"Will Durant Explores the Reign of Peter the Great"

Embark on a historical journey through the life and reign of Peter the Great, one of Russia's most transformative rulers, with the distinguished historian, Will Durant, as your guide. In this enlightening video, Durant delves into Peter's efforts to modernize Russia, his sweeping reforms, and his lasting impact on Russian history and culture.
🏰 Explore Durant's insightful commentary as he navigates the following key aspects of Peter the Great's life and reign:
Peter's early years and his determination to westernize Russia
His visionary reforms, including the Table of Ranks and the establishment of St. Petersburg
Peter's military campaigns and expansion of the Russian Empire
The challenges and successes of his rule, including the Great Northern War
Peter's influence on Russian culture, art, and science
The enduring legacy of Peter the Great's reign in shaping modern Russia
This video provides a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Peter the Great's transformative rule and his significant contributions to the development of Russia as a European power. Will Durant's eloquent storytelling and historical expertise make this exploration of Peter the Great's life and legacy a must-watch for history enthusiasts, scholars, and anyone interested in the history of Russia and its great rulers.

[@malicant123]

This man wasn't simply a great historian, he was a witty and profoundly talented story teller.

[@Over-Boy42]

0:00 Peter the great 0:04 1. The barbarian 13:53 2. The Petrine Revolution 38:10 3. Aftermath

[@louistoadvine4141]

The original gigachad

[@bar10ml44]

Excellent

[@hillaryclinton1232]

