PETER THE GREAT
His Life and World
Robert K. Massie
BALLANTINE BOOKS © NEW YORK
Copyright © 1980 by Robert K. Massie
Cover art property of NBC. © 1985 National Broadcasting
Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States of America by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number. 80-7635 ISBN 0-345-33619-4
This edition published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Ballantine Books Trade Edition: October 1981
First Ballantine Books Mass Market Edition: February 1986
For
MARY KIMBALL TODD and JAMES MADISON TODD and in memory of ROBERT KINLOCH MASSIE
CONTENTS
Old Muscovy
Peter's Childhood
'A Maiden of Great Intelligence'
The Revolt of the Streltsy
The Great Schism
Peter's Games
The Regency of Sophia
Sophia Overthrown
Gordon, Lefort and the Jolly Company
Archangel
Azov
The Great Embassy to Western Europe
'It Is Impossible to Describe Him'
Peter in Holland
The Prince of Orange
Peter in England
Leopold and Augustus
'These Things Are in Your Way'
Fire and Knout
Among Friends
Voronezh and the Southern Fleet
Mistress of the North
Let the Cannon Decide
Charles XII 323
Narva 335
'We Must Not Lose Our Heads' 351
The Founding of St. Petersburg 367
Menshikov and Catherine 380
The Hand of the Autocrat 395
Polish Quagmire 411
Charles in Saxony 428
The Great Road to Moscow · 443
Golovchin and Lesnaya 455
Mazeppa 472
The Worst Winter Within Memory 484
The Gathering of Forces 496
Poltava 508
Surrender by the River 525
The Fruits of Poltava 534
The Sultan's World 549
Liberator of the Balkan Christians 559
Fifty Blows on the Pruth 572
The German Campaign and Frederick William 587
The Coast of Finland 601
The Kalabalik 611
Venice of the North 622
An Ambassador Reports 633
The Second Journey West 643
'The King Is a Mighty Man . . .' 655
A Visitor in Paris 664
The Education of an Heir 677
A Paternal Ultimatum 688
Flight of the Tsarevich 700
The Future on Trial 711
Charles' Last Offensive 730
King George Enters the Baltic 743
Victory 754
In the Service of the State 765
Commerce by Decree 790
Supreme Under God 803
The Emperor in St. Petersburg 816
Along the Caspian 840
Twilight
851 Epilogue 870
MAPS
Russia during the youth of Peter the Great, 1672-1696 15
Moscow 41
The Swedish Empire at the beginning of the
Great Northern War 304
The Battle of Narva I 344
The Battle of Narva II 348
The Swedish invasion of Russia, 1708-1709 457
Poltava I 506
Poltava II 515
Poltava III 518
