Peter ordered that stone houses be built in the new city and banned stone building in many other towns, so builders would come here. Architects from Italy and other countries drew the first plans, with straight streets and canals.
Around 1712 the government and the court moved here, and St Petersburg became the capital. People called it Russia's window on Europe: through it came ships, goods and ideas.
New schools, books and science
Peter needed sailors, engineers and officers, so he opened schools. The School of Mathematics and Navigation (1701) taught maths, map reading and sailing. Young nobles were also sent abroad to study.
In 1702 came Vedomosti, the first Russian printed newspaper, with news of wars and trade. In 1714 the Kunstkamera, a museum of natural wonders and rare things, was set up in the new capital. In 1724 Peter ordered an Academy of Sciences; it opened in 1725, soon after he died. Scholars from abroad came to work in it.
These steps gave Russia its first state schools and research places. Still, most ordinary peasants did not go to any school.
A new calendar and simpler letters
Before 1700, Russians began the year on 1 September and counted years from the "creation of the world". So the year 1700 was called 7208. Peter ordered that from 1 January 1700 the new year starts in January and years are counted from the birth of Christ, as in much of Europe. This made trade and letters with other countries easier. (Russia still used the older Julian calendar.)
Between 1708 and 1710 Peter had the letters reshaped into a civil script: rounder and simpler than the old church letters. It was used for books about science, trade and law, so more people could read them.
Daily life of the nobility changes
Peter made nobles change how they looked and lived. Long beards were taxed (from 1698). Long robes were replaced by short coats and western clothes. A 1717 book of manners, the Honourable Mirror of Youth, taught young people how to bow, dine and speak.
In 1718 he began assemblies: evening parties in nobles' homes with talk, games, dance and tea. Women, who earlier lived apart from men at such events, now joined. Nobles had to build stone houses in the capital, learn a foreign language and serve the state.
These rules touched mainly nobles and townspeople. In villages the peasants lived much as before, so Russia became a country with two ways of life.
Key formulas and definitions
- Window on Europe: St Petersburg, the port city that opened Russia to the west.
- Capital (1712): the city where the government sat. Before this it was Moscow.
- Vedomosti (1702): the first Russian printed newspaper.
- Kunstkamera (1714): a museum of natural wonders and rare objects.
- Academy of Sciences (1724 ordered, 1725 opened): a state centre for research.
- Calendar reform (1700): year starts 1 January, counted from Christ's birth.
- Assemblies (1718): social evenings where men and women met together.
Worked examples
1. Give two reasons why Peter built St Petersburg on the Neva.
It gave Russia a port on the Baltic Sea for trade and for the fleet, and it was close to Sweden, the enemy in the war. It was also a fresh start, away from the old customs of Moscow.
2. How did the calendar change in 1700 help Russia?
The year now began on 1 January and was counted from Christ's birth, like most of Europe. Merchants and diplomats could match dates with other countries more easily.
3. Why were assemblies seen as a big change?
Earlier, noble women lived apart from men at gatherings. In assemblies men and women met, talked and danced together in the western way, which changed manners.
Common mistakes
- Saying St Petersburg was built on a dry plain. It was a marsh, and building it cost many lives.
- Thinking the Academy of Sciences opened while Peter was alive. He ordered it in 1724; it opened in 1725 after his death.
- Mixing up the calendar change: the year start moved to 1 January, but Russia kept the Julian calendar, not the modern one.
- Believing all Russians changed their lives. The new dress and manners were for nobles and townspeople; most peasants lived as before.