, Vladimir Bortko Composer Vladimir Dashkevich Editing Leda Semenova Camera Elena Ivanova Script writers Igor Afanasiev , Vladimir Bortko , Daniil Granin Art director Vladimir Svetozarov , Marina Nikolaeva , Larisa Konnikova, more

Plot

Beware, the text may contain spoilers!

The plot is about recent years life of Peter the Great. Present as historical facts and fictional stories.

Peter, tired of power and constant intrigues, accidentally meets Maria Cantemir and falls in love with her. The Moldavian princess is smart and educated, which makes her a serious opponent in the eyes of the court. Maria becomes Peter's mistress, someone believes that the emperor's greatest love. Prince Romadanovsky stops Peter from trying to deprive Catherine I of the throne. Maria is pregnant, the emperor is going to make the child his heir. Catherine I conspires with doctors and the nobility, the pregnancy is interrupted by medical intervention.

Together with love passions in full swing state activity Petra: strengthening the army, developing the fleet, fighting embezzlers. On one of the "working" days, the emperor takes part in the rescue of sailors drowning in cold water. Peter falls ill, doctors say that this is the emperor's last illness. No one is allowed to see the dying man, and the palace intriguers have already divided the inheritance among themselves. According to the court servants, Peter did not have time to complete the will. Only 2 words were written: “Give it all…”.

After the death of Peter 1, for 10 years, the change of power took place through palace coups. They did not change the essence of the social and political system. After the sudden death of the king in 1725 g. the question is who will become the heir. Tsarevich Alexei Peter personally brought to trial and tortured. 2 candidates are being considered - Empress Catherine and the grandson of Peter - Tsarevich Peter. For Peter, the Moscow nobility advocated for Catherine, Peter's associates. Catherine is the first Russian tsarina to be crowned. The first palace coup takes place. In all coups, the main role is played by the guard. 1727 Ekaterina dies of tuberculosis. The young Peter 2 is put on the throne. Initially, Menshikov influences him, then the princes Dolgoruky. Menshikov betroths the tsar to his daughter, but then falls ill and does not appear in the palace for several weeks. During this time, the princes Dolgoruky turn the young Peter against Menshikov. Menshikov falls into disgrace - his wealth is taken away, he is exiled with his whole family, where he dies. Dolgoruky also betrothed him to his daughter. IN 1730 Peter 2 dies of smallpox, he is about 14 years old. The Supreme Privy Council, established under Catherine, proposes to invite Anna Ioanovna (niece of Peter 1) to the throne, subject to the signing of concessions (a document limiting the power of the monarch). The Empress has no right to declare war, to give and take lands, to appoint to positions without the knowledge of the Privy Council. She agrees, but upon arrival in Moscow breaks the concession. Dissolves the Privy Council, and subsequently exposes its members to persecution. Her favorite is Biron the groom. Adventurers of all classes come to Moscow. Anna reigns until 1740 at she has no heirs and she invites her niece and husband Anton Brushveitsky from Germany. He marries them, they have a son, Ivan Antonovich, whom Anna Ioanovna appoints as heir. Biron served as regent under him. But after her death, he does not rule for even a week - another palace coup takes place - Peter's daughter Elizabeth comes to power. Under Elizabeth, the Seven Years' War begins 1756-1763 . England and Prussia are fighting against Austria, France and Russia. Russian troops take Konigsberg and Berlin. Elizabeth has no children. She discharges her nephew Pyotr Fedorovich from Germany and marries him to Ekaterina Alekseevna. 1761 Catherine is dying. Peter ascends the throne, makes peace with Prussia and enters into an alliance with her. Gives a company of grenadiers, begins to prepare for war with Denmark, returns Koenigsberg. He is trying to reform Orthodoxy: he bans icons, prays only to the Mother of God and Jesus. Under him, a decree on the freedom of the nobility is adopted, the nobles are exempt from taxes and have the right not to serve in the army. IN 1761 Catherine, with the support of her favorite Count Orlov, makes a coup.

