Reforming Russia
Peter the Great came to power in 1682. An admirer of western and central Europe, he began to radically transform Russia, a process continued at the end of the 18th century by Catherine the Great.
A site by History House focusing on the more unusual, and often quite strange, habits of Peter the Great. Not a particularly scholarly approach, but refreshing nonetheless.
Hosted by the Modern History Sourcebook, this page contains short, translated excerpts from four sources. These include Bishop Burnet, from his
Peter the Great (1698) discussing Peter’s character, and Jean Rousset de Missy, from his
Life of Peter the Great (c. 1730) reporting on Peter’s ‘European’ reforms.
This page contains an assortment of satirical drawings and illustrations from Russia in the eighteenth century – the main target appears to be Peter the Great. The site also includes a commentary, both on the examples and on satire in Russia, as well as pop-up translations and expandable pictures.
Although a short article on the Russian Orthodox Church, the first two paragraphs quickly and succinctly explain how this religion became a government department called The Holy Synod.