But, if you know anything about Sophia by now, it should be this: She wasn’t going down without a fight. 13. He Had To Run For His Life Sophia heard of Peter’s plans, but she wasn’t ready to give up her power just yet. She still had the Streltsy on her side, too, so they came up with a dark plot. They were going to get Peter to fall in line-or else. Thankfully, some members of the Streltsy were in the young tsar’s corner. They warned him, and he fled under cover of darkness to the impenetrable monastery of Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra. Though it was all happening behind the scenes, there was a cold war breaking out in Russia. Peter vs. Sophia. But who would come out on top? (I think you know the answer). 14. He Came Out On Top Surprise surprise, there were lots of people in Russia who despised the autocratic Sophia and her machinations. They flocked to Peter’s side, and after a power struggle, the tsar came out on top. His retaliation against Sophia was devastating. Peter forced her to forsake her name, her titles, and her position in the royal family. Then he locked her away in a convent, where she quickly wasted away, passing within six years. Now it was finally time for Peter to take control-or was it? 15. He Still Played Second Fiddle Even though Sophia was gone, Peter still didn’t rule Russia outright. Sure, he still had a co-tsar in his older brother Ivan-but that’s not who we’re talking about. Ivan was still sickly and of an unstable mind. No, it was Ivan’s mother, Natalya, who was the real rival. Still kicking around after all these years, she ruled in her son’s stead. It was only after Natalya passed in 1694, followed soon after by Ivan two years later, that Peter finally got the keys to the castle. By that time, he’d grown into a formidable young man indeed. 16. He Was A Giant You know how everyone says Napoleon was short, but then people will argue, “Well, actually he was of average height for his time”? Well, there’s no arguing here: Peter the Great was tall. As in, 6’8″ inches. Now, was he gangly? Yes. Did he have a weirdly small head and incessant facial tics? Absolutely. But this spindly giant was no sickly weakling like his two brothers had been. Peter the Great was a force of nature-and he was about to start proving it. 17. He Changed Everything When Peter finally took charge in Russia, he looked out at his Tsardom…and he didn’t like what he saw. It was now almost 1700, and compared to the West, Peter thought Russia was still in the stone ages. He soon implemented vast reforms that touched almost every aspect of Russian life. His goal was to bring Russia into the 18th-century. Well, plenty of people liked things the way they were. Things were about to get bloody. 18. He Was Brutal Surprise, surprise, when Peter the Great tried to completely change everything about Russian life in the blink of an eye, people revolted! Rebellions sprang up all across Russia-but Peter the Great was not someone you wanted to cross. He must have learned a thing or two from his older sister Sophia, because the brutal tactics he used to put down rebellions struck fear into the hearts of anyone who thought about disobeying him. The little boy who had seen his own family members slaughtered in front of him was now butchering rebels by the thousands. Oh, and he was a daddy, too! 19. He Abandoned His Boy Alexei Petrovich, Peter’s son and heir, was born in 1690-but Peter didn’t exactly dote over the boy. While he was out modernizing Russia, he left his wife and son by their lonesome. And anyone who says that absence makes the heart grow fonder never met these two. Eudoxia despised her husband for abandoning her, and she raised her son to hate him just as much. And while their hatred festered, Peter was too busy to notice. Although, to his credit, he did have a lot on his plate… 20. He Wanted Russia To Rule The Seas Peter had big plans for Russia, but one item was at the top of the list: Turn Russia into a naval superpower. Well, that was a lot easier said than done. Russia’s only outlet to the sea was far to the North; frozen waters that were only navigable in the summer. Sweden held the Baltic Sea, and the Ottomans held the Black Sea. Peter needed at least one of those to create the Russian maritime supremacy he craved. But which? 21. He Started In The South Peter set his eyes on the Ottoman Empire first, capturing their fortress at Azov and soon after founding Taganrog, the first Russian port connected to the Black Sea. But the Ottomans weren’t going to sit around and let him challenge their supremacy. He needed allies to hold them off. Apparently, he also needed a vacation-and he decided to kill two birds with one stone. 22. He Did A Year Abroad In 1697, Peter the Great embarked on his so-called “Grand Embassy.” Under a fake name, he traveled incognito across Western Europe. Well, as incognito as a 6’8″ man could be in the 17th century. He wanted allies for his fight against the Ottomans, but that wasn’t his only reason for going. He adored the culture of the West and wanted to get ideas for how to shape Russia in its image. For 18 glorious months, he traversed Europe, meeting diplomats, learning about shipbuilding, and just taking in the sights. Maybe he would have just stayed in Europe forever, enjoying a lifelong vacation in his favorite place-but eventually, yet another crisis in Russia dragged him back home. 23. His Old Enemies Rebelled It was those darn Streltsy again. Nothing if not traditionalists, the Streltsy hated Peter’s reforms, and with him out of the country, they took their chance to strike. Now, lucky for Peter, his men managed to quash the rebellion long before he arrived. But Peter didn’t like mutineers-and he really didn’t like his dream vacation getting cut short. Peter wanted revenge-and he had a particularly twisted idea of what that meant. 24. He Had Truly Appalling Methods Have we ever said, “Don’t cross Peter the Great?” Maybe, but we’ll say it again: Do not cross Peter the Great. He ordered some of the most horrific, inhumane, and gruesome tortures inflicted on his Streltsy captives, in the hope that they would give up their comrades. Well, while having their thumbs slowly crushed, backs slowly roasted, limbs slowly stretched beyond breaking, and feet slowly removed with red-hot pincers…the Streltsy would say anything to make it stop. By the time Peter decided he’d had enough, nearly 1,200 Streltsy had died. 25. He Left His Wife

[@edwardblaire5101]

He would've been less barbarous, if at such a young age the Streltsy wouldn't have slaughtered so many of the people he loved right in front of him, in a conspiracy to slaughter him and his mother , at his own half-sister's behest to usurp the throne, neglected a formal education and robbed of the normalities of a healthy childhood. Hence his 'Peter-Pan' syndrome of childish play and buffoonery as an adult. And of course he had to show strength through excessive violence, living under constant fear of being assassinated by his very able sister throughout his youth coupled with being a product of his time and its Russian geography. He had to make them think twice of any hatching any plots against him. None of his savagery is excusable, but it's origins certainly give it clearer context.