15 The policy of "Enlightened absolutism" of Catherine II.

In Russia, the works of enlighteners began to be published, newspaper and magazine business flourished. No censorship. But later Catherine assesses the danger of these enlighteners and forbids them. Russians are forbidden to travel to France. The persecution of Radishchev began. Catherine collects the established commission for the creation of a new Cathedral Code. This commission assigns her the title of Mother of All Russia. Catherine's time, the heyday of serfdom. Catherine confirms the manifesto on the freedom of the nobility with a letter to the nobility. Peasants are forbidden to complain about the landowner. The landowner may exile serfs at will. Under Catherine, there were a large number of riots and uprisings. In the 70s, the Pugachev uprising takes place. He returns from the seven-year war and asks for a pension, but they don’t let him, he is offended and spreads rumors that he is Tsar Peter (shows everyone royal sign) He is arrested, on the way he drunk the guards and runs to the Don. Pugachev raises the Cossacks on the Don and sends letters that it is necessary to overthrow Catherine. He wants to make the Cossacks a new elite. The tsarist troops could not cope with it for some time, but in the end the uprising was crushed. He flees to the Don, but there he is caught and handed over to the authorities, subsequently executed. The Yarik River was renamed the Ural to erase the memory of this uprising.

CONTENT

Introduction………….…….…….……..…………..…………….……….….…..…….3
1. The legacy of Peter 1 and the era of palace coups. ………………...………..4
2. The policy of "Enlightened absolutism". Catherine II. ……….….……….8
3. The main goals and directions of Russia's foreign policy. Russian-Turkish wars. …….…….…….…….…….…….…….…………..……….………..………16
Conclusion. …….…….…….…………..…….…….…….…….…….…….…........19
Bibliography. …….…………………...….…….…….…….…………..……21

Introduction
The middle and second half of the 18th century went down in the history of Russia as a continuation of the "Petersburg period", as the time of our country's transformation into a great European power. The reign of Peter the Great opened new era. Russia acquired Europeanized features of the state system: administration and jurisdiction, the army and navy were reorganized in a Western way. This time was a period of great upheavals (mass unrest of peasants in the middle of the century, the Plague Riot, the Pugachev uprising), but also of serious transformations. The need to strengthen social basis"autocratic absolutism" forced Russian monarchs change forms of cooperation with class structures. As a result, the nobility was given estate management and guarantees of property.
History of Russia in the second quarter and mid-eighteenth century was characterized by a sharp struggle of noble groups for power, which led to frequent changes in the reigning persons on the throne, to rearrangements in their immediate environment. With a light hand, V.O. Klyuchevsky, the term "the era of palace coups" was assigned to this period. IN. Klyuchevsky associated the onset of political instability after the death of Peter I with the "autocracy" of the latter, who, in particular, decided to break the traditional order of succession to the throne. The throne turned out to be given "to the will of chance and became his toy" - it was not the law that determined who should sit on the throne, but the guard, which at that time was the "dominant force."
The era was characterized by the transition to the path of gradual elimination of the general enslavement of the population by the state (initially, this process affected the nobility); a departure from the idea of ​​the omnipotence of the king; recognition of certain rights for a person; strengthening the positions of both the local bureaucracy and the local nobility in the local administration and courts; strengthening the idea of ​​cooperation, activation of local forces. An essential place in the ideology of the Enlightenment was occupied by the concept of an "enlightened sovereign" who cares about the welfare of his subjects. In an "enlightened" state, laws established for the good of the people were to be placed at the forefront in state institutions and in politics. The ruler, recognizing unlimited and free in his powers in relation to society, had to follow the laws of his society and be guided by them.

1. The legacy of Peter 1 and the era of palace coups.
By the law of 1722, the usual order of succession to the throne, which was in force in Muscovite Rus', was abolished, and the monarch was given the right to appoint heirs. In this order, the will of the monarch was of great importance. But Peter died of an accidental cold that broke his health, shattered by labors, died only 52 years old and did not leave any will. The nobles and "gentlemen of the Senate", who gathered in the palace on the night of January 28, 1725 in view of the imminent death of Peter, learned from Makarov's office secretary that Peter had not expressed his will about the heir. I had to think about who to replace the dying emperor ..........

