Chapter I: Preface

There are very few persons who have not heard of the fame of Peter the Great, the founder, as he is generally regarded by mankind, of Russian civilization. The celebrity, however, of the great Muscovite sovereign among young persons is due in a great measure to the circumstance of his having repaired personally to Holland, in the course of his efforts to introduce the industrial arts among his people, in order to study himself the art and mystery of shipbuilding, and of his having worked with his own hands in a ship-yard there. The little shop where Peter pursued these practical studies still stands in Saardam, a ship-building town not far from Amsterdam. The building is of wood, and is now much decayed; but, to preserve it from farther injury, it has been incased in a somewhat larger building of brick, and it is visited annually by great numbers of curious travelers.

The whole history of Peter, as might be expected from the indications of character developed by this incident, forms a narrative that is full of interest and instruction for all.

[Transcriber's note: In the original book, each page had a header summarizing the contents of that page. These headers have been collected into introductory paragraphs at the start of each chapter. The headers also contain the year in which the events on the page took place. These dates have been placed between the chapter title and the introductory paragraph, in the form of a date range, e.g., for Chapter I, "1676-1684."]

CONTENTS.

Chapter

I. THE PRINCESS SOPHIA
II. THE PRINCESS'S DOWNFALL
III. THE CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH OF PETER
IV. LE FORT AND MENZIKOFF
V. COMMENCEMENT OF THE REIGN
VI. THE EMPEROR'S TOUR
VII. CONCLUSION OF THE TOUR
VIII. THE REBELLION
IX. REFORMS
X. THE BATTLE OF NARVA
XI. THE BUILDING OF ST. PETERSBURG
XII. THE REVOLT OF MAZEPPA
XIII. THE BATTLE OF PULTOWA
XIV. THE EMPRESS CATHARINE
XV. THE PRINCE ALEXIS
XVI. THE FLIGHT OF ALEXIS
XVII. THE TRIAL
XVIII. THE CONDEMNATION AND DEATH OF ALEXIS
XIX. CONCLUSION

ENGRAVINGS.

PORTRAIT OF PETER . . . . . . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_.

THE ESCAPE

MENZIKOFF SELLING HIS CAKES

PETER AMONG THE SHIPPING

PETER TURNING EXECUTIONER

MAP OF THE RUSSIAN AND SWEDISH FRONTIER

STRATAGEMS OF THE SWEDES

SITUATION OF ST. PETERSBURG

FLIGHT OF THE KING OF SWEDEN

THE EMPRESS CATHARINE

THE CZAR'S VISIT TO ALEXIS IN PRISON

PETER THE GREAT.