Childhood

Peter the Great was crowned in Moscow along with his retarded half-brother Ivan after the other older half-brother Fedor died in 1682. Princess Sophia and Peters’ mother became regent. Regents governed while the czar was under the age of accepted maturity (17 y.o.). Young and healthy Czar Peter spent his time in military games. A half an hour from Moscow there was a colony of foreigners. They lived by themselves, married each other and had their own customs and implicit rules. Calvinists, Jacobeans and Lutherans were among them. Czar frequented this place. It was near his residence – village Preobragenskoe. Peter lived in a log house near the river Yauza. Often he slept right in the boat on the river all by himself.

Games

Peter’s education ended when he was 10. He had very practical mind. He cared about tools and results. Czar was not interested in the science but rather in it’s aplication. Peter learned Dutch and was fluent at it. He was fond of the military science and fireworks. His toys were cannons, swords etc. He did not like Moscow and Kremlin. Czar viewed Russian religion and customs in his own way. He preferred to spend time with his friends making up military games. The games were so real that several of his playmates died in some fights.

He had little money and was indifferent to poverty. He befriended and borrowed money from Patrick Gordon, a professional military expert and fugitive Jacobean who lived in Russia for 28 years. Patrick and other colonists loved Peter and always tried to find new ways to entertain him.