The Great Embassy of Peter I

A. FF 2102

Peter 1 to Western Europe, carried out in 1697-1698. to

establish diplomatic relations.

against the Ottoman Empire;
Acquaintance with Europe, its political life;
Making changes

to the state and military system of Russia following the example of European countries;
search for foreign specialists to work in Russia;
sending to Europe to train Russian nobles;
procurement of materials and weapons.

the king, the embassy was sent to Austria, Saxony, Brandenburg,

Holland, England, Venice. The path of the embassy followed through Riga and Konigsberg to Holland, then to England, from England the embassy returned to Holland, and then it visited Vienna.

In Riga, which was then the possession of Sweden, Peter

wanted to inspect the fortifications of this fortress, but the Swedish governor, General Dahlberg, refused his request. The tsar got very angry and called Riga “a cursed place”.
On April 8, the Grand Embassy arrived in Mitava, the capital of the Duchy of Courland. In Mitava, Peter unofficially met with the Duke of Courland, Friedrich Casimir.
On May 18, the official entry into Konigsberg of the Grand Embassy took place.
Here Peter went to study artillery.
A trade agreement was concluded between Frederick III and Peter I on
the possibility of transporting goods.

got a job as a carpenter at the Linsta Rogge

shipyard (Saardam), and then at the East India Company in Amsterdam.

But in Holland, the Russian tsar not only did carpentry, he visited various institutions, factories, workshops, attended lectures on anatomy, studied how a windmill works.

Dutch shipbuilding did not suit Peter, since the Dutch did not make drawings of the ships under construction.

where in Deptford at the royal shipyard he supplemented his

knowledge of shipbuilding. Here he examined warships, saw how artillery shells were made, and even attended a meeting of the British Parliament.

where in July 1698 he went back to Moscow.

access to the sea, decided to unleash a war with

Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea coast, instead of a war with the Ottoman Empire;
The emergence of personal (and political) friendship with the king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (aka the Saxon Elector) August 2, which later resulted in a military alliance;
Transformations in the state apparatus of Russia, considering the experience of Western countries;
Introduction of the European way of life (new chronology, new clothes, holidays, schools, books, etc.);
Hiring more than 1000 specialists in various fields for service in Russia;
Purchase of weapons, instruments, equipment;
Opening of new enterprises, manufactories, manufactures in Russia.