Peter the Great transformed Russia from a medieval land into a global empire. While his reforms were legendary, his personal life was full of strange eccentricities and brutal decisions. For instance, he stood nearly seven feet tall in an era when most men were much shorter. Furthermore, he once traveled across Europe in a secret disguise to learn how to build ships. Prepare to meet the Tsar who dragged his country into the future.
Peter the Great
He stood approximately 6 feet 8 inches tall. In the 17th century, this height made him a literal giant compared to his subjects. However, he possessed a relatively small head and narrow shoulders, which gave him a unique and imposing physical silhouette.
He worked undercover as a common ship carpenter. During his “Grand Embassy” to Europe, he traveled under the name Peter Mikhailov. He spent months in Dutch and English shipyards learning the craft. Despite his disguise, his massive height made him very easy to spot.
He imposed a famous tax on beards. Peter wanted his nobles to look like Western Europeans. Therefore, he ordered all men except for clergy and peasants to shave. If someone insisted on keeping their beard, they had to pay a steep annual tax and carry a copper “beard token.”
He personally executed rebels with his own hands. When the Streltsy guard revolted while he was abroad, he returned and crushed them with extreme violence. History records that he took a sword and beheaded many of the mutineers himself to set a terrifying example.
He founded St. Petersburg on a swampy graveyard. He wanted a “window to the West,” so he built a new capital on marshy land captured from Sweden. The project was so dangerous that tens of thousands of serfs died during construction, giving the city the nickname “built on bones.”
He kept a “Cabinet of Curiosities” full of oddities. Peter was fascinated by the unusual. He collected preserved specimens, including malformed animals and even human body parts. He encouraged people to bring him these “monsters” to prove they were natural accidents rather than bad omens.
He forced his court to join the “All-Drunken Synod.” This was a social club dedicated to mockery and excessive drinking. Peter required his inner circle to participate in days-long marathons of alcohol consumption and parody religious ceremonies as a test of their loyalty.
He grew up with a “toy army” that became real. As a child, he formed a regiment of playmates and servants to stage mock battles. Unlike a typical boy’s game, these soldiers trained with real weapons. Eventually, they became the elite Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments.
He executed his own son for treason. Peter’s eldest son, Alexei, opposed his father’s reforms and fled the country. Peter eventually lured him back, arrested him, and ordered his torture. Alexei died in prison shortly after his father signed his death warrant.
He was an amateur dentist who loved pulling teeth. Peter carried a bag of dental tools everywhere he went. He would offer to fix the toothaches of his friends and courtiers. Consequently, he often pulled healthy teeth just to practice his technique on a captive audience.
He moved the entire capital to avoid tradition. Moscow was a stronghold of old-fashioned Russian customs. Therefore, Peter moved the government to St. Petersburg in 1712. He wanted to force his nobility to live in a city designed after the modern capitals of Europe.
He introduced the Julian calendar to Russia. Before his reign, Russia measured time from the biblical creation of the world. Peter changed the New Year from September to January. He ordered the people to celebrate with fireworks and decorated trees just like the Germans.
He suffered from a violent facial tic. Throughout his life, his face would sometimes twitch or contort when he was angry or stressed. Witnesses described his eyes rolling and his neck jerking to the side during these episodes, which many believe were signs of a nervous disorder.
He promoted people based on merit, not bloodline. He introduced the “Table of Ranks,” which allowed a commoner to rise to the level of nobility through hard work and service. This system broke the power of the ancient boyar families who relied solely on their names.
Finally, he allegedly died after rescuing drowning sailors. The legend says he saw a boat capsize in the icy waters of the Gulf of Finland. He jumped in to save the men, which caused a relapse of a bladder infection. He died shortly after, leaving his massive empire without a named heir.