Conclusion
What were the main results of the 18th century for Russia?
In the 18th century, Russian autocracy was at the height of its historical development, having defended the monopoly on power in the fight against the oligarchic claims of the aristocracy and subordinating the church to direct state control. In the second half of the 18th century, church land ownership was virtually eliminated: its share was reduced from 12% to 2%.
A powerful economic base became one of the factors in establishing a certain independence of the autocracy from all classes. At the same time, this independence, which allowed the autocracy to maneuver between the estates, exercising, so to speak, a “above-class function”, certainly had its limits, which was clearly shown by the repeated palace coups that various factions of the nobility arranged in St. Petersburg without much difficulty between 1725 and 1801. for years.
By its feudal nature, the Russian autocracy was most obscurely associated with the nobility, on which it largely depended and in which it saw its main support. Petersburg autocrats, to a much greater extent than their Muscovite predecessors, cared about strengthening this social support. According to the established tradition, this was done by distributing populated lands to the nobles who distinguished themselves before the throne, as well as by deliberately expanding the nobility at the expense of distinguished military men, the most capable officials and wealthy entrepreneurs. During the 18th century, more than 2.5 million peasants were transferred from the state fund to private ownership. Often, lands and peasants were given to the "new" nobles in addition to the noble title they received for service or other merits. By the end of the 18th century, the Russian nobility was renewed by more than 20% due to people from other classes, which, of course, strengthened the social base of the autocracy.
At the same time, it was in the 18th century, or rather, at its end, that the legality of the Russian autocracy and its moral viability were first called into question. This was the inevitable logical result of the penetration into Russia of the ideology of the Enlightenment and the ideas of the French Revolution.
The 18th century is the time of approval in Russia secular culture spread, however, only to the privileged and educated part of society. A new Russian culture is being formed, National language, there is a professional theatrical, musical and visual arts. Russian science reached a high level of scientific knowledge at that time.
But all these innovations only to a very minimal extent affected 90% of the population of peasant Russia, who continued to live according to the customs of their ancestors. As a result of forced Europeanization, it was precisely in the 18th century that a cultural and civilizational split occurred in Russian society, which finally separated its top from the masses, defining a growing mutual misunderstanding between them for a century ahead.
One way or another, but in the 18th century, on the site of the equally original, as well as archaic Muscovite Rus', a semi-Europeanized Russian empire- an authoritarian-bureaucratic state that has established itself as a result of numerous wars as a great European power. Russia, with short breaks, fought for almost the entire duration of the 18th century. No one knows how many human and material losses she suffered in these wars. The expansionism of the Russian Empire inspired serious concern in Europe, nourishing anti-Russian sentiments there.
Regardless of the motives for the sharp intensification of Russia's external expansion with early XVIII century, generated by the need to gain access to the Baltic and Black Seas, Russian foreign policy objectively turned into a factor destabilizing the existing balance in Europe, which caused inevitable opposition to this expansion from the leading European powers. True, by the end of the 18th century, political map Europe, a new "violator" of the European balance appeared - revolutionary, and then Napoleonic France, against which all the legitimate monarchies of the Old World, including the Russian Empire, united.
St. Petersburg's one-sided political and cultural orientation towards Western Europe throughout the 18th century was not unconditionally positive, since at that time Russia lost some of its traditional spiritual values. In this sense, the 18th century for Russia can be considered a transitional and even a turning point in its historical development.

