Peter the Great was a notorious ruler who amassed
approximately three million deaths as a selfish and tyrannical tsar from 1682
to 1725. Peter wanted to make major changes for Russia, he sought ways to
modernize the country. Russia lagged behind other countries such as Holland and
Denmark, countries that had more clout than a country as large as Russia. He
went on a tour of other countries to the west of Russia learning about their
culture and technology. England,
Denmark, Holland and France were some of the countries he visited. Superficial
modernization techniques were applied first. Russian men wore their beards with
religious pride. They believed divine forces put beards on their faces and it
was vain to shave their faces. Peter ordered the men to shave their faces. The
reaction led Peter to charge a fee for wearing a beard and the men had to wear
a beard permit where it could be easily seen. Many drastic changes were made in
Russia to satisfy Peter’s whims at the cost of approximately three million
lives (White, 2012).
Peter rushed
home when he got word that his half-sister Sophia staged a rebellion involving
palace guards. One thousand men who served as the leaders of the rebellion,
tied up so the public could view what happens to trouble makers, breathed their
last breath as a result of the most humiliating and excruciating torture.
Ivan was tied
next to one of the guards who was about to be assaulted with an iron rod. He
did not know the man but he was horrified about what was about to happen to
him. His eyes wide open with terror. He knew he was next in line.
“Please don’t do
this. I beg of you. Please don’t,” the man pleaded. The iron rod was jammed
into the man hard. He screamed in agony and then passed out. Lots of blood
dripped down his legs.
All of the
guards were tied naked to posts, brutally sexually assaulted and whipped until
they bled to death. Some of them plead for mercy before suffering the anguish
from the harsh attacks. Sophia was
locked up in a convent never to return home again. After handling the trouble
makers, he turned his focus on modernizing Russia and taking the power away
from the Russian church.
The
church’s coffers were next to be hit by the power greedy tsar. If he could
break the power of the church, he could confiscate the church’s money for the
state. The patriarch (leader) of the church died in 1700, he stalled the
replacement of a new patriarch. He did so until 1721. At that time, Peter
turned the church into a branch of the Russian civil service under the
direction of the tsar. He changed the Russian year of 7208, which represented
creation, to 1699 (after Christ). He moved New Year’s Day from September 1 to
January 1 to bring Russian in line with western countries (White, 2012).
Peter
was taller than most people during that time period which added to the
dominance he inflicted on his subjects. He was working with Lucifer and other
fallen angels to take over a country that was struggling to make its mark in
the world. Peter did not accept any limits and set out to change the political
landscape for Russia. Peter was a hybrid individual, part human and part demon
or fallen angel. Part of the Genesis project was carried out for many
generations and Peter was considered a Nephillim descendant, highly
intelligent, larger than life and downright mean because he didn’t have a soul.
The Nephillim that remained on the earth that were not lost during the flood
kept procreating. Evil hybrid beings did not have souls. That made him ruthless
to the bitter end. The demon that was part of his lineage was Armoni, one of
the most evil and powerful of the fallen angels. Lucifer and his followers were
behind a lot of the tyrannical rulers throughout the history of this planet.
To
the chagrin of many peasants, Peter adopted a serfdom system which made the
free peasants slaves along with the people who were already slaves. The slaves
were elevated in status but the peasants were degraded. The government enforced
taxation on the slaves, requiring them to pay taxes to the government. New
rules, placed on peasants, did not permit them to travel without a passport and
they could not sign contracts without government approval. They lost any
freedom they had in the past.
Ivar
wanted to travel to Austria to seek work. He heard through the grapevine that
the landlords in Austria needed workers. He heard they were more lenient with
their slaves.
“Ivar,
I am not sure this is good idea for us to travel at night and leave this
country,” said Marique, his wife.
“I
am tired of slaving away and we can never get ahead. The government takes a lot
of our earnings. I heard that the landlords in Austria do not do this to their
slaves. They are treated with respect,” said Ivar.
They
packed up their meager belongings. Their young child, Louis, was put in a small
wagon. The wagon was pulled by their donkey. Ivar and Marique walked alongside
the wagon. The sky was dark, the moon, a sliver, did not give off much light.
The fall air was crisp. The family walked slowly alongside other families who
were also escaping the tyranny. A wolf howled in the distance. Marique trembled
when she heard the sound. Ivar reached over to his wife and patted her arm. She
smiled weakly at him. Marique looked under the blanket that Louis was covered
with and he was fast asleep. She envied him, she wanted to be fast asleep in
her bed.
“What
is going to happen to our home now that it is abandoned. Lots of people don’t
have homes,” said Marique. She looked towards Ivar who appeared to be deep in
thought.
“We
are not going to need a home until we reach Austria.”
“I
hope we don’t get caught,” said Marique.
“I
hope so, too.”
Ivar
heard whispering in his ear. He looked around and nobody was talking or even
near enough to whisper in his ear.
