Reformation at Moscow.--Further successes.--Founding of
Petersburg.--The czar takes Narva, &c.
The short stay which the czar made at Moscow, in the beginning of the
winter 1703, was employed in seeing all his new regulations put into
execution, and in improving the civil as well as the military
government. Even his very amusements were calculated to inspire his
subjects with a taste for the new manner of living he had introduced
amongst them. In this view, he invited all the boyards, and principal
ladies of Moscow, to the marriage of one of his sisters, at which every
one was required to appear dressed after the ancient fashion. A dinner
was served up just in the same manner as those in the sixteenth
century.[65] By an old superstitious custom, no one was to light a fire
on the wedding-day, even in the coldest season. This custom was
rigorously observed upon this occasion. The Russians formerly never
drank wine, but only mead and brandy; no other liquors were permitted on
this day, and, when the guests made complaints, he replied, in a joking
manner, 'This was a custom with your ancestors, and old customs are
always the best.' This raillery contributed greatly to the reformation
of those who preferred past times to the present, at least it put a stop
to their murmurings; and there are several nations that stand in need of
the like example.
A still more useful establishment than any of the rest, was that of a
printing-press, for Russian and Latin types; the implements of which
were all brought from Holland. They began by printing translations in
the Russian language of several books of morality and polite literature.
Ferguson founded schools for geometry, astronomy, and navigation.
Another foundation, no less necessary, was that of a large hospital; not
one of those houses which encourage idleness, and perpetuate the misery
of the people, but such as the czar had seen at Amsterdam, where old
persons and children are employed at work, and where every one within
the walls is made useful in some way or other.
He established several manufactories; and, as soon he had put in motion
all those arts to which he gave birth in Moscow, he hastened to
Woronitz, to give directions for building two ships, of eighty guns
each, with long cradles, or caserns, fitted to the ribs of the vessel,
to buoy her up, and carry her safely over the shoals and banks of sand
that lay about Azoph; an ingenious contrivance, similar to that used by
the Dutch in Holland, to get their large ships over the Pampus.
Having made all the necessary preparations against the Turks, he turned
his attention, in the next place, against the Swedes. He went to visit
the ships that were building at Olonitz (March 30, 1703.), a town
between the lakes Ladago and Onega, where he had established a foundry
for making all kinds of arms; and, when every thing bore a military
aspect, at Moscow flourished all the arts of peace. A spring of mineral
waters, which has been lately discovered near Olonitz, has added to the
reputation of that place. From thence he proceeded to Shlusselburg,
which he fortified.
We have already observed, that Peter was determined to pass regularly
through all the military degrees: he had served as lieutenant of
bombardiers, under prince Menzikoff, before that favourite was made
governor of Shlusselburg, and he now took the rank of captain, and
served under marshal Sheremeto.
There was an important fortress near the lake Ladoga, and not far from
the river Neva, named Nyantz, or Nya.[66] It was necessary to make
himself master of this place, in order to secure his conquest, and
favour his other designs. He therefore undertook to transport a number
of small barks, filled with soldiers, and to drive off the Swedish
vessels that were bringing supplies, while Sheremeto had the care of the
trenches. (May 22.) The citadel surrendered, and two Swedish vessels
arrived, too late to assist the besieged, being both attacked and taken
by the czar. His journal says, that, as a reward for his service, 'The
captain of bombardiers was created knight of the order of St. Andrew by
admiral Golowin, the first knight of that order.'
After the taking of the fort of Nya, he resolved upon building the city
of Petersburg, at the mouth of the Neva, upon the gulf of Finland.
The affairs of king Augustus were in a desperate way; the excessive
victories of the Swedes in Poland had emboldened his enemies in the
opposition; and even his friends had obliged him to dismiss a body of
twenty thousand Russians, that the czar had sent him to reinforce his
army. They thought, by this sacrifice, to deprive the malcontents of all
pretext for joining the king of Sweden: but enemies are disarmed by
force, a show of weakness serving only to make them more insolent. These
twenty thousand men, that had been disciplined by Patkul, proved of
infinite service in Livonia and Ingria, while Augustus was losing his
dominions. This reinforcement, and, above all, the possession of Nya,
enabled the czar to found his new capital.