[@davyroger3773]

You could make the same argument for the childhood of Ivan the terrible

[@edwardblaire5101]

@@davyroger3773 Ivan The Terrible did NOTHING of worth noting or even remotely close to what Peter the Great did for the advancement and progress of his Nation and people. Peter's accomplishments still pervade and stand 'till this very moment, and created the Template followed by and propelled only those of his successors which chose to draw from and improve on it, to greatness. Those that did are the ones who have inspired Movies, Mini-series, thousands of books written about them for the right reasons. There weren't many I concede that much. Even the horrible ones, any good, or 'what they got right' from the million they got wrong, was drawn from his playbook if you will.

[@christopherarnold3844]

Did not Ivan procure Novgorod and basically finish the Rússia unification? Also did he build St. Basil?

[@chochonubcake]

I love these biographies that are about the people and how they lived, not just about the wars they fought.

[@alecmisra4964]

Great video

[@Smokiebraah]

I listen to this to stay awake

[@parkbahce100]

In Turkey we call him ' Peter the mad'.

[@RDO-tw4qn]

The Turks had him in their grasp, somewhere in Yugoslavia(?), but the Sultan took a huge bribe and let Peter escape with his army and life intact. Much to the disgust and chagrin of King Charles 1st(?) of Sweden.

[@parkbahce100]

@@RDO-tw4qn it was the grand vizier who commanded the army took the bribe. He later get exacuted.

[@edwardblaire5101]

Lol, Most great men were touch with a bit of madmen

[@TankNSSpank]

where can i get the transcript thanks.

[@batsky6061]

Kiss it!

[@Randall2023]

Dauphin River First Nation Manitoba Canada 🇨🇦

[@manuelruiz-mayaperez7717]

por que no la habra en castellano

[@abelp40]

are these recording written scriptures?

[@MrAwrsomeness]

Yeah from will durants books.

[@RoxanneM-]

Scriptures? No, this is scholarly writings by Will Durant, not belief based holly writings. It’s based on history, data, instead.

[@groussac]

Probably taken from Will Durant's The Age of Louis XIV: The Story of Civilization, Volume VIII, Chapter XIII Peter the Great.

[@jotun666zidane]

Yeah it's from the bible bruh

[@ziraxis]

he sais "neva" means "mud" in swedish ... is that actually the case? I can't find a translation that would match this statement..

[@ulfschack]

Nope, not in modern swedish, or danish for that matter. In fact I can’t think of a noun in Swedish that even resembles ’neva’

[@ziraxis]

@@ulfschack thanks ! I thought as much

[@davidm.1969]

i think it means swamp in finnish

[@Over-Boy42]

I find Peter fascinating even though he is (mostly) morally repugnant. I wonder what Nietzsche and Machiavelli would have thought of him. From the Nietzsche standpoint: Peter built culture and conquered others. From The Machiavelli standpoint: Peter established law like a MF!

[@shriekingbushpigshrieking]

this great man had all sorts of visible faults... he didn't have drugs, councillors and political correctness to make his faults hidden or perceived as ok. that man was a leader among men and lead man into greatness without pc bullshit. hence the name.... Peter The Great. A truly outstanding man.

[@malicant123]

I would love to see Peter's reaction if someone asked him to put a "safe space" in the Kremlin.

[@smithmcsmith9218]

Donald grabbed my special place I guess you missed the part where he had his wife's tooth pulled because she refused to have sex with him. That's what you call an outstanding man? A man who built Petersburg on the bones of slaves?

[@sebastianb.1926]

"He didn't have drugs, councillors and political correctness to make his faults hidden or perceived as ok". Because back then anyone who dared criticize royalty was executed for treason. It was a bit like political correctness, except that instead of making a public half-assed apology the offender was drawn and quartered.

[@Carltoncurtis1]

found the racists.

[@davyroger3773]

@@malicant123 I'm sure he would remark that theres no safer a space than a grave

[@misscatlover8036]

A cousin would not receive this tourture from me let alone a child mature aa he was. This man was a monster if this is true.