Bibliography
1. History of political and legal doctrines. Textbook for high schools. Under the general editorship of Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences V. S. Nesesyants. M.: 1996 - 736 p.
2. History of Russia from the beginning of the XVIII to late XIX century / L.V. Milov,
P.N. Zyryanov, A.N. Bokhanov, M.: OOO Publishing House AST-LTD, 1997-554s
3. Klyuchevsky V.O. Course of lectures on Russian history,
collected works, M.: 1979. (Vol. No. 3)
4. Tatishchev V.N. Russian History, M.: 1986. (Vol. No. 7)
5. Cherkasov P.P., Chernyshevsky D.V. History of Imperial Russia,
M.: Intern. relations, 1994. - 448s.
6. Yurganov A.L., Katsva L.A. History of Russia XVI-XVIII centuries: Textbook for
higher educational institutions, M.: Miros, 1994. - 424 p.
7. Kamensky A.B. Russian Empire in the 18th century: traditions and modernization. M., 1999
8. Ionov I.N. Russian civilization, IX - early XX centuries: Textbook. book. for 10-11 cells. general education institutions. M., 1995

- 173.50 Kb

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..3
2. The struggle for the legacy of Peter I. The era of palace coups……….4
3. The reign of Catherine II. "Enlightened absolutism"…………….11
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………….11
2. What is "Enlightened absolutism"?....................................................12
3. Establishment of the Legislative Commission…………………………………………………………………………………………14
4. “Instruction” of Catherine the Great…………………………………………………………………………15
5. Functioning of the commission………………………………………………………… ……18
6. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………21
4. Russia at the end of the 18th century Pavel I………………………………………………………..23
1. Personality of Emperor Paul I. Domestic policy………………23
2. Foreign policy………………………………………………………. .25
3. CONSPIRACY. The murder of Paul I……………………………………………....26
5. References………………………………………………………………………………27

Introduction.

Formation of the Russian Empire. Russian Empire in the 18th century.

Tsar Peter I carried out radical changes in the internal and foreign policy states. As a result of the Northern War of 1700-1721, the powerful Swedish army was defeated and the Russian lands captured by Sweden at the end of the 16th century were returned. At the mouth of the Neva, the port city of St. Petersburg was built, where in 1712 the capital of Russia was moved.

The reforms of Peter I led to the modernization of the army, the state apparatus and education. An absolute monarchy was established in Russia, headed by the emperor, to whom even the church was subordinate (through the chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod). The boyars lost the remnants of their independence and turned into nobility. After the death of Peter I, the era of palace coups began, characterized by a noble oligarchy and frequent changes of emperors.

Under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, power in Russia stabilized. Moscow University was founded. The Russian army successfully fought against Prussia in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).

Under Empress Catherine the Great, Russia successfully fought with Turkey for access to the Black Sea, paper money (banknotes) appeared, many foreigners settled in Russia, and the development of America began. The lands of modern Ukraine and Belarus were finally annexed as a result of the divisions of the Commonwealth.

In 1796, Catherine II dies and Paul I ascends the throne. He began his reign by breaking the rules of Catherine's rule. Paul established a new order of succession to the throne that excluded women from the throne. Dissatisfaction with his policies grew in noble circles, which led to his assassination in 1801.

The struggle for the legacy of Peter I. The era of palace coups.

The overstrain of the country's forces during the years of Peter the Great's reforms, the destruction of traditions, and the violent methods of reform caused an ambiguous attitude of various circles of Russian society towards the Peter's heritage and created the conditions for political instability.

From 1725, after the death of Peter I and until Catherine II came to power in 1762, six monarchs and many political forces behind them were replaced on the throne. This change did not always take place in a peaceful and legal way, which is why this period of V.O. Klyuchevsky is not entirely accurate, but figuratively and aptly called “ era of palace coups". This era includes several stages of development associated with the rule of a particular person.

The main reason that formed the basis of the palace coups was the contradictions between various noble groups in relation to the Peter's heritage. It would be a simplification to consider that the split occurred along the lines of acceptance and rejection of reforms. Both the so-called “new nobility”, which had come to the fore in the years of Peter the Great thanks to their service zeal, and the aristocratic party tried to soften the course of reforms, hoping in one form or another to give a respite to society, and first of all, to themselves. But each of these groups defended its narrow class interests and privileges, which created a fertile ground for internal political struggle.

Palace coups were generated by a sharp struggle of various factions for power. As a rule, it came down most often to the nomination and support of one or another candidate for the throne.

At that time, the guards began to play an active role in the political life of the country, which Peter brought up as a privileged “support” of the autocracy, which, moreover, assumed the right to control the conformity of the personality and policy of the monarch to the legacy that her “beloved emperor” left.

The alienation of the masses from politics and their passivity served as fertile ground for palace intrigues and coups.

To a large extent, palace coups were provoked by the unresolved problem of succession to the throne in connection with the adoption of the Decree of 1722, which broke the traditional mechanism for the transfer of power,

Dying, Peter did not leave an heir, having only managed to write with a weakening hand: “Give everything ...”. The opinion of the leaders about his successor was divided. “Petrov's Nest Chicks” spoke out for his second wife Ekaterina, and representatives of the well-born defended the candidacy of their grandson, Pyotr Alekseevich. The outcome of the dispute was decided by the guards, who supported the empress.

accession Catherine 1 (1725-1727) led to a sharp strengthening of the position of Menshikov, who became the de facto ruler of the country. Attempts to somewhat curb his lust for power and greed with the help of the Supreme Privy Council (VTS) created under the Empress, to which the first three colleges, as well as the Senate, were subordinate, did not lead to anything. Moreover, temporary worker decided to strengthen his position through the marriage of his daughter with the young grandson of Peter. P. Tolstoy, who opposed this plan, ended up in prison.

In May 1727, Catherine 1 died and, according to her will, 12-year-old Peter II (1727-1730) became emperor under the regency of the military-technical cooperation. Menshikov's influence at court increased, and he even received the coveted rank of generalissimo. But, pushing away old allies and not acquiring new ones among the noble nobility, he soon lost influence on the young emperor and in September 1727 was arrested and exiled with his whole family to Berezovo, where he soon died.

A significant role in discrediting the personality of Menshikov in the eyes of the young emperor was played by the Dolgoruky, as well as a member of the military-technical cooperation, the tutor of the tsar, nominated to this position by Menshikov himself - A.I. Osterman - a clever diplomat who, depending on the alignment of forces and the political situation, was able to change his views, allies and patrons.

The overthrow of Menshikov was, in essence, an actual palace coup, because the composition of the military-technical cooperation changed, in which aristocratic families (Dolgoruky and Golitsyn) began to predominate, and A.I. began to play a key role. Osterman; the regency of the MTC was put an end to, Peter II declared himself a full-fledged ruler, who was surrounded by new favorites; a course was outlined aimed at revising the reforms of Peter I.

Soon the court left St. Petersburg and moved to Moscow, which attracted the emperor by the presence of richer hunting grounds. The sister of the tsar's favorite, Ekaterina Dolgorukaya, was betrothed to Peter II, but while preparing for the wedding, he died of smallpox. And again the question of the heir to the throne arose, because. with the death of Peter II, the male line of the Romanovs ended, and he did not have time to appoint a successor.

In the conditions of a political crisis and timelessness, the military-technical cooperation, which by that time consisted of 8 people (5 seats belonged to the Dolgoruky and Golitsyn), decided to invite the niece of Peter I, the Duchess of Courland Anna Ioannovna, to the throne, since back in 1710 she was married off by Peter to the Duke of Courland , early widowed, lived in cramped material conditions, largely at the expense of the Russian government.

It was also extremely important that she had no supporters and no connections in Russia. As a result, this made it possible, beckoning with an invitation to the brilliant St. Petersburg throne, to impose their own conditions and get her consent to limit the power of the monarch.

D.M. Golitsyn took the initiative to draw up really limiting the autocracy " conditions ", according to which:

1) Anna undertook to rule together with the military-technical cooperation, which actually turned into the highest governing body of the country.

2) Without the approval of the military-technical cooperation, it could not legislate, impose taxes, dispose of the treasury, declare war or make peace.

3) The empress did not have the right to grant estates and ranks above the rank of colonel, to deprive her of estates without trial.

4) The Guard was subordinate to the military-technical cooperation.

5) Anna undertook not to marry and not to appoint an heir, but in case of non-fulfillment of any of these conditions, she was deprived of the “Russian crown”.