The
voice said, “we are watching you.” Ivar told Marique what he heard.
“Whose
watching us,” said Marique. She looked around to see if anyone was talking to
Ivar. She discovered nobody was near enough for him to hear what they were
whispering, she trembled. They traveled through the night without anymore
strange occurrences. They found a place in the woods to set up camp and catch a
few hours of sleep. They ate while walking during the evening. Marique tucked
Louis snugly between them so he would not wander off.
The
group of adventurers started off before the sun rose simply because they did
not want to be seen. Louis was given food to snack on. He looked perfectly
content.
The
day was warmer than the day before. Ivar wiped sweat from his brow. Marique
fanned her face with her hand. Louis was laying in the wagon uncovered.
The
other travelers were also experiencing the warmth of the day in the same way.
Marique
was chewing on a hard biscuit and gave Ivar and Louis biscuits to eat.
“I
will have to hunt or fish so we can have meat for our meals,” said Ivar.
“We
have a lot of biscuits and apples to eat,” replied Marique.
“I
miss the taste of meat,” said Ivar.
“Yes,
you can go hunting or fishing when the time permits,” said Marique.
“I
think I will go after we set up camp tonight,” said Ivar.
The
group traveled most of the evening and then settled down around a campfire in
the woods. Ivar and some of the other men went hunting with their swords and
bow and arrows. They came across a place
where some other people were staying. The ashes of a campfire were still
smoldering. They walked carefully towards the sounds of men talking. The men
were Russian soldiers.
“Did
you hear that?” asked one of the soldiers.
“I
think we are being followed,” said another soldier.
“I
didn’t hear anything. We need to keep our focus on why we were sent here. To
find the deserters,” said the first soldier who spoke first when Ivan’s group
arrived at the scene.
“I
hope we find them soon. I am getting tired of this mission.
“Soldiers
are trying to track us down,” said Ivar. He was devastated.
“Let’s
attack them when they fall asleep so they can’t follow us,” said Ivan.
“Sounds
like a good plan,” replied Edmon.
“They
are going in the opposite direction from where our camp is located,” said Ivar.
“That
will buy us some time,” said Edmon.
“I
wish we could have come across their camp when they were still sleeping,” said
Ivar.
“Me,
too,” said Ivar.
Ivar
and his peers followed the small caravan of soldiers for a while until they
finally settled down by woods and a river and set up camp. They looked tired.
The soldiers stripped down and dove in the water.
The
soldiers ended their time at the river and went back to their camp. Ivar and
the other men decided to wait until they fell asleep. The kill was easy. The
soldiers’ throats were cut from ear to ear. Only one soldier woke up before he
was killed and yelled. It was too late for the others.
********
“I
am going to restructure the leadership of our kingdom. All nobility will be
ranked the same no matter their ancestry. I want to follow Western-style
feudalism in which all the nobility will be assigned equal privileges. That
will save our kingdom from the fighting that has occurred over goods and
services. Everybody will get their equal piece of the domain. Of course, I will
still own and control the majority of the resources,” said Peter.
“Everything
will be equal,” asked one of the lords.
“Yes,
everything will be equal,” said Peter.
“When
does this come into effect?” asked the lord.
“Immediately.”
“I
would like to move into one of the larger castles. I would not mind sharing the
castle with another family,” said the lord.
“I
don’t see why that would be a problem,” replied Peter.
The
lord approached another lord and he nodded in agreement with the new
arrangement as long as they could share each other’s wives.
The
new arrangement worked well once everyone resettled in the larger castles. The
smaller castles were given to the children of the lords and their slaves. There
were a few skirmishes and some of the lords lost their lives. All and all, the
death toll was only in the hundreds. Small potatoes considering how many people
lost their lives to war and other unnecessary hardships.
“I believe
it is time to seek a port that is not frozen half of the year. We need to pick
up our trade with other countries. We can do so if we improve our port
location,” said Peter. The only Russian seaport was the Archangel on the White
Sea below the Artic Circle.
“What
do you have in mind?” asked Jerem, a general.
“I
want to attack Sweden first to take over their port,” said Peter.
For
years and years Peter fought against Sweden, who held the Baltic Coast and the
Turks, who held the Black Sea Coast. Each year a war was fought between Russia
and another country.
The Russian
army fought tirelessly. They continued fighting after their numbers were low
and the soldiers were beaten to a frazzle. They were stubborn and had proven to
take on incredible punishment and an enormous loss of life to demonstrate that
they could outlast their opponents.
During
times of peace, the soldiers could not rebuild their strength and rest. Soldiers
along with civilians carried out extensive labor by dredging rivers, building
roads, factories and canals all over Russia. Peter was tireless when it came to
building up Russia to a powerful elite country. The arduous labor was where
Peter racked up his highest body count. Peter’s ambition to maintain a huge
army that was ready at a moment’s notice proved to be as deadly as the wars.