[@federicoarmada8775]

You're no tsar.

[@hillaryclinton1232]

Well, now that Peter was back in Russia, he had another order of business: Divorce. He’d never wanted to marry Eudoxia anyway, and now that he was the head honcho, he figured he’d do whatever he wanted. He dropped her like a bag of hammers and banished her to a convent. She’d spent nine miserable years married to him, given him a son, and now she had to become a nun against her will. But Peter wasn’t done ruining her life just yet. His cruelest act was yet to come. 26. He Made His Wife Become A Nun At first, you might think Eudoxia got lucky. The convent where Peter sent her didn’t particularly care to force her to be a nun against her will, at least not in the traditional sense of the term. The former Tsarina got to live a fairly normal life-she even found herself a lover. Oh, that poor, poor man…he had no idea what he was getting into… 27. He Impaled Her Lover Peter the Great expected his ex to be living a miserable life as a nun, not sleeping around with some local hunk! When he found out about the affair, he reacted the way you’d expect him to: He had Eudoxia’s lover executed-but not by some simple hanging. According to legend, he had the man slowly impaled on a stake. Oh, and he made Eudoxia watch. And yet somehow, that barely even makes the list of “Top 10 Most Disturbing Things Peter The Great Ever Did.” 28. He Dumped His Mistress Peter was finally rid of his wife and he could marry his longtime mistress Anna Mons-except, he was pretty much done with her, too. She could see the writing on the wall, but she had the chance to be tsarina! She wasn’t going to let that pass by. That’s why she did something very stupid. She started flirting with a Prussian ambassador on the side. She thought she’d make Peter jealous-instead, he found out, kicked her out of her estate, and put her and her entire family under house arrest. Hey, consider yourself lucky that’s all he did, Anna. Either way, Peter was done with her, and he had a new gal waiting in the wings. 29. He Found A New Lady Anna Mons was Peter’s main squeeze, but she wasn’t his only mistress. A few years after his divorce, he shacked up with Marta Helena Skowrońska, a Polish-Lithuanian peasant who’d caught his eye. I don’t know what they put in the water in the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, but Marta must have been one heck of a woman. Peter fell head over heels, ditched Anna Mons, and grew obsessed with his pauper mistress. She converted to the Russian Orthodox Church and took the name Catherine. She was a peasant when Peter found her-soon, she’d be one of the most powerful women on earth. 30. He Wanted To Go West Peter was in no great rush to remarry-as usual, he had plenty else to keep him occupied. He had managed to broker a peace with the Ottomans that let him keep the fort he’d captured at Azov, but he hadn’t forgotten about the Baltic. He wanted Russia to be one of Europe’s most powerful nations, and they’d need access to the Baltic Sea to do it. So, with one war ending, he went and started another one: The Great Northern War. It lasted two decades, but by the time it had finished, Russia would be changed forever. 31. He Finally Touched The Sea Sweden controlled the Baltic and most of the lands around it, but Peter had to start somewhere! He pushed west towards the sea and claimed the Swedish province of Ingria for himself. Ingria, wouldn’t you know it, sat on the Eastern coast of-you guessed it-the Baltic Sea. Peter finally had the artery to the Atlantic

[@eisenhertz]

peter, the not so great!

[@fattyz1]

What an awful story! I loved the end when he said everyone was so happy and relieved when the bastard died.

[@davyroger3773]

You have to hand it to him he was determined to make his vision of Russia a reality.

[@christopherarnold3844]

Cancel history now!

[@rhysnichols8608]

As always a mixed character, definitely elements of greatness and did a lot of good for Russia, equally mixed in with lots of bad. I don’t know if I can like a man that tortures and kills his own son, or allows thousands of slave labourers to die, but I can respect his achievement of making Russia a great power.

[@jonathanfriedlander8563]

A totally negative contemporary perspective all to common regarding Russian topics.

[@DarthDread-oh2ne]

I don’t like Peter the great.