It was in this barren and marshy spot of ground, which has communication
with the main land only by one way, that Peter laid the foundation of
Petersburg, in the sixtieth degree of latitude, and the forty-fourth and
a half of longitude. The ruins of some of the bastions of Nya was made
use of for the first stones of the foundation.[67] They began by
building a small fort upon one of the islands, which is now in the
centre of the city. The Swedes beheld, without apprehension, a
settlement in the midst of a morass, and inaccessible to vessels of
burden; but, in a very short time, they saw the fortifications advanced,
a town raised, and the little island of Cronstadt, situated over against
it, changed, in 1704, into an impregnable fortress, under the cannon of
which even the largest fleets may ride in safety.
These works, which seemed to require a time of profound peace, were
carried on in the very bosom of war; workmen of every sort were called
together, from Moscow, Astracan, Casan, and the Ukraine, to assist in
building the new city. Neither the difficulties of the ground, that was
to be rendered firm, and raised, the distance of the necessary
materials, the unforeseen obstacles, which are for ever starting up in
all great undertakings; nor, lastly, the epidemical disorder, which
carried off a prodigious number of the workmen, could discourage the
royal founder; and, in the space of five months, a new city rose from
the ground. It is true, indeed, it was little better than a cluster of
huts, with only two brick houses, surrounded by ramparts; but this was
all that was then necessary. Time and perseverance accomplished the
rest. In less than five months, after the founding of Petersburg, a
Dutch ship came to trade there, (Nov.) the captain of which was
handsomely rewarded, and the Dutch soon found the way to Petersburg.
While Peter was directing the establishment of this colony, he took care
to provide every day for its safety, by making himself master of the
neighbouring posts. A Swedish colonel, named Croniort, had taken post on
the river Sestra, and thence threatened the rising city. Peter, without
delay, marched against him with his two regiments of guards, defeated
him, (July 8.) and obliged him to repass the river. Having thus put his
town in safety, he repaired to Olonitz,(Sep.) to give directions for
building a number of small vessels, and afterwards returned to
Petersburg, on board a frigate that had been built by his direction,
taking with him six transport vessels, for present use, till the others
could be got ready. Even at this juncture he did not forget his ally,
the king of Poland, but sent him (Nov.) a reinforcement of twelve
thousand foot, and a subsidy in money of three hundred thousand rubles,
which make about one million five hundred thousand French livres.[68] It
has been remarked, that his annual revenue did not exceed then five
million rubles; a sum, which the expense of his fleets, of his armies,
and of his new establishments, seemed more than sufficient to exhaust.
He had, at almost one and the same time, fortified Novogorod,
Pleskow, Kiow, Smolensko, Azoph, Archangel, and founded a capital.
Notwithstanding all which, he had still a sufficiency left to assist his
ally with men and money. Cornelius le Bruine, a Dutchman, who was on his
travels, and at that time in Russia, and with whom he frequently
conversed very freely, as indeed he did with all strangers, says, that
the czar himself assured him, that he had still three hundred thousand
rubles remaining in his coffers, after all the expenses of the war were
defrayed.
In order to put his infant city of Petersburg out of danger of insult,
he went in person to sound the depth of water thereabouts, fixed upon a
place for building the fort of Cronstadt; and, after making the model of
it in wood with his own hands, he employed prince Menzikoff to put it in
execution. From thence he went to pass the winter at Moscow, (Nov. 5.)
in order to establish, by degrees, the several alterations he had made
in the laws, manners, and customs of Russia. He regulated the finances,
and put them upon a new footing. He expedited the works that were
carrying on in the Woronitz, at Azoph, and in a harbour which he had
caused to be made on the Palus Mæotis, under the fort of Taganrock.
Jan. 1704.] The Ottoman Porte, alarmed at these preparations, sent an
embassy to the czar, complaining thereof: to which he returned for
answer that he was master in his own dominions, as well as the grand
seignior was in Turkey, and that it was no infringement of the peace to
render the Russian power respectable on the Euxine Sea.