Hardships
such as malnutrition, disease, neglect and harsh discipline rose the death toll
considerably. The frigid cold of the empire matched the harshness of the other
problems the inhabitants faced. Many men avoided the draft into the armed
services by knocking out their teeth so they could not bite open cartridges to
load their muskets to severing their hands and feet so they couldn’t shoot
their weapons or march.
Peter
had his sights on a port at the Baltic Sea which came at a high cost. The Great
Northern War was not settled in his favor before he pushed to start building a
new coastal capital. This new city would serve as a gateway to the west. He
gathered criminals, prisoners, peasant slaves and construction teams to begin
the building of Saint Petersburg. The city was named after Peter’s patron
saint, St. Peter. Construction of stone buildings was halted all over Russia
except at the location of Saint Petersburg. 40,000 workers died in the swamps.
Peter ordered another 40,000 to take their place. They died as well so more
took their place. Approximately 100,000 workers lost their lives when they were
building Saint Petersburg under Peter’s stringent watch (White, 2012).
“I need to
offset the heavy cost of our army while we are not at war,” said Peter.
“How
do you plan on doing that?” asked Jerem.
“The
people of this great country are defended by our vast army, they can house and
feed them during peacetime,” said Peter.
“That
sounds like a grand idea,” said Jerem.
Before
Peter disbursed the soldiers all over Russia, he had a census conducted to see
what locations could support the soldiers. The cost of the soldier’s upkeep was
passed onto the taxpayers. The citizens were warned that anyone ducking out of
the census would have their property confiscated and the informer would be
granted the property.
A
convoy of officials landed in the various communities and needed to be fed and
housed at the expense of the local citizens. Soldiers served as police in the
communities. However, the only service they provided to the nobility was the
prevention of the peasants from escaping.
Sarah
approached her husband Remi and said, “We are being made slaves to these
wealthy people who have bought our town. We are forced to work in the factories
they built. I hate this arrangement.” Peter sold towns to wealthy investors and
the investors built factories in which the peasants served as the workforce.
“I
know my sweet. We have lost all freedoms and are treated like we have no
rights. Like we are common animals,” said Henry.
“I
have been used in ways I am ashamed to think about,” said Sarah. She wiped a
tear from her eye.
“I
am so sorry,” said Henry. He hugged Sarah.
They
checked on their children and they were sound asleep in their beds right after
dinner. They also had to work hard in the factories. They both sighed and
thought about their lost childhoods.
“Our
neighbors tried to run away and did you see what happened to them,” said Henry.
“I
could not watch while they were being whipped in the public square,” said
Sarah.
“I
heard that our other neighbors are working at another factory in another town.
They were not able to leave and work in another town,” said Henry.
Peter
founded a new city, Yekaterinbury. Approximately 25,000 serfs were drafted and
this new city became the center of the iron industry.
Peter
sought workers by pulling at least one member out of each household. Families
were losing their fathers and sons on a regular basis.
Always having
the upper hand, Peter feared no one and seemed to be relaxed around all people:
nobility, priests, soldiers, foreigners and peasants. If he felt he was
offended, he would retaliate with cruel jokes often involving dwarfs. He
expected everyone to keep up to him while abiding in the drinking of alcohol.
No one could keep up with him. He did not like pomp and circumstance and
utilized the simplest of accommodations often bragging that he could endure any
hardship he inflicted on his soldiers or sailors (White, 2012).
********
Alexis, Peter’s
son, was being groomed to become his successor. Alexis cracked under the
pressure his hyperactive father placed on him. Alexis took a peasant girl as
his full-time mistress which displeased his father and then shot himself in the
hand to avoid serving military duty. Peter shunned his son. His son, to avoid
punishment, ran away to Austria and then to Italy. Peter tracked him down and
made him believe that he would be welcomed with open arms and convinced Alexis
that he was forgiven.
Things
went well for Alexis for a while. Peter finally realized the magnitude of his
son’s betrayal. He wondered who sided with Alexis concerning his escape. Alexis
was seized and forced through to torture to reveal his accomplices. Peter
supervised Alexis final payment. He was whipped for several days until he died
in anguish.
Many deaths
occurred during multiple wars and the construction of St. Petersburg, various
infrastructures, and factories. His tireless ambition to seek additional sea
ports, accumulate more land, modernize Russia and build a new city was
intimidating to most of his subjects. Some of his subjects would become
deformed to avoid serving in the military. He made vast changes and peasants
were no longer free citizens. They were forced to become members of the
serfdom. Men were even not allowed to sport beards unless they paid a beard
tax. Many of the changes were derived from what Peter obtained when he traveled
to various countries west of Russia and these ideas were quickly put into place
at the expense of many lives. Given what can be conceived as the backing of
demonic forces, Peter was unstoppable. A multitude of rulers gained much of
their power the same way throughout the history of this world (White, 2012).
Source:
White,
M. (2012). Atrocities: The 100
Deadliest Episodes in Human History. New York:
W.W. Norton and Company.
