Threats to Peter

Question 1

Tsarevich Alexei

Answer 1

Threat 1:
Threatened his power: In November 1716, Alexis fled from Russia, finding refuge in the Austrian dominions of King Charles VI. This was a significant threat to Peter as not only in Austria did Alexis have shelter and sympathy from a powerful foreign King, but also it meant that Alexis was a safe distance from Peter and thus had the time and ability to plot against Peter

Threat 2: Alexis’ threat ultimately came from his symbolic power (i.e. being the son - and only male heir - of Peter). This was enormously significant as it meant that not only could Alexis reverse all of Peter’s changes once he becomes Tsar, but also it meant that he was a very public figure and thus all his actions had the ability to gain support from other Russians

Not a threat:
Easily put down: In February 1718, he was pardoned after confessing his faults, but Peter thought there was a conspiracy and forced Alexis to name his accomplices. Even though there was no evidence of a conspiracy, Alexis was arrested for not naming all of his accomplices and he was tortured and knouted, and died soon after.

Question 2

Streltsi

Answer 2

Threat 1:
June 1698, four regiments of the streltsy mutinied from their march to Azov and went to Moscow meaning that Peter had to return from the Grand Embassy early
Affected his long-term vision for Russia as he had to take his efforts away from bolstering Russia’s international standing

Threat 2:
However, Peter offered them leniency earlier which shows that he was scared of them.

Not a threat:
Were never going to gain enough military strength to oppose Peter as Peter had done an excellent job of improving the military such that the Streltsi were now the weakest aspect of it. They marched on Moscow and the revolt was crushed by Peter’s loyal troops.

Question 3

Military

Answer 3

1. Streltsy was made up of Old Believers - They believed that Peter was the ‘anti-Christ’ and opposed his Western innovations
2. 1698 Streltsy Revolt - When Peter was absent in the West, four regiments of the Streltsy, ordered to march from Azov to the Polish frontier, mutinied and marched on Moscow. Not a real threat as Peter was not there
3. 1182 men were executed overall and 601 were banished

Question 4

Church

Answer 4

Threat 1:
Some priests/monks/bishops opposed by preaching sermons drawing on Orthodox traditions or even Roman Catholic teachings about the rights of the Church. Clergy constituted around 20% of all political cases tried in Preobrazhensky Office in P’s reign, despite only being 2% of the population.

Threat 2:
Church architecture resisted stylistic takeover by new norms from St Petersburg, so did icon painting and the language of Church services, which remained Church Slavonic. Threat to his authority

Not a threat:
Some of the clergy embraced Petrine reform – believed that emphasis on education/service would eventually make the Russian church the most learned branch of Eastern Orthodoxy.

Question 5

Nobility

Answer 5

Threat 1:
Undermine his power by disregarding his ukazy as some nobles were so far away from Peter and the centre of power that they could ignore his commands and not do anything about it.

Threat 2:
1721, Peter introduced the Table of Ranks - a system that allowed important political roles to be obtained through merit over heritage. Many lesser nobles along with those who had gained prestige due to merit were willing to follow Peter’s changes to maintain their position

Not a threat:
They got their power from Peter – he could change their fortunes in a minute, so resistance was always far away from him.

Question 6

Peasants

Answer 6

Threat 1:
Under Peter, 200,000 Serfs fled (by 1724) to gain freedom in the autonomous Don region. While not posing any physical threat to Peter, this halted the peasants’ abilities to pay tax and be conscripted, meaning they proved to be a threat to what Peter wanted to achieve rather than his rule itself. (More of threat to nobles and tax collecters; tax burdens shifted to other peasants)

Threat 2:
Number – over 20 million peasants, if they ever took direct form of resistance it would have been impossible to stop…

Threat 3:
Ignored his commands – eg rejected Peter’s demand in 1721 to use scythes instead of sickles. Therefore undermined his authority

Question 7

Don Cossacks

Answer 7

1. 1708, when Charles led his forces into Ukraine seeking supplies and reinforcements, Mazepa and 5,000 of his Cossacks joined the Swedes instead of going to the aid of the Russians - ineffective as Mazepa was able neither to inspire the Ukrainian population to revolt against the Russians nor to supply the Swedes with enough Cossacks to prevent the Russians from inflicting a major defeat upon them at Poltava
2. In May 1709, the Russians destroyed the Zaporizhian Sich (which had sided with Mazepa), and in June of that year the Russians defeated the Swedes and Cossacks at the Battle of Poltava. This was one of the most important battles in European history, as it ended Sweden’s quest to become the dominant power in northern Europe and allowed the Russians to expand westward along the Baltic coast