March 30.] Upon his return to Petersburg, finding his new citadel of
Cronstadt, which had been founded in the bosom of the sea, completely
finished, he furnished it with the necessary artillery. But, in order to
settle himself firmly in Ingria, and entirely to repair the disgrace he
had suffered before Narva, he esteemed it necessary to take that city.
While he was making preparations for the siege, a small fleet appeared
on the lake of Peipus, to oppose his designs. The Russian half galleys
went out to meet them, gave them battle, and took the whole squadron,
which had on board ninety-eight pieces of cannon. After this victory,
the czar lays siege to Narva both by sea and land, (April.) and, which
was most extraordinary, he lays siege to the city of Derpt in Esthonia
at the same time.
Who would have imagined, that there was a university in Derpt? Gustavus
Adolphus had founded one there, but it did not render that city more
famous, Derpt being only known by these two sieges. Peter was
incessantly going from the one to the other, forwarding the attacks, and
directing all the operations. The Swedish general Slipenbak was in the
neighbourhood of Derpt, with a body of two thousand five hundred men.
The besiegers expected every instant when he would throw succours into
the place; but Peter, on this occasion, had recourse to a stratagem
worthy of more frequent imitation: he ordered two regiments of foot, and
one of horse, to be clothed in the same uniform, and to carry the same
standards and colours as the Swedes: these sham Swedes attack the
trenches, (June 27.) and the Russians pretend to be put to flight; the
garrison, deceived by appearances, make a sally; upon which the mock
combatants join their forces and fall upon the Swedes, one half of whom
were left dead upon the place, and the rest made shift to get back to
the town. Slipenbak arrives soon after with succours to relieve it, but
is totally defeated. At length Derpt was obliged to capitulate, (July
23.) just as the czar was preparing every thing for a general assault.
At the same time Peter met with a considerable check, on the side of his
new city of Petersburg; but this did not prevent him either from going
on with the works of that place, or from vigorously prosecuting the
siege of Narva. It has already been observed, that he sent a
reinforcement of troops and money to king Augustus, when his enemies
were driving him from his throne; but both these aids proved useless.
The Russians having joined the Lithuanians in the interest of Augustus,
were totally defeated in Courland by the Swedish general Levenhaupt:
(July 31.) and had the victors directed their efforts towards Livonia,
Esthonia, and Ingria, they might have destroyed the czar's new works,
and baffled all the fruits of his great undertakings. Peter was every
day sapping the breast-work of Sweden, while Charles seemed to neglect
all resistance, for the pursuit of a less advantageous, though a more
brilliant fame.
On the 13th of July, 1704, only a single Swedish colonel, at the head of
his detachment, obliged the Polish nobility to nominate a new king, on
the field of election, called Kolo, near the city of Warsaw. The
cardinal-primate of the kingdom, and several bishops, submitted to a
Lutheran prince, notwithstanding the menaces and excommunications of the
supreme pontiff: in short, every thing gave way to force. All the world
knows in what manner Stanislaus Leczinsky was elected king, and how
Charles XII. obliged the greatest part of Poland to acknowledge him.
Peter, however, would not abandon the dethroned king, but redoubled his
assistance, in proportion to the necessities of his ally; and, while his
enemy was making kings, he beat the Swedish generals one after another
in Esthonia and Ingria; from thence he passed to the siege of Narva, and
gave several vigorous assaults to the town. There were three bastions,
famous at least for their names, called Victory, Honour, and Glory. The
czar carried them all three sword-in-hand. The besiegers forced their
way into the town, where they pillaged and exercised all those cruelties
which were but too customary at that time, between the Swedes and
Russians.
August 20.] Peter, on this occasion, gave an example that ought to have
gained him the affections of all his new subjects: he ran every where in
person, to put a stop to the pillage and slaughter, rescues several
women out of the clutches of the brutal soldiery, and, after having,
with his own hand, killed two of those ruffians who had refused to obey
his orders, he enters the town-house, whither the citizens had ran in
crowds for shelter, and laying his sword, yet reeking with blood, upon
the table--'This sword,' said he, 'is not stained with the blood of your
fellow citizens, but with that of my own soldiers, which I have spilt to
save your lives'.