There is no consensus among scholars in assessing the nature and significance of the "Verkhovniki's idea". Some see in the “conditions” a desire to establish, instead of autocracy, an “oligarchic” form of government that met the interests of a narrow layer of the noble nobility and led Russia back to the era of “boyar self-will”. Others believe that this was the first constitutional draft that limited the arbitrary rule of the despotic state created by Peter, from which all segments of the population, including the aristocracy, suffered.

Anna Ioannovna after meeting in Mitava with V.L. Dolgoruky, sent by the military-technical cooperation for negotiations, accepted these conditions without any hesitation. However, despite the desire of members of the military-technical cooperation to hide their plans, their contents became known to the guards and the general masses. nobility ”.

From this environment, new projects for the political reorganization of Russia began to emerge (the most mature one belonged to the V.N. Tatishchev ), which gave the nobility the right to elect representatives of the highest authorities and expanded the composition of the military-technical cooperation. Specific requirements were also put forward aimed at facilitating the conditions of service of the nobles. D.M. Golitsyn, realizing the danger of isolation of military-technical cooperation, met these wishes and developed new project, suggesting the limitation of autocracy by a system of elected bodies. The highest of them remained the military-technical cooperation of 12 members. Previously, all issues were discussed in the Senate of 30 people, the Chamber of Nobility of 200 ordinary nobles and the Chamber of Citizens, two representatives from each city. In addition, the nobility was exempted from compulsory service.

The supporters of the inviolability of the principle of autocracy, led by A. Osterman and F. Prokopovich, who attracted the guards, managed to take advantage of the disagreements between the adherents of the constitutional restriction of the monarchy. As a result, having found support, Anna Ioannovna broke the “conditions” and restored the autocracy in full.

The reasons for the failure of the “supreme leaders” were the short-sightedness and selfishness of the majority of the members of the military-technical cooperation, who sought to limit the monarchy not for the sake of the interests of the whole country, or even the nobility, but for the sake of preserving and expanding their own privileges. The inconsistency of actions, political inexperience and mutual suspicion of individual noble groups, who were supporters of the constitutional order, but feared by their actions to strengthen the military-technical cooperation, also contributed to the restoration of autocracy. The bulk of the nobility was not ready for radical political change.

The decisive word belonged to the Guard, which, after some hesitation, finally supported the idea of ​​an unlimited monarchy.

Finally, the far-sightedness and unscrupulousness of Osterman and Prokopovich, the leaders of the party of supporters of the preservation of autocracy, played an important role.

From the very beginning of her reign, Anna Ioannovna tried to erase even the memory of “conditions” from the consciousness of her subjects. She liquidated the military-technical cooperation, creating instead the Cabinet of Ministers headed by Osterman. Since 1735, the signature of the 3rd cabinet of ministers, according to her decree, was equated with the signature of the empress. Dolgoruky, and later Golitsyn were repressed.

Gradually, Anna went to meet the most urgent requirements of the Russian nobility: their service life was limited to 25 years; that part of the Decree on Uniform Succession, which limited the right of the nobles to dispose of the estate when it was inherited, was canceled; easier to get an officer's rank. For these purposes, a cadet noble corps was created, at the end of which an officer rank was awarded; it was allowed to enlist the nobles for service from infancy, which gave them the opportunity, upon reaching the age of majority, to receive an officer rank “by length of service”.

An accurate description of the personality of the new empress was given by V.O. Klyuchevsky: “Tall and obese, with a face more masculine than feminine, callous by nature and even more hardened by early widowhood ... among court adventures in Courland, where she was pushed around like a Russian-Prussian-Polish toy, she, having already 37 years , brought to Moscow an evil and poorly educated mind with a fierce thirst for belated pleasures and gross entertainment”.

Short description

Tsar Peter I carried out radical changes in the domestic and foreign policy of the state. As a result of the Northern War of 1700-1721, the powerful Swedish army was defeated and the Russian lands captured by Sweden at the end of the 16th century were returned. At the mouth of the Neva, the port city of St. Petersburg was built, where in 1712 the capital of Russia was moved.

Content

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..3
2. The struggle for the legacy of Peter I. The era of palace coups……….4
3. The reign of Catherine II. "Enlightened absolutism"…………….11
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………….11
2. What is "Enlightened absolutism"? .............................................. 12
3. Creation of the Legislative Commission………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. “Instruction” of Catherine the Great…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………15
5. Functioning of the Commission………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………21
4. Russia at the end of the XVIII century. Pavel I………………………………………………………..23
1. Personality of Emperor Paul I. Domestic policy………………23
2. Foreign policy………………………………………………………..25
3. Conspiracy. The murder of Paul I……………………………………………....26
5. References…………………………………………………………………………27

To re-evaluate the role of Peter I in the fate of Russia and Europe - this is the essence of the "Peter Days", which are held in St. Petersburg in honor of the birthday of the first Russian emperor (June 9)

The great reformer Peter I in the 18th century completely changed the face of Russia, turning it to face Europe, expanding its borders, building new capital on the Baltic Sea - St. Petersburg, reorganizing a lot in the state, economic, cultural structure. Some idolized him, elevating him to the rank of the Messiah, others cursed him, considering him the Antichrist, who drowned the country in blood for the sake of his accomplishments.

Until now, scientists are breaking spears on the pages of scientific publications, trying to comprehend the complex nature of the first Russian emperor. Artists also turn to the image of Peter I. On the movie screen, for example, the personality of the tsar turns to the viewer with different facets: a crowned carpenter, a furious hero, a savvy merry fellow, a formidable despot ... Back in 1937, the grandiose historical epic "Peter the Great" was filmed, in which one of the most controversial figures in Russian history is presented exclusively positive colors.

Today's generation of filmmakers is not inclined to interpret the image of Peter I so unambiguously. This can be judged at least by the four-episode television film by the famous director Vladimir Bortko, shown shortly before the birthday of Peter I. This is, first of all, the story of the last love of the great emperor. The literary basis of the film was the novel "Evenings with Peter the Great" by the venerable Russian prose writer Daniil Granin, who worked for 12 years with unique documents and archives, creating his book. Director Vladimir Bortko says:

"From Granin's novel, I learned that there was a certain girl Maria Cantemir, a representative of European culture, since she is the daughter of the king of Moldavia, the heiress of the Paleologs in one line, and in the other, the direct heiress of Tamerlane. Wow biography! And it seemed interesting to me" to introduce " Peter I with a girl who is not exactly equal to him, but she - only person who understands it."

Clever, educated, beautiful Maria Cantemir is the embodiment of an emancipated personality: she smokes a pipe, dances a belly dance ... Historians, of course, can argue with such details. "However, no one has canceled fiction yet," notes Vladimir Bortko.

"It's stupid to approach a dramaturgical work as a history textbook," says the director.

In addition, the film is dedicated not only to the relationship of the king with the heiress of the last dynasty of the Byzantine emperors. The television series is called "Peter the Great. Testament", and this is the essence, says Vladimir Bortko.

"We talk about recent years, even about last days Peter. And this, it seems to me, is unusual in comparison with the stereotype of the perception of the emperor, who is always on horseback, always ahead. The victory over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava, for example, is all behind us. Before him is a completely different country that he created. He changed everything in Russia, he turned it around one hundred and eighty degrees. He built the city of St. Petersburg, built a fleet, moved the borders, created factories in the Urals, changed the typeface, published the first newspaper ... And what's next, to whom to transfer all this? His comrades-in-arms, being very talented people whom he himself chose, are in principle performers who cannot independently determine the movement of the country. When the king was dying, - the director continues, - his beloved daughter brought him a sheet of paper, and with a weakening hand he wrote on it: "Leave everything ..." And then the pen went down. This is, of course, a beautiful legend. But he "left everything" - to you and me. In fact, he created the country in which we live today. Where are the ministries from? - This is Peter. The arrangement of officials by rank, still existing, from where? - From there. He left us a country. And each of us is responsible for this very country."

"I'm not saying that the film is brilliant, but that it's really needed now - that's for sure," director Vladimir Bortko is convinced.

Elena Andrusenko
rus.ruvr